One Piece chapter 1141 sets aside Gunko’s team of Holy Knights to focus entirely on the adventures of the Straw Hats and their giant allies, which helps create a layered and exciting narrative as the tension keeps building. Chapter 1141 strongly builds upon the Elbaph story arc‘s most critical plotlines while also setting up suspense in all-new ways, creating a suspenseful and exciting read as Luffy’s adventure in the land of giants marches on.

The sheer tension is the biggest strength of the chapter “An Older Woman,” including the fact readers can’t even see what Gunko’s team is doing in the shadows. It’s not a problem to sideline Gunko’s three-man team, however, because the story developments in Chapter 1141 demand every panel so they can be fleshed out, and not seeing Gunko’s team actually ratchets up the tension in a fun way. Then, by the end, Chapter 1141 sends the tension through the roof with what readers can see, which may prove to be this arc’s single-best plot twist of all.

One Piece Chapter 1141 Finally Gives Zoro Something to Do

Zoro’s Role Has Been Lacking So Far in Elbaph

An unfortunate side effect of One Piece having such a vast cast of characters is how each character gets just a narrow sliver of screen time to say or do anything, and not even the members of the Straw Hats are much of an exception. Even if Luffy’s crew is present in each story arc, either in part or in whole, Luffy’s crewmates tend to get lost in the noise. It’s a shame when that happens, with fan-favorite characters like Roronoa Zoro, Vinsmoke Sanji, Nami, and Brook reduced to just a few passing lines of dialogue or a single action in these crowded chapters. That negatively impacted a recent One Piece chapter, with Nami and Zoro being ignored as Luffy listened to Scopper Gaban’s exposition about Elbaph and recent events. However, Chapter 1141 helps reverse that trend somewhat.

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When the story allows it, One Piece‘s manga can treat readers to a few pages in a row of Luffy having meaningful interactions with his crewmates — in this case, with the swordsman Zoro. It may seem odd for readers to be so relieved about a major character like Zoro actually talking to Luffy in a proper conversation, but that’s how One Piece is now. Too often, the Straw Hats end up just providing token reactions to the words and actions of an arc’s brand-new characters, with the Straw Hats almost acting like tour guides on behalf of the reader. Such is not the case in Chapter 1141, which has a strong middle as Zoro works alongside Luffy to investigate Loki, key in hand. Fans get to see classic Zoro in action, with Zoro being tough and pragmatic, which still manages to shock Luffy, even after all this time.

Chapter 1141 helps remind One Piece readers why they fell in love with Zoro’s character to begin with, with Zoro typically having tough and cool dialogue as he treads carefully around the imprisoned Prince Loki. Like always, Zoro is direct and rough with his friends and enemies alike, shocking Luffy as he kicks Loki to make sure Loki actually is injured and not just pretending. Zoro’s actions and lines in the chapter are nothing legendary like “Nothing happened,” but they’re still a refreshing reminder of why fans love Zoro so much, and it’s a shame One Piece‘s current arcs don’t have more time for such character moments. Zoro’s character may not truly need moments like this to reinforce what he’s like, since Zoro’s personality is so familiar. However, for the sake of entertainment, it’s still a welcome sight in the pages leading up to Chapter 1141’s biggest development.

One Piece Chapter 1141 Shoves Nami to the Side

Without Treasure to Plunder, Nami Doesn’t Care About All This

While Chapter 1141 finds time to make Zoro fun and relevant during Luffy’s sneaky mission to free Loki in the Underworld, the chapter doesn’t extend the same favor to Nami. Like Zoro, Nami had almost nothing to say or do during Luffy’s mission into Aurust Castle as the trio met the elderly Scopper Gaban, and unlike Zoro, Nami still doesn’t have anything to contribute in One Piece‘s current events. Instead, Nami briefly amuses readers by loudly complaining about the lack of treasure to plunder in Aurust Castle, then returns to the party, where she meets Chief Jarul. It’s fun to see Nami being true to her character by thinking about treasure, which has always been a personal hallmark of hers, but it still means little. That’s disappointing, since Nami has been a staple in One Piece for nearly as long as Zoro has.

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It’s a shame Chapter 1141 doesn’t do much with Nami aside from her treasure comment and her brief meeting with Chief Jarul, but it’s still a necessary evil as the story becomes ever more crowded with characters. And unlike Zoro, who stays relevant by being strong enough to join Luffy on the Loki mission, Nami really doesn’t have that much to do right now. She could have potentially shared more dialogue and made an impact with her words or ideas, but there is no room for such things in Chapter 1141, and Chapter 1141 is about the risky mission to Loki, which Nami would have declined to join anyway. For that matter, most of the Straw Hats have marginal roles in Chapter 1141, which is also a shame, but not a surprising one. Even Sanji has only a little bit to do here, arriving with Hajrudin and a few other giants aboard a flying ship to reach Luffy, Zoro, and Loki.

The Adam Tree’s Vulnerability Hints at a Potential Disaster on Elbaph

The Holy Knights Might Exploit That Weakness

Another strength of One Piece‘s 1141th chapter is the combined lore expansion and the unexpected suspense concerning the Adam Tree, the titanic tree that forms the foundation of Elbaph civilization. The Adam Tree has already been established as the central pillar of Elbaph and the source of the Thousand Sunny‘s ultra-hard wood, but there is more to the tree, as Ripley tells Franky. Ripley points out a severed branch and explains how a fire nearly consumed that branch and the entire tree until the pragmatic giants chopped it off to contain the blaze. The fun part is the implied danger, with Ripley saying once the Adam Tree catches fire, nothing can stop the flames except for severing the burning parts, making fire and lightning the tree’s biggest weakness.

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That’s exciting because it gives the Straw Hats and readers alike yet another hazard to watch out for, and readers all know One Piece wouldn’t introduce something like that unless it will be relevant later, and probably in a big way. So far, there have only been skirmishes with the villains on Elbaph, and there is bound to be at least one big battle before this arc is done, so that provides an opportunity for the villains to exploit the Adam Tree’s vulnerability to fire. Most likely, the Holy Knights will exploit that weakness, but by what means is not yet clear. Still, with the first few pages of Chapter 1141 having only minimal suspense or action, the chapter definitely needed something tense like the Adam Tree’s major weakness — and right on time, the chapter got it.

Loki’s Awakening is the Perfect Cliffhanger to Conclude Chapter 1141

This May Lead to the Elbaph Arc’s Best Fight Yet

The single best and most consequential development in One Piece Chapter 1141 is at the end, with Luffy’s quest to free Loki pays off. Sanji’s group of giants arrives too late to stop Luffy’s reckless plan, with Loki dramatically rising to his feet as the chapter ends. Even if Loki still has one Sea Prism cuff on him to contain his unknown Devil Fruit powers, Loki still promises to be a dangerous fighter, especially with his weapon, named Ragnir. The chapter’s dialogue strongly suggests Loki is about to wreak havoc, even in this state, and given his size and reputation, he is bound to live up to those fearful words before long. Readers couldn’t have asked for a better cliffhanger at this point in the Elbaph story arc, one that promises to kick this arc into high gear rather early.

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What is more, Loki’s partial freedom may catch the attention of Gunko’s team of Holy Knights, who might intervene to see what is happening and thus fight Luffy’s team. Even if they do not, Loki’s awakening is sure to prompt the Holy Knights to do something, and the rest of the giants probably will, too. This cliffhanger is all but guaranteed to upend the delicate, tense status quo on Elbaph as the final war against the villainous World Government looms, and readers have every reason to be 100% pumped for the next chapter’s events.

The One Piece manga can be read at Manga Plus.

One Piece Chapter 1141

Franky is told about the Adam Tree’s weakness to fire while Luffy and Zoro partially free Loki and the Holy Knights lurk unseen in the shadows.

Author

Eiichiro Oda

Artist

Eiichiro Oda

Release Date

July 22, 1997

Chapters

1081

Volumes

105

Pros & Cons

• Loki’s partial freedom is a great cliffhanger.
• The vulnerability of the Adam Tree provides some suspense.
• Luffy and Zoro feel like a dynamic duo.

• Nami doesn’t say or do much of note.

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