Shanks ALMOST BECAME Immortal! Harald’s Death INCOMING! One Piece Chapter 1168 Full Spoilers!

In the previous One Piece chapter, we learn about the three Covenants with Imu and Shanks’ life as a double agent, serving as a Devoted Blade of God while helping Fisher Tiger free the slaves, as well as how Loki avenged Ida’s poisoning.

One Piece Chapter 1168 is titled, “The Snow of Elbaph”

This chapter has 15 pages, including the chapter cover.

This is a short chapter, with a Reader Request:  “Little sheeps are making gloves for Hachi.”

Let’s hope Oda has an idea for a new cover story.

Unfortunately Chapter 1168 looks incomplete as some pages look unfinished and the page count is lower than the usual 17 pages.

This is because Oda failed to reach the deadline.

Oda is guaranteed to fix that up in the volume version.

Ida’s Death

The chapter begins, still 15 years ago, with the narrator remarking that the image of Giants improved all over the world thanks to trading with other countries, Giant Marines’ heroism, and Harald’s diplomacy.

Meanwhile, Loki is sent to the “detention center” in the Underworld for the crime of destroying Alcohol Village, the home of his late biological mother, because the villagers poisoned Ida, Harald’s foreign woman that Loki recognizes as his mother.

Harald makes his return to Elbaph from his last mission with the World Government and sits with Saul as he recalls the day Ida died.

As he took care of the ill Ida in her bar, the two conversed.

Ida felt comforted by Harald’s promise that Elbaph will be connected with the world soon.

Harald hints at his desire to give the crown to someone, potentially to any of his sons but both are questionable choices for the people because Loki is the Accursed Prince and Hajrudin is an illegitimate son.

This is because he wants to go on adventures with Ida, showing how Ida was always his true love and that Harald was unable to be a friend to Rocks or a legal husband to Ida because of his duties sinking him deeper and deeper.

Yet ironically, this duty that became a cage began because Ida freed Harald of his monstrous ego, to enjoy the little things in life and the little races that offer him a new perspective: not a world where might makes right and the weak are helpless but a world of colorful creativity and opportunities to meet new people.

Ida reached out her arm and grasped Harald’s hand, but as soon as their hands touched, Ida’s arm lost its strength and she died.

It was snowing heavily in Elbaf the day Ida died. 

Harald and Hajrudin, who returned from his voyage, were crying at Ida’s bed while Loki sat in silence in jail, feeling the loss of his newfound mother from afar.

As Ida was buried, Harald made his speech, stating that Ida taught him everything, about how to fully appreciate life and seek peace with one another and that meeting her was his life’s treasure.

Shanks the Rat Scurried Off!

We skip to the next year.

14 years ago, Shanks disappeared just before he would be promoted to a Knight of God, so Harald, the next one in line, was offered the chance instead. 

Harald accompanied the Five Elders to the Empty Throne Room, where the King expressed his desire to put down his crown and let someone “young and pure” lead, which could be hinting towards Hajrudin, who presently had the ambition to be King of all Giants, not just Elbaph.

This is ironic since in a way, Harald is also putting his own sword down before a Throne no one is supposed to sit.

And now he meets the taboo and truth of this world, Imu.

Imu reveals himself, saying that Harald’s abdication and successor is something he will decide, not Harald.

Harald is stunned that someone is actually sitting on the Empty Throne and Imu asks the Giant King to come forth as he has been watching the wise King’s devotion to the World Government.

Suddenly, a huge scream resounded throughout the Pangaea Castle.

Imu changed Harald’s mark to the Depths Covenant mark, which is the same Killingham has in the present, where the Shallows Covenant symbol, which resembles the World Government logo, has a horn on the top, akin to a demon’s.

As established in our post on the Three Covenants of Imu, this could indicate that Sommers has the Abyssal Covenant like the Five Elders due to how the tattoo became even more intricate and complex but this will need more confirmation once we do see a proper reveal.

Harald is alarmed by the sudden increase in power, which is like how Muzan Kibutsuji from Demon Slayer is able to give varying dosage of his blood to empower Demons already turned into such monsters by his blood, resulting in an alarming increase in power with much pain and pressure within their bodies.

Imu states that Harald is a “Knight of Immortality”, meaning the Depths Covenant’s main attribute is the creation of immortal bodies.

Harald is still in disbelief.

Imu orders Harald to craft the Abyss pentagram in Elbaph, a mark of bond between the two parties.

Once this order is completed, Harald’s hard work will be realized as Elbaph will finally join the World Government.

Perhaps Shanks did make the right move as there would be no turning back.

Even then, it appeared that removing his arm was more than symbolic as while the Shallows Covenant is only a formality and gives no real powers from Imu, he would not have known or even then, it is still possible for the tattoo to work as a tracking device.

The Beginning of Elbaph’s Doom

Harald returns to his ship and upon arriving back home on Elbaph, he crafts the Abyss on the center floor of the throne room of the Aurust Castle.

Via a telepathic message, Imu orders Harald to turn Elbaph into a military nation with a fleet greater than the Marines.

Harald starts to lose control over his body as it starts moving on its own.

As it turns out, the condition of the Depths Covenant was that he could never defy Imu’s orders.

It seems that Harald, like Gunko in Chapter 1149 and Rocks in Chapter 1164, were able to fight back for a moment but their fates were sealed, as Imu would take control soon.

Knowing this, Harald orders his soldiers to tie him to a pillar and summon Jarul and his sons at once. 

This is how we got the position Harald assumed in Chapter 1152: “A Horrible Day” as we saw the Giant soldiers pierce the shadowed king and that was because he was on the verge of losing control.

But since Hajrudin was out at sea being a pirate mercenary,  only Loki and Jarul were summoned to the Aurust Castle.

In the Detention Center, a guard called for Loki to be freed and to head to Aurust Castle immediately at the orders of the King.

At Jarul’s house, the elder hears of an emergency and wants to know exactly what came down.

The chapter ends on a panel showing the famous portrait of King Harald (the one where he held a sword) while the narrator relays what will happen in the next chapter.

The main story Loki wanted to tell throughout these 16 chapters of Harald, Loki childhood, and Rocks flashbacks.

Within Aurust Castle, a mass slaughter would take place, leading to the death of the most beloved King of Elbaph, the wise King Harald.

If this was a mass slaughter, it was clear that the Giant guards failed to stop their King’s uncontrollable rampage and it was up to Loki and Jarul to solve this.

One of our added spoilers also brings up the possibility that this was also the battle where Shanks would not only gain a semi-false recognition as Emperor of the Sea by stopping the Accursed Prince Loki but in reality, this could be the battle where he would develop his reputation for having the highest-level of Conqueror’s Haki known in the present story of One Piece.

There was a reason why the Elbaph Arc was written this way: the Elbaph Arc’s core theme of duality of light (liberation) and darkness (destruction) via Loki, the mystery behind Harald’s death, Gaban using Advanced Conqueror’s Haki to stall regeneration, Gunko being possessed, Imu turning Giants into Demons via Domi Reversi, the Rocks flashback showing Garp and Roger using critical mass Advanced Conqueror’s Haki and now the three Covenants made with Imu that led to the loss of a King and Imu’s invasion plans being prepared.

It was all to answer the original question of who killed King Harald.

And in that answer, the key to defeating Imu once and for all!

There will be a BREAK NEXT WEEK!

One Piece Chapter 1169 will be released on December 22, 2025.

Chapter 1169 is confirmed to be the final chapter 2025, bringing the chapter total to 35.

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