If you've been following the Elbaph arc even loosely, you already know things are about to get intense. The story has been building momentum for weeks now, and with One Piece Chapter 1173 on the horizon, it feels like Eiichiro Oda is finally ready to cash in on everything he's been setting up. No more slow burns, no more moving pieces around the board the battlefield is about to get loud.
Where We Left Off
Chapter 1172, titled "The Elbaph I Dreamed Of," was exactly the kind of dense, setup-heavy chapter that Oda specializes in. On the surface, it might have felt like a lot of exposition, but underneath all of it, something genuinely important shifted. Gabban laid bare the full scope of what the Knights of God are actually planning kidnapping ten giant children and dragging them off to Mary Geoise as leverage, essentially forcing Elbaph into becoming battle slaves for the World Government. It's the kind of cruelty that makes your skin crawl, and Oda made sure you felt every bit of it.
But the real gut punch of the chapter belonged to Jarul. Using a Den Den Mushi broadcast, he publicly called out the World Government's betrayal from fourteen years ago for the entire island to hear. Just like that, the secret was out. The weight Loki had been carrying silently, for over a decade finally came off his shoulders. And Jarul didn't just drop information. He reignited something in the people of Elbaph. His words ended with a declaration that, honestly, sent chills: Elbaph is ready to go to war.
Oh, and then the chapter closed with Zoro. Because of course it did. He showed up at the village alongside Hajrudin and Stansen, looked the situation dead in the eye, and confidently said he "has a plan." The fandom has been dissecting that line ever since, and for good reason Zoro doesn't say things like that without meaning it.
When Does Chapter 1173 Come Out?
One Piece Chapter 1173 is set to release on February 8, 2026. If you want to read it the second it goes live, head over to either Manga Plus by Shueisha or Viz Media. Both platforms carry the latest chapters for free, and they drop them simultaneously with the Japanese release, so there's no reason to wait.
What Should We Expect?
Now here's where things get fun. Nothing about Chapter 1173 has been officially confirmed, but based on where Chapter 1172 left us, there's a lot to chew on.
Zoro's "plan" is probably the first thing we'll see. His track record with grand strategies is, to put it gently, a mixed bag but that's kind of why fans love it. The leading theory right now is that his plan involves reigniting the legendary rivalry between Dorry and Brogy, the two giant warriors who've been demonized and turned against the village. If Zoro can snap them out of it or even just stall them it buys the Straw Hats some desperately needed time without anyone having to throw a single punch at a demonized giant directly. It's the kind of clever, borderline ridiculous move that fits Zoro perfectly.
Sanji could be making his move soon, too. Chapter 1172 set up a situation near the Walrus School and Owl Library where some of the Straw Hat crew are still being held. And with the destruction of the library hitting Robin especially hard emotionally, it feels like Oda is priming that beat for a payoff. Sanji is perfectly positioned to be the one who makes it happen, and given how much ground the Straw Hats have to cover across the battlefield, his window of action might come sooner than expected.
Finally, the Knights of God might stop being background noise. Sommers and Killingham have been hovering over the arc like a storm cloud for chapters now, and the shift from setup to actual confrontation feels overdue. Chapter 1173 could very well be the point where Oda stops hinting and starts locking in fights real matchups, real stakes, no more positioning.
The Bigger Picture
What makes this particular moment in the Elbaph arc so compelling isn't just the action it's the fact that for the first time, the people of the island are actually fighting back. Jarul's broadcast didn't just expose the World Government. It united a nation of giants around a single cause. The story of Elbaph, for all its pain and grief, is no longer headed toward tragedy. It's headed toward something else entirely, and One Piece Chapter 1173 might just be the chapter where that becomes undeniable.
Whether you're caught up or finally deciding to dive back in, February 8th is a date worth marking.


