ONE PIECE’S 17-YEAR-OLD HORROR UNLEASHED: CHAPTER 1167 SOLVES THE FLORIAN TRIANGLE NIGHTMARE – HARALD WAS THE ORIGINAL MIST MONSTER… BUT THE REAL SHADOW BEASTS ARE ANCIENT GIANTS THAT’LL SHATTER ELBAF AND CRUSH IMU IN A FROZEN RAGNAROK BLOODBATH!

Over the years, One Piece has accumulated a handful of big mysteries. Even as the series enters its final saga, it’s unclear when fans will get answers to many of these lingering questions. Putting aside the fact that it’s also been introducing new ones at the same time, One Piece’s last few arcs have indeed been tackling many of these mysteries.

The latest of these was the God Valley Incident, which was recently brought to light along with Rocks D. Xebec’s full history. Now, the Elbaph flashback is finally returning to Harald and the curious circumstances surrounding his death, and in the process, One Piece may have just solved a seventeen-year-old mystery.

One Piece Just Revealed the Origins of the Florian Triangle Monsters

Chapter #1166 of One Piece saw Harald pledge himself to the World Government, promising to atone for a thousand years in return for letting Elbaph and the Giants join the World Government. As part of this oath, chapter #1167 of One Piece sees Harald directly assist the Navy to cut down on piracy and uphold law and order.

Harald’s duties included destroying ships at sea, which gave rise to the rumor about a giant monster destroying ships in the mist-shrouded seas of the Grand Line. Interestingly, as one of the witnesses described running into this so-called monster, a reporter asks if the incident took place in the Florian Triangle, which is precisely where the series first introduced fans to this legend.

Back in chapter #490, similar monsters were seen lurking in the mist as the Straw Hats left Thriller Bark. Seeing the mist, Lola and her crew decided not to set sail, with the narrator subsequently stating that over a hundred ships went missing in the fog of the Florian Triangle every year.

Chapter #490 also states these disappearances were an old mystery that had been around even before Thriller Bark began to lurk in the Florian Triangle ten years ago. This timeline easily lines up with the information presented in the latest chapter, and it is strongly implied that Harald was the origin of this legend introduced in chapter #490, which was released seventeen years ago.

That said, the events of chapter #1167 take place 33 years ago, and with Harald having died about 14 years ago, the biggest lingering question is how the legend has continued to live on after Harald’s death, and this is where a popular theory comes in.

One Piece’s Florian Triangle Monsters May Be Connected to Galleila

The Galleila Band is a fairly recent addition to One Piece lore, having been first mentioned by Jarul in chapter #1154. However, it seems like this band of Giants could be connected to several key mysteries, including Rocks’ ambitions, the true purpose of the Nika Fruit, Loki’s fate, and most importantly, the monsters in the Florian Triangle.

As revealed in chapter #1154, the Galleila Band was a group of hammer-wielding Giant warriors who were also shipwrights. The group was supposedly taken prisoner despite even having Ancient Giants among them.

The chapter also includes a silhouette of the Galleila Band, with many of its members interestingly resembling the frozen Giants the Straw Hats encountered on Punk Hazard back in chapter #660. These frozen giants were also dressed as prisoners, further implying that they could be the Galleila Band of legend.

Furthermore, in chapter 1154, Jarul also mentions an army of frozen Giants and the fact that the Giants once had a great enemy in the past, which all but dispels any further doubt. That said, if the Galleila Band is encased in ice at Punk Hazard, then who could the monsters in the Florian Triangle be?

Surely, it’s no coincidence that Harald and the Florian Triangle were mentioned in the same breadth. If they are connected, perhaps the Florian Triangle monsters are simply the Ancient Giants from the Galleila Band. After all, the giants seen at Punk Hazard all seemed to be the size of regular giants.

Harald, who had Ancient Giant blood coursing through his veins, was already much larger than regular giants, and the Ancient Giants would better match Harald and the shadows seen in chapter #490 in terms of size. Why they still roam the seas of the Florian Triangle and why they, too, weren’t frozen is still a mystery, but for now, it does seem like the most plausible explanation.

With the introduction of Domi Reversi and the different covenants with Imu, it is also possible that the Ancient Giants have been under Imu’s control. Although maybe their past as shipwrights is why ships in the Florian Triangle have simply been quietly disappearing instead of being destroyed like Harald was ordered.

The Galleila Band Is the Key to One Piece’s Endgame

All that said, while the Galleila Band has only been mentioned in passing so far, the entire Rocks flashback has made it clear that they could be a lot more important than they seem. As seen in chapter #1156, Rocks was trying to find the Galleila Band, who were central to his dream of becoming the king of the world.

The whole reason he wanted to recruit Harald was so that Harald could command the group of Giants on his behalf. That said, Rocks was also looking for two devil fruits, one of which would most likely be found on Elbaph. This is likely referring to the legendary devil fruit passed down through Elbaph’s royal family, and according to Rocks, its true power could only be harnessed by Harald.

Judging by the significance of Nika among the Giants of Elbaph and their history, it seems like this legendary devil fruit is none other than the Nika Fruit that Luffy currently possesses. After all, a mysterious figure was seen approaching a chest with the legendary devil fruit on the day Harald was killed, and Shanks is said to have stolen the Nika Fruit from CP9 and Who’s Who only a year later.

Of course, it has yet to be confirmed whether the fruit was really stolen on the day of Harald’s death or whether it was another devil fruit entirely, which was then eaten by Loki, as the rumors claim. That said, if it is indeed the Nika Fruit, then perhaps Gear Five has another hidden ability.

The awakened Nika Fruit may be capable of waking up the frozen Galleila Band, much like Luffy woke up Emet on Egghead. After all, who better to melt the ice and set them free than the Sun God himself? This may be why Rocks needed Harald as well as the Nika Fruit. Perhaps Rocks believed Harald was most likely to awaken the Nika Fruit.

On the other hand, it is also possible that Loki might end up being the one to awaken the frozen Galleila Giants instead, as in the original Norse myth, Loki’s father is said to have been a Jotunn or frost giant. Either way, with the Elbaph flashback circling back to Harald’s death, it seems like One Piece’s upcoming chapters will definitely give fans some answers.