Loki Feels Like Early Franky
Yamato’s cover story Vol.18: “Chase the sword thief!” Following last week’s Robin homage, this one was predicted to be Franky’s chapter — and it is. Franky’s most memorable early scene was chasing down the thief who stole his pants. Chasing a thief to reclaim something important: same energy.
And in the main story of Chapter 1131, Loki himself carries strong early-Franky vibes. There’s also a parallel between Luffy exploding in rage when Shanks is insulted and Luffy’s rage when Usopp was hurt in Water Seven. More broadly: this chapter feels like the Water Seven → Enies Lobby arc homages are still rolling, even after Egghead ended.
Being Ignored — and Getting Furious About It
The setup: Loki is bursting with excitement about finally landing on Elbaf, rambling nonstop, and Luffy simply ignores him. Loki snaps. Compare that to early Franky: he picks a fight with Luffy to avenge his crew and the Galley-La carpenters end up “stealing” his battle, leaving him furious and sidelined.
Both are also chained up when we first properly meet them. Loki bound in chains, Franky cuffed after the Enies Lobby raid. The structural parallel is tight.
“Treasure Tree Adam” — Named by Loki
Loki casually drops the information that the enormous tree forming the foundation of Warland Kingdom is Treasure Tree Adam. Before this chapter, the only characters who had mentioned that tree by name were Franky and Usopp — both of whom, as it turns out, have notable giant connections.
Franky used Treasure Tree Adam timber to build the Thousand Sunny. He also mentioned at the time that there are “only a few trees of this type in the entire world.” Which raises the question: where are the others? Other giant territories? Possibly even on top of the Red Line? The tree being the literal foundation of an Elbaf-affiliated kingdom might be one answer.
Commanding Wild Beasts
Loki’s “friends” — a procession of giant wild animals — appear alongside him. In a snow-filled environment with large predators loyal to one figure, the visual echo is Franky’s cyborg animals from Wano. Different execution, same structural beat: a powerful figure surrounded by creatures that obey him by bond rather than force.
Insulting Luffy’s Important Person
Loki, unaware of the history between Luffy and Shanks, dismisses Shanks as a “spineless pirate.” Luffy immediately flips. The parallel: in Water Seven, it wasn’t Franky himself who set Luffy off — it was Franky’s crew insulting Usopp. The trigger is slightly removed from the main antagonist in both cases, but the effect is the same: Luffy going from zero to maximum in one panel.
Bonus: The Bigger Picture
Stepping back: Chapter 1131 isn’t really about “Loki is Franky.” It’s about Oda still running Water Seven → Enies Lobby structural callbacks even this deep into the Elbaf arc. Saulo, Ohara, Buster Call imagery — all of it still present.
One specific example: Hiluluk carrying a giant elk (elk: elg → Elbaf?) on his back as he returns home. That’s a direct visual homage to Oimo and Kashi carrying Sodom and Gomorrah while fleeing Enies Lobby in volume 44. And next week, if the pattern holds, we should get a Saulo and Robin moment — which would map onto volume 41.
