Loki's potential as a Straw Hat in One Piece will depend on his Devil Fruit, and it might trace back to Oars

One Piece has long fascinated fans with the combination of rare Devil Fruits and the complex Straw Hat crew cast. The possibility of Loki being joined to the crew depends on his Devil Fruit, one that many speculate is derived from the mythical Oars. Among the fandom, a trend is noted: every named Straw Hat fruit is a Japanese number pun, with only the 2-9 combination remaining untouched.

Instead of Kuma’s Nikyu Nikyu being the missing piece, proof suggests the legendary Kuni Kuni no Mi, or Nation-Nation Fruit, was once held by Oars. If Loki inherits the ability, his path and potential as a Straw Hat will be based on how he decides to command and form unshakable ties, building on Oars's real legacy.

Disclaimer: The article is speculative in nature. It reflects the author's opinions and contains spoilers from the One Piece manga.

---

Will Loki join the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece, explored

Loki could join the Straw Hats in the final battle of One Piece (Image via Shueisha)

In One Piece, the possibility of Loki becoming a Straw Hat pirate is of interest to fans due to its potential connection to one of the story's greatest mysteries: the consistency of Japanese number puns in the Devil Fruits possessed by Straw Hats. Every one of the crew's Devil Fruits has corresponded with an individual number combination, and between numbers 1 and 10, only 2 and 9 have yet to be used.

This has prompted speculation regarding the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi of Bartholomew Kuma. However, another strong possibility is that the missing fruit is the Kuni Kuni no Mi, or "Nation-Nation Fruit," a mythical ability that, in theory, might have been possessed by the giant Oars previously.

The term "kuni" is the Japanese word for "nation" and ties in with Oars' mythological title of "Kunibiki," meaning "Nation Puller." Although the surface translation presents him as a continent puller, the undertones go deeper, suggesting the unification of not only lands but also of people: a power based on binding others together rather than dominating them.

Oars might have passed down the Devil Fruit to Loki in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

If the Kuni Kuni no Mi does exist, it would not be a domination weapon like Imu's supposed powers, but an empowerment weapon. Rather than compelling loyalty, it would enlarge it, providing power to willing followers, enabling animals and humans to rally and fight for something they believe in. At its peak, it could summon followers, protect allies from control, and even drive them into an elevated state of strength, such as a berserker's fury, but with awareness.

Such a fruit would be the perfect ideological counter to a king who wishes to warp wills, since it can only exist in the context of unbreakable bonds. This recasts Oars's legacy entirely. Far from the beast of legend, he might have been a wise and faithful guardian, possibly patterned after the Norse god Odin.

Oars might have employed his fruit to fight alongside Joy Boy, eventually giving his life to conceal and shield his frozen warriors for that day of reckoning to come. His corpse, found in the icy terrain by Moria, tied up with chains and covered in ice, recapitulates the contemporary appearance of Loki in One Piece, further binding their tales.

---

The Kuni Kuni no Mi’s true power mirrors Hnefatafl’s lesson of unity in One Piece

The rules of Hnefatafl parallel with Imu's goal in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

This symbolism is intensified through the Viking board game Hnefatafl, wherein the king is besieged and needs to escape through the services of loyal defenders. The philosophy of the game: defense, trust, and how hard it is to overthrow a leader protected by unity, appears to be an appropriate thematic correlative to Imu's own strategy, compared to that of Reversi, switching allies into foes.

Within this metaphor, the Kuni Kuni no Mi is not about taking land but siege-breaking through the power of genuine camaraderie. Even Oars's designs and the World Government crest cause one to recall Hnefatafl's imagery of the king's location.

---

Rocks D. Xebec wanted the fruit to defeat Imu in One Piece

Rocks D. Xebec wanted the Devil Fruit from Elbaph to defeat Imu in One Piece (Image via Shueisha)

Rocks D. Xebec might have long desired this power, knowing that it alone was capable of confronting Imu. But the fruit could not be forcibly seized; only a member of the Elbaf royal blood, pledged in mutual obligation with their comrades, could use it successfully. This is perhaps the reason why Rocks' attempt did not work and why he prized Harald's voluntary obedience above any display of mastery.

Later misconceptions by individuals such as Blackbeard and Moria, who interpreted the Nation-Nation idea as a nation of villains, further warped its meaning, setting the stage for its real intention to be concealed for centuries.

---

Loki’s ancient bonds in One Piece hint at a threat that even Imu cannot ignore

Five Elders as seen in One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

That brings attention to Loki, the present holder of the fruit. Though he possesses it, he has never really tapped into its power since he reigns without true allegiance. Self-absorbed and arrogant, Loki has only found friendship in animals that appear inexplicably loyal to him. In a crucial plot, the emergence of the giant crow was used as a clue to his association with the Kuni Kuni no Mi because crows, "karasu" in Japanese, bear a connection to Odin's mythological ravens.

Giants like Biblo the owl and even entire sentient islands such as Zou have endured for centuries due to bonds formed in the Joy Boy era, suggesting that Loki’s crow may be a remnant of Oars’s ancient allies. Its appearance alarmed Imu enough to send the knights after him, marking him as a potential threat if his abilities ever awaken.

---

Loki will be a part of Luffy's crew at the end of One Piece

Luffy and Loki as seen in One Piece manga (Image via Shueisha)

The true obstacle for Loki is personal. Power without faith is powerless, and his past has made him unable to inspire the camaraderie the fruit needs. This is where Luffy's power might turn out to be determinative. The future situation dreamed up by some fans is that Loki, either through battle or discovery, comes to admire and obey Luffy's vision of becoming Pirate King. By deciding to stand by his side openly and sincerely, Loki would unleash the full potential of the Kuni Kuni no Mi.

In that moment, the army of Elbaf, immortalized and frozen for centuries, would rise at his call, not as weapons of war, but as allies ready to fight with Luffy's ranks in the final battle against oppression. Thus, Loki’s fate as a Straw Hat would not be determined solely by his power but by his capacity to shed arrogance and lead through unity, fulfilling the legacy of Oars and adding one final, crucial piece to the Straw Hat crew’s numerical Devil Fruit puzzle.

---

Final thoughts

The theory implies that Loki could join the Straw Hat Pirates after mastering the Kuni Kuni no Mi, a mythical fruit that Oars may have once possessed. While the ability is not necessarily about domination, it is rooted in connection and empowering common associates who resonate with loyalty and standing up against control.

Loki's arrogance gets in the way of potential, but perhaps with Luffy in the picture, he can lead through shared equity. If awakened, then the fruit could summon frozen Elbaf warriors for the final charge and solve the Straw Hats' riddle of Devil Fruits.

---

Related links:

• Silver Axe might have mastered this forgotten One Piece skill, and it makes a lot of sense
• Rocks D. Xebec's return in One Piece could be made possible by his son, and the process is going to be bloody
• This One Piece admiral could be Boa Hancock's ultimate opponent (and it's not Akainu)