Quick answer
- Harald was Elbaph’s last king, father of Hajrudin (by Ida) and Loki (by Queen Estrid). He died 14 years before the story at age 144 (Ch. 1169).
- He started as a cruel young king, but Ida changed him into a diplomat who made Elbaph friends with other nations (Ch. 1152-1153).
- To get Elbaph into the World Government he turned on his friend Rocks, tore off his horns at Marineford and joined the Knights of God (Ch. 1157-1168).
- When Imu’s Depths Covenant began to control him, Harald begged Loki to kill him before he handed Elbaph’s giants over as a slave army (Ch. 1169-1170).
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King Harald was the last king of Elbaph and the father of Loki and Hajrudin. He went from a violent young tyrant to Elbaph’s most loved ruler, spent decades trying to get the giants into the World Government, and died 14 years before the story at age 144 (Ch. 1169). Loki killed him, but only because Harald begged him to before Imu could take over his mind (Ch. 1169-1170).
Spoilers go up to Chapter 1195, the latest released chapter as of October 18, 2026 (Chapter 1196 is scheduled for October 19). The flashback chapters about Harald (Ch. 1152-1170) are collected in Volumes 113-115. Chapter numbers are for the manga; the anime has not reached this flashback yet.
King Harald’s life at a glance
“Years ago” counts back from the present day of the story.
| When | Age | What happened | Chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 113 years ago | 45 | Becomes king; spends his time raiding instead of ruling | Ch. 1152 |
| About 109 years ago | ~49 | Frees Ida from a Bunt Kingdom circus; she slaps him and changes his mind | Ch. 1153 |
| 105 years ago | ~53 | Announces Elbaph will learn from the world’s cultures | Ch. 1153 |
| 81 years ago | ~77 | First son Hajrudin is born to Ida | Ch. 1153 |
| 63 years ago | ~95 | Second son Loki is born to Queen Estrid; famine relief arrives from Harald’s allies | Ch. 1153-1154 |
| 56 years ago | ~102 | Meets Rocks D. Xebec at the Levely | Ch. 1155 |
| 42 years ago | ~116 | Five Elders offer membership if Elbaph kills Rocks; Harald accepts | Ch. 1157-1158 |
| 40-38 years ago | ~118-120 | Duels Rocks, then lets him go to God Valley | Ch. 1158-1159 |
| After God Valley | – | Tears off his horns at Marineford and offers himself as a slave | Ch. 1166 |
| 24 years ago | ~134 | Becomes a Devoted Blade of God with a Shallows Covenant | Ch. 1167 |
| 15 years ago | ~143 | Ida is poisoned; Harald meets Shanks | Ch. 1167 |
| 14 years ago | 144 | Made a full Knight of God; dies by Loki’s hand | Ch. 1168-1170 |
Ages are worked out from the two fixed points the manga gives: crowned at 45, 113 years ago, and dead at 144, 14 years ago. A “~” means the age is calculated, not stated.
The tyrant years: a king who called himself a god
Harald was born with horns, a sign of ancient giant blood, and grew up alongside Dorry and Brogy. He became king 113 years ago at 45, which the story says is like being 15 in human years (Ch. 1152).
He barely ruled. He sailed around the world spreading terror, kicked one of his own crew into a castle for fun, and declared himself a god. The narration calls him a “lowlife scumbag” (Ch. 1152).
How Ida turned Harald into a great king
The turning point was Ida, a giantess from Samuwanai Island in the South Blue. Harald found her caged as a circus act in the Bunt Kingdom and “rescued” her, wrecking the kingdom in the process. Ida slapped him. She told him he was only strong by luck of birth, and that his actions were why humans saw giants as savages (Ch. 1153).
Harald helped rebuild Bunt, apologized to its king and began to change. By 105 years ago he was back on Elbaph announcing that he would learn the world’s cultures and rethink Elbaph’s warlike traditions. He traveled with Ida for at least 20 years, taught other nations Elbaph’s navigation skills, and became a storyteller for Elbaph’s children (Ch. 1153).
| Change | Before Ida | After Ida |
|---|---|---|
| View of humans | Prey to raid | Partners to trade with |
| Role at sea | Pirate-like raider | Traveling diplomat |
| Goal for Elbaph | Fear | Friendship with every nation |
The payoff came 63 years ago. A famine hit Elbaph while Harald was abroad, and the nations he had befriended sent aid that saved the country (Ch. 1153).
Who was Harald’s wife? Ida, Estrid and his two sons
Harald loved Ida, but Elbaph’s elders would not let him marry her because of her “impure” blood. Their son Hajrudin was born 81 years ago and raised as a commoner (Ch. 1153).
Harald’s official wife was Estrid, an arranged match from a “pure” bloodline. Their son Loki was born 63 years ago. Estrid was horrified by Loki’s eyes, tried to pass him off as stillborn and threw the newborn into Elbaph’s Underworld. Loki climbed back up, and Estrid spent the rest of her life calling him cursed (Ch. 1153-1154). She died of illness about a year later.
| Person | Relation to Harald | What happened to them |
|---|---|---|
| Ida | Lover, never allowed to marry him | Poisoned by Estrid’s relatives 15 years ago (Ch. 1167) |
| Estrid | Official queen | Rejected Loki, died of illness 62 years ago |
| Hajrudin | First son, by Ida | Now captain of the New Giant Warrior Pirates |
| Loki | Second son and heir, by Estrid | Branded a patricide for 14 years |
Harald was often away, so Loki grew up under Estrid’s brother, who abused him (Ch. 1154). When Loki later learned Ida had been poisoned, he burned down Estrid’s home village, Brewers Village. Harald told him at the end that he was moved by it (Ch. 1167, 1170).
Harald vs. Rocks: friendship and betrayal
Harald met Rocks D. Xebec 56 years ago when he snuck into the Levely and was framed for Rocks’ kidnapping of five kings. Their clash of Conqueror’s Haki knocked out everyone within 5 km, and then they escaped Mary Geoise together (Ch. 1155).
Rocks kept inviting Harald to join his crew. Harald kept saying no because he believed joining the World Government was Elbaph’s best future (Ch. 1155-1157). They still drank together at Ida’s bar. When Rocks asked Ida to talk sense into him, she joked that Harald should pick better friends (Ch. 1157).
The friendship broke over one deal:
- Harald saved the people of Enishi from Government agents and was smeared as a villain by the newspapers. He shaved his head to show good faith (Ch. 1157).
- The Five Elders said Elbaph could join if it killed Rocks. Harald accepted (Ch. 1157-1158).
- Forty years ago he attacked Rocks on Elbaph. The duel ended in a draw (Ch. 1158).
- Two years later he intercepted Rocks heading to God Valley. Over a last drink, Rocks revealed his real name, Davy D. Xebec. Harald still refused to help him (Ch. 1159).
Rocks died at God Valley (Ch. 1166). Harald later called him his greatest friend and blamed himself for not standing with him.
Why did Harald tear off his horns?
After Rocks’ death, Harald went to Marineford, ripped out his own horns in front of the Marine leadership, and apologized for every crime giants had ever committed. He said he would do anything for Elbaph to walk beside humans, even become a slave (Ch. 1166).
The horns were the mark of his ancient giant blood, which he saw as a relic of the age of war (Ch. 1137). Tearing them off left the large scars on his head seen in his portrait.
The Government accepted. Harald secretly worked as a tool of the Marines, attacking pirates from the mist so often that sailors told stories of a sea monster.
How Harald joined the Knights of God
24 years ago, Harald was finally allowed into Mary Geoise. The Five Elders gave him a Shallows Covenant and made him a Devoted Blade of God, an assistant to the Knights of God (Ch. 1167). There he later met a fellow Devoted Blade: Shanks.
| Covenant | What it gives | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Shallows (Devoted Blade) | No special powers | Cannot disobey Imu when near him (Ch. 1169) |
| Depths (full Knight) | Strength, immortality, the Abyss | Cannot disobey Imu anywhere (Ch. 1168-1169) |
Shanks knew what the Depths Covenant meant and did not want Harald to take it (Ch. 1169). Then, 15 years ago, Ida died. Harald comforted her in her final moments and promised Elbaph’s warrior days were over (Ch. 1167).
14 years ago, Shanks went missing before his own promotion, so it went to Harald instead. At the Empty Throne, Imu appeared, refused Harald’s plan to step down as king, and upgraded his mark to a Depths Covenant (Ch. 1168).
How did King Harald die?
Harald’s final mission was to turn every giant in Elbaph into an army for the World Government. He refused and said only volunteers would fight. Imu answered by forcing his will on him (Ch. 1168).
- Harald tries to die. He orders his guards to chain him, then to stab him. His new immortality heals every wound (Ch. 1169).
- He gives Loki the plan. Before his mind goes, he tells Loki to eat Elbaph’s legendary Devil Fruit, kill him, tell everyone he was the worst king in Elbaph’s history, and take the throne as a hero (Ch. 1169).
- Imu takes over. Harald kills his own guards, stabs Jarul through the helmet and calls himself a vassal of “the Great One.” Shanks and Gaban hold him off (Ch. 1169).
- Loki eats the fruit. Ragnir lets Loki eat it, and his transformed attacks bring Harald back to his senses for a moment (Ch. 1170).
- The last words. Harald sees that Loki has Conqueror’s Haki and says he is ready to lead Elbaph. Loki screams that he will never forgive him. Harald replies that he loves him too, and Loki kills him with Ragnir (Ch. 1170).
113 guards died in Aurust Castle that day (Ch. 1152). The fruit was later named the Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Nidhöggr (Ch. 1175).
Why was Loki blamed for 14 years?
Harald wanted Elbaph to know the truth, including his own failure. Loki refused that last wish, told the survivors to stay silent and sailed off with them to take revenge on the World Government (Ch. 1171). Elbaph believed Loki had murdered his father for the legendary fruit.
The truth came out in the present day. Loki told Hajrudin, and Hajrudin forgave him (Ch. 1171). Jarul then cleared Loki’s name to all of Elbaph, but said a “demon” had attacked the castle, keeping Harald’s legacy as a great king intact (Ch. 1172). Imu, meanwhile, calls Harald’s death a failure that cost the Government Elbaph’s army (Ch. 1146, 1151).
FAQ
How did King Harald die in One Piece?
Loki killed him with Ragnir 14 years before the story, but at Harald’s own request. Imu’s Depths Covenant was taking over his mind, and he wanted to die before he turned Elbaph’s giants into a Government army (Ch. 1169-1170).
Is Harald Loki’s father?
Yes. Loki is Harald’s son by his official wife, Queen Estrid. Hajrudin is his older son by Ida, the woman he loved but was not allowed to marry (Ch. 1153).
Who was Harald’s wife?
His official wife was Estrid, an arranged match. Elbaph’s elders refused to let him marry Ida because of her “impure” blood, although she was his lifelong partner (Ch. 1153).
How old was Harald when he died?
He was 144 (Ch. 1169). He had become king at 45, 113 years before the present day (Ch. 1152).
Did Harald have Conqueror’s Haki?
Yes. His first clash with Rocks at the Levely knocked out everyone within 5 km (Ch. 1155), and Gaban and Shanks could not stop him while he was controlled (Ch. 1170).
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This guide is the English edition of a BuzzBeaver article originally written in Japanese: 日本語版を読む. Facts are checked against the official manga and anime; fan theories are labeled as such.