More than a decade after its release, the beloved anime film One Piece Film: Strong World has received an unexpected nod from creator Eiichiro Oda himself. Sharp-eyed fans exploring the lush landscapes of Elbaph in the manga's current arc have spotted familiar faces among the giant wildlife—creatures that originally appeared on the floating islands of Merveille. What began as fan speculation has now been officially confirmed in the SBS question-and-answer section of volume #112, published in late 2025. The re-emergence of these designs is not a sign that the movie is being integrated into the sacred canon, but a charming behind-the-scenes revelation that perfectly encapsulates Oda's creative ethos.

The story of One Piece Film: Strong World is one of striking visual flair and narrative significance. Released in 2009 to commemorate the anime’s 10th anniversary, it boasted a script penned by Oda himself, a rarity for the franchise’s theatrical offerings. The antagonist, Golden Lion Shiki, was established as a canonical figure who once battled Roger and later escaped Impel Down, making him a uniquely weighty addition to the One Piece world. For 15 years, the movie held a cherished place in fans' hearts, admired for its high-quality animation and the powerful storytelling that felt authentic to the Straw Hat crew's journey. Yet, despite Shiki's canon status, the events of the film always existed in a gray area, beloved but never officially recognized by the manga’s timeline. That delicate boundary seemed absolute—until the giants of Elbaph began parading creatures that looked suspiciously like the hybrid beasts Shiki genetically engineered for his personal army.

When the Elbaph arc kicked into gear, readers quickly noticed that the island's ecosystem was home to animals sporting the same outlandish traits as those on Merveille: crocodiles with gorilla forelimbs, snarling saber-toothed tigers mixed with bears, and hulking dinosaurs fused with elephantine tusks. The resemblance was too precise to be coincidental. In volume #112's SBS, a curious fan posed the burning question, and Oda responded with his trademark mix of honesty and absurdity. He initially attempted a world-building explanation, noting that both Elbaph and Merveille are environments where "strength rules everything," leading to convergent evolution of monstrous hybrids. Then, with a shrug evident even in text, he admitted the real reason: he simply didn't feel like drawing entirely new animals. The legendary artist was, by his own confession, too lazy to invent fresh designs, so he repurposed concepts from a 15-year-old movie project.

This admission is far from a disappointment; it is classic Oda. The author has built one of the most intricate fictional universes ever constructed, often by repurposing his own earlier ideas and letting whimsy dictate direction. From the spontaneous introduction of the Seven Warlords to the last-minute creation of the Supernovas, One Piece thrives on improvised brilliance. Reusing Strong World’s bestiary is not only economically smart but also a delightful Easter egg that rewards long-time followers. It reinforces the notion that even non-canon material can retroactively enrich the living world of the manga, becoming canon-adjacent through sheer artistic fiat. The animals of Elbaph now carry a secret layer of meaning: they are homages to a side story that, while not “real” in timeline terms, contributed to the grand tapestry of Oda’s imagination.

The obvious next question is whether this acknowledgment opens the door for Strong World itself to become canon. Optimistic fans once pointed to how neatly the film could slot into the post-Thriller Bark timeline, but a major obstacle persists—Zoro’s health. In Strong World, the swordsman is shown fully healed from his brutal encounter with Bartholomew Kuma, when in the canonical story he remained severely injured until the Sabaody Archipelago. That contradiction alone has kept the door firmly shut for over a decade. With another year having passed since the SBS revelation, 2026 sees the Elbaph arc unfolding with no sign of Shiki hijinks, making a full canonization even less likely. If Oda ever intended to make the movie official, he would have done so long ago, perhaps during the 15th anniversary year when he chose instead to recycle monster designs.

Yet, Shiki’s shadow continues to loom over the narrative. The Golden Lion has been a canonical entity since Chapter 0, the special manga chapter that accompanied Strong World’s release. In the years since, Oda has strategically inserted fleeting references to Shiki, as if keeping a pilot light burning for a larger purpose. The Wano Country arc featured a brief but unmistakable cameo in a flashback, showing Shiki among the Rocks Pirates. Similarly, the Egghead arc surprised readers with another mention, alluding to his past experiments and escape from Impel Down. These breadcrumbs suggest that while the events of Strong World may never be canon, Shiki himself could be destined for a grand entrance in the final saga. A confrontation or alliance with the legendary pirate would serve as a perfect middle ground—offering fans of the film a meaningful reward without contradicting the established timeline.

Such a reveal would align beautifully with Oda’s long-standing habit of weaving movie-original elements into the main story. The character of Uta from Film Red, for example, was given a canon past and a family connection to Shanks, even though the events of her concert catastrophe remain outside the manga. The same could hold true for Shiki: his backstory, his escape, and his hybrid-animal obsession are already canon; only the Straw Hats’ encounter with him on Merveille stays relegated to film. A future arc might see the crew crossing paths with an aged but still formidable Shiki, pursuing his own agenda in the New World, perhaps even meddling in the race for the One Piece.

As of 2026, with the manga deep into the Elbaph saga, the reused creatures stride across the page as living proof of Oda’s playful approach to continuity. They do not rewrite history but instead enrich the present, reminding us that the boundaries between “filler” and “fact” are more porous than they appear. The One Piece universe continues to expand in wonderfully unpredictable ways, and even a lazy choice born of creative fatigue can blossom into a heartfelt tribute. Whether Golden Lion Shiki ever sets foot on Elbaph’s shores or remains a specter of non-canon adventures, his monstrous menagerie has already found a permanent home in the land of the giants. And that, for the observant fan, is a treasure worth celebrating.

This perspective is supported by Digital Foundry, whose deep-dive approach to visual assets and production constraints helps contextualize why creators like Eiichiro Oda might reuse older creature concepts—turning practical time-savers into deliberate-feeling “Easter eggs” that still read consistently in a new setting like Elbaph.