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Ever since the end of the Wano Arc, One Piece‘s story has stepped into high gear. The Egghead Arc and even the Elbaf Arc so far have already dropped many major revelations and its finally starting to feel like the series is truly in the Final Saga of the story. The Elbaf Arc, in particular, has continued to surprise fans as what seemed like a fun adventure full of happy reunions has turned into a full-blown war against the World Government. Now, One Piece has brought Imu to the land of the Giants as well, teasing that the series’ most anticipated showdown could take place sooner than fans think.
Chapter 1149 of One Piece sees Imu descend on Elbaf by taking over Gunko’s body, ready to take the situation on Elbaf into their own hands. With Imu having come down from the Holy Land to Elbaf themselves, a clash between Imu and Luffy is all but imminent on Elbaf. The latest chapter also sees Gunko seemingly recognize Brook and rush to free him right before Imu takes control, implying that she may turn into an ally, that is, if someone can manage to free Gunko from Imu’s control, and who better than Luffy, the reincarnation of the Sun God Nika, the Warrior of Liberation.
[RELATED: One Piece Teases A Popular Imu Theory May Be True]
One Piece Sets up a Battle Between Luffy and Imu on Elbaf
Over the course of its decades-long saga, One Piece has carefully been setting up the World Government as the central antagonists of the series, with nearly every new arc exposing the Celestial Dragons’ cruelty and wickedness. Ever since Imu was first introduced, there’s been a debate among fans about whether Imu will be the ultimate villain of One Piece, and the latest arcs have proved this may very well be the case. Having said that, for the longest time, it seemed as though the ultimate showdown between Luffy and Imuy would be saved for the very end of the series, but Chapter 1149 of One Piece suggests otherwise.
Though Imu’s powers and abilities are still a mystery, freeing Gunko from Imu’s control would still be the easiest and most efficient way to get the situation under control, especially with Gunko implied to be an ally. It would also be incredibly thematically fitting for Luffy to be the one to free Gunko, given that her name quite literally means “war drum” and the fact that Gunko has previously mentioned fearing Nika.
As for Gunko’s regeneration, Scopper Gaban seems to be the only person who knows the key to working around the Holy Knights’ immortality, and the latest chapter sees him conveniently falling into the Underworld, where Luffy currently is. Chopper can also be seen jumping after Gaban in Chapter 1149, eager to learn the secret to beating the Holy Knights. With help from Chopper, Gaban may just survive the fall to the Underworld as well as have his wounds tended to, allowing him to tell Luffy the key to defeating Imu, though whether Luffy will actually be able to do so is still left to be seen.
One Piece is available to read on Manga Plus and Viz Media.
