WARNING: SPOILERS FOR ONE PIECE MANGA CHAPTER #1179
Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece continues to surprise readers with twists and reveals that signal the end of the manga’s epic tale. Plot threads that have been building for decades are being paid off, one being the secret Ruler of the World gearing up to confront Luffy and his crew on Elbaph. But things could escalate even further in many exciting ways.
Shocking and intense moments throughout the Wano and Egghead arcs have set a particular tone for One Piece’s final saga, which is rapidly approaching its final arc and ultimate conclusion. The Elbaph arc has continued to build on that tension until the Straw Hat crew and the Giants swiftly defended their homeland from a brazen assault from a few of the World Government’s highest-ranking soldiers. Then everything changed when Imu, the World Government’s Supreme Ruler, finally decided to confront Luffy directly.
Imu, who could be the final One Piece villain, has been controlling the world from the shadows for hundreds of years, and finally revealed their true face in chapter #1179. Their existence was not teased until late in the series, but since then, their frightening capabilities have wiped islands off the map and commanded some of the series’ most powerful figures. But even their appearance on Elbaph feels like only a tease for how the Giant’s homeland could become the battlefield for the war Oda teased would eclipse the one seen on Marineford.
Elbaph Is Not Big Enough For One Piece’s Final Battle, Yet
Imu’s official character design revealed in One Piece Chapter 1179.
Incredible Devil Fruit powers granted to the Holy Knights that attacked Elbaph put the entire island into a frenzy. The nightmares of children given huge physical forms, allies becoming possessed, and immortal warriors threatened to destroy everything the island’s friendly Giants held dear.
Just as it seemed like the chaos was beginning to be put under control thanks to a combined effort between the Straw Hat crew and the Giants, an overwhelming blast of Conqueror’s Haki darkened the skies and shook the land. For the first time, in possibly centuries, the secret Supreme Ruler of the World Government, Saint Nerona Imu, has left Mary Geoise to regain control of Elbaph.
The Greatest Threat To One Piece’s Final Villain Isn’t Luffy, It’s Chopper (No Seriously)
The weakest Straw Hat has emerged as the most effective weapon against Imu’s demonic forces, setting the stage for One Piece’s final arc.
The combined might of the Straw Hats, the Giants, Gear 5 Luffy, and Loki’s colossal Niddhoggr Dragon Devil Fruit proved too much for the Imu-enhanced Holy Knights. However, a direct confrontation with Imu’s true body will likely be a much different battle. But if what author Eiichiro Oda previously teased is true, then One Piece‘s final arc is to include a battle larger in scope than any fight before it. And there are a few more factions that could turn up on Elbaph that can help make this happen.
Blackbeard Is Planning Something Gigantic
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Imu’s striking and demonic appearance oozes final boss vibes, but the story’s true ultimate villain will likely subvert some expectations. As Luffy’s character has developed throughout One Piece‘s 33 arcs, Oda has been careful to also see Blackbeard’s status climb at a near-identical rate to the story’s main character, and there is likely something vital on Elbaph he will need to accomplish his goals.
The race to claim the One Piece has heated up like never before, but each still in the race to become King of the Pirates is missing a vital piece of the puzzle that’s needed to reach the final island: all four of the red Road Poneglyphs. Without the information found on each of the incredibly rare cubes, the location of the Grand Line’s legendary Laugh Tale can not be triangulated. But Blackbeard may be closer than most to uncovering the truth.
Luffy is Secretly Helping One Piece’s Greatest Villain Take Over the World, and Fans Completely Missed It
The Straw Hats and Giants must defeat the Supreme Ruler of the World Government, but Luffy’s actions might have unintended consequences.
Since chapter #1179, the location of the final Road Poneglyph has not been uncovered, but there is a chance that it could be hidden somewhere on Elbaph. If that is true, it could be excellent bait for even more excitement to show up on the same battlefield that currently contains Supreme World Leader Imu and Monkey D. Luffy. Besides the potential fourth poneglyph, Blackbeard may also be planning on trying to steal Imu’s mysterious but overwhelming Devil Fruit’s power, which would make the son of Rocks D. Zebec even more terrifying than he already is.
Shanks’ Crew Has Unfinished Business With Those On Elbaph
One-Piece-Shanks-Imu-Feature-HeaderImage By Ana Nieves
Shanks’ crew has thankfully been showcased a lot more than before in One Piece‘s final saga. The crew that helped inspire a young Luffy to pursue a life of adventure recently defeated and sunk the ships of Pirate Crews such as the Kid Pirates and Bartolomeo’s Straw Hat super fan crew. Further provoking the inevitable confrontation between Shanks and Luffy.
After quickly dispatching Captain Kid and taking his copies of two Road Poneglyphs, Shanks’ crew has been making aggressive moves towards claiming the One Piece. After Wano, Luffy’s crew wound up on Egghead while Shanks’ crew was on Elbaph. While the Red-Haired crew did move on after defeating Kid, they are close enough to the Elbaph battlefield that their appearance does not seem too far from the realm of possibility.
CBR Exclusive · One Piece Quiz WHICH ONE PIECE LEGEND ARE YOU? Set sail — Quiz sequence initiated ⚓ The Grand Line stretches endlessly before you. Across its treacherous waters, legends are born — forged in Devil Fruit power, unbreakable will, and the fierce loyalty of a crew that would sail into any storm. Twenty questions. One legendary result. Your adventure begins now. 🌊
🍖Luffy
⚔️Zoro
🗺️Nami
📖Robin
🍳Sanji
01
The Going Merry is ready to leave port. What’s your first move? 🚢 How you set sail says everything about who you are at sea.
02
A Marine warship is blocking your route. You: 🏴☠️ Crisis response reveals your true pirate nature.
03
You find a Devil Fruit on the table. What do you hope it is? 🍈 The fruit you crave is the power you were always meant to have.
04
What is your one, unshakeable dream? 🌟 Every great pirate sails for something deeper than treasure.
05
The Thousand Sunny docks at a new island. First stop? 🏝️ What you do first in port reveals your deepest priorities.
06
Your greatest weapon aboard the ship? ✨ Every Straw Hat has one thing that makes them irreplaceable.
07
What’s your natural role when things get tense? 🪝 The pressure moment is where your true function reveals itself.
08
Honest confession — what is actually your biggest flaw? 😬 Even the greatest pirates have one thing they’re still working on.
09
A crewmate is in serious danger. You: 💪 How you protect the people you sail with is who you truly are.
10
Halfway across the Grand Line. What keeps you going? 🌟 Not the crew’s reason. Yours. The private one.
11
You lost the fight. The crew is watching. Now what? 😳 How you rise after falling is what separates legends from passengers.
12
Your bounty poster just went up. What’s on it? 💰 The World Government describes you the way your enemies see you.
13
Free day on a peaceful island. What actually happens? 🌴 How you rest is a window into what drives you when no one’s watching.
14
What does your crew actually say about you behind your back? 📋 The people who sail with you see the version you can’t.
15
Which Haki do you feel most aligned with? 🔮 The Haki you master reflects the deepest truth of who you are.
16
What does it truly mean to you to be a pirate? 🌊 Not Garp’s definition. Not the Marines’. Yours.
17
In a hundred years, what will they say about you? 🎬 The Void Century has room for one more name. What does yours mean?
18
A Warlord of the Sea is blocking the path forward. You: 👀 Warlords don’t intimidate legends. They reveal them.
19
The crew celebrates a big victory. Your contribution? 🎉 How you celebrate says as much as how you fight.
20
You reach Laugh Tale. The One Piece is real. What do you do? 🔥 Twenty questions. One truth. No turning back now.
⚓ The Grand Line has made its judgement ⚓ YOUR ONE PIECE LEGEND
Your scores are revealed below! The character with the highest number is your One Piece counterpart. Read their profile to discover your true pirate destiny. 🌊
🍖 Luffy
⚔️ Zoro
🗺️ Nami
📖 Robin
🍳 Sanji
You don’t understand the word impossible — not because you’re naive, but because you genuinely never accepted that it applied to you. You charge into every situation with the full force of your personality, your body, and your heart, and somehow the universe rearranges itself to accommodate you. You don’t lead through command; you lead through being so completely, recklessly yourself that everyone around you becomes a better version of who they were. You eat too much, feel too loudly, and care too deeply. The world calls it recklessness. Your crew calls it home. 🍖
You have made exactly one promise and you have organised your entire existence around keeping it. Stoic to a fault, terrifying in combat, and somehow always facing the wrong direction — you are the immovable foundation that the whole crew leans against when everything else shakes. You don’t ask for recognition. You don’t need it. The work is its own reward. The sword is the path and the path is the sword. You will lose a thousand times before you reach the top, and you will get back up every single time. That is not stubbornness. That is who you are. ⚔️
You are sharper than anyone in the room and you know it — but you also know exactly when not to show it. Pragmatic, resourceful, and carrying more than you ever show on your face, you are the reason the ship reaches anywhere at all. Every route was planned by you. Every impossible weather reading, every near-catastrophe avoided — that was you. The world tried to take everything from you once, and you built something extraordinary out of the wreckage. You love the people you’ve chosen fiercely, quietly, and without much ceremony. The map isn’t finished. You’ll get there. 🗺️
You spent so long being hunted for what you know that you forgot — briefly, painfully — that you were also worth loving for who you are. You carry the weight of erased history in your memory and the quiet certainty of someone who has survived what should have been unsurvivable. Calm where others panic, perceptive where others miss everything, and in possession of a dark humour that still catches people off guard. You don’t trust easily, and when you do, it is the most complete and devastating loyalty imaginable. You want to know the truth. You deserve to live to read it. 📖
You have principles carved so deep they function like a skeleton — invisible, structural, and the thing holding everything else upright. You cook for people because food is love expressed at its most honest. You fight for the crew because protecting them is the most natural thing in the world. You are elegant, occasionally absurd, capable of extraordinary tenderness and absolutely terrifying combat in the same five-minute span. You came from darkness and chose light so deliberately and so completely that it became your defining act. The sea called and you answered. All Blue is out there. You’ll find it. 🍳
The history of Elbaph’s former King Harold also dove into shocking revelations about the God Valley incident and Shanks’s shocking heritage. As a baby, Shanks was separated from his high-ranking Celestial Dragon family. Since growing up with Gol D. Roger, Shanks has worked to help undermine the World Government. That, plus his need to gain the Straw Hat’s Poneglyph’s, is plenty of reasons for his crew to show up on Elbaph, but his crew is not the only ones fans are anxious to see clash against Luffy’s crew.
The Cross Guild Is Due For Their Time To Shine
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In the almost thirty years that it’s taken the One Piece tale to be told, fans have been introduced to dozens of characters determined to track down and claim the fabled treasure teased by the former King of the Pirates. While many have wielded unbelievable powers and influence, only a small handful have made it to the final saga with their dream still intact. To the joy of many fans, this exclusive list includes Buggy the Clown.
The hilarious turns that Buggy’s character has faced since being introduced in chapter #9 eventually led him to become one of One Piece‘s current four Pirate Emperors. After falling into an abusive alliance with Crocodile and Mihawk, the world’s perspective of the clown altered significantly into a figure who is feared by anyone who isn’t privy to Buggy’s cowardly nature. Still, with a lot of luck and some clever speeches, Buggy has accidentally created one of the world’s most powerful organizations.
30 Strongest One Piece Characters
While One Piece sports a massive ensemble cast, each of their powers are unique and differ in interesting ways. However, a few stand out.
Buggy’s Cross Guild has helped sow chaos by spreading its influence across the seas and even offering bounties for high-ranking Marines and World Government officials. While most of the brilliant decisions that helped raise the guild to such prominence are likely thanks to Crocodile’s underworld experience and Mihawk’s strength, it was Buggy who inspired the troops to finally go after the One Piece. After the news of the Straw Hats’ exploits on Egghead, Elbaph would be the best place for the guild to go to ambush them.
It’s currently unknown if The Cross Guild has been able to claim any of the needed Road Poneglyphs. However, after gaining clues about Luffy’s whereabouts, it would be clever for Buggy to try to intercept the Straw Hats so that they can rob them of their Poneglyph information. It would also be the perfect way to resolve the many grudges between the two crews and finally give One Piece fans the battle between Zoro and Mihawk that they’ve waited decades to see.
The Ultimate Battle Of One Piece Is Nigh
Luffy getting ready to fight Babanuki in One Piece episode #947.
Chapter #1179 shared that the World Government does not want to risk sending more of their military might to Elbaph, and now that Imu is there, they likely will not send any backup in order to keep his identity known to as few souls as possible. However, that cold truth does not bode well with anyone currently on Elbaph, because if the Straw Hats do fail to defeat Imu, the World Government will likely not want anyone who saw their secret ruler to stay alive.
The Revolutionaries and Luffy’s father likely have a big role to play in the final arc of One Piece, but with their efforts concentrated on weakening Mary Geoise, it’s unlikely they will be joining the battle on Elbaph. Still, if any of the other parties who are hungry to claim Roger’s treasure show up and join in on the chaos that is about to unfold between the Straw Hats’ fight against Imu, Elbaph could evolve into the epic war Eiichiro Oda teased for One Piece‘s final arc that will make all of the stories’ battles before it look small in comparison.
