After nearly twenty years and a thousand chapters, One Piece has finally taken readers and the Straw Hats to Elbaf as promised, and the arc is already exceeding expectations. The Elbaf Arc has especially been turning up the heat lately with Imu’s unexpected arrival on the island, and it seems this is only the beginning of the excitement to come. Imu’s arrival has effectively raised the stakes higher than they’ve ever been in the series, and now that Imu is finally within Luffy’s reach, it seems a fight between them is all but inevitable. In fact, the preview for the upcoming issue of Shonen Jump teases that a battle between Gear Five Luffy and Imu may take place in the upcoming chapters.
A recent post on X by @TheAniTalk has revealed a snippet of the preview for the next issue of Shonen Jump, which is, Issue 28, releasing on June 9th, specifically the One Piece section of the preview featuring Luffy in Gear Five and Imu possessing Gunko’s body as seen at the end of Chapter 1149. The accompanying text roughly translates to “The sudden visit of Imu has shaken all of Elbaph! Beat down Imu with the power of Nika,” which, together with the very clear “versus” bubble between Imu and Luffy, implies Chapter 1151 could very well see Luffy fight Imu with Gear Five.
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One Piece Hints Luffy Will Face Imu Sooner Than Fans Think
Ever since their first appearance in Chapter 906, Imu has been steadily built up as the final villain of One Piece, if not one of them, after the likes of Blackbeard and his crew. As such, many anticipated that the clash against the World Government, the Five Elders, and Imu would only take place towards the very end of the series. While One Piece officially entered its Final Saga following the end of Wano, few could have expected that Luffy would face Imu so soon, which is why Imu’s arrival on Elbaf came as such a shock.
As things stand on Elbaf, there doesn’t appear to be anyone who can subdue Imu in Gunko’s body, especially with Gaban already having been defeated and quite literally thrown out of the picture. Moreover, Imu is yet to reveal the full extent of their powers, though this revelation will no doubt make it even more clear that the only one who can stand up to Imu in all of One Piece is Luffy with his Nika powers. All the same, with the latest teaser, it seems fans may only need to wait another week or so for this ultimate battle.
Source: @TheAniTalk on X.
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