One Piece Chapter 1189: Imu’s Power and the 19 Ancient Blades Explained
One Piece chapter 1189 establishes Imu as an immediate and overwhelming threat. Against the ruler of the world, Luffy gets no respite: he is pierced twice and survives only thanks to Scopper Gaban’s intervention. Yet the confrontation is not merely a display of power. Above all, it reveals what the weapons summoned by Imu represent: an inheritance directly tied to the Twenty Kings who founded the World Government.
The blades planted around the Empty Throne were therefore not simply symbolic decoration. They appear to be the weapons of the families that created the current world, preserved for eight centuries and now being mobilized in response to Joy Boy’s return.
Luffy Is Overwhelmed by Imu, While Scopper Gaban Prevents the Worst
The fight highlights a brutal reality: at this point, Luffy cannot compete with Imu. Gear 5 guarantees neither invincibility nor an automatic escape route. Imu strings attacks together, refuses to let his opponent catch his breath, and pins him against a tree after striking him a second time.
Scopper Gaban, who is already present at the scene, comes to the rescue. This is crucial: the intervention does not rely on a providential outside reinforcement, but on a powerful ally who is part of the events on Elbaf. Above all, Gaban gives Luffy the few seconds he needs to evade a potentially fatal third attack.
The scene recalls Silvers Rayleigh’s role at Sabaody. At the time, Rayleigh protected the Straw Hats against a World Government force that was far too powerful for them. Here, Gaban embodies the other “wing” of the Pirate King and likewise steps in when the Straw Hats face a power they cannot yet overcome.
The parallel may foreshadow a similar outcome: not necessarily a total defeat, but a forced retreat or a last-second rescue. Just as the crew had to separate and grow stronger before continuing their journey after Sabaody, Elbaf could become the setting for a new realization about the true peak of world power.
Gaban’s presence also opens the door to revelations. As Roger’s former companion, he knows about the One Piece and Laugh Tale. A conversation with the Straw Hats could echo the one they once had with Rayleigh while providing new insight into the moment when Luffy and his allies will have to act.
The 19 Weapons Around the Empty Throne: A Founding Oath
The Empty Throne in Mary Geoise officially represents equality among the twenty rulers who founded the World Government 800 years ago. Each of them is said to have planted a weapon around the seat to swear that none of them would ever occupy it. Yet only nineteen weapons surround the throne.
This absence is explained by Alabasta’s refusal to join Mary Geoise. The Nefertari family did not leave its kingdom and therefore did not place a weapon beside the Empty Throne. The remaining nineteen blades are thus associated with the founding families established at the top of the Red Line.
Chapter 1189 gives this detail new significance. The weapons Imu has summoned since appearing on Elbaf would be precisely these relics. Imu is therefore not creating an arsenal disconnected from history: he is taking up family weapons, the physical symbols of the pact that enabled the World Government to come into being.
The identified weapons include Nemesis, the sword of judgment; Gram, the sword of wrath associated with the Shepherd family; Stigma, the sword of resentment; Befu, the sword of the void; Xangtan, the indomitable axe; Fragarach, the sword of the sea god; Tórú, the sword of chaos; and Longinus, the spear of sacred command belonging to the Limoshif family.
Another weapon, Muramasa, is not shown in this chapter but evokes the famous Japanese swordsmith Sengo Muramasa. It may be the katana visible among the Empty Throne’s weapons, a particularly intriguing possibility in light of Nusjuro’s fighting style.
Fragarach, the Weapon That Could Neutralize a Devil Fruit User
Fragarach, described as the sword of the sea god, draws particular attention. The sea is the fundamental weakness of Devil Fruit users: it prevents them from swimming and limits their ability to use their powers. The possibility of a weapon connected to this curse could explain why Luffy is left so helpless against Imu’s attacks.
This remains only a lead, however. Nothing confirms that Fragarach is made of Sea Prism Stone or that it is the exact weapon used against Luffy. Its symbolism nevertheless strengthens the idea that Imu possesses means specifically suited to depriving Joy Boy of his advantages.
Imu Returns the Weapons to the Heirs of the Founding Families
The chapter also shows Imu handing weapons to the Holy Knights. This gesture can be read as a restitution: the descendants or representatives of the founding families recover their lineage’s martial inheritance. The Empty Throne’s weapons then cease to be remnants of an ancient oath and become instruments of war once again.
This reading sheds light on the growing power of the Holy Knights and the Gorosei. Figarland Garling, who became God of Science and Defense after Saturn’s failure on Egghead, is not merely an administrator. As captain of the Holy Knights, his promotion suggests the World Government is becoming increasingly militarized.
Imu thus appears to be reforming the alliance of the Twenty Kings, but in a modern form: the heirs of the great families and the Holy Knights would be called upon to stand against Luffy, the new Joy Boy. This perspective connects with the events explored in One Piece chapter 1190, involving Luffy, Imu, and Loki on Elbaf.
From the Oath of Affiliated Kingdoms to Control of the World
The nineteen founding weapons are only part of the system. On the level beneath the Empty Throne are 170 additional weapons, linked to kingdoms that joined the World Government over the centuries. Every affiliated country is invited to swear an oath and plant its weapon there.
This practice may carry far deeper meaning than diplomatic protocol. In this interpretation, the oath becomes a contract with the power that secretly occupies the Empty Throne. Imu would therefore control not only the founding families, but a group of kingdoms bound to the World Government through this commitment.
Nations that have remained outside this system, such as Wano, Elbaf, and Alabasta, consequently retain major importance. Their independence prevents them from being fully integrated into the order Imu seeks to impose. It also explains why these territories, their leaders, and their legacies are so often placed at the heart of conflicts.
This logic gives Luffy’s journey another meaning. On every island, he topples tyrannies, breaks structures of oppression, and frees people. Against an Imu who may be seeking to extend control over the entire world, Joy Boy represents the opposite force: one that gradually unravels the World Government’s bonds.
A Final War Foretold for a Long Time
The great battle to come has been mentioned several times: by Whitebeard before his death, by Oden, by Vegapunk, by Gunko, and by Imu himself. All these references point toward a conflict on a global scale, one capable of swallowing the world.
The verb used is crucial. This swallowing echoes the rising waters mentioned after Lulusia’s disappearance and the gigantic bridges the World Government has built for centuries: Tequila Wolf, Bourbon Wolf, Vodka Wolf, and Rū Wolf. Their existence could testify to long-term preparations for a planetary upheaval.
The World Government would therefore be preparing for a war it has known about, or anticipated, for a very long time. Joy Boy, for his part, left elements intended for his future allies: poneglyphs, messages, a treasure on Laugh Tale, and a history passed down through several peoples. Scopper Gaban, like Rayleigh before him, is part of the chain linking Roger’s era to Luffy’s.
The giants of Elbaf could become decisive. Their choice of side would weigh heavily on the conflict’s outcome, while Loki, Luffy, and the survivors of the old world appear destined to play central roles. Later confrontations, particularly those surrounding Imu’s demonic form and the union of Loki and Hajrudin, continue this escalation.
Usopp, Chopper, and Gunko: Roles Yet to Be Confirmed on Elbaf
The danger threatening Luffy also awakens Usopp’s concern. His Observation Haki appears to allow him to sense that his captain is in peril. On Elbaf, Usopp’s dream of becoming a brave warrior of the sea can no longer remain a mere promise: the arc gives him an opportunity to take a decisive role in defending the crew.
Chopper, meanwhile, can communicate with Ragnir, a squirrel said to be 900 years old according to Elbaf legend. The creature may hold information about ancient history, although its immediate role is primarily connected to Gunko. Once freed, she could become a weakness in Imu’s system.
Chapter 1189 therefore establishes a powerful idea: Luffy will not defeat Imu through an isolated rebirth or a miraculous solution. To stand against the ruler of the world and the alliance of the founding families, he will have to rely on his companions, his allies, and everyone his journey has freed.
FAQ About Imu and the 19 Ancient Blades
Why are there 19 weapons around the Empty Throne instead of 20?
Alabasta refused to join Mary Geoise after the World Government was founded. The Nefertari family therefore did not plant a weapon around the throne, leaving nineteen weapons associated with the other founding families.
Are Imu’s weapons those of the Twenty Kings?
Chapter 1189 links the weapons summoned by Imu to those visible around the Empty Throne. They appear to belong to the founding families and to be returned to their current representatives.
Can Scopper Gaban save Luffy in the long term?
His intervention allows Luffy to escape another attack from Imu, but it does not resolve the power gap revealed by the fight. Gaban may primarily provide time, temporary protection, and information connected to the One Piece.
