One Piece 1189 Spoilers: Gaban Saves Luffy From Imu

The One Piece 1189 spoilers finally show us what Imu can really do, and the answer is frightening. Imu pulls out one ancient weapon after another, hands two of them to the Holy Knights, and then stands over a beaten Luffy with a giant axe raised. Then, on the very last page, Scopper Gaban steps in. So let us walk through the whole chapter calmly.

Chapter 1189 arrived on July 26 2026 in Weekly Shonen Jump issue 35. One Piece then took a short break, and Chapter 1190 followed on August 9. If you are catching up late, this is the chapter everyone was shouting about.

One Piece 1189 spoilers: the short version

Imu summons a set of ancient weapons and turns them on Luffy. Two of those weapons go to Saint Sommers and Saint Killingham, who move on Zoro and Sanji. Luffy takes a brutal hit and goes down. Meanwhile, a flashback shows Shanks warning Loki about the King of the World. Finally, as Imu swings to finish Luffy, Scopper Gaban blocks the blow with his two axes.

Imu’s weapons belong to the 19 Kings

This is the part that matters most for the lore. Every weapon Imu summons belonged to the 19 Kings who founded the World Government around 800 years ago. Therefore the fight ties straight into the Void Century. These are not new toys. They are relics from the exact era the World Government has spent centuries erasing.

The chapter names several of them. Fragarach is the Sea God Sword. Gram is the Sword of Wrath. Longinus is the Spear of Holy Command. There is also the huge axe, listed on the One Piece wiki as the Axe of Xingtian, although some early translations called it the Heavenly Punishment Axe. On top of that, Imu still carries the Void blade that dropped Luffy last chapter.

So Imu is not simply strong. Imu is armed with the founding arsenal of the entire world order.

Zoro and Sanji get their own opponents

Imu does not fight alone. Gram goes to Saint Sommers, who turns on Zoro. Longinus goes to Saint Killingham, who moves on Sanji. Therefore the battle splits into three, and the two strongest Straw Hats are suddenly busy elsewhere. That is a tidy bit of writing, because it leaves Luffy alone against Imu.

Luffy is pinned and the crew panics

Luffy is already hurt from the previous chapter. So Imu presses the advantage and pins him to the ground. Nami and Usopp watch it happen and panic. Honestly, that reaction sells the moment better than any power scaling could. These are people who have followed Luffy through everything, and seeing them frightened tells you exactly how bad this is.

Shanks warned Loki about the King of the World

The chapter then cuts to an old conversation from the day King Harald died. Shanks reveals that Imu holds Harald’s body, and he warns Loki that the King of the World sits on another level entirely. Loki hears all of it. However, Loki still wants his revenge. Because of that, a future clash between Loki and Imu now feels planted rather than random.

Scopper Gaban saves Luffy

Then comes the page that flooded everyone’s timeline. Imu raises the axe over Luffy, ready to end it. Scopper Gaban blocks it with his two axes. The left hand of the Pirate King, a man who sailed with Roger, plants himself between Imu and Luffy. So the chapter closes on Imu against Gaban, a matchup almost nobody had written down this year.

Where to read One Piece 1189

Read it officially on Viz Media or Shueisha’s MANGA Plus. Both keep the newest chapters free for a while, so you can catch up legally without paying a thing.

How this connects to One Piece 1188

If you missed the setup, go back to our breakdown of One Piece 1188 spoilers, where Imu’s Void sword first stopped Luffy cold. You can also find every chapter breakdown we publish in our Manga Spoilers section.

Update: Chapter 1190 has since aired Gaban’s full duel with Imu, and the manga took a Jump break. See our One Piece 1191 release date and hiatus update for the date, the 1190 recap, and what the leaks claim.

My take: I have gone back and forth on Imu for years, and this chapter settled it for me. Giving Imu the weapons of the 19 Kings is far smarter than simply making Imu unbeatable, because it turns raw power into history. Every swing is a piece of the Void Century. Still, the Gaban save is the bit I loved. Oda has kept that man in his pocket since the earliest chapters, and he cashed him in at the perfect moment. I also think Luffy losing this cleanly is good for the story. He needed a wall, and Imu is the tallest one yet.