Warning: Major spoilers for the One Piece manga below.
If you thought Elbaph was building toward another big Luffy centre-stage moment, Eiichiro Oda looks like he has other plans.
The latest development in One Piece points to a much more personal fight, with Imu now lined up against Loki, the Prince of Elbaph. For fans who have waited literal decades to finally reach the land of giants, this is the kind of twist that makes the arc feel even bigger than expected.
Elbaph was already stacked with hype before the Straw Hats even arrived. It is one of those locations longtime readers have been hearing about forever, and once the arc properly got going, it started paying off with new characters, more Void Century mystery, and a full-on conflict involving the giants. Then things escalated again when the Holy Knights launched their assault on Elbaph.
Luffy and the crew, of course, got dragged into the chaos. But just when the situation looked like it might swing back in favour of the good guys, the real problem stepped in.
That problem is Imu.
For years, Imu has been one of One Piece's biggest shadows lurking in the background, ruling from Pangea Castle and almost never appearing directly in the lower world. The character was first introduced eight years ago, and only recently did the manga finally reveal Imu’s face. Now, instead of staying hidden behind servants and orders, Imu is moving personally after seeing the Holy Knights fail to bring Elbaph down.
The manga had already shown Imu taking over Gunko’s body, but Chapter 1180 makes it clear that still was not enough. With the mission falling apart, Imu steps in more directly, and that sets up a huge confrontation with Loki.
This is where things get properly messy.
Loki is not just another strong obstacle standing in the way. He has a deeply personal reason to hate Imu. Fourteen years ago, Harald, the beloved King of Elbaph, tried to work with the World Government in hopes of securing a better future for the giants. Instead, Harald was betrayed. Imu and the Five Elders allegedly wanted to exploit his power and sacrifice the kingdom for their own goals.
According to the manga, Imu turned Harald into a puppet and made him slaughter his own men. Guards died in Aurust Castle, and the whole tragedy pushed Loki into a brutal choice: consume the legendary Devil Fruit and kill his own father.
That alone is enough to make this clash way more personal than a standard villain-vs-hero battle.
From Imu’s side, there is also unfinished business. Loki destroyed years of planning by killing Harald, who had effectively become Imu’s servant. From Loki’s side, this is revenge, grief, and the fate of Elbaph all rolled into one. Harald was not simply lost, he had to beg his own son to end his life before he completely lost himself.
So while Luffy remains central to the overall arc, the biggest immediate fight in Elbaph may belong to Loki instead. That is a spicy direction, and honestly, it fits. Not every arc has to peak with Luffy throwing the first punch.
For Malaysian and SEA anime fans, this is exactly why the current One Piece manga run feels so strong. It is not just delivering bigger power levels, it is giving side characters and kingdom-level conflicts real emotional weight. That matters for readers here too, because One Piece has always been huge across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, and the fandom loves arcs where lore, politics, and family tragedy all crash together.
If Chapter 1181 really delivers this Imu vs Loki collision, Elbaph could end up becoming one of the manga’s most important flashpoints yet.
Source: ComicBook Anime