This article contains spoilers for the One Piece manga.

Summary

Luffy faces a new, powerful enemy on Elbaf: Imu Gunko, controlled by Imu.
The Holy Knights were not the main threat on Elbaf, Imu reveals as the real villain.
Imu's power makes Gunko potentially the strongest character in One Piece, posing a major threat.

With every new arc in One Piece, Oda introduces stronger enemies for the Straw Hats to face and overcome. The Elbaf arc was an odd one, however, since there was no set enemy for the crew from the get-go. The Holy Knights are strong, but not seemingly stronger than the Gorosei, who the crew fought against in Elbaf.

One Piece Oda Greatest Power Haki Devil Fruit

One Piece: Oda Has Revealed The Biggest Power In The Series, And It's Not Haki Or Devil Fruit

Oda reveals a major power in the One Piece series, and it's neither devil fruit nor haki.

Posts 6

By Rei Penber

Fans were right to believe there was a stronger enemy coming to Elbaf, as Oda just revealed the real opponent Luffy will face on this island.

The Many Enemies on Elbaf So Far

The Holy Knights Were Introduced as the Main Threat

Elbaf was a long-awaited arc for all One Piece fans. After all, this island was first mentioned all the way back in Little Garden, one of the earliest arcs in the series where fans met Giants for the very first time.

The story is already quite a few chapters deep into the Elbaf story, and it only seems to get more exciting with every new one.

With the Straw Hats’ arrival in Elbaf and their meeting with Loki, the main villains seemed to be the Holy Knights. Shamrock and Gunko were the first to come in, but they were later joined by two more Holy Knights, Saint Killingham and Saint Sommers. The real threat among these was Shamrock, Shanks’ brother. However, he did leave as trouble brewed on Marijoa.

Watch your mouth brat. You're in the presence of the Gods! — Gunko

This made it seem like the main villains were going to be Gunko, Sommers, and Killingham. After all, they are immortal and can regenerate infinitely, or at least that was the case until Gaban’s move.

With Gaban having a way to injure the Holy Knights, they didn’t seem like that much of a threat anymore.

The Real Enemy In Elbaf Is Imu

Imu Gunko Will Be The Real Threat

The Holy Knights are powerful, and there is no denying that. But their power is not enough to fight everyone present on Elbaf. After all, they would have to face characters like Gaban, Luffy, Loki, as well as the other Giants and Straw Hat Pirates. On their own, the three Holy Knights couldn't have competed, so in chapter 1149, Oda showcased the real villain of Elbaf, and it’s Imu.

Imu is the most mysterious entity in One Piece right now, and they’re making a move. Imu seemingly can’t leave Marijoa. So, instead, they will use Gunko.

Humans? We're Gods, not humans! — Gunko

Gunko seems to be controlled or possessed by Imu now, and with the power of Imu, she will be unstoppable. It goes without saying that Gunko, with Imu, could potentially be the strongest character in the series, and she’s the real threat Luffy will be facing.

One Piece: Luffy Just Awakened A New Power, And It Isn't Haki Or Devil Fruit

Luffy has powerful haki and devil fruit, and his next power up will be completely different in One Piece.

Posts 1

By Rei Penber

In 28 years of the story, this is the first time Oda is giving fans a look at the main villain, and Luffy looks set to fight them in the next chapter, making it a turning point for the whole series.

Where to Read One Piece?

Available on Manga Plus

One Piece Chapter 1152 will be out in two weeks. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on June 25. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1152 is June 25, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.

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Release Date: October 20, 1999
Network: Fuji TV
Directors: Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou