One Piece: Luffy’s Defeat In Elbaf Is Already Inevitable

by

This article contains spoilers for the One Piece series.

I’ve been following the latest arc in One Piece, called Elbaf, and it’s quickly become a highlight of the entire series for me. It’s part of what everyone’s calling the Final Saga, and so far, it feels really special. Even though it’s still ongoing, it’s already one of the best arcs, in my opinion. Since it started last year, we’ve gotten so many fascinating reveals about the story’s history, especially details about the God Valley Incident that I never expected.

The recent Elbaf arc in One Piece has really highlighted how incredibly powerful Imu is, and how much of a challenge they’ll be for Luffy. Considering that even a formidable alliance including Rocks, Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, Roger, and Garp couldn’t harm Imu, Luffy doesn’t stand a chance right now. A fight between Luffy and Imu would almost certainly result in a devastating loss for Luffy.

Imu Is Far Beyond Luffy’s Level In One Piece

  • Imu Could Take on 6 Top Tiers
  • Luffy is Not Even on Rocks’s Level Yet

Fans always predicted Imu would be incredibly powerful, but no one anticipated just how strong they were – strong enough to defeat the Rocks Pirates with a single attack. Chapter 1163 of One Piece revealed Imu’s powers are far beyond anything previously shown by Oda. During the God Valley incident, the combined forces of Rocks, Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, Roger, and Garp all attacked Imu simultaneously, but it wasn’t enough to even scratch them.

Honestly, Luffy isn’t close to the power of the Rocks Pirates, and definitely not strong enough to take on an alliance of six of the strongest characters One Piece has ever seen. I’d seen some fans hoping that Imu using a subordinate would weaken those characters enough for Luffy to have a chance, but what happened at God Valley with Imu and Saturn proved that idea wrong. They’re just far too powerful.

If the author, Oda, actually depicts a fight between Imu and Luffy, Luffy would almost certainly lose. Even mastering Advanced Conqueror’s Haki probably wouldn’t be enough to seriously injure Imu. This could lead to a storyline where Luffy is captured and needs to be rescued, or Oda might decide to change the main antagonist of the Elbaf arc altogether.

Could Luffy Really be Defeated In Elbaf?

  • Luffy Could Fall Against Imu
  • Oda Could Switch Out the Main Villain to Loki

After Imu possessed Gunko, many fans thought she’d be the primary villain on Elbaf. While that’s still possible, Oda might have a different, unexpected plan for the story.

It seems Loki will likely become the central villain of this story arc, but with an interesting change. He might be subjected to Domi Reversi, turning him into the true antagonist for the Elbaf arc. This setup would be a more fitting challenge for Luffy at his current strength.

Imu, and possibly the Holy Knights as well, might be pulling back soon. Remember, Marijoa is facing a crisis, and that’s why Imu initially traveled to Elbaf – to find a fast solution.

If Imu is defeated, it would create ideal matchups: Luffy against Loki, Zoro against Dorry, and Sanji against Brogy. This storyline will likely help them improve their Conqueror’s Haki and learn how to overcome immortality.

The next chapter of One Piece is scheduled for release this week, as usual on Sundays. While it becomes available in Japan at midnight JST on Monday, most international fans will be able to read it on October 26th. The chapter will be available to read for free on Manga Plus.

Read More

2025-10-26 01:34