Luffy’s fight with Imu just took a turn nobody saw coming, and One Piece Chapter 1188 spoilers suggest his Gear 5 has more tricks up its sleeve than fans realized.
The Elbaph arc has spent the last stretch of chapters building toward this exact showdown. Loki gave Imu everything he had and still couldn’t put a real dent in the self-proclaimed ruler of the world, eventually getting cut down by the cursed blade Stigma and pulled out of the fight entirely. That left Luffy, freshly recovered and fully healed, to step in and finish what the giant prince started. Given how far Gear 5 has carried him through fights with Kaido and beyond, fans expected another decisive win.
Luffy Vs Imu Escalates In Chapter 1188
According to the newest spoilers by @pewpiece on X, Luffy leans on Gear 5’s shapeshifting to transform into a genie mid-fight, a form that echoes the same kind of power Daifuku showed off back in Whole Cake Island. It is a reminder that Luffy’s Nika form still has untapped range this deep into the story.
But the chapter does not end on that high note. Imu turns the tide by morphing a spear into a sword called Void and drives it straight through Luffy, a moment that pulls directly from Crocodile’s hook piercing Luffy back in Alabasta. As Luffy goes down, Imu delivers the real gut punch, telling him flatly that he knows Luffy isn’t Joy Boy, because the real Joy Boy would never be this weak.
Sandwiched between the fight beats is a flash of Imu’s memory, showing Joy Boy himself, and his smile bears an unmistakable resemblance to Luffy’s grin. It is the kind of detail that feels planted rather than accidental, and it is sure to fuel theories about exactly how far back Imu and Joy Boy’s history really goes.
Chapter 1188 is titled “Void,” and with Loki sidelined and Luffy now bleeding out in front of the strongest villain in the series, the Straw Hats are running out of options fast.
The chapter officially drops Monday, July 13, 2026, at 12 a.m. JST in Japan, which means most international readers will be able to catch it starting Sunday, July 12, with the English release landing in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33 at 11 a.m. EST.