On September 13, 2026, One Piece marked the release of chapter 1193 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Double Issue #42-43. In this chapter, Monkey D. Luffy's battle against Nerona Imu in the climax of the Elbaf arc continued and took a turn for the worse as his Gear 5 started hitting its limit, and he was seen collapsing.
Being unable to continue fighting against the King of the World any longer, Luffy clearly is nowhere near the level of the King of the World as things stand. Despite that, he intends to defend Elbaf, the country of his beloved friends. To that end, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, is quietly setting up what could be the most dramatic and shocking end to any arc of One Piece by making the protagonist sacrifice himself. As such, One Piece could potentially be heading into its next arc without Luffy for the very first time, putting the Straw Hat Pirates into the spotlight instead.
One Piece's Elbaf arc is edging closer to its end and is currently in its very climax. There are only three major plot points that need to be resolved in Elbaf.
These three key plot points will most certainly be tackled in the upcoming few weeks of One Piece, and fans all over the world are eagerly waiting to see what Eiichiro Oda delivers. Above all, the most important plot point here is Luffy's battle against the King of the World, Nerona Imu. Luffy versus Imu began officially at the end of One Piece chapter 1186, which was released on June 29, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #31. Since then, it has continued at a dramatic pace.
“Thou canst not move now. That sword devours thy vitality. How many will it take to end thee? Monkey D. Luffy! A hateful name! Thou hast two brothers of different names... one brother slaughtered by the Navy...the other prominent within the Revolutionary Army. Blade of the Sea God: Fragarach!!" — Imu stabs Luffy, One Piece Chapter #1189
With the Straw Hat captain now hitting his official limit after being stabbed by the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu as well as the Blade of the Sea God: Fragarach, Luffy is incredibly close to falling in battle. In One Piece chapter 1193, released officially on September 30, 2026, Luffy confirmed that he was starting to lose Gear 5 and would then enter critical condition due to his wounds. We are certain that Luffy wants to continue fighting here, but given his current state, it goes without saying that he won't be able to fight for long. Yet Nerona Imu must be driven out of Elbaf at all costs, and we are sure that Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the series, is slowly building towards that. Imu's true defeat cannot come in the Elbaf arc, given that he is the final villain, which means that even when Imu is driven off of Elbaf, he must, in some way or form, gain a victory of his own.
Luffy: He's gonna revive himself soon enough. We gotta pile it on before he gets the chance to do that.
Loki: You're right about that! Okay, I'm in!
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://gamerant.com/one-piece-new-arc-without-luffy/
