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One Piece Chapter 1189 Review/Recap

The more that this fight against Imu continues to drag on, the more we see why he was able to become King of the World. We’ve already managed to see just how absurdly powerful his Devil Fruit is, but lately, there’s one aspect of it that fans have been focusing on: the weapon wheel. In a video game, the weapon wheel is a common mechanic meant to allow players to access a number of different weapons, skills, and gadgets. It’s supposed to be a convenient magic satchel to justify them carrying around so much stuff at once. Now, I don’t know if this is actually a part of his Devil Fruit or some other power, but this chapter pretty much confirms that Imu has some kind of weapon wheel to work with. But that’s not the scary part; the scary part is where he’s getting the weapons from.

Recap

After getting run through by Imu’s spear, Luffy is then impaled onto a tree, as his crew starts to notice that something is wrong. As they look after Loki, Hadrujin and Gerd show up, with the latter beginning to treat his injuries, having been sent there by Jarul with a warning about how this attack has been in the works for a long time. That prompts Loki to reveal more about what happened years ago.

When Loki told Jarul, Shanks, and Gaban how he wanted to avenge his father, Shanks tried to stop him. He knew that Loki couldn’t take on the entire World Government by himself, prompting him to tell them about the King of the World, Imu. He even points out how Rocks was able to make it to Imu, but couldn’t defeat him, but Loki didn’t listen. And in the end, Shanks was right. He couldn’t even get close to Imu.

The others are floored by this revelation about the world having a king above the Five Elders, but Loki sees this as an opportunity. If Imu has come out to play, they have a chance to cut the head off the snake; even Hajrudin is all for it! However, they’re a little distracted by Brook looking after Shuri despite Ragnir’s protests, and Robin wants Chopper to come with her to the Owl Library.

Meanwhile, Imu is basically playing with his food. He’s trying to see how many slashes Luffy can endure before finally dying, all while insulting him and his older brothers for being such a nuisance as he keeps summoning the weapons of the 19 Kings. Even Sommers and Qillingham are able to summon them as they continue to battle Zoro and Sanji. Right as Imu is about to deliver the killing blow, though, Gaban comes in clutch, blocking the attack and saving Luffy’s life!

HOLY S***!

Review

Well, it looks like the cat is finally out of the bag. The Straw Hat’s may not entirely know who Imu is, but at least they know what he is. I’m not surprised that this happened, though. From the moment Imu was introduced to the story, I knew it was only a matter of time before the Straw Hat Pirates learned about his existence. It’s kind of necessary since Imu is in the running for the main, overarching antagonist of One Piece alongside Blackbeard. Still, it’s a big moment, since our protagonists now have an idea about who they’re fighting. And…Loki does have a point. They have a chance to take him down. Or at least really, really hurt him. He more than deserves it considering all the pain he’s caused.

Not that knowing is going to do them much good with the hacks that Imu has with that weapon wheel.

I will be honest: the fact that Imu had some kind of RPG-style weapon wheel never crossed my mind until I saw other fans bringing it up. Though, given how so many of Imu’s powers seem to break the rules of the series as it is, it makes a lot of sense. What worries me the most, though, is that these weapons are all explicitly confirmed to be the same ones from Imu’s throne room. I thought that those things were just for decoration; I wasn’t expecting them to still be usable after 800 years! Then there’s the names they have. It wasn’t until I heard Killingham drop the name “Longinus” that I realized they were all the names of legendary weapons or people associated with them. The Longinus Spear alone, AKA the Spear of Destiny, is said to be the weapon that pierced the body of Christ to check if he was dead. If these weapons are anything like their real-world myths, then they’re dangerous!

So, this is the power of the one who calls himself the King of the World. No wonder Imu has been able to rule from the shadows for 800 years, and why the Roger Pirates kept quiet about it. Gaban and the others likely learned about Imu’s existence when they reached Laugh Tale, but since they couldn’t do anything about it, they kept their mouths shut. It’s pretty telling that when Shanks told Loki about Imu, Gaban was notably worried. But I don’t think that Imu will be able to keep himself a secret for much longer. Even if the Straw Hats don’t tell anyone about him, the Giants will almost undoubtedly declare war on the World Government for this attack as well as the death of Harald. Which means that the very thing Imu sought to prevent will come to pass as the Giants will take Luffy’s side in the final war. First, though, they have to survive! Hopefully, the two-week wait will make the next chapter worth it!

I Give “King of the World” a 4/5

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