One Piece‘s story has come a long way since the beginning of the Elbaph Arc. While Monkey D. Luffy arrived in the Land of Giants as an Emperor of the Sea, he and the Straw Hat Pirates have been pitted against a far more dangerous opponent than any of their previous enemies, including the likes of Kaido and the Five Elders.

One Piece Chapter 1188 — titled “Vohu” — is the clearest demonstration of Imu’s strength since the King of the World arrived in Elbaph, and it has completely reset the power-scaling of the series. Even Gear 5 Luffy has been no match for this terrifying new opponent, who has quickly turned the tide in the fight with the Straw Hat Pirate and his companions.

One Piece Chapter 1188 Pulls the Curtain Back on Imu’s Raw Power

After multiple chapters in a row exploring Brook’s backstory, Eiichiro Oda has officially shifted gears with One Piece Chapter 1188 and turned the focus back to the action unfolding in the Land of Giants. The chapter is almost entirely fight choreography, with Imu and Luffy squaring off in almost every panel throughout the chapter.

Unfortunately for Luffy, his first face-to-face meeting with the leader of the World Government didn’t go quite as he expected. Imu had an answer for everything Luffy could throw at them, and after dealing far less damage to Imu than Loki did, Luffy found himself impaled upon Imu’s strange blade, Vohu. It remains to be seen if this is the end of their fight, but regardless of how things go from here, the Celestial Dragons’ shadowy leader has more than asserted themself at the top of One Piece’s food chain.

Conversely, Luffy’s place in the series’ power hierarchy has taken a bit of a hit after the events of Chapter 1188. The Straw Hat Pirate put up far less of a fight against Imu than Loki did, and whereas Loki is still conscious after his fight, Luffy looks like he could legitimately be on death’s door at the beginning of One Piece‘s next chapter.

In the eyes of Imu, Luffy’s performance was extremely disappointing —especially when compared to Luffy’s predecessor, Joyboy. With the Straw Hat Pirate skewered on Vohu, Imu goes as far as to state:

“Of course I know that thou art not Joyboy! Joyboy was not this weak!“

Direct comparisons to Joyboy have become more common over the past few arcs, but this is the first time that a character with firsthand knowledge of Joyboy’s strength has revealed how One Piece‘s protagonist stacks up to his predecessor. To be fair, there’s always a chance that Imu is purposefully lying or misremembering how strong Joyboy was. However, that feels unlikely considering the severity of the situation.

So, where does One Piece‘s main character go from here?

Luffy was dealt a clear loss for the first time since fighting Kaido —something that hadn’t seemed possible after the Straw Hat Pirate obtained his Gear 5 transformation. Unfortunately for Luffy, even his reality-bending powers pale in comparison to Imu’s sheer domination, setting the stage for a dramatic end to the Elbaph Arc. Where Eiichiro Oda takes the story from here is anyone’s guess, but if one thing is for sure, it’s going to take everything Luffy and Loki have to escape this conflict with their lives.

Luffy and Loki Are Facing an Uphill Battle Against the King of the World

To put it plainly: things aren’t looking good for One Piece‘s protagonists. Loki and Luffy were arguably the heaviest hitters in the history of One Piece prior to Imu’s recent display of strength, and now, they’re being treated like complete pushovers by the King of the World.

It’s clear that One Piece‘s power creep isn’t over yet, so there’s no telling how Elbaph’s protectors will level up as they attempt to overthrow the tyranny of the World Government. While Haki seems like the clear answer considering Joyboy’s Haki knot and its effect on the Five Elders, for the time being, the Straw Hat Pirates and their allies need to shift their focus to escaping this conflict with their lives.

Even if Imu is forced back to the Holy Land soon because of their health, the World Government has demonstrated the ability to destroy entire islands using the power of the Mother Flame. Assuming they still have this capability, the very future of Elbaph could be in danger.

One Piece has always used defeats as a turning point for Luffy. Crocodile, Bartholomew Kuma, Magellan, and Kaido all dealt Luffy clear losses that forced him to grow stronger, and now Imu joins that list. The only difference is the fact that Luffy might not be able to defeat this enemy by himself.

Although it’s still a bit surreal to see One Piece firmly entering its endgame, the current duel between Imu and Luffy has been a blast to read so far. Hopefully, Oda lets the meeting between these two last a bit longer before he presumably interrupts their duel, as there’s no telling what secrets Nerona Imu has left to spill.

Read One Piece Chapter 1188 at VIZ.com