Imu Just Pulled Out the Ancient Weapons — But Scopper Gaban”s Arrival in Chapter 1189 Changes Everything We Thought We Knew
If you thought Chapter 1188″s revelation that Imu”s Akuma no Mi outclasses Monkey D. Luffy”s Gear 5 was the bombshell of the year, Chapter 1189 just lit the fuse on something even bigger. The spoilers are in, and they”re absolutely unhinged: Nerona Imu doesn”t just possess one Ancient Weapon — the King of the World is pulling ALL of them into play. Meanwhile, a certain former Roger Pirate just stepped onto the Elbaf battlefield, and his timing couldn”t be more suspicious.
Here”s the theory that”s been keeping me up at night: the Ancient Weapons — Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus — were never actually weapons. They”re a failsafe system designed by Joy Boy 800 years ago, and Scopper Gaban might be the only person alive who knows how to activate the real function.
The Chapter 1189 Spoilers: What We Know So Far
Let”s break down what the early leaks are telling us. Chapter 1189 opens with Luffy impaled and unconscious after Imu”s Blade of Nothingness: Vohu pierced straight through his chest in the closing panels of Chapter 1188. The situation on Elbaf is catastrophic — the Straw Hat Pirates are scattered, and Imu is gloating about something far more dangerous than one sword.
According to the leaks, Imu begins unveiling the Ancient Weapons — plural — and pins Luffy down with a power that doesn”t come from the Akuma no Mi at all. Meanwhile, a Shanks flashback reveals a warning he once gave about the King of the World and what actually sits on the Empty Throne. And then, in what might be the most explosive entrance since Shanks arrived at Marineford, Scopper Gaban makes a dramatic save.
Why Scopper Gaban Matters More Than You Think
Let”s talk about the Mountain Eater himself. Scopper Gaban has been conspicuously absent from One Piece”s narrative for over a decade of real-world time, only recently reappearing during the Elbaf arc. But think about his resume for a second — this is the man who was Gol D. Roger”s left hand, someone who reached Laugh Tale alongside the Pirate King and read the True History.
When Silvers Rayleigh first met Luffy on Sabaody Archipelago, he was deliberately cryptic about everything the Roger Pirates discovered. Rayleigh admitted they “learned everything” and then never said a word about it. But here”s what Rayleigh didn”t do — he didn”t step onto any battlefield. He didn”t insert himself into the final conflict. Gaban, on the other hand, chose Elbaf.
Why Elbaf? Why now? The answer might be written in the mural that the Straw Hats discovered inside the Treasure Tree Adam. That mural — which shows an ancient war between two factions, one figure resembling Nika, others resembling modern Devil Fruit users — is the key. And Gaban, who spent years living on Elbaf, almost certainly knows what it means.
The Ancient Weapons: A Defensive System, Not Offensive
Here”s where the theory gets wild. The World Government has spent 800 years terrified of the Ancient Weapons being activated against them. Every Gorosei — Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, Saint Topman Warcury, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, and Saint Marcus Mars — has treated the weapons as doomsday devices that must be kept under control.
But what if that”s the lie?
Look at what we know about each weapon:
- Poseidon — not a weapon at all. It”s Shirahoshi, the Mermaid Princess of Fish-Man Island, a gentle soul who can communicate with Sea Kings. She”s an innocent girl, not a warship.
- Pluton — supposedly a battleship buried beneath Wano Country. But Wano”s borders have been closed for centuries specifically to protect something. Sukiyaki confirmed Pluton rests there, yet the Kozuki Family never used it as a weapon — they guarded it.
- Uranus — the most mysterious of the three, and the one Imu appears to be controlling. Every theory about Uranus points skyward.
Three “weapons” that were meant to be used together. Three weapons that the Nefertari Family — the only founding family who refused to move to Mary Geoise — knew the truth about. Coincidence? Nefertari D. Lili didn”t just refuse to become a Celestial Dragon. She refused to participate in whatever lie Imu was building.
Gaban”s Connection to the Real Ancient Weapon System
Here”s the prediction: Scopper Gaban didn”t stay on Elbaf just to retire. He stayed there because Elbaf”s Treasure Tree Adam is the control center of the Ancient Weapons. The mural inside that tree isn”t just art — it”s an instruction manual.
Think about the naming convention. Adam. The first tree. The original wood. The tree that”s strong enough to build the Oro Jackson — the only ship that ever reached Laugh Tale. And on Elbaf, we just learned that the Adam tree contains a mural depicting the entire history of the Void Century. That is not a coincidence. That is a storage device.
Gaban arriving precisely when Imu unveils the Ancient Weapons isn”t heroism — it”s contingency. The Roger Pirates knew this moment would come. They knew someone would try to weaponize Poseidon, Pluton, and Uranus. And they left one of their own behind to make sure the right side could activate them first.
What Happens Next: Chapter 1190 Predictions
If this theory holds, Chapter 1190 is going to be absolute chaos. Gaban won”t just fight Imu — he”s going to reveal information that changes how we see the entire series. Specifically:
- Gaban will explain that the Ancient Weapons are linked to the Voice of All Things, and only someone who can hear that voice — like Luffy, like Roger, like Momonosuke — can properly activate them
- Imu”s current control over Uranus is partial and parasitic, not true activation
- Shirahoshi”s role as Poseidon isn”t to destroy the Red Line — it”s to transport something across the Calm Belt
- Pluton under Wano isn”t a warship at all — it”s the original Noah, or something older than even the Void Century
- The Straw Hat Grand Fleet — led by Cavendish, Bartolomeo, Sai, Ideo, Leo, Orlumbus, and Hajrudin — will arrive in Elbaf”s skies just as the weapons activate
And the final, most devastating reveal? Joy Boy didn”t fail to stop Imu 800 years ago. Joy Boy chose not to activate the weapons — because doing so would have destroyed the world he was trying to save. The apology Poneglyph on Fish-Man Island wasn”t an apology for failing. It was an apology for what he had to become.
The Bottom Line
Chapter 1189 isn”t just setting up another fight. It”s setting up the reveal that the entire One Piece world — from the Grand Line”s geography to the Poneglyphs scattered across the sea — was designed around a single failsafe mechanism. Imu thinks they”re weapons. The World Government thinks they”re weapons. But Scopper Gaban knows better, because he”s seen Laugh Tale.
And when Luffy wakes up — because let”s be real, the Sun God doesn”t stay down — he”s not going to beat Imu by punching harder. He”s going to beat Imu by understanding what Joy Boy understood 800 years ago: the Ancient Weapons were never meant to destroy. They were meant to liberate.
What do you think about this theory? Is Scopper Gaban really the keeper of the Ancient Weapons” true purpose, or is he just a badass old pirate showing up at the right time? Could the Straw Hat Grand Fleet actually be on its way to Elbaf? Share your predictions in the comments — the Final Saga is only getting crazier from here.
Want more One Piece theories? Check out our breakdown of Chapter 1188 and Imu”s Devil Fruit power, and stay tuned for our Chapter 1190 prediction piece.
