Chapter 1190 of One Piece, titled “Those Whose Death Brings Celebration,” just delivered one of the most devastating moments in the entire series. Scopper Gaban — the legendary Left Hand of Gol D. Roger — stepped between Monkey D. Luffy and the tyrannical Imu, unleashed a technique that ripped open the earth itself, and dragged the King of the World into the underworld. By the chapter’s end, Gaban’s left arm was severed below the elbow, and fans worldwide were left wondering one question: What did Gaban see at Laugh Tale that made him willing to die for this boy?
This theory connects Gaban’s sacrifice directly to the secret of the Void Century, the true nature of the Honebami (Bone Eater) sword Imu wielded, and why Gol D. Roger laughed when he reached the final island. The pieces have been hiding in plain sight for over 25 years.
The Honebami Sword Is Not What We Think
Imu drew a Japanese weapon called Honebami — the Bone Eater — to fight Gaban. On the surface, it looks like just another terrifying weapon in Imu’s arsenal. But consider this: the name “Bone Eater” is deeply significant in Japanese mythology. Honekiri (bone-cutting) blades are associated with slaying supernatural beings, particularly those who refuse to die.
Imu has lived for over 800 years. Imu sits on the Empty Throne. Imu commands the Holy Knights and the entire World Government. If Imu is connected to a Devil Fruit that grants unnatural longevity — and the evidence from the Nika fruit and the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika lore strongly suggests this — then a sword designed to “eat bones” could be the one weapon capable of ending Imu’s immortal existence.
Gaban knew this. That is why he fought.
Gaban’s Technique: Shinmon Hassen — The Mountain Eater’s True Power
Gaban unleashed a technique called Shinmon: Hassen — Fukushu (真文八震 — 復讐, roughly “True Script Eight Tremors — Vengeance”). This attack destroyed the ground beneath both fighters, sending Gaban and Imu plunging into the underworld beneath Elbaf. The move is devastating, self-sacrificing, and reveals something crucial about Gaban’s fighting style.
Remember — Gaban’s epithet is “Mountain Eater” (山喰い). This is not just a cool nickname. The Roger Pirates earned their epithets through legendary feats. Shanks lost his arm to save Luffy. Rayleigh became the “Dark King” by hiding in the shadows of Sabaody. Gaban? He literally ate mountains — he destroyed terrain itself as a weapon. His technique in Chapter 1190 is the full manifestation of that power.
More importantly, this technique mirrors something Joy Boy would have needed during the Void Century: the ability to reshape the battlefield itself, to literally move the earth beneath an enemy’s feet. Gaban learned this at Laugh Tale. He saw what Joy Boy left behind.
The Void Century Connection: What Roger’s Crew Found
When Gol D. Roger reached Laugh Tale, he laughed. Everyone knows this. But almost no one asks why he laughed instead of cried. The answer lies in what the crew discovered: Joy Boy’s final message was not a tale of despair — it was a joke, a promise, a declaration that the world would be set free, and the laugh was the proof that joy would return.
Clover of Ohara spent his life researching the Void Century. Nico Robin has been chasing the Poneglyphs since she was a child. But Gaban? Gaban was there. He stood on Laugh Tale with Roger and Kozuki Oden. He read the Poneglyphs alongside them. He knows the full truth — not fragments, not theories — the complete story of what happened 800 years ago.
And in Chapter 1190, when Gaban tells Luffy that “the Pirate King is someone whose death will bring joy to his enemies,” he is not just giving a speech. He is echoing the exact phrasing from Joy Boy’s promise. The person whose death brings celebration — that is the title Joy Boy carried, and it is the burden Luffy must now bear.
Why Gaban Sacrificed His Arm — Not His Life
The chapter ends with Gaban’s left arm severed below the elbow, lying on the ground, alive but gravely wounded. Luffy watches in shock. The manga goes on break immediately after — a classic Oda move to let the weight settle.
But here is the critical detail: Gaban chose to lose his arm, not his life. This is not a man who wanted to die. This is a man who had one job to do — buy Luffy time, demonstrate the enemy’s weakness, and pass the torch. Gaban’s left arm is the same arm that once wielded his signature axes alongside Gol D. Roger’s blade. By sacrificing it, Gaban is symbolically giving Luffy everything the Roger Pirates had.
Think about it this way: Rayleigh taught Luffy the basics of Haki. Shanks inspired Luffy’s dream and gave him the straw hat. Gaban is the last living Roger Pirate to appear in the story, and his sacrifice completes the trilogy. Each member of Roger’s inner circle gave Luffy something different: willpower, inspiration, and now — the knowledge of how to actually fight Imu.
The Bone Eater and Imu’s True Nature
Let us revisit the Honebami sword. In Chapter 1189, Imu unleashed ancient weapons against Luffy. In Chapter 1190, Imu drew the Bone Eater. These are not random power-ups — they are escalating weapons designed to counter specific threats. The ancient weapons countered Luffy’s physical strength. The Bone Eater targets something deeper: the Will of D itself.
The name “Bone Eater” suggests a weapon that destroys the very foundation of a person — not just their body, but their inherited will, their lineage, their connection to the past. This is why Imu used it against Gaban specifically. Gaban carries the memories of Laugh Tale. He is a living repository of the Void Century truth. If the Bone Eater can consume those memories, those connections, then Imu silences the last witness.
But Gaban’s Shinmon: Hassen technique countered it by dragging the fight underground — into the earth, into history, into the very bones of the world. Gaban fought Imu on Imu’s terms and still managed to survive. That tells us the Roger Pirates’ techniques were specifically developed to counter Imu’s powers. Roger knew this fight was coming.
What Happens Next: Luffy vs Imu Round 2
Chapter 1191 is set to continue the Elbaf arc climax with Luffy vs Imu Round 2. After watching Gaban’s sacrifice, Luffy will enter this fight with something he did not have before: understanding. Gaban showed him that Imu is not invincible. The Bone Eater has limits. And the technique that Gaban used — the earth-shattering Shinmon style — gives Luffy a blueprint for how to fight Imu.
Combine this with Loki, the Prince of Elbaf, who has his own reasons to oppose Imu, and the full power of the Sun God Nika form, and Chapter 1191 could be the chapter where Luffy finally lands a decisive blow against the King of the World.
But do not count Imu out. Imu has survived for 800 years. Imu has the Holy Knights, the Gorosei, and the full military might of the World Government. The battle for Elbaf — and for the world — is just beginning.
The Roger Pirates’ Final Lesson
Gaban’s words to Luffy before the fight are the key to the entire chapter: “If you want to become the Pirate King while living happily without facing tough battles, you should go home.”
This is not just tough love. This is the Roger Pirates’ philosophy distilled into one sentence. Gol D. Roger did not become Pirate King by avoiding conflict. He became Pirate King by charging straight at the impossible, laughing in the face of death, and trusting that the next generation would finish what he started.
Gaban is the bridge between Roger’s generation and Luffy’s. His sacrifice is not an ending — it is the final push that sends Luffy toward Laugh Tale, toward the One Piece, and toward the truth that will change the world forever.
The question is no longer whether Luffy will reach Laugh Tale. It is what he will find there — and whether the knowledge Gaban died to protect will be enough to defeat an enemy who has ruled the world for eight centuries.
What do you think about Gaban’s sacrifice and its connection to Joy Boy’s secret? Is the Bone Eater sword the key to defeating Imu, or is there something even more powerful waiting in the Final Saga? Share your theories in the comments below!
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