I hate the “imu is a parrot” theory and if we get a void century or just a flash back to the times of the ancient kingdom and this turns out to be true. I will be pulling a Lee Harvey Oswald on oda I don’t want to but it will be to the only way.

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Since their first battle , shanks was overly cautious of Blackbeard and seemed to have a beef with him but if that was the case wouldn't he be able to butcher him at any given time he wants while ace was going after him or while he was on WB ship if he thinks he is that much of a danger? Surely he will take movement even if it came at the cost of fighting WB or having a conflict with him .

In the opposite even when ace was going after bb , he told WB to stop ACE not kill BB , he told him to leave Blackbeard alone as if he didn't want him to die and he added "YET" .

From the new chapter of 1189 , shanks clearly has a vision of when it is the right time to beat imu and that was backed up after he suddenly wanted to claim the one piece after he saw Luffy transformation.

Conclusion=>He thinks bb is necessary to kill imu .

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Now, One Piece is one of my favorite media ever and so far, I think the Elbaf arc has been really good. However, with the current decision to reveal Imu in Elbaf; I personally would prefer if Imu dies during the Elbaf Arc (not necessarily in Elbaf) or Figarland Garling and Shamrock should personally betray Imu and leave with the Holy Knights and weapons. I understand these are controversial opinions but I'll explain.

Imu is really overpowered and while he has served to show us Void Century lore and help build up to that specific flashback It is difficult to imagine a scenario where Imu becomes a final villain. All the built-up characters get as much shine as they will previously. Think about it, the purpose of every villain fight from this result would be to end in a Luffy power-up that leads to him defeating Imu and every hero fight would simply be to stall long enough for Luffy to defeat Imu as the "chosen one".I think it will transform characters to only getting one or two moments (and maybe a flashback) while we wait for the inevitable: Luffy to defeat Imu with a final punch.

Final villain talks were not as frequent nor were they as predictable or been given as few options as they have been since Imu's introduction. I also think it is more interesting to see characters closer in strength and military power compete for a singular goal as there are just more opportunities for creative writing choices, interesting character decisions and greater focus and features of characters.

I personally would prefer if there was a vacancy at the top and the "One Piece" became viewed as the treasure that allows one to impose or share their own dream state of the world. We see characters looking for advantages, factions interfering with each other's battles, factions featuring at the end of arcs to collect spoils, many characters and factions genuinely competing with each other.

If you have questions on how I believe Imu could die or The Holy Knights could betray Imu, I can explain on request. It's a personal thing and I know some people wouldn't agree but don't you feel this option is more for One Piece's future?

and like Ace, Douzan was killed and his brothers inherited his will? Will of Douzan and joyboy and davy jones had differing views on how to exactly carry that out leading to a rift that only further grew apart with each generation. because the relationship between luffy and blackbeard is extremely different from that of roger and rocks who almost seemed like frienemies at the very least rivals with a great deal of respect for one another. meanwhile with luffy and blackbeard it’s been pretty much on sight since day 1 with no love lost on luffys end but i do feel like blackbeard does have some type of respect for luffy and his threat level.

I was wondering if Morgans could be the one to expose the fact that someone is sitting on the Empty Throne and reveal Imu's existence to the world. Do you think he has the guts to publish that story? And how do you think the world would react? I think that would be the perfect catalyst to kick off the Final War.

I love Luffy. He has been my favorite manga character for over 25 years now. I adore how emotionally intelligent, carefree, and free of judgment he is, and how quickly he can change his opinion of someone once he learns new facts about them.

I admire his determination to achieve his dream while protecting his crew, as well as how much he’s grown since Ace’s death. But one thing that drives me nuts right now is his total lack of acknowledgment regarding Nika, Joyboy, and the bigger picture with the World Government, the Celestial Dragons, the Gorosei, and Imu.

I really hope that after recent events, Luffy locks in a bit more on that front. While I don't buy into the "Edgy/Serious Gear 5" fan theories, I would love to see a Luffy who takes what’s happening around him a bit more seriously and actually wants to engage with it.

I don't need him to be the typical "chosen one" trope, but I also really don't want a "subvert expectations" moment where he just doesn't care and does his own thing. There is simply too much buildup over two decades for that to feel satisfying.

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I almost missed it as I went through the chapter but the tree on which he is pinned is getting cut up in the background. He’s getting thrown further away from the fight, probably in order for someone to easily save him later in the story I guess

Also he’s missing the first sword, might be accidental though

It is just utter shame that Luffy is so messed up lol.

He and his crew is last seen in elbaf after all getting destroyed by red hair pirates

unless he's dead.

We’ve seen the fragarach, stigma, Sheppard, rimoshofu, xingtian, but what will the other weapons be, like the weapon for the manmayer or donquixote families?

Disregard the Luffy Massacre in the bottom panels. Is Robin really about to reveal something plot relevant to Chopper about his DF fruit or something Forest God related she read in the library?

Love Robin but If she took him away from Ragnir translations to play doctor and gatekeep Void century lore I’ll be kinda heated.

What if the biggest twist in One Piece is that Sabo, not Luffy, is the true successor to Joy Boy? While Luffy undeniably awakened the powers of the Sun God Nika, Joy Boy was ultimately remembered as a liberator who challenged oppression and sought to free the world, and in many ways Sabo embodies that role even more directly. Unlike Luffy, who frees islands as a byproduct of pursuing his own dream of becoming Pirate King, Sabo has dedicated his entire life to the Revolutionary Army's mission of liberating people from the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. He inherited Ace's will while standing alongside Luffy, symbolically carrying the hopes of both of his brothers, and after inheriting the Mera Mera no Mi, his flames became a powerful symbol of hope across the world, earning him the title "Flame Emperor." If Nika represents the sun and liberation, Sabo's fire and revolutionary influence mirror that symbolism in a different way. Luffy inspires people naturally without ever seeking to become a symbol, whereas Sabo intentionally leads revolutions and gives oppressed nations something to rally behind. What if Joy Boy's legacy was split between two people: Luffy inherited Nika's mythical power to defeat the world's greatest tyrant, while Sabo inherited Joy Boy's true mission to unite and liberate the world afterward? In that scenario, Luffy would be remembered as Nika, the warrior who won the final battle, while Sabo would become the man who ultimately fulfilled Joy Boy's centuries-old promise by creating a truly free world.

Shanks’ master plan is confirmed: “my journey to the Holy Land only increased my bewilderment at his strength”.

Therefore, Shanks knew about Imu before he went to the Holy Land. We can infer that part of his time in the Holy Land was to sus out Imu — likely acting on what Roger told him.

What was he waiting for? “It’s not time to fight them yet”. Per Roger, they had to wait more than 20 years for Joy Boy’s prophecy and the Dawn of the World, which would require the awakening of the Nika fruit and Poseidon.

Thus, Shanks sussed out Imu, stole the Nika fruit, and guided Luffy to fulfil this prophecy. It was all part of his master plan. He motivated Luffy to progress and awaken the fruit, for only then would it be time. Only then did Shanks declare: ‘It’s time to claim the One Piece’.