One Piece Chapter 1193 Release Date: Imu Finally Looks Vulnerable After Luffy’s Craziest Elbaf Attack

One Piece Chapter 1193 is shaping up to be one of those chapters where absolutely anything could happen. After what went down in Chapter 1192, I honestly don’t know whether I should be more excited to see Luffy’s next move or terrified of what Imu is going to do once the dust settles.

The Elbaf Arc has already gone completely off the rails compared with what I expected when this storyline started. We’re now watching Luffy, Loki, Hajrudin, Usopp, and Imu collide in a battle that feels much bigger than a normal One Piece fight. It isn’t just about punching the strongest person in the room anymore. It’s about freedom, the Giants, the World Government, and what Luffy actually represents.

And after that final attack in Chapter 1192? Yeah, I’m definitely not convinced Imu is finished.

One Piece Chapter 1193 Release Date and Time

One Piece Chapter 1193 is scheduled to release on Sunday, September 13, 2026, for most international readers. Japanese readers will get the chapter on Monday, September 14 at midnight JST.

Here are the expected international release times:

The good news is that there is currently no scheduled break, so fans shouldn’t have to wait an extra week to see the aftermath of Chapter 1192.

For the official English release, readers should use VIZ’s Shonen Jump or MANGA Plus by Shueisha rather than relying on unofficial scans.

Chapter 1192 Recap: Luffy and Loki Actually Broke Imu’s Defense

Before getting into my Chapter 1193 predictions, we need to talk about just how ridiculous Chapter 1192 was.

The chapter opens on a much lighter note with Franky relaxing with dogs and drinking cola. Then Oda basically throws us straight back into chaos.

The combined Gokoku Sovereignty attack from Luffy, Loki, and Hajrudin sends Imu flying across the battlefield. For a second, it genuinely looks like the World Government’s mysterious ruler might finally be in serious trouble.

But, of course, Imu gets back up.

That’s the part that got me. Even after taking that enormous attack, Imu is still standing, bleeding from the mouth and head, but clearly nowhere near defeated.

Loki immediately follows up with Ragnir, unleashing a barrage of Conqueror’s Haki-infused lightning. Imu dodges it, forcing Luffy to take advantage of the opening.

Luffy comes crashing down with Gomu Gomu no White Kraken, only for Imu to answer with those enormous black projectile spheres.

And then things get really interesting.

Imu’s Shield of Emptiness Is Absolutely Insane

Imu pulls out two ancient swords, Bofu and Tohu, crosses them, and creates the terrifying Shield of Emptiness.

This thing basically tells Luffy, “Nope.”

Gear 5 Luffy starts hammering away at the barrier, but instead of damaging Imu, the attack ends up hurting Luffy’s own hands. Seeing Luffy actually bleed from repeatedly hitting the shield was a great reminder that Gear 5 doesn’t automatically make him unbeatable.

Imu then attempts to cut Luffy with the two swords, but Luffy manages to avoid the attack by inflating his arms.

At this point, I was thinking the same thing Gaban was thinking:

Get Luffy out of here.

Usopp Steals One of the Best Moments of the Chapter

This is where Chapter 1192 surprised me.

Scopper Gaban sees how badly Luffy is being pushed and tells Hajrudin to grab him and leave Elbaf. And honestly, from a purely tactical perspective, he’s probably right.

Then Usopp steps in.

Usopp reminds everyone of the history between the Straw Hats and the Giants. Dorry and Brogy. Little Garden. Oimo and Kashii. Enies Lobby. Hajrudin and the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.

But the most important part isn’t the history lesson.

Usopp basically rejects the idea that Luffy’s status matters more than Luffy himself.

He doesn’t care whether people call Luffy Joy Boy, Nika, or the next Pirate King. He doesn’t care how important Luffy is to the world.

He’s their friend.

And if “saving” Luffy means taking away his freedom, Usopp isn’t willing to accept it.

For me, this was easily one of the strongest Usopp moments in the Elbaf Arc. We’ve been waiting for Elbaf to give him something meaningful, and this feels like exactly the kind of emotional turning point his character needed.

It also makes the next chapter more interesting because Gaban clearly wasn’t expecting that kind of courage from Usopp.

The Dawn Thor Bullet Changed Everything

Then Luffy comes up with one of those completely insane plans that only makes sense in One Piece.

Instead of attacking Imu normally, Luffy attaches himself to Loki’s massive Ragnir hammer.

Loki charges the weapon with lightning, swings it, and basically turns Luffy into a gigantic living projectile.

The result?

Gomu Gomu no Dawn Thor Bullet.

The attack crashes directly into Imu’s Shield of Emptiness.

And this time, the shield breaks.

That’s the biggest takeaway from Chapter 1192.

Luffy finally found a way through Imu’s seemingly impossible defense.

The attack slams directly into Imu’s stomach, distorting the body in classic Gear 5 fashion. Imu’s black feathers tear away, the eyes turn white, and blood comes flying out.

The chapter ends there.

And yeah…

There’s no way Oda is letting that be the end of Imu.

My Biggest One Piece Chapter 1193 Predictions

1. Imu Is About to Show Us Something Much Worse

This is my biggest prediction.

Imu getting blasted through the Shield of Emptiness doesn’t mean Luffy has won. If anything, I think Oda deliberately ended the chapter on that image because Chapter 1193 is going to reveal what happens when Imu stops holding back.

The black feathers disappearing are especially interesting.

I’ve seen plenty of theories suggesting that the form we’ve seen so far isn’t Imu’s complete transformation. I’m not ready to call that confirmed, but visually, there is clearly something going on with Imu’s body.

My guess?

Imu gets back up and transforms.

Not necessarily into the exact “Demon King” form fans are predicting, but into something that makes the previous appearance look like a warm-up.

And if that happens, Luffy is going to have a serious problem.

2. Luffy Could Be Running Out of Gas

There’s another issue I’m watching closely: Gear 5’s stamina.

Luffy has already been fighting at an absurd level, and Chapter 1192 showed that Imu can still hurt him despite all the ridiculous abilities of Gear 5.

If Luffy suddenly loses his momentum in Chapter 1193, I wouldn’t be surprised.

We’ve seen this before. Luffy can perform something spectacular, look completely unstoppable for a few minutes, and then his body reminds everyone that there are limits.

The real question is whether Loki can keep Imu occupied long enough for Luffy to recover.

3. Loki Still Has Another Card

I also don’t believe we’ve seen everything Loki can do.

He’s been incredibly important throughout the Elbaf conflict, but we’ve mostly seen his physical strength, Ragnir, and his lightning-based attacks.

What happens if Loki finally decides to reveal his full power?

A mythical Devil Fruit transformation is one possibility that fans have been discussing heavily. A Norse-inspired creature would obviously fit Elbaf perfectly.

Personally, I’d love to see Oda go completely crazy with this.

Imagine Loki transforming while Luffy is still in Gear 5, with Ragnir becoming part of the transformation or weapon system.

That would be peak Elbaf.

4. The Ancient History Plot Could Return

The Elbaf Arc isn’t just about the current battle.

There are still enormous unanswered questions involving the world’s ancient history, the calendar systems, Robin’s research, and the origins of the powers controlling the world.

That’s why I wouldn’t be shocked if Chapter 1193 briefly cuts away from the battlefield.

Oda loves doing this.

Just when we’re completely invested in a massive fight, he’ll suddenly give us one tiny historical detail that creates fifty new theories.

The references surrounding the Celestial Calendar and Sea Circle Calendar are particularly interesting because they could eventually connect to the much larger mystery surrounding the Void Century and Imu’s origins.

If Chapter 1193 gives us even one meaningful clue here, the One Piece theory community is going to explode.

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What I Expect From Chapter 1193

Why Chapter 1193 Could Be Huge

What I like most about this part of the Elbaf Arc is that the conflict doesn’t feel like a simple hero versus villain fight.

Luffy represents freedom.

Imu represents control.

The Giants are caught directly in the middle of that ideological clash.

And Usopp’s speech in Chapter 1192 actually makes that theme even clearer. The Straw Hats aren’t fighting because Luffy is Nika or because he’s destined to change the world.

They’re fighting because he’s Luffy.

That distinction matters.

It’s also why I think Chapter 1193 could focus less on introducing another giant attack and more on showing how the characters respond when Imu inevitably gets back up.

Because let’s be honest: if Imu gets knocked out by one Dawn Thor Bullet, I’ll be shocked.

We’re talking about the mysterious ruler who has been sitting above the entire World Government for centuries. Oda has spent far too much time building Imu up for the character to simply disappear after one massive Gear 5 punch.

Final Thoughts

One Piece Chapter 1193 has an enormous amount of pressure on it.

Chapter 1192 gave us one of the most satisfying combinations in the Elbaf Arc: Loki’s lightning, Luffy’s Gear 5 insanity, and Usopp finally stepping up when it mattered most.

But I think we’ve only reached the halfway point of this particular confrontation.

My money is on Imu recovering, revealing a terrifying new ability, and forcing Luffy and Loki into another desperate combination. At the same time, I wouldn’t be surprised if Oda slips in another ancient-history clue or gives Usopp a surprisingly important job away from the main clash.

And that’s exactly why I’m so hyped.

We’ve reached the point in One Piece where a single panel can completely change how we understand the entire story.

If Chapter 1193 really is the beginning of Imu’s full transformation, then Elbaf may be about to become one of the most important arcs in the entire Final Saga.