One Piece went on a two-week hiatus on July 12, 2026, following the release of Chapter 1188, which featured the fight between Nerona Imu and Monkey D. Luffy. With this two-week hiatus now finally over, One Piece is heading towards the release of Chapter 1189, which will be officially published in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #35 on July 26, 2026. The previous chapter showcased Monkey D. Luffy's defeat at the hands of Nerona Imu.
The focus will now likely shift towards Luffy's Wings, who will do everything they can to weaken Luffy's enemy for him and give him a chance to get back into the fight. Meanwhile, One Piece Chapter 1189 will likely also focus on Princess Shuri as well as Brook, along with Nerona Imu's direct connection to her.
One Piece Chapter 1189 will likely focus on Zoro and Sanji
One Piece Chapter 1189 will likely take the focus away from Luffy's defeat of Nerona Imu and put some focus on Zoro and Sanji, and there is a main reason for this. To understand the significance of Eiichiro Oda focusing on the battles between Zoro and Sanji right now, we only need to go back to One Piece chapter 1171, where Oda showed the aftermath of King Harald's death. Harald had received a deep alliance from Nerona Imu, the same pact that both Killingham and Sommers have. When Harald died, Nerona Imu shuddered at the thought that there was a being in Elbaf strong enough to kill a giant with the potential to destroy the entire world. An important aspect was highlighted by the King of the World then, when he stated that the death of every Holy Knight marked with a covenant comes at a huge cost to him.
Imu: These monstrous traits made Harald a true monster? But he was taken down? What exactly lurks in Elbaf?
Five Elders: We will have the Abyss Pentagram carved by Harald in Elbaf inspected.
Imu: It shouldn't be necessary. It will result in another knight dying. Every alliance comes at a high price to pay for Mu.
— Exchange between Imu and Gorosei confirming Imu's weakness after Harald's death, One Piece Chapter #1171
This means that when each of these individuals dies, Nerona Imu takes a hit in terms of overall power and suffers drastically. As such, Luffy may well be saved in Elbaf by Zoro and Sanji, his Wings, by defeating Sommers and Killingham, or by simply killing them. To that end, One Piece chapter 1189 will likely shed a lot of light on the Pirate King's wings as it is the only way for Luffy to get some breathing room in the fight against Nerona Imu. Zoro and Sanji will finally begin their full battles against Sommers and Killingham, hoping to gain full control of their Conqueror's Haki in this battle. Zoro must fully learn to control this power, and Sanji must bring it to the surface and then master it in the same fight, which will be quite a challenge for the Wings.
For that purpose One Piece Chapter 1189 will finally build towards these two individuals mastering these abilities and then pushing their enemies to the back foot. It's only a matter of time before both Zoro and Sanji fully master their Conqueror's Haki and demolish these two Holy Knights for good. This would then in turn greatly weaken Nerona Imu and give Luffy a moment to catch his breath and re-enter the fray.
Sanji: What about me? Do I have Conqueror's Haki?
Gaban: You also have the qualities of a conqueror. But for some reason I sense a dangerous self-loathing in you. If you really want Luffy to become the pirate king, you have to become a “king” yourself.
— Gaban confirms Sanji's latent Conqueror's Haki, One Piece Chapter #1187
Why Luffy was able to fight back against Nerona Imu
One Piece Chapter 1189 may focus on Zoro and Sanji primarily, but Monkey D. Luffy also needs a break. Luffy might be able to free himself from Nerona Imus Blade of Nothingness: Vohu and recalibrate. If there's one thing we know, it's that Luffy's Gear 5 officially failed against Imu, and he's in no condition to continue fighting. To that end, there may be some intervention in this already ongoing battle against Imu in Elbaf to help Luffy out.
The Straw Hats must do what they can to save Luffy and make sure he fights Nerona Imu. One Piece Chapter 1189 could thus see someone like Loki re-enter the fray, at least temporarily, to free Luffy from the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu. We could also see some other Straw Hats trying to help Luffy and distract Imu until Luffy recovers, but it's also possible that the biggest distraction comes from Scopper Gaban, who is on the sidelines but the strongest of the bunch.
One Piece Chapter 1189 could focus on the Imu and Gunko plotline
Towards the end of One Piece In Chapter 1188, we saw Princess Shuri finally freed from Ragnir's ice. With Brook finally communicating with her. Imu's attention immediately went to him, and putting two and two together he realized that Brook was the same man he saw in Esperia years ago. As such, with Luffy now already defeated, One Piece Chapter 1189 could very well show Nerona Imu heading at lightning speed to where Gunko is. This will thus allow Luffy to recover and at the same time create a confrontation between Nerona Imu and the other Straw Hats who are currently next to Gunko.
“A man with an afro calling Gunko 'Princess Shuri'? Could it be?” — Imu finds out about Brook and Shuri's connection, One Piece Chapter #1187
It will also create a psychological confrontation for Gunko with Imu on one side and Brook on the other. This is where Gunko could potentially turn on Nerona Imu and side with the Straw Hat Pirates to fight back against his influence. Needless to say, if it happens, it will certainly be an exciting moment for all of us to witness.
One Piece Chapter 1189 will mostly be a setup chapter for the exciting Holy Knight battles, the rescue of Monkey D. Luffy, and the return of Princess Shuri to the good side. It's still going to be packed with excitement, and we absolutely can't wait to see it all come to life. After the break, Eiichiro Oda will likely be full of energy to deliver a couple more chapters before going on hiatus. Barring a hiatus from Jump, fans should expect more One Piece chapters from the author, which means exciting developments are sure to pop up next.
All the new chapters of One Piece by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
