One Piece Finally Reveals Imu’s Biggest Weakness — & It’s Great News For Luffy

Since the beginning of the Egghead Arc, One Piece has been on a rapid sprint through its final saga. Though the end of the long-running shonen manga is still several years away, it’s clear that Eiichiro Oda is finally ready to tackle the Grand Line’s biggest mysteries, the most recent of which to be explored is the God Valley Incident and the downfall of Rocks D. Xebec.

One Piece Chapter 1165 — titled “Reverberations” — continues the heated clash between Rocks, Gol D. Roger, and Monkey D. Garp, pulling back the curtain on one of the most mythical battles in the series’ history. In the process of this battle, the legendary duo of Roger and Garp discover what could prove to be the key to defeating the World Government in One Piece‘s final saga.

Garp and Roger Use Immense Conqueror’s Haki to Defeat Rocks D. Xebec’s Domi Reversi Transformation

During his prime, Rocks D. Xebec was one of the strongest pirates in One Piece — a claim backed up by his clashes with the likes of legendary figures such as King Harald and Figarland Garling. However, following his Domi Reversi transformation at the hands of Imu, Rocks went from an infamous pirate to a legitimate threat to the entire Grand Line, as evidenced by his ability to go toe-to-toe with Edward Newgate, Kaido, Big Mom, Monkey D. Garp, and Gol D. Roger in quick succession.

With Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom out of the picture, the responsibility of preventing Rocks D. Xebec from being used as a powerful pawn by Imu fell upon Garp and Roger’s shoulders in One Piece Chapter 1165. Although this battle was first mentioned in the first half of the Wano Arc, it still feels surreal to see Garp and Roger squaring off against Rocks in all its glory. Unfortunately, the duo runs into the same issue that every character who has traded blows with Imu’s direct subordinates has experienced: they can’t cause any lasting damage to Rocks.

Rather than giving up in the face of Rocks’ resilient Domi Reversi state, Roger suggests that he and Garp use as much Conqueror’s Haki as they can muster in hopes of overcoming the strange transformation. Together, the duo unleashes a combined flurry of Conqueror’s Haki-infused attacks, ending Chapter 1165 with one of the most impressive offensive displays in all of One Piece.

It remains to be seen if Roger and Garp’s combined attack will actually put Rocks D. Xebec down for the count, but for the time being, it seems as though the pair’s impressive display may have dealt real damage to their opponent. If this is the case, it should not only set up the end of the God Valley Incident but also introduce a vital tool for One Piece‘s protagonists as they head into their most important battle to date.

Rocks’ Defeat Holds the Key to Overcoming Imu & the Celestial Dragons

Image via CBR

While the God Valley Incident was likely the most important conflict of Gol D. Roger’s era, the conflict currently unfolding in One Piece‘s Elbaph Arc is just as significant to the modern era of pirates. With Imu showing their form to the Straw Hat Pirates for the very first time in the Land of Giants, Monkey D. Luffy and his crew now find themselves facing the same predicament that Roger and Garp did during their battle with Rocks.

Imu currently has a small army of Domi Reversi-enhanced soldiers attacking Elbaph, as well as several Holy Knights, and they all boast the same sort of invulnerability as Imu and the Five Elders. Clearly, the Straw Hat Pirates’ biggest problem moving forward is figuring out how to negate Imu’s invulnerability; luckily for them, it seems like Garp and Roger just laid out the blueprint for overcoming this OP ability.

The Straw Hat Pirates boast several impressive Haki users, and in particular, Luffy and Zoro both wield immense amounts of Conqueror’s Haki. Based on Roger and Garp’s apparent victory at the end of One Piece Chapter 1165, the Straw Hat Pirates have the innate potential to overcome what has been Imu’s most useful ability up to this point in the series, even if they end up needing power-ups to escape Elbaph with their lives.

Looking ahead, Luffy’s quest to become the next King of the Pirates looks more dangerous than ever before. The literal army assaulting Elbaph is far from Luffy’s only concern at this point in One Piece, and if things continue at the rate they’re going, there’s no telling just how many powers Imu will unveil by the end of the series. Thankfully, things aren’t hopeless, and even as the literal King of the World knocks on Elbaph’s door, One Piece‘s protagonists prepare themselves to do what they’ve always done best: overcome the obstacle that stands in between them and freedom.