One Piece chapter 1149: Brook's history with Gunko teased as Imu gets involved on Elbaph

Given Scopper Gaban’s exciting attacks against Saint Shepherd Sommers in the previous issue, One Piece chapter 1149 was expected to focus on their continued fight. Officially released earlier this weekend, the installment did prioritize their fight, but also saw it end much quicker than fans expected it to.

One Piece chapter 1149 instead filled the rest of its pages by seeing Gaban make his moves against other Holy Knights, specifically Gunko, in an attempt to rescue his son, Colon. However, this didn’t quite go as planned, and fans were ultimately left with a shocking revelation about Gunko, as well as Imu’s intervention in Elbaph.

One Piece chapter 1149 sees Gaban defeated by Gunko thanks to her holding Colon hostage

One Piece chapter 1149: Secrets of the strong

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One Piece chapter 1149, titled “One Second,” began with the captive Straw Hats expressing shock at Scopper Gaban’s sudden arrival. Those besides Nami asked who he was and why his attack worked as Saint Shepherd Sommers of the Holy Knights cried out in pain. Gaban instead said he was rusty before turning around to attack Sommers again. However, the Holy Knight used a move called Briar Barrier to erect a wall of thorny vines that blocked the attack.

Sommers asked Gaban why he was in Elbaph, to which he said there was nothing wrong with having a serious chat. Nami then explained that she met Gaban at Aurust Castle, and that he had overwhelmed both Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro in battle. She also explained that he was Colon’s father, with the others beginning to recognize the name Gaban and its status. Tony Tony Chopper was then seen watching from his hiding spot and asking why Gaban’s attacks worked.

One Piece chapter 1149 saw Robin try to help Gaban with her Devil Fruit powers, but Jinbe cautioned her against this due to how bad a matchup it was. Sommers then used his Devil Fruit powers to launch an attack at Gaban, which he easily dealt with while saying he was in a rush. He likewise attacked Sommers directly after creating an opening, splitting his body in two and leaving him incapacitated before rushing to Colon.

Chopper is determined to learn the secrets of Gaban's strength in One Piece chapter 1149 (Image via Toei Animation)

As the captive Straw Hats expressed shock at this, Chopper turned into his reindeer form and began chasing after Gaban in order to learn the secret of his attacks. Focus then shifted to the Walrus School, where Saint Rimoshifu Killingham of the Holy Knights was celebrating it being aflame. It seemed that Ange was the one who set fire to the school personally, as Killingham said he understood she did all she could and that he’d deal with the rest.

Likewise, One Piece chapter 1149 saw him shoot a flaming arrow at the library, which immediately caught fire. Robin realized this and expressed concern as focus shifted back to Elder Jarul and the Giants in the Western Village. He was seen sobbing over their history and the words of their ancestors being burnt as the others tried comforting him. Killingham then told Gunko that the buildings were ablaze, with her in turn telling Ronja to return.

The young girl was clearly upset by this news, apologizing for being alive and saying it was her fault. Her words were being broadcast all over Elbaph, with her fellow captive children and the adult Giants all saying it wasn’t her fault. Gaban then arrived at Gunko’s location, saying they had no right to take Elbaph’s children, culture, history, and military might away. She responded that resistance meant that the hostages would be killed.

One Piece chapter 1149: Defeat and failure

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One Piece chapter 1149 saw the children realize Gaban was present, alerting Colon to this, given their relationship. Gaban hoped his son wouldn’t reveal this to Gunko, but he, of course, did, calling his dad stronger than any other and saying he’d save them all. She obviously heard this and dodged Gaban’s attack to take Colon hostage. She held a sword made from her Arrow-Arrow Fruit powers to his neck, clearly intent on killing Colon if Gaban made a move.

However, he realized the opportunity he had to fully save Elbaph here, asking his son to hang on for one second and calling him a strong child. Colon called himself a warrior and begged his dad to defeat Gunko, who said that a life taken couldn’t be returned. As Gaban rushed in, he had a flashback to when Colon was born, which he called the treasure of a lifetime. It’s also worth noting that he had the scars on his face by this point.

Ripley was then seen calling out to Colon in the present, begging him to be okay. Gunko pressed the sword to Colon’s neck and drew blood, with Gaban preparing to attack and recognizing everything hinged on his next attack. However, One Piece chapter 1149 saw him use Future Sight Observation Haki, which revealed he wouldn’t make it in time to save Colon. He surrendered likewise, apologizing to Elbaph as Gunko called him a weak being.

One Piece chapter 1149 all but confirms Brook knew Gunko during his original life (Image via Toei Animation)

She then fired off three arrows into his chest, causing him to fall off the tree branch. As he fell, he apologized to Colon, saying that the injury he received must’ve hurt really badly. While Colon cried out for his father, Chopper jumped off the branch after Gaban, clearly intent on saving him. As Colon continued crying, a memory was stirred within Gunko. First, an adult woman with hair similar to hers was seen crying out for her father.

One Piece chapter 1149 saw her question what this memory was, as another one appeared. This one seemingly featured a still-alive Brook with a young girl. This was evidenced by both the silhouetted character’s height and design, and dialogue featuring Brook’s distinct laugh. He told the girl his dream was to be a pirate as Gunko seemingly began breaking down at this revelation. Brook was then seen looking at Gunko and saying she looked like someone.

As the other Straw Hats tried escaping, Brook seemingly apologized to Gunko as she rushed at him and asked if it was him in her memories. Suddenly, something happened to her, with Imu speaking to the Holy Knights and asking why they were taking so long. They also revealed that Mariejois was burning, and they needed all the might they had. The issue ended with Imu taking over Gunko’s body, which saw her eyes change to Imu’s and her hair grow significantly longer.

Final thoughts

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With Imu’s indirect arrival on Elbaph in One Piece chapter 1149, fans can expect the next issue to focus mainly on what their next moves are. Given that Gunko had black lightning bolts shooting out of her body, this will likely involve the use of Conqueror’s Haki. This should prompt a shift to the Underworld, where Luffy and the others will sense this. Likewise, Chopper and Gaban will also likely reunite with them, starting the Straw Hats’ counterattack in turn.