One Piece Is Setting Up The Death Of A Major Hero
Warning: Contains spoilers for One Piece chapter #1189.As much as One Piece might have an infamous reputation for never killing people outside of flashbacks, that’s not as true as people might think. The iconic deaths of Ace and Whitebeard are one thing, but well past that, One Piece has gotten plenty of mileage out of killing characters like Monet, Pedro, Yasuie, Vegapunk, and possibly even Kaido and Big Mom, and while moments like that are rare, they always hit incredibly hard.
Death is far more inevitable in One Piece than people think, and another big death might be on the horizon. As the Elbaph arc has increased in intensity, it has seemed more likely than ever that the Straw Hats and their allies won’t be able to escape the battle with Imu unscathed; if One Piece chapter #1189 is to be believed, then it’s all but certain that things will escalate to the death of a major hero, and that’s something that would change the series for years to come.
A Major One Piece Hero Is About To Die In The Fight With Imu
In One Piece chapter #1189, following Imu’s lethal blow to Luffy, he kept attacking him to make sure he would die and not get a second wind, but before Imu could deal the final blow, Gaban showed up to defend Luffy and join the fight. That’s certainly a big moment, but considering how virtually untouchable Imu is, combined with Gaban still being injured from his encounter with Gunko, it seems incredibly likely that he’s going to die protecting Luffy.
What makes it worse is that the idea of Gaban dying predates this latest incident by a lot. Not only is it common for old mentor figures like Gaban to die in stories, but Gaban previously said that he would speak with Luffy again if Elbaph were in one piece after his adventure, so that could be setting up the irony of Elbaph staying safe, but Gaban not being able to say anything because he died. It would all come together for an incredibly dramatic turn, and now, it would be stranger if One Piece didn’t go in that direction.
Why One Piece Needs To Kill Gaban To Make The Story Work
Gaban’s death in One Piece is all but a certainty at this point, and it’s something that needs to happen. With One Piece in its final saga, the story needs to do something to up the stakes to tell both the Straw Hats and the readers that not everything will go the way they think, that the good guys are capable of suffering personal losses in their fight against Imu and the World Government. Killing off Gaban would be a good way to sell that point, so it would make sense for the story to follow through on it.
Grand Line · Pirate Adventure Edition
The One Piece
Anime Quiz
⚓CrewNakama
⚡PowersDevil Fruit
🌊ArcsAdventure
☠VillainsEnemies
🌎WorldBlue Sea
01
Monkey D. Luffy is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and dreams of becoming King of the Pirates. He gained his signature stretching abilities by eating a Devil Fruit as a child. What was this fruit originally believed to be called?
✓ Correct! The Gomu Gomu no Mi (Gum-Gum Fruit) was what Luffy’s Devil Fruit was believed to be — a Paramecia-type fruit that turned his body into rubber. Luffy accidentally ate it from the treasure chest of the Red Hair Pirates when he was a child in Foosha Village.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Gomu Gomu no Mi. The Mera Mera no Mi is the Flame-Flame Fruit eaten by Ace, the Bara Bara no Mi is Buggy’s Chop-Chop Fruit, and the Hana Hana no Mi is Robin’s Flower-Flower Fruit.
02
The One Piece world is divided by a massive geological formation that runs around the entire globe, separating the oceans. What is this continent-like structure called?
✓ Correct! The Red Line is a massive continent that circles the globe vertically, dividing the world’s oceans into four seas: North Blue, South Blue, East Blue, and West Blue. It intersects with the Grand Line at two points, including the holy land of Mary Geoise.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Red Line. The Grand Line is the ocean route where pirates compete, the Calm Belt is a windless sea surrounding it full of Sea Kings, and Reverse Mountain is the entry point to the Grand Line. The Red Line is the massive continent dividing the world.
03
In the One Piece world, there is a spiritual power that allows users to sense others’ presence, predict attacks, and even exert their willpower over others. What is this power called?
✓ Correct! Haki is a mysterious power that exists in every living being in the One Piece world. It comes in three types: Observation Haki (sensing), Armament Haki (invisible armor), and the rare Conqueror’s Haki (dominating willpower), which only one in a million people possess.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is Haki. Chakra is the energy system from Naruto, Nen is from Hunter x Hunter, and Ki is from Dragon Ball. Haki is One Piece’s unique power system with three distinct forms: Observation, Armament, and Conqueror’s.
04
The Seven Warlords of the Sea (Shichibukai) were powerful pirates who worked for the World Government in exchange for pardons. Which of these characters was NOT one of the original Seven Warlords?
✓ Correct! Kaido was never a Warlord — he was one of the Four Emperors (Yonko), the most powerful pirates ruling the New World. Known as “the Strongest Creature in the World,” Kaido ruled over Wano Country with the Beast Pirates. Mihawk, Crocodile, and Doflamingo were all Warlords.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is Kaido. Mihawk (the world’s greatest swordsman), Crocodile (the desert king of Alabasta), and Doflamingo (the Heavenly Demon) were all Warlords. Kaido was a Yonko — an Emperor of the Sea — a rank above the Warlords entirely.
05
The Marineford War arc is considered one of the most emotional and pivotal arcs in One Piece. Luffy desperately fought to save someone important to him from execution. Who was Luffy trying to save?
✓ Correct! Portgas D. Ace, Luffy’s sworn older brother, was captured by the Marines and sentenced to public execution at Marineford. Luffy broke into Impel Down prison and then stormed Marineford itself in a desperate attempt to save Ace, leading to one of the most heartbreaking moments in anime history.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is Portgas D. Ace. Nico Robin was rescued during the Enies Lobby arc, Zoro is rarely in that kind of danger, and Sabo was believed dead at the time. Ace’s execution at Marineford triggered an all-out war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines.
06
Roronoa Zoro is the first member to join Luffy’s crew and serves as the Straw Hats’ swordsman. He has a unique fighting style. How many swords does Zoro wield in his signature technique?
✓ Correct! Zoro is famous for his Santoryu (Three Sword Style), wielding one sword in each hand and a third in his mouth. This unique fighting style makes him one of the most distinctive swordsmen in all of anime. His dream is to become the world’s greatest swordsman by defeating Dracule Mihawk.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is three. Zoro’s signature Santoryu (Three Sword Style) involves wielding one sword in each hand and gripping the third in his mouth. While he can fight with one or two swords, his three-sword technique is his most iconic and powerful combat form.
07
The World Government in One Piece is controlled by a mysterious group of individuals who sit at the very top of its power structure, above even the Admirals and the Fleet Admiral. What are they called?
✓ Correct! The Five Elders (Gorosei) are the highest-ranking leaders of the World Government, residing in the holy land of Mary Geoise. They command all military and political power, including the authority to order a Buster Call. Their true nature and abilities have only recently been revealed in the series.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Five Elders (Gorosei). The Celestial Dragons are descendants of the founding kings but don’t rule directly, the Revolutionary Army opposes the government, and the Yonko are pirate emperors outside government control. The Gorosei sit at the absolute top.
08
It was revealed that Luffy’s Devil Fruit is not actually the Gomu Gomu no Mi, but a mythical Zoan-type fruit with a much more significant true name. What is the fruit’s real identity?
✓ Correct! The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Sun God Nika is a Mythical Zoan-type fruit that the World Government had been hunting for 800 years. When Luffy awakened it during the Wano arc, he unlocked Gear 5 — gaining the power of “the most ridiculous ability in the world” with limitless imagination-based combat.
✗ That answer missed like a Gum-Gum Pistol in a storm! The answer is the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Sun God Nika. The Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix belongs to Marco, the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu was Kaido’s dragon fruit, and the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami was Yamato’s fruit. Luffy’s true fruit is the legendary Sun God Nika.
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Are you King of the Pirates — or still swabbing the deck?
Gaban dying would especially be important for Luffy’s development. Luffy’s massive loss to Imu has made it clear that he’s not strong enough to deal with the biggest threats in the world, and if Luffy’s weakness even leads to a new friend having to die to protect him, then the only takeaway from that is that Luffy needs to become even stronger. Gaban inspiring Luffy to fully master Gear 5 and his Haki would be a perfect way of utilizing his death, and that would do a lot to balance out the inevitable tragedy of it all.
It wouldn’t be impossible for Gaban to survive the fight with Imu, but with how much narrative sense it would make for him to die, it would be weirder if One Piece didn’t go in that direction. That being said, if Gaban does die, then it would do a lot to push the story to greater heights as the Elbaph arc reaches its climax, so hopefully, it won’t be long before One Piece makes it clear what it plans on doing with Gaban.