One Piece Just Debuted 19 New Contenders For Strongest Anime Sword

Published Aug 1, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT Since graduating from The Los Angeles Film School, Jason has worked as an editor for the local news, as well as a producer of several short films and podcasts. His extensive knowledge of film production and narrative storytelling has enabled him to travel the world, writing about the projects he is passionate about in the realms of film, anime, and gaming. "Every Day Is A Level Up" WARNING: SPOILERS FOR ONE PIECE MANGA CHAPTER #1189Things continue to turn more dire for Luffy and the Straw Hats pirates as One Piece draws closer to concluding its Elbaph arc. They and their giant allies are being assaulted by powerful and seemingly immortal warriors wielding legendary swords and blades that are true contenders for the anime medium's most powerful weapons. While Luffy's crew has made a habit of finding ways out of tough situations, it’s beginning to look more likely that the Straw Hats will not be coming out on top of the current scenario for the first time in decades. There have been several battles and events that have transpired in One Piece's story which have put its protagonists in harm's way to the degree that it seemed unlikely that they'd survive. Still, despite enduring injuries like impalement, tanking explosions, and being burned by fire hot enough to melt rock, the Straw Hats' toughest fighters continue to live to fight another day. But writer Eiichiro Oda is doing a great job of introducing foes and weapons powerful enough to not only challenge Luffy and his crew, but establishing the stakes of One Piece's upcoming final arc. With Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji currently fighting some of the highest-ranking members of One Piece's corrupt World Government, it truly feels like the story is getting closer to its ending than ever. That is especially true with the lore-heavy chapter #1189, which introduced god-like weapons that are even stopping the monster trio in their tracks. The Nineteen Blades That Won The World Since the secret King of the World, Saint Nerona Imu, descended onto Elbaph, he's used his mysterious Omen powers to great effect. With next to little effort, he's swatted away Zoro, Sanji, and even defeated one of One Piece's strongest new characters, Elbaph's Prince Loki. Now that he seems more determined to end the lives of his foes, he's summoned arguably the strongest weapons the series has seen so far. Chapter #1189 officially debuted what Imu calls "The Weapons That Created The World", each named after blades steeped in centuries of our world's most fascinating legends. Imu rescued the previously restrained Holy Knights and granted them mighty weapons that are proving to be a lot more than meets the eye. While Luffy was fighting for his life against Imu, Zoro was also struggling against Holy Knight Sommers, both enemies falling into the common trope of monologuing, but this boisterous mocking came packed with fascinating lore that sheds light on the World Government's founding and the beginning of the mysterious Void Century. The 19 kingdoms that banded together to wipe out Joyboy and the advanced kingdom shrouded in mystery wielded these same weapons. Elbaph has showcased a handful of these weapons, which are currently being wielded by Imu and the Holy Knights. Each seems to have abilities similar to those of another of the big three anime, Bleach's impressive Soul Reaper swords capable of transforming and granting their users over-the-top abilities. Holy Knight Sommers and Killingham were granted the weapons passed down from their seemingly royal families, with Sommer's Shepard family sword called "Gram" and Killingham's Rimoshifu family spear "Longinus". And chapter #1189 proved that these blades are strong enough to deflect Zoro's strongest attacks and even stop Luffy's ridiculous Gear 5 transformation. Why One Piece's New Weapon Types Are So Terrifying Not a lot is currently known about the elusive figure known as Joyboy, who was seemingly the One Piece world's first true pirate from over 800 years ago. Hints provided over the course of the story have teased information about his journey that took him around the world, where he met powerful friends like the giant Elephant Zunesha and the robot Emit who laid dormant on Egghead Island for centuries. Characters who both saw qualities of their old friend reflected in Luffy. Those allies were already powerful in the ancient ages, but it’s fair to assume that they were once far more formidable. Especially if we compare the level of strength Joyboy's Haki knot unleashed when Emit used it against the demonic Five Elders during Egghead's conclusion. If they were once part of Joyboy’s crew, it’s likely they once wielded comparable strength. Still, even that considerable level of power fell to "The Weapons That Created The World". It's very likely that author Eiichiro Oda will eventually shed more light on the rise and fall of Joyboy and his allies before One Piece comes to an end. He shared a strong connection with Saint Nerona Imu that begs to be explored, but after chapter #1189, I'm more than curious to discover more about the weapons that the World Government's original 19 founders used to take over the world. And whether Luffy and his crew will be able to overcome them without another training arc before One Piece's final arc. Video Game(s) One Piece: Unlimited World Red, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, One Piece: World Seeker, One Piece Odyssey First Film One Piece: The Movie First TV Show One Piece Cast Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Ikue Ôtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi Created by Eiichiro Oda Character(s) Monkey D. Luffy, Roronora Zoro, Nami (One Piece), Nico Robin, Usopp (One Piece), Vinsmoke Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, Franky (One Piece), Jimbei (One Piece)