One Piece teases a new upgrade to Luffy's Gear 5 in Elbaph

One Piece's The final saga continues apace, with Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #24 marking the release of chapter 1182 on May 10, 2026. The incredible battle between Nerona Imu and Loki continues while adding another deity called Rain God Zaza. More than that, though One Piece 1182 set up a new upgrade to Monkey D. Luffy's Gear 5 by confirming the existence of power rings, wielded by godly entities from One Piece world.

These power rings were first introduced with the arrival of Nerona Imu to Elbaph, and Oda reconfirmed their existence with the revelation of the Rain God Zaza. Now the Elbaph arc has set up Luffy's very own ring awakening in the Elbaph arc as he gets ready to face Nerona Imu.

One Piece Chapter 1182 sets up Luffy's Sun Ring which resembles Imu's Omen and Rain God Zaza's Water Ring

Image taken from the official release of One Piece chapter 1182 via Viz Media.

One Piece Chapter 1182 massively expanded the overall lore of God's abilities and also set up a major power-up for Monkey D. Luffy's Gear 5 in the process. When Nerona Imu arrived in Elbaph in Chapter 1179, he immediately transformed into his Devil form. This transformation gave him two giant wings, brown skin, giant horns, a naginata, and most of all, the power to manipulate the Omen. One of the most striking parts of Nerona Imu's character design was the black ring floating behind his back. In chapter 1181, Nerona confirmed to Imu that this black ring is the power of the omen, which he also calls his “military power”.

“The Omen is my military power. A power that resides within everyone.” — Nerona Imu, One Piece Chapter 1181

Imu can freely manipulate this black ring in a multitude of ways, using it to block attacks, throw her own attacks, and even freely manipulate its energy to either upgrade her strength or degrade her enemy's. This ring of black flames is incredibly powerful and one of Imu's strongest weapons currently. In the latest manga chapter, Imu used the power of the ring to cast an attack called Gazing Eclipse, which not only blocked Loki's Ragna Quint-Arrow, but also launched attacks of her own.

Similarly, in One Piece Chapter 1182, officially released on May 10, 2026, Eiichiro Oda revealed the rain god Zaza. Just like Imu, the rain god also had a ring of his own. In its case, it has a ring of water that the Rain God can freely manipulate. Using this ring of water, the Rain God can flood entire villages, as was the case with the western village of Elbaph, causing great chaos and destruction.

Appearing to the rhythm of the prayers for rain…The rain god Zaza! — Saint Killingham, One Piece Chapter 1182

Since both the Rain God and the Devil God in the One Piece world have a Devil Fruit ring to manipulate, the possibility arises for the Sun God, that is, Monkey D. Luffy, to awaken a ring of his own. As it stands, Monkey D. Luffy is the only God without a ring behind his back. This means that there is a high possibility for him to get this ring in the Elbaph arc to upgrade his Gear 5 when his fight against Nerona Imu starts.

Why Luffy's Upgraded Gear 5 will be his final power up

Image via Toei Animation.

It is interesting to note that Monkey D. Luffy, despite being the sun god Nika, bears no resemblance to the sun at all. His hair is completely white, as are his clothes, and he doesn't even use the power of the sun or flames in his attack. But somehow all the people of the world refer to Nika as the sun god. This whole debacle leads one to believe that there are abilities that Luffy has yet to fully utilize when it comes to his Gear 5. Even though Gear 5 is a Devil Fruit Awakening, he can carry this transformation forward.

The best way to upgrade Gear 5 would be to awaken a ring similar to that of Nerona Imu and Rain God Zaza. If Luffy gets his own ring behind his back, it will likely be a ring of fire or solar energy. Using this energy, Luffy is then able to counter Imu's Maki, as well as the rain god Zaza's water.

That would make him one of the strongest characters in the whole One Piece and serve as his ultimate evolution, which he would then use in his fight against the likes of Imu in the coming Great War. It is also possible that the awakening of this ring is what Luffy will call Gear 6, although it can also act as a power-up within Gear 5 as a subform, similar to how Snake Man works for Luffy's Gear 4.

Luffy's total power level after his next gear 5 upgrade in Elbaph

Image via Toei Animation.

One way or another, Luffy's Gear 5 will be upgraded in the Final Saga, and when taken to the next level, his overall powers will grow significantly. Eiichiro Oda, the author of the story, already mapped out the final power level of Monkey D. Luffy by introducing Joy Boy's Haki in chapter 1122 of the story in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 36-37.

I have tried a knot of the best Haki and locked it in your body!!! You will live on long after I am dead! There will come a day when I can't help you anymore. — Joy Boy, One Piece Chapter 1122

Conqueror's Haki is a direct indicator of a person's strength. As confirmed by Silver's Rayleigh in Chapter 596 of the series, Conqueror's Haki cannot be trained directly. The only way for it to grow is for the user to grow stronger. The fact that Joy Boy had Conqueror's Haki so strong that even Imu felt pain and the five elders all had their powers nullified meant that his overall power level was significantly higher than Luffy's. That is the level that Monkey D. Luffy must not only reach but surpass if he intends to crush the World Government and free the world from its clutches. Luffy's new Sun Ring, which could very well awaken in the Elbaph arc, will certainly play a significant role in that regard while also making his overall Conqueror's Haki stronger.

At the moment, Monkey D. Luffy is preparing to enter the battle against Nerona Imu in the climax of the Elbaph arc, which was confirmed at the end of chapter 1181. Once Luffy joins the fight against Imu, his overall powers will grow significantly, as he will be forced to evolve in the face of his rival's strength at the moment which cannot even cope with his overwhelming strength 5. If Luffy were to awaken a sun ring behind his back, just like Imu's ring of black flames and Zaza's ring of water, his firepower would be taken to a whole new level. This is something fans are eagerly waiting to see in the story. Hopefully the upcoming chapters of the Elbaph arc will give rise to this.

All One Piece manga chapters are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.