Officially introduced in One Piece chapter 1044 on March 28, 2022, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17, the sun god Nika is one of the most prominent figures in the lore created by Eiichiro Oda, the story's creator. Nika, also known as the warrior of liberation, fights with immense freedom and brings smiles and laughter to the oppressed of the world. Nika is one of the most dangerous warriors in the history of the One Piece world, and his powers are currently wielded by none other than Monkey D. Luffy through Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, a powerful Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.
As the Sun God, Luffy commands immense strength, and combined with his amazing Haki, he stands tall as one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, an individual that even the World Government fears. But the climax of the Elbaf arc has confirmed to us that, despite being the sun god, Monkey D. Luffy is not the strongest god in One Piece. Nerona Imu, god of devils One Piece the world, is even stronger, and this was repeated again in One Piece chapter 1187 on July 5, 2026.
One Piece Chapter 1187 officially confirms that Nerona Imu is a stronger god than Nika
The Sun God Nika is an extremely powerful deity, and a display of his strength was given by Eiichiro Oda immediately after the awakening of Hito Hito no Mi, model: Nika in One Piece Chapter 1044 When Luffy took on Kaido in battle, Sun God Nika's abilities were clear to see. He was able to overwhelm Yonko Kaido and eventually use his strongest ability, called the Bajrang Gun, to officially defeat him and potentially even kill him.
“Possessing a body with the powers of rubber and fighting in any way he wants, bringing smiles to people, the warrior of liberation…also known as the sun god, Nika!” — The Elders Explain Nika's Power, One Piece Chapter #1044
Later, Monkey D. Luffy fought Admiral Kizaru, and without even going all out, he was able to hold his own quite easily and paralyze him with a rather mediocre move known as the White Star Gun in One Piece Chapter 1094, October 9, 2023. In the battle against Saint Saturn and the other Elders, Luffy was largely not dominant against them, but was largely not dominant against them ineffectively. In Elbaf, however, Luffy's flaws are clear for all to see. Although he is strong, he cannot maintain Gear 5 for long, and even when he can, he has no chance against the strongest God, Nerona Imu.
“Great Imu's body is not meant to sustain the outside. But even getting past that, the strength we need and the strength we should destroy are both here.” — Sommers explains Nerona Imus' nerf, One Piece Chapter #1182
IN One Piece Officially released on July 5, 2026, Chapter 1187 pitted Monkey D. Luffy against Nerona Imu in battle. If there's one thing this battle made clear, it was that Imu is leagues above Luffy in terms of godlike power. There are two important things to keep in mind when scaling Luffy's power to Nerona Imus:
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When Imu arrived at Elbaf in One Piece Chapter 1179 on April 5, 2026, it was clear that he was considerably nervous. This was reiterated again by Saint Sommers in One Piece Chapter 1182 on May 10, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 24, where he stated that Imu's body is not designed to sustain the outside world, confirming that he was in a weakened state.
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Nerona Imu fought against Loki, a powerful God in his own right, who wields the ability of Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Nidhoggr. Imu even took a couple of punches from Loki and finally triumphed with her Stigma technique, completely knocking out Elbaf's War God.
“It was a good hit, I'll admit, but it was only possible because of all the damage I inflicted on him before you arrived.” — Loki confirms that he weakened Imu before Luffy
Luffy, on the other hand, enters the battle completely fresh and has eaten as much as he can. IN One Piece Chapter 1186, Luffy officially stated that in his current state he couldn't imagine losing to anyone. But if there's one thing we should be wary of, it's the big ominous flag that Oda has placed on the protagonist of the series, who is likely to lose his first fight against Nerona Imu.
“That bad news is Elbaf's enemy, right? Then that means he's my enemy too. I'm overflowing with strength. Right now I can't see anyone beating me.” — Monkey D. Luffy's Ominous Message, One Piece Chapter #1186
Nerona Imu outperformed War God and Sun God despite heavy Nerfs in Elbaf Climax
So far, Imu has not brought out his full strength in Elbaf, and as discussed earlier, this is due to quite a few nerves that Oda has placed on him. Not being able to use his body properly outside of the flower room in Marijoa and being shut down by Loki confirms to us that Nerona Imu is officially a much stronger God than Sun God Nika, or in other words, Luffy. But despite these heavy nerfs, Imu will likely win her fight against Luffy here. Given that Imu is the final villain in One Piece, the chance of him being permanently defeated in Elbaf is close to zero. As such, we should all go into the upcoming battle of One Piece Chapter 1188 on July 12, 2026, with the expectation that Nerona Imu will overwhelm Luffy in the Battle of the Gods, and that the King of the World will come through.
Imu: So you've finally shown yourself, Joy Boy!
Luffy: Don't call me what you want. I am Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the King of Pirates.
— Beginning of Luffy Vs Imu, One Piece Chapter #1187
Still, at the end of the arc, Imu has to be pushed out of Elbaf one way or another. Eiichiro Oda has cleverly woven a time limit for Imu for this very purpose. By setting a time limit on how long Imu can stay in the underworld, Oda will be forced to make Imu retreat when his time is up and drive him back to the sacred land of Marijoa, defending Elbaf and protecting Imu for the future war at the same time.
Why Full Powered Imu is an unstoppable force in one piece
Right now, Nerona Imu is very nervous One Piecebut that will not remain the case for long. When the final war begins, Eiichiro Oda doesn't want his main villain to stay in a nerfed state. As such, Nerona Imu will have all of her limiters removed one way or another. The best way this can be achieved is potentially through the use of the Mother Flame, which was introduced in One Piece 1060, which was officially released on September 20, 2022, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #42.
In Harley, which was officially revealed in One Piece Chapter 1138 on February 3, 2025, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #10, Elbaf's mural showed the devil god Nerona Imu holding the giant sun. The implication is that this sun can greatly strengthen Imu and help him ignore any nerfs that have been placed on him long ago, likely during the Void Century. At full power, Nerona Imu will be virtually unbeatable in battle, and only then can we see the full extent of his abilities. For now, we'll have to settle for seeing Imu in his weakened state, yet surprisingly dominating every battle he enters.
All chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
