One Piece Chapter 1188 was officially released on July 12, 2026 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33 and featured the long-awaited battle between Nerona Imu and Monkey D. Luffy. This clash was absolutely massive and, if anything, showed the inferiority of the Emperor and current Sun God Nika to the King of the World, Nerona Imu.
While most of us expected this battle to last over a couple of chapters, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the series, shocked us all by ending it in just one. The end of this battle came when Nerona Imu, the main antagonist of the entire series, unleashed what could potentially be the strongest blade in the entire world, derived directly from the powers of the Akuma no Mi, called Blade of Nothingness: Whoah. This sword is incredibly overpowered and strong enough to kill even a Yonko in a single attack without any named attack.
One Piece Chapter 1188 officially introduces the Sword of Nothingness: Vohu
One Piece Chapter 1188 featured the battle between Nerona Imu and Monkey D. Luffy, and right from the start it was incredibly clear to us that Imu was the dominant one in the battle. In fact, Luffy couldn't even land a single hit against Imu despite being in his strongest state. What makes this even more shocking is that in One Piece Chapter 1186, released on June 28, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #31, Luffy officially stated that he was overflowing with energy and could not imagine losing to anyone in his current state. This message was incredibly ominous, and One Piece Chapter 1188 showed us exactly why. In this chapter, Nerona Imu shocked us all by declaring Luffy far too weak to truly be Joy Boy and ending the battle in one fell swoop.
“Of course I know you're not Joy Boy! Joy Boy wasn't that weak!!” — Nerona Imu declares Luffy too weak, One Piece Chapter #1188
While Imu fought most of the battle with her polearm, at the end of the One Piece chapter 1188, Imu used the power of the Omen and then created the Blade of Nothingness: Wohu, which is a glaive. This blade proved to be incredibly powerful, as it cleared the surrounding forest in an instant and then allowed Nerona Imu to impale the Yonko, Monkey D. Luffy, completely, leaving him in a near-death state almost instantly. With his powers, even Luffy, who is the current sun god of the world, has been killed, and it comes as a big surprise to all of us.
Why Even Yonko Can't Resist the Sword of Nothing : Vohu
Yonko are the four most powerful pirates in the world One Piecewhich was confirmed by Garp himself in One Piece Chapter 432, officially released on October 30, 2006. These are the Emperors who rule the New World as kings and are so strong that even the World Government and Navy dare not mess with them directly due to the fear of an all-out war that could harm them as well. For Nerona Imu to stand up to such a Yonko and completely take them out without even a single named strike of the Sword of Nothingness: Vohu, showcases the immense power of this blade.
Imu: Blade of Nothingness: Whoo!
Luffy: What? The forest withered away!
Imu: The view is much clearer now.
Luffy: Same from here!
— Exchange showing the power of the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu, One Piece Chapter #1188
The reason why the Sword of Nothing: Vohu, is so powerful is because of its ability to drain life or vitality. When Imu created the Sword of Nothing at the end of One Piece Chapter 1188, it was clear to see that Vohu could absorb life and vitality from the surroundings instantly. The branches of the Adam's tree withered away completely and finally shriveled and disappeared. Apparently, Imus' blade gave off the power of death or completely absorbed life energy upon its conception.
Similarly, when Nerona Imu hit Monkey D. Luffy's Gear 5 with this incredibly powerful blade, the life began to drain from his body almost immediately, and Luffy went white-eyed, completely disappointed. Thus, the reason why even a Yonko cannot resist this sword is related to its power to completely absorb life and leave nothing behind, which is brilliantly reflected in the name, The Sword of Nothingness. The name itself refers to a period of time where, before God created the world, absolutely nothing existed, meaning that the Blade of Imu has the power to restore everything to nothing or total emptiness.
Why Vohu doesn't fall under the category of regular blades in One Piece World
Nerona Imu's Sword of Nothingness: Vohu, while incredibly powerful, doesn't particularly fall under any sword class. In the world of One Piece, swords fall under three classes: Skillful Grade Blade, Great Grade Blade, and Supreme Grade Blade. Vohu or other blades from Nerona Imu do not fall under any category as they are not technically “real” blades. They are created using the power of the Omen, which Imu can use to forge various weapons almost instantly. In fact, Imu doesn't just have a legendary blade. There are several swords that the King of the World has at his disposal:
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The sword that Nerona Imu first showed off was Blade of Judgment: Nemesis in One Piece chapter 1181 on April 27, 2026.
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Nerona Imu then unleashed Blade of Wrath: Gram in One Piece chapter 1183 on May 24, 2026.
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In Chapter 1187, July 5, 2026, Nerona Imu released the Blade of Hate: Stigma.
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In Chapter 1188, Imu finally released the fourth blade, the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu.
“Among the countless weapons (swords, spears, etc.) these are those forged by the famous masters of the art. The 12 highest grades, the 21 great grades, and the 50 fine-grade weapons.” — Hitetsu Explains Grades Blades, One Piece chapter #912
This incredibly powerful blade has proven to be the strongest at Imus' disposal so far, but the others are strong enough to take a shot against the vast majority of Yonko or other top tiers in the One Piece world as well. Truly, when looking at Imu's Akuma no Mi powers, this individual stands at the top of the world, with no one even close to him in terms of strength. Hopefully, the upcoming chapters of One Piece, starting with One Piece 1189, which will be released on July 26, 2026, will showcase more of Imu's powers, and we absolutely can't wait to see it.
All the latest One Piece manga chapters by Eiichiro Oda are available for fans to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
