On July 12, 2026, One Piece marked the release of Chapter 1188, which officially showcased the battle between Sun God Nika Luffy and the King of the World, Nerona Imu. This was an incredibly exciting fight that we had all been eagerly awaiting, but it was also one that ended rather abruptly, much to the surprise of all readers.
At the end of One Piece Chapter 1188, Nerona Imu manifested the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu and stabbed Monkey D. Luffy right through his stomach, officially ending this short-lived battle. By doing so, Nerona Imu also displayed her superiority over Luffy in the use of the Devil Fruit. Now his fruit, hinted to be a mythical zoan, has been officially confirmed by Eiichiro Oda to be stronger than Luffy's Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. Up until this point in the story, the Nika Fruit reigned supreme as the ultimate Devil Fruit, but now Imu's Fruit is shown to be far superior, with greater versatility and more firepower.
One Piece Chapter 1188 Officially Confirms Imu's Mythical Zoan Akuma no Mi Above Luffy's Nika Fruit
IN One Piece Chapter 1179, officially released on April 5, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19, Nerona Imu made her official entry into Elbaf and shocked us all. In this chapter, Imu's full design was revealed to us, and at the same time, Oda also revealed his Devil Fruit ability to all of us, much to the surprise of all fans. Nerona Imu was shown to carry the strongest Devil Fruit of all, called Akuma no Mi, which literally translates to “Devil's Fruit”. The name of the fruit immediately suggests that this fruit precedes all other Devil Fruits and is at the top of the pecking order and gives the greatest power. In Imu's fight against Loki, specifically, in One Piece Chapter 1181, Nerona confirmed to Imu that his ability is simply God's dominance of a contract with the devil.
Loki: So your power is God's dominance? I think you mean a contract with the devil!
Imu: God? Devil? What is the difference?
— Imu's shows Akuma no Mi's God's Domination, One Piece Chapter #1181
Nerona Imu's powers are such that even Loki, Elbaf's mighty god of war, could not stand against him and was ultimately defeated while taking only minimal damage. Even Monkey D. Luffy, the Sun God Nika from the One Piece world, tried his luck against Nerona Imu but failed. Luffy used Gear 5 against Imu right after landing his first punch, and surprisingly, the moment Imu struck, he couldn't land a single punch again. Throughout this battle, Monkey D. Luffy was completely overwhelmed by the King of the World, and it was clear for us to see that he was no longer a match.
“Of course I know you're not Joy Boy! Joy Boy wasn't that weak!!” — Imu defeats Luffy and confirms that he is weaker than Joy Boy, One Piece Chapter #1188
At the end of the chapter, Nerona Imu used the power of the black ring behind her back to create the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu, stabbing Luffy right through the stomach. By draining his life and leaving him completely bloodied, Nerona Imu was confirmed as the victor in the first battle between these two gods in the world of One Piece. With this development, Eiichiro Oda also confirmed that his Akuma no Mi reigned supreme even over Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.
How Imu's versatility and firepower overwhelm Hito Hito no Mi, model: Nika
Introduced in One Piece Chapter 1044 of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17 March 28, 2022, Luffy's Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika is a very powerful Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, and it goes without saying. This fruit allows Luffy to become the warrior of liberation and the sun god who brings smiles and laughter to the faces of the oppressed and needy. It also gives Luffy body characteristics of rubber and allows him to fight with freewheeling battles that cannot be matched by anyone else. Most of all, it allows Luffy to break the laws of nature and do anything he can imagine in battle. Luffy's only limitation in battle is his own imagination, and it shows the true overpowered nature of his Devil Fruit.
“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!” — Elder explains Nika Devil Fruit, One Piece Chapter #1044
That said, even with all this incredible power, Luffy is no match for Nerona Imu, and much of that is due to Imu's Akuma no Mi versatility. Nerona Imus' perceived Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit gives him an enormously powerful transformation, turning him into a devil with enormous physical attributes. Whether it's speed, strength, or resilience, Imu is above Luffy in all of these aspects. More than that, Imu also has the ability to use a rather mysterious spell book, which he hasn't even shown in battle against Luffy yet. Still, we know it exists because of its use in One Piece Chapter 1150, June 2, 2025.
With her powers, Nerona Imu can cast various spells and force unique contracts on people. Nerona Imu can also use Omen's black flames to both attack and defend, as confirmed in One Piece Chapter 1181 on April 27, 2026 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #22-23. Clearly, the firepower offered by Akuma no Mi is absolutely immense. To top it all off, Imu also has access to unique weapons that he can summon with his black flames. These weapons include:
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Sword of Wrath: Gram
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Sword of Judgment: Nemesis
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Sword of Nothing: Vohu
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Sword of Hate: Stigma
There are many other weapons at Imu's disposal, all of which are incredibly dangerous in battle. Apparently, Imu's versatility is on a whole other level compared to Monkey D. Luffy's, and this is exactly what makes him the strongest character in the One Piece world at the moment. Although Luffy's Nika form is incredible in its own way, Imus' Mythical Zoan Akuma no Mi is on a whole other level, whose powers cannot be matched by anyone in the world at the moment.
Eiichiro Oda needs to give Luffy's Nika Fruit a major upgrade to compete with Akuma no Mi
Based on Luffy's appearance in One Piece Chapter 1188 on July 12, 2026, it is clear that Eiichiro Oda has established Imu as an imposing figure who cannot be beaten by anyone at this point. Considering that Luffy is the protagonist and one who must triumph over evil in the end, Oda must come up with some way to empower the protagonist. Luffy's Nika fruit is strong as it is, but it needs to be upgraded massively if the Straw Hat Captain is to face Nerona Imu once again in One Piece Chapter 1189 on July 26, 2026. As it stands, Luffy is absolutely no match for Imu, but once Luffy's Gear 5 is upgraded to be able to be upgraded to more, we may see a potential to unlock Gear 6. fair fight between these two individuals.
At the moment, Luffy and his Nika form are incredibly underwhelming compared to Nerona Imu's own perceived Mythical Zoan Akuma no Mi. The fact that Imu is incredibly nervous right now in Elbaf makes the gap between them even bigger. In the upcoming chapters of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda may continue to push Luffy to fill the gap between the two, but fans should not expect the Straw Hat captain to reach Imu's level in this arc.
The latest chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga are published in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump and are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.
