One Piece Chapter 1188 was officially released on July 12, 2026 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33. This chapter showcased the huge battle between Nerona Imu and Monkey D. Luffy, and it was one that had existed for 800 years within the world of One Piece. Finally, Eiichiro Oda delivered it in Elbaf.
Still, even though we expected an all-out battle with two titans on equal terms, Eiichiro Oda shocked us when Nerona Imu proved to be completely dominant in the fight. In fact, at the end of the battle, Nerona Imu completely overpowered Monkey D. Luffy and stabbed him directly through the torso, using the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu. With Monkey D. Luffy's defeat, Eiichiro Oda now sets up his next Devil Fruit Awakening to further strengthen him and stand as the world's true Sun God.
One Piece Chapter 1188 Confirm Luffy's New Power Up Beyond Devil Fruit Awakening
July 12 is released One Piece Chapter 1188 came as a huge surprise to all fans of the story, and this is mainly because of the shocking defeat that Monkey D. Luffy faced. But while this defeat is certainly crushing for Luffy, it is also good for his overall character. This is because this defeat officially confirms that Luffy will become even stronger and grow as an Emperor of the Sea and, more importantly, as the Sun God Nika.
In One Piece Chapter 1188, when Nerona Imu took down Monkey D. Luffy using the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu, he officially said that he knew Luffy wasn't Joy Boy, simply because Joy Boy would never be that weak to begin with. When that happened, Nerona Imu Luffy was completely pissed off, and before the Straw Hat Emperor could even say where he came from, he was already worn out by Imu with the help of the powerful sword, which withered away his body and left him bleeding.
Imu: Blade of Nothingness: Whoo!
Luffy: What? The forest withered away!
Imu: The view is much clearer now.
Luffy: Same from here!
— Imu prepares to stab Luffy with the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu, One Piece Chapter #1188
Now Monkey D. Luffy is already on his last legs and is in a very difficult situation. But this also means good things for Luffy's character as it officially gives him a major power-up. Luffy is clearly not on the same level as Nerona Imu at the moment, and for him to reach that level means he needs to further upgrade his overall Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika powers.
Although Luffy's Nika Fruit is incredibly strong, it may not yet be fully unlocked. We know for sure that Sun God Nika is strong enough to fight Nerona Imu on even terms, thanks to Imu's respect for Joy Boy's immense strength and a reaction to his ability usage. Imu may hate Joy Boy, but he also has a certain level of respect for him, which stems directly from his strength. Luffy not being at that level once again confirms that he needs to grow even further as Sun God Nika, meaning a massive upgrade to his Devil Fruit Awakening is already on the way.
“Of course I know you're not Joy Boy! Joy Boy wasn't that weak!!” — Nerona Imu hypes up Joy Boy while calling Luffy weak, One Piece Chapter #1188
Why Luffy's True Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika Awakening has not been revealed yet
Luffy's true Mythical Zoan Hito Hito no Mi model: Nika Awakening likely hasn't been revealed to us yet. This makes a lot of sense in retrospect One Piece chapter 1044, released on March 28, 2022, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17, where Eiichiro Oda pitted him against the moon instead of the sun. Luffy is the sun god, but he became the sun god for the first time against the moon. Luffy's transformation is also completely white, and there is no sun element attached to this transformation at all. After all, the people of the world revered Nika as the sun god, but Luffy shows no characteristics of the sun.
“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!” — Eiichiro Oda explains Luffy's powers when he awakens Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, One Piece Chapter #1044
This is quite strange and can only be done by Eiichiro Oda on purpose. This could indicate that Luffy's Devil Fruit Awakening has not fully manifested yet and that once awakened, he will reach the next level of strength and finally become a match for Nerona Imu. In the Elbaf arc, Monkey D. Luffy simply cannot lose, because if he does, Elbaf will fall completely and countless people will die. As such, the only way for Luffy to drive Nerona Imu out of Elbaf is to further grow in terms of strength. This can only come in the form of a full awakening of the Devil Fruit and the proper realization of his Devil Fruit powers.
Luffy's full Sun God Nika Form will push him to Imu's level
In order to reach Joy Boy's level, Luffy must further strengthen his Devil Fruit powers. By fully realizing the ability of the Hito Hito no Mi Model: Nika and standing on equal footing with Nerona Imu, Luffy is able to do just that. It must be remembered that when Nerona Imu revealed himself in One Piece Chapter 1179, which was released on April 5, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19, he showed a ring of black flames behind his back. Similarly, Rain God Zaza, who debuted in One Piece Chapter 1182 on May 10, 2026, debuted in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #24, with a giant ring of water behind his back.
“Appearing to the rhythm of the prayers for rain… Rain God Zaza!” — Saint Killingham explains to Zaza, One Piece Chapter 1182
Monkey D. Luffy doesn't have a sun ring behind his back, despite being the sun god. Maybe the whole Devil Fruit Awakening will give him a giant Sun Ring, which he can then freely manipulate and use in battle, just like Nerona Imu uses the Black Flames of the Omen. This Devil Fruit upgrade can put Luffy on par with Imu and allow him to rise as the world's true Sun God. The Sun Ring would also explain why Nika is called the Sun God, as there is nothing really striking about him to indicate that he is the Sun God.
It will be interesting to see how the fight between Nerona Imu and Luffy develops further in the coming weeks of the Elbaf arc. For now, Luffy's defeat is actually not a bad thing at all. Instead, it just lines up his biggest Devil Fruit upgrade yet, and we eagerly await this huge reveal.
All the new manga chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
