Climax off One Piece's The Elbaf arc heats up further with the release of Chapter 1188 on July 12, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33. This week's chapter was highly anticipated, largely due to the battle between Luffy and Nerona Imu. The clash between the Sun God Nika and The Devil of the One Piece world ended 800 years ago, but officially resumed in Chapter 1187 on July 5, 2026.
Now, One Piece Chapter 1888 continued this clash, and it did so in quite style by giving Luffy a unique Devil Fruit transformation that we've never seen before. To combat the influence of Nerona Imu, Luffy officially transformed into a massive spirit in battle, once again showing his ingenuity and the fact that Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, is the freest Devil Fruit.
One Piece Chapter 1188 introduces Luffy's New Genie Transformation
Over the years, Monkey D. Luffy, the protagonist of One Piecehave used different transformations. The very first form that Luffy got came from witnessing CP9 in the Water 7 Arc. One Piece Chapter 387 debuted Luffy's Gear 2 on October 31, 2005, and One Piece Chapter 403 introduced Gear 3 to us on March 13, 2006. In the course of time, Luffy invented Gear 4, which was officially introduced to us in Chapter 774, April 20, 2006, Week 13, 2010. Shonen Jump Issue #22-23. Gear 4 then went on to showcase Tankman in Chapter 842, and Snake Man 895. Finally, Luffy took advantage of the power of Gear 5 in One Piece Chapter 1044 on March 28, 2022 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17.
“What's going on? How can I still stand? I just lost, but I feel like I'm having a blast! Ahahahahaha! I feel like anything is possible now. I can keep fighting a little longer.” — Monkey D. Luffy pressing Gear 5, One Piece Chapter #1044
Since then, Gear 5 has been Luffy's go-to form, and now, within Gear 5, Luffy has invented a brand new transformation through a Genie Mode, first shown in One Piece Chapter 1188 of July 12, 2026 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33.
“Don't think I missed what happened in your fight against Loki. That guy's death won't be in vain. Gomu Gomu no Majin!” — Luffy uses his new transformation against Imu, One Piece Chapter #1188
To properly combat the power of Nerona Imu, Luffy used a new transformation called Gomu Gomu no Majin i One Piece Chapter 1188, and much to the surprise of fans, this Genie form was actually a genius idea. It allowed Luffy to surprise Nerona Imu and at the same time combat her strength quite effectively. Luffy was able to dodge several of Imu's punches, including the almighty Stigma that took out Loki. Luffy even managed to clash with Imu with this transformation, surprising us all. Although Luffy's fight against Nerona Imu in Genie form was short-lived, it was clear that he far outperformed the regular Gear 5 in this form, which is truly a testament to Luffy's own strength. It sets this Genie mode as one of Luffy's ultimate forms to use in the future as well.
Luffy's Genie Powers rival the top tiers of the Elbaf Arc Climax
One Piece fully introduced Nerona Imu in Chapter 1179, which was officially released on April 5, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19. Imu also revealed the power of her Devil Fruit, known as Akuma no Mi, for the very first time in the same chapter. In subsequent chapters, Imus' full powers were shown when he used the Omen and various abilities in the fight against Loki, such as Stigma and Nemesis.
As such, when Luffy vs Imu officially began in One Piece 1187 on July 5, 2026, we knew that this battle would not be easy for the Straw Hat captain. However, Luffy showed that he could rise to the challenge by showing his creative nature in the fight against Nerona Imu.
When using his Genie Form, Luffy was able to counter a significant portion of Imu's attacks and attempt to land a few punches of his own. Although Loki has been in battle longer than Luffy, we can say with absolute certainty that Luffy also impressed, before finally falling to Nerona Imus Boufu, the ultimate attack that pierced him right through his torso.
“It's clear you're not Joy Boy. Joy Boy would never be this weak.” — Imu defeats Luffy in One Piece Chapter #1188
Why Luffy needs a much stronger transformation to rival Imu
While Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Majin form that debuted in One Piece 1188 was certainly exciting for us to see, at the end of the day it was never going to be enough to take down Nerona Imu. This was evident at the end of the chapter, where Imu used her Black Flame of Omen and turned it into a sword, called Blade of the Void: Boufu, and pierced Luffy right through his torso. Imu also said that Luffy is far too weak to be Joy Boy and as such, in a way, a disappointment to Nerona Imu herself.
The first round of Luffy vs Imu is over, and the winner is none other than Nerona Imu, which comes as no surprise to any of us. As the final villain in One Piece, Nerona Imu has immense powers at her disposal that Luffy can't compete with right now.
“The omen is my military power. It is a power that resides in all living things. People crave power. But if the power they crave is obtained with ease, it leads to corruption.” — Nerona Imu explains her Omen power, One Piece Chapter #1181
For Luffy to truly stand in Imu's way and pose a significant challenge, he must use other transformations. Although Gear 5 was touted to be Luffy's peak i One Piece Chapter 1044, he must evolve past that and evolve something even stronger to combat the power of individuals like Imu. To that end, we're keeping a close eye on Luffy's Conqueror's Haki growth in this arc, while his Devil Fruit gets a potential upgrade through the awakening of a Sun Ring, akin to the Imu Black Ring. One way or another, Luffy must further strengthen himself if he wants to come back from this defeat and try to push Nerona Imu back from Elbaf again. For now, One Piece goes on hiatus, which means we have to wait to see Luffy's fate at the end of this battle in One Piece chapter 1189.
All chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
