The devil fruit one piece A world introduced by series writer Eiichiro Oda in the first chapter of the story through Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Mi. However, we have seen these Devil Fruits evolve rapidly over the years, both in terms of classes and subclasses, and in terms of direct evolution through the concept of Devil Fruit Awakening. Simply put, Devil Fruit awakening is what happens when the user's mind and body catch up with the user's abilities by consuming the Devil Fruit beyond its limit.
Devil Fruit Awakening itself is a very powerful concept that few have utilized. Now, in the climax of the Elbaph arc, specifically chapters 1179-1182, One Piece introduces the concept of taking god-level Devil Fruit awakening to the next level, opening up the opportunity for a major Monkey D. Luffy upgrade in the Final Saga.
Episodes 1180 and 1182 of One Piece open the door to the Devil Fruit of the Awakened God for Luffy.
the last saga one piece The Elbaph Arc shocked us all when Eiichiro Oda decided to throw Nero or Imu directly into the main conflict in Chapter 1179, which was officially released in Issue 19 of Weekly Shonen Jump on April 5, 2026. In this particular chapter, Nero Naimu's face and Devil Fruit abilities are revealed to us for the first time by the author, and it does not disappoint. Not only was this the huge reveal we've all been waiting for for about seven years, but it also served to expand the concept of Devil Fruit powers.
“Dominion is the only true happiness in this world.” — Nerona Immu, One Piece Episode 1181
When Nerona Imu's Akuma no Mi powers were first unleashed in 1179, Eiichiro Oda showed fans several unique traits, such as black wings, horns, tanned skin, and the demonic powers that come with Imu's abilities. Above all, what stood out to the selected few was: one piece The community believed that there was a ring of black flame behind Imu's back. Unlike his usual awakening ability, there was no cloud on Imu's neck and arms. Instead, he had a ring of black flame, and what was even more surprising was that this ring of flame was something he could easily control.
At first it was assumed that this ring was simply Imu's own ring. However, when Eiichiro Oda introduced the rain god Zaza in One Piece Chapter 1182 in WSJ Issue #24, May 10, 2026, this divine being could also be seen with his own unique ring. Unlike Imu, it does not have a ring of black flame, but instead has a ring of water according to its abilities.
“It appears to the tune of praying for rain…Jaja, the god of rain!” — Saint Limoshihu Killingham from One Piece Episode 1182
These two gods having their own rings essentially tells us that the divine beings of the One Piece universe, once awakened, have access to rings floating on their backs. In the case of Imu, this is the power of Omen, referred to as military power, as officially seen in One Piece Chapter 1180. In the case of Rain God Tzu Chi, as seen in episode 1182, it is a link between rainwater and floods.
Most interestingly, despite accessing Gear 5, Luffy has yet to awaken his ring. This means that his Devil Fruit awakening could be further strengthened in the Final Saga, which is something that makes us even more excited, especially since the Elbaph arc is heading towards its climax with the imminent release of Chapter 1183 on May 24, 2026.
One Piece, 3 types of God's Devil Fruit appear for the first time in 4 years
At the end of the Elbaf arc, One Piece officially revealed three new Devil Fruits that will change the course of the upcoming war.
How the Ring of the Gods Shapes the Final Saga
With Eiichiro Oda teasing the Ring of the Gods as a concept, many exciting abilities could be revealed in Final Saga. With Nerona Imu, we have already seen a being manipulating the Omen using technology known as the Rising Eclipse, especially in Chapter 1182. With Rain God Zaza, we saw his ability to flood the western Elbaf village and destroy the landscape.
In Luffy's case, this ring is most likely a ring of fire, or the power of the sun. Interestingly enough, despite being the sun god, Luffy has never shown any solar powers, and awakening this ring finally gives him the power to solve this mystery for the One Piece community once and for all.
“A warrior of liberation who has a body with the power of rubber, fights as she pleases, and brings smiles to people’s faces…aka Nika, the Sun God!” — One Piece Gorosei Chapter 1044
In the future, One Piece will especially introduce more gods. Mentioned in Chapter 287 of Skypiea and Chapter 1138 of Elbaf.. Both of these chapters mention specific gods that Eiichiro Oda has yet to introduce to us, the most prominent being the Forest God, the Land God, and potentially the Sea God, along with the Hellfire Serpent. These pious individuals may also have rings on their backs, which would open the way for them to utilize some interesting abilities in the final story.
New questions added!
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Monkey D. Luffy's sun god Nika form can evolve into rain god Zaza, Nero, or Imu
Of all the new powers that evolve even further in the Final Saga, earning him a ring on his back, the one fans want to see evolve the most is of course protagonist Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy's Gear 5 is powerful enough to see him defeat people like Kaido and overpower people like Kizaru, as evidenced by the battles in the Wano and Egghead arcs. However, looking at his performance against these two players, you can see that Lee Mu is no match for him like this. Luffy needs to gain more power, and by evolving Gear 5 and getting his own ring, he can take his overall skills to the next level.
Luffy was then able to manipulate flames to some degree, and interestingly, this could also be directly linked to his use of techniques like Red Hawk and Red Roc, which generate flames on impact. If Oda were to tie this flame directly to the Ring of Awakening and make Red Hawk and Red Locke herald the awakening of this special ring, fans would not be able to help but applaud this genius move. In both cases, Luffy needs to further strengthen himself and this special ring of fire on his back can take him to the level he needs to fight evenly against Nerona Imu and all the other enemies that stand in his way to One Piece in the Final Saga.
The latest chapter of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga can be read through Manga Plus and Biz Media.
