one piece Episode 1188 was officially released in the 33rd issue of Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump on July 12, 2026. This chapter showed the epic battle between Nerona Imu and Monkey D. Luffy, a battle that lasted 800 years in the world. one piece. Eiichiro Oda finally delivered from Elbaf.
However, while we expected an all-out battle between the two giants, Eiichiro Oda surprised us by completely dominating the Nero and Imuga battles. In fact, by the end of the battle, Nerona Imu completely overwhelmed Monkey D. Luffy and utilized the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu to stab him directly in the torso. With Monkey D. Luffy's defeat, Eiichiro Oda is now planning the next Devil Fruit Awakening to further strengthen him and stand as the world's true Sun God.
One Piece Episode 1188 Confirmation of Luffy's new power-up beyond the Devil Fruit awakening
Released on July 12th one piece Chapter 1188 came as a huge surprise to all fans of the story, mainly because of the shocking defeat faced by Monkey D. Luffy. However, while this defeat is truly shocking for Luffy, it is also a good thing for his overall personality. Because this defeat officially confirmed that Luffy will become stronger and grow into the Emperor of the Sea and, more importantly, Nika, the Sun God.
In One Piece Chapter 1188, when Nerona Imu uses the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu to defeat Monkey D. Luffy, he officially reveals that he knows that Luffy is not Joy Boy. Nero and Imu then attacked Luffy completely, and before the Straw Hat Emperor knew where he came from, he was already stabbed by Imu using his powerful sword, causing his body to wither and bleed.
Imu: Sword of Nothingness: Vohu!
Luffy: What? The forest has dried up!
Imu: The vision is much clearer now.
Luffy: Same here!
— Imu prepares to stab Luffy with the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu, One Piece Chapter 1188.
Now Monkey D. Luffy has already reached his last moments and finds himself in a very difficult situation. However, this is also a good thing for Luffy's character because it officially gives him a major power-up. Luffy is currently not at the same level as Nerona Imu, meaning he will need to further upgrade his overall Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika power if he is to achieve that level.
Luffy's Nika Fruit is incredibly powerful, but may not be fully unlocked yet. We know that the Sun God Nika is strong enough to fight Nerona Imu on equal footing, thanks to Imu's respect for Joy Boy's immense power and reaction to his use of his abilities. Imu may dislike Joy Boy, but she also respects him to a degree that stems directly from his level of power. Luffy's not being at that level once again confirms that he needs to grow further as the Sun God Nika, meaning a massive upgrade to his Devil Fruit Awakening is already underway.
“Of course I know you're not Joy Boy! Joy Boy wasn't that weak!!” — Nerona Imu calls Luffy weak and overestimates Joy Boy. One Piece Episode 1188
Why Luffy's True Hitonomi, Model: Nika Awakening, Hasn't Been Revealed Yet
The true mythical Zoan Hito Hito no Mi model of Luffy: Nika Awakening has most likely not been revealed to us yet. This makes a lot of sense when you go back in time. one piece In Chapter 1044 of Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 17, released on March 28, 2022, Eiichiro Oda juxtaposes him with the moon instead of the sun. Luffy is the sun god, but he became the first sun god by standing against the moon. Luffy's transformation is also completely white, and there is no solar element attached to this transformation at all. Despite this, the people of the world worshiped Nika as the sun god, but Luffy did not display any solar qualities.
“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!” — Eiichiro Oda explains Luffy's power while awakening Hitonomi Hito. Model: Nika, One Piece Chapter #1044
This is somewhat unusual and may have been done intentionally by Eiichiro Oda. This could imply that Luffy's Devil Fruit awakening has not fully manifested itself yet and that once awakened, Luffy will reach the next level of power and finally face off against Nero or Imu. In the Elbaf Arc, Monkey D. Luffy cannot be defeated. Because if you do that, Elbaf will completely collapse and countless people will die. Therefore, the only way for Luffy to drive Nero or Imu out of Elbaf is to grow further in terms of strength. This can only be achieved when the Devil Fruit is fully awakened and the Devil Fruit abilities are properly realized.
Luffy's full Sun God Nika form will elevate Luffy to Imu level
To reach Joy Boy's level, Luffy must further strengthen his Devil Fruit powers. Fully realizing the abilities of Hitohitonomi model Nika and standing on equal footing with Nero and Imu is what Luffy can do. It should be remembered that when Nerona Imu presented herself in One Piece Chapter 1179, Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 19, released on April 5, 2026, she showed a ring of black flames on her back. Likewise, in episode 1182 of One Piece on May 10, 2026, Zaza, the God of Rain, who debuted in the 24th issue of Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump, debuted with a huge fish ring on his back.
“It appears to the tune of praying for rain…Jaja, the god of rain!” — Saint Killingham describes Zaza. One Piece Episode 1182
Despite being the sun god, Monkey D. Luffy does not have a sun ring on his back. Perhaps a full Devil Fruit Awakening will give him a giant sun ring, which he can freely manipulate and use in battle, much like Nerona Imu uses the Black Flame of Omen. This devil fruit upgrade could put Luffy on par with Imu and allow him to rise as the world's true sun god. The sun ring also explains why Nika is called the sun god. Because as things stand, there is nothing noticeable that suggests Nika is a sun god.
It will be interesting to see how the fight between Nerona Imu and Luffy develops further over the next few weeks in the Elbaf arc. For now, Luffy's defeat isn't actually a bad thing at all. Instead, only his greatest Devil Fruit upgrades are listed, and we're eagerly awaiting this big reveal.
All new manga chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece can be read through Manga Plus and Biz Media.
