4 years later, One Piece officially sets Luffy's biggest power up since Gear 5

with a piece Shuisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue #26 returns from break with chapter 1183 on May 24, 2026All eyes are currently on the hero of the series, Monkey D. Luffy is in, as he prepares to enter his final battle against Emu at the climax of the Elbaf arc. This is an incredibly exciting battle that fans have been waiting for years to see the sun god Nik go up against the devil god. a piece At the end of the World and Zero Century, restart the war that ended 800 years ago.

While Luffy vs. Imu is sure to be an exciting showdown that will serve to build up the climax of the Elbaph Arc, it should be noted that the Straw Hat Pirates' captain's power is nowhere near Nerona Imu's level at this point. Despite Gear 5's power, Luffy pales in comparison when it comes to overall strength. Series writer Eiichiro Oda has already set up a major Haki upgrade for him in the upcoming battle, and even more so, the potential evolution of Gear 5 which will see him even more of a force that can't beat the world's sovereign.

The Elbaf arc climax of One Piece sets up Luffy's next Haki power up to fight Emu

a piece Elbaf arc climax surprised all the fans when Chapter 1179, which was officially released in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19 on April 6, 2026, Officially Nerona Emu, King of the Whole World, was brought to the battlefield. Nerona Emu's appearance in Elbaf was not at all expected, but against all odds, she surprised fans by showing her fighting both Nika and Nidhogar alone. In chapter 1180 of the manga, which was released the following week, Emu takes out Zoro, Sanji, and Hazrudin and sets up his battle with Elbaf, Loki's warrior god. This battle is still going on.

Meanwhile, a piece Chapter 1181 gives us Monkey D. A final glimpse of Luffy as he continued to eat copious amounts of food to prepare for his battle against Nerona Emu. Apparently, Eiichiro Oda has already set up Luffy vs. Imu based on the latest developments in the story. a piece Chapter 1183 to be released on May 24, 2026 and subsequent chapters are likely to take the story in this direction, setting up the final confrontation of Sun God Nick against Demon God Devil God Emu.

“Must eat more! I've never felt this way before! It's so heavy and hard! What's with this guy's hockey?” — Monkey D. Luffy after sensing Imu's Haki in One Piece chapter #1181

When we compare the strength of Luffy and Imu, it is a given that at this point, the former has no match. In fact, in the Wano Country arc, he struggled to defeat Kaido and in Egghead, he couldn't completely defeat Kizaru. It makes sense for her to be able to hold her own against Nerona Emu, who is much stronger than both of them. Thank you, Ma a piece Chapter 1152, which was officially released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue #30 on June 23, 2025, Eiichiro Oda officially set up the Haki upgrade for Monkey D. Luffy.

in a piece Chapter 1152, Scopper Gaban specifically gave Luffy a lot of advice on how to fight against the Holy Knights. Gaban tells him to focus on how to use his Conqueror's Haki correctly, because only then will he realize that the Holy Knights are not immortal. This means Gaban's message came after seeing Luffy fight in chapter 1140 of the story. Gaban commented that Luffy's Conqueror's use of Haki is weak and harsh. Luffy needs to know how to use his Conqueror's Haki correctly if he is to fight and defeat people like Nerona Emu. As such, a major Haki upgrade is set up for Luffy by Eiichiro Oda.

“You, Straw Hat! Make a mental note of how you use the colors of the Supreme King. They are not immortal!” – Skipper Gaban telling Luffy to use Haki correctly, One Piece Chapter #1152

It is not surprising to know that the hockey standards of the winner vary depending on the user. In One Piece Chapter 1122, which was officially released in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump issues 36-37 on August 5, 2024, Joy Boy's Haki was demonstrated for the first time. It was clear from seeing it that it was significantly stronger than Luffy or any other character that existed in the world of One Piece, as it caused great pain even to Nerona Emu.

“Was that Haki even stronger than the redhead? There was no hostility in it!” – Dory and Brogie, One Piece Chapter 1123

Shanks also demonstrates his Haki in several instances in the series, such as in chapter 1056 and then again in chapter 1079. With feats such as paralyzing the Admiral and defeating Eustace Kidd and the Killer with a single swing of his blade, Shanks has demonstrated superior L. Haki. For Luffy to be able to stand up to the likes of Nerona Emu, he must stand on the same level when it comes to Haki manipulation, and the climax of the Elbaph arc is setting this ascent to the next level.

Why Luffy can also get an awakening ring in Elbaph climax

While a winner's Haki upgrade alone is enough to see Luffy compete against Emu at the highest level, there is another power-up that Eiichiro Oda is quietly setting up for him. At the climax of the Elbaf arc, specifically chapter 1179 and beyond, Nerona Emu, the Devil God of a fragmented world, revealed a black ring of flames behind her. Similarly, in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump issue #24, officially released on May 10, 2024, in One Piece chapter 1182, Rain God Zaza, another god, was shown with a ring of water on his back.

Luffy is the Sun God, but he currently has no ring, which may suggest that this power has not yet fully awakened in him. In the battle against Nerona Emu, Luffy can evolve if he manages to truly awaken the Sun God Nick's power by revealing a ring of flame behind his back. This can bring out his true Gear 5 powers and significantly upgrade his overall strength level by giving him a massive power boost. It would also boost his Conqueror's Haki, because, as confirmed by Rayleigh in Chapter 597 of the story, Conqueror's Haki cannot be trained directly and instead increases in power when the user also becomes stronger.

Although you can control the Supreme King's color, you cannot directly train it to become stronger. It is the embodiment of the user's soul. The only way to make it stronger is to make the user stronger. — Silver Raleigh to Monkey d. Luffy, One Piece Chapter 597

However, Luffy vs Imu is going to be very important to the overall character development of the protagonists of the series, both in terms of Sun God Nika's role and overall character strength. We can't wait to see how this battle develops and how Luffy's new Haki power-up shapes his journey from here on out. a piece Pushes toward the Great War and, with it, its ultimate end.

The latest chapters of the One Piece manga can be read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.