a piece Elbaf is deeply connected to the gods and goddesses present in the Ark a piece the world This was made clear to us from the beginning of the arc, when, in a piece Chapter 1138, Harley's lore was first unveiled to us. As more chapters go by, Eiichiro Oda reveals to us the different eras of One Piece World, and some gods like Sun God Nik are given special importance.
a piece The Elbaf arc also saw the descent of the Devil God Nerona Emu in Chapter 1179 on April 5, 2026, and now, it has confirmed another God from the Zero Century in its latest release. a piece Chapter 1188 on July 12, 2026. This God is none other than the Forest God, whose abilities directly link him to Emu, the king of the world.
One Piece Chapter 1188 officially teases the return of the Forest God via Nerona Emu
On July 12, 2026, a piece Chapter 1188 showcased some of Nerona Emu's abilities when he defeated Loki in battle and took on Luffy instead. In the fight against Emu, Luffy immediately used Gear 5, and to the shock of fans, he was unable to land a single hit on him. All of his powerful blows, coated in the colors of the Supreme King, even the final form of Haki, were easily and effectively countered by Nerona Emu. Luffy was on the receiving end of several powerful hits, but he wasn't defeated until the end of this chapter.
“What happened? I was able to land my hit earlier too easy!” — Monkey d. Luffy, confused by Emu's sudden power, One Piece Chapter #1188
To defeat Luffy, Emu used the Blade of Nothingness: Wohu, which has powers far beyond anyone's understanding. Using Wohu's power, Emu immediately began sucking the life out of the entire forest and withering it away. The entire branch of the Adam Tree was immediately cleared of all life, and moments later, at the end of Chapter 1188, Emu used this blade to kill the world's current Sun God Nick, the Monkey D. struck Luffy.
Emu: Blade of Nothingness: Wohoo!
Luffy: What? The forest is dry!
Emu: Now the scene is very clear.
Luffy: Same from here!
— Imu uses Vohu to defeat Luffy, One Piece Chapter #1188
While small details may have fallen under the radar of some fans, it is interesting to note that the Nerona emu was able to siphon life from the world's forests. Similarly, when Emu Elbaf arrived a piece Chapter 1179 was published on April 5, 2026, in Shuisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19, it was for all of us to see the forest around Emu begin to take on a life of its own. However, this life is not given to any other object. This indicates a deep connection between the Nerona emu and the forest. Tied directly to the Harley Texts officially revealed on February 3, 2025 in one piece chapter 1138, it is a solid proposition that Nerona Emu is the same Forest God that was unveiled from the Zero Century and is known to exist in the Second World.
Why the forest god stands as a powerful god in the world government
The forest god standing above the world government gives the right meaning. To understand why this is the case, fans need only take a look at the Harley text. In these Harley texts, it is said that the second world began with breath in nothingness. Combining this with One Piece Chapter 1188, we can clearly see that Imu uses the same power when using the Blade of Void: Vohu. The word used for 'nothingness' in the Harley text and Emu's attack is the same. The fact that Emu's Blade of Nothingness withers an entire forest indicates that he has a monopoly on the forest and life in general. This may also explain why Emu is able to grant eternal life to those who follow him using various covenants such as the Holy Knights and the Five Elders.
“Nevertheless, there was breath. The forest god subdued the demons, and the sun spread the fires of war. The half moon dreamed. The moon dreamed. Man slew the sun and became a god, and the sea god stormed. And they shall never meet again.” — First mention of The Harley Texts The Forest God, a fragment chapter #1138
At the same time, Harley reveals that the Forest God sent monsters to the Second World as well. This is also perfectly aligned with Nerona Emu, as through his ability, he can send the five elders as well as the holy knights, all of whom are frequently referred to as demons. In a fragment chapter 1187, which was officially released on July 5, 2026, in Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump issue #32, Roronoa Zoro officially calls the group of World Government fighters in Elbaf the “Three Demons”, reinforcing the fact that it is Imu who stands as the supreme government of the world. The Forest God is clearly not an ally of the Sun God, and the best fit for this God at this time from the Zero Century is none other than Emu himself.
“You are one of the three ghosts. You are the one who ruined the feast between old friends. My friend is on the way to the village, so I don't think yours will come back because he will die.” – Zoro refers to Emu and his knights as monsters, a fragment chapter #1187
A piece after the Elbaf arc will reveal more gods
With Eiichiro Oda, producer of a pieceWith Nerona Emu heavily hinting at being a Forest God from the Zero Century, fans are eagerly awaiting more Gods to come following the events of the Elbaf arc. Now, the sun god Nick has already been revealed to us, along with Elbaf's god of war, Loki. The Rain God Zaza was also teased a piece Chapter 1182 On May 10, 2026, in Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #24, and Nerona Imu may be the Forest God of the world. This leaves Prithvi Bhagavan, whose identity is yet to be revealed.
At the same time, there are other characters that exist in the world a piece Long ago, like the infernal serpent, who shared the earth with God, which is yet to be revealed. Eiichiro Oda is likely to shed some light on these people in the events that follow the Elbaf arc, and we can't wait to see what the author of the series comes up with. For now, all our focus is on the climax of Elbaf, which will pit the sun god Nik against the king of the world and potential forest god, Nerona Emu. Although already defeated, fans are eagerly waiting to see Luffy rise once more and more importantly, more power to bring out the true limits of Sun God Nick's powers. The upcoming chapters of One Piece are going to be an exciting ride, and we can't wait to see the next developments in the story.
All new manga chapters of One Piece by Eiichiro Oda are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.
