On July 12, 2026, a piece Marked the release of Chapter 1188, which officially shows the battle between the Sun God Nika Luffy and the King of the World, Nerona Emu. It was an incredibly exciting fight that we all eagerly awaited, but it was also one that ended rather abruptly, much to the surprise of many readers.
at the end of a piece Chapter 1188, Nerona Emu reveals the Blade of Nothingness: Wohu and Monkey D. stabbed Luffy in his stomach, officially ending this short-lived battle. In doing so, Nerona Emu also demonstrated his superiority over Luffy in terms of Devil Fruit usage. Now, his fruit, which is implied to be a legendary Joan, has been officially confirmed by Eiichiro Oda to be stronger than Luffy's Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. Up until this point in the story, the Nika Fruit reigned supreme as the ultimate Devil Fruit, but now, the Emu Fruit has proven to be far superior with more versatility and more firepower.
One Piece Chapter 1188 Officially Confirms Imu's Legendary Zoan Akuma no Mi Above Luffy's Nika Fruit
in a piece In Chapter 1179, which was officially released on April 5, 2026, in Shuisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19, Nerona Emu made her official entrance into Elbaf and shocked us all. In this chapter, Emu's full design was unveiled to us, and at the same time, Oda also unveiled his Devil Fruit ability to all of us, much to the surprise of all fans. Nerona Emu is known as the strongest Devil Fruit, Akuma no Mi, literally 'The Devil's Fruit'. The naming of the fruit immediately indicates that this fruit is ahead of all other Devil Fruits and stands at the top of the pecking order, offering the greatest power. In Emu's fight against Loki, in particular, in a fragment chapter 1181, Nerona Emu affirms that his ability is only dominated by God in a deal with Satan.
Loki: So your power is Lordship of the Gods? I think you mean a deal with the devil!
Emu: God? Satan? What's the difference?
— Imu shows Akuma no Mi's God's Domination, One Piece Chapter #1181
Nerona Emu's powers are such that even Elbaf's mighty war god Loki could not hold his own against him and was eventually defeated by inflicting minimal damage on him. Nick, Monkey D. Luffy, the Sun God of One Piece World, also tried his luck against Nerona Emu but failed. Luffy used Gear 5 against Emu right after his first blow, and surprisingly, the moment Emu switched on, he couldn't land a single blow again. During this fight, Monkey D. Luffy was completely overwhelmed by the King of the World, and it was clear to us that he was no longer in the competition.
“Of course I know you're not Joy Boy! Joy Boy wasn't that weak!!” – Imu defeats Luffy and confirms that he is weaker than Joy Boy, One Piece Chapter #1188
At the end of the chapter, Nerona Emu uses the power of the black ring behind her back to create the Blade of Nothingness: Wohu and stabs Luffy in the stomach. By shedding his life and shedding all the blood, Nerona Emu was confirmed as the winner of the first battle between these two Gods of the world of One Piece. With this development, Eiichiro Oda also confirmed that his Akuma no Mi also reigned supreme in Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.
Emu's Versatility and Firepower How Hito Hito No Me, Model: Nika
Introduced in a piece In Shuisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17 March 28, 2022 Chapter 1044, Luffy's Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika is a very powerful legendary Joan Devil Fruit, and that goes without saying. This fruit allows Luffy to become a warrior of salvation and a Sun God who brings smiles and laughter to the faces of the oppressed and needy. It also provides Luffy with the properties of a rubbery body and allows him to fight in a freewheeling fight that no one else in the likes can match. Above all, it allows Luffy to break the laws of nature himself and do anything imaginable in battle. Luffy's only limitation in battle is his own imagination, and that goes to show the true dominant nature of his Devil Fruit.
“Having a body with the power of rubber, and fighting in any way possible, bringing smiles to people's faces, a warrior of liberation… also known as the Sun God, Nika!” — Elders explain Nika Devil Fruit, One Piece Chapter #1044
That said, even with all of this incredible power, Luffy is no match for Nerona Imu, and that's largely down to Imu's Akuma no Mi versatility. Nerona Emu's alleged legendary Joan Devil Fruit grants him a massively powerful transformation, turning him into a devil with massive physical attributes. Be it speed, strength or flexibility, Emu is superior to Luffy in all these aspects. More than that, Emu also has the ability to use a mysterious spell book, which he doesn't even show in his fight against Luffy. However, we know it exists due to its use in One Piece Chapter 1150 on June 2, 2025.
With his powers, Nerona Emu can cast various spells and force strange contracts on people. Nerona Emu can also use Omen's black fire for both attack and defense, as confirmed in One Piece Chapter 1181 on April 27, 2026 in Shuisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump issues #22-23. Obviously, the firepower offered by the Akuma no Mi is immense. To top it all off, Imu has access to unique weapons that she can summon using her black fire. These weapons include:
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Sword of Wrath: Gram
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Sword of Justice: Nemesis
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Sword of the Void : Wohu
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Sword of Hate: Stigma
There are many other weapons that Emu has at his disposal, and all of them are incredibly dangerous in combat. Apparently, the versatility of the emu monkey d. On a completely different level than Luffy, and that's what makes him the strongest character in the One Piece world right now. Although Luffy's Nika form is incredible in its own way, Imu's legendary Zoan Akuma no Mi is on a whole different level, with powers unmatched by anyone in the world right now.
Eiichiro Oda must give Luffy's Nika Fruit a major upgrade to compete with Akuma no Mi
Based on Luffy's performance in One Piece Chapter 1188 on July 12, 2026, it is clear that Eiichiro Oda has established Emu as a dominant figure that no one can beat at this point. Considering that Luffy is the hero and must ultimately defeat evil, Oda must find some way to empower the main character. Luffy's Nika is as strong as the fruit, but it needs to be upgraded drastically if the Straw Hat captain is to stand up to Nerona Emu in battle on July 26, 2026 in One Piece Chapter 1189. As things stand, Luffy is no match for Imu, but Gear Luffy is at a disadvantage for once. Unlocked, then we may be able to see a more fair battle between these two people.
For now, Luffy and his Nika form are incredibly weak when compared to Nerona Emu's own supposedly legendary Joan Akuma no Me. The fact that Emu is currently incredibly nerfed in Elbaf further widens the gulf between them. In the upcoming chapters of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda may empower Luffy to fill the gap between the two, but fans shouldn't expect the Straw Hat captain to reach Emu's level in this arc.
The latest chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga are published in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump and are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.
