a piece Shuisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue #32 is expected to release chapter 1187 on July 5, 2026. Here, Eiichiro Oda, creator of a pieceIt focuses on the Straw Hat Pirates, who are fighting against the powerful forces of the World Government known as the Holy Knights, led by the King of the World Nerona Emu, who made his official dynasty. a piece Chapter 1179 on April 5, 2026.
with a piece Chapter 1187 marks the start of the main battles, requiring each member of the Straw Hats to bring out their maximum strength, and that applies more to Straw Hat Luffy than anyone else. Luffy is already one of the Yonko of the sea and, as such, he can already fight at a very high level, using the power of his Nika fruit as well as his tremendous Haki. All this, he said, is still not enough to destroy the world government. Luffy needs to get stronger, and for all those reasons, Oda is quietly setting up a new legendary Zoan transformation for him for the last time in 29 years.
One piece will give Luffy his final legendary Joan transformation after a 29-year wait
The biggest reason why Oda gave Luffy a new transformation in the Final Saga is because he needs to be even stronger in order to defeat Nerona Emu. a piece After chapter 1187, and later down the line, to defeat other powerful enemies. As things stand, Luffy is quite powerful, and there is no denying it. He went on to defeat Kaido in the Wano Country Arc and became Emperor of the Seas in 2012 a piece Chapter 1053 on June 20, 2022, in Shuisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #29. In Egghead, Luffy also battled Kizaru and later Saint Saturn, and he fared well against both of them.
Now, at Elbaf's climax, he continues his progress and grows stronger with each passing chapter. Luffy is stronger than he was in Egghead, as he is going to focus exclusively on his Haki and face the threat of enemies like Nerona Emu. Even though he has so much, he still hasn't reached the level where he can defeat the world's elite. To reach that level, Luffy needs to work very hard and improve both his Supreme King Haki, as well as his gear control.
“Listen, Straw Hat! Make up your mind how you use the color of the Supreme King. These guys aren't immortal!” – Scapper Gaban asks Luffy to improve his Haki, One Piece Chapter #1152
Despite Luffy's words he can't imagine himself losing to Emu a piece Chapter 1186 On June 28, 2026, his Gear 5 wears out too quickly, and it exposes him to danger in battle. While luck has been on his side, this won't always be the case. Likewise, Luffy's Haki is still not enough to deal with threats like the Five Elders and Emu. For reference, Emu's Haki is so powerful that combined Haki attacks from the five legendary figures of Roger, Garp, Rox, Big Mom and Whitebeard could not even leave a scratch on him, as was evident to all of us. a piece Chapter 1163 on October 27, 2025. It is impossible at this point for Luffy to hurt Imu with his Haki. It is clear that his final saga needs a new transformation a piece.
Japan has officially chosen the best shonen of 2026 in one piece
One Piece is the best-selling manga overall, but as of now in 2026, Japan prefers Freren.
Luffy can further develop his legendary Joan Devil Fruit Awakening, as hinted by Nerona Emu and Zaza in Chapters 1180 and 1182.
The biggest question any fan has about Luffy's development is how he will go about achieving it. As things stand, there are many things that Luffy can still improve. Luffy's Haki needs a ton of improvement. While he has learned how to coat his body in the hockey of a winner, his overall control over it is still raw. It was told by Kaido in the Wano Country arc in chapter 1011, and apparently, it hasn't developed much since then. In Egghead, Luffy catches a glimpse of Joy Boy's Haki and is confused as to how Haki can be so powerful. He must aspire to reach the same level, but has not yet achieved it. Supreme King Haki cannot be trained and increases the strength of the user, increasing Luffy's overall strength will give him a huge Haki boost.
“Although you can control the color of the Supreme King, you cannot directly train it to become stronger. It is the embodiment of the user's emotions. The only way to make it stronger is to become stronger for the user.” – Silver Rayle explains how to strengthen Supreme King Haki, One Piece Chapter #597
So one needs to take a look at Luffy's legendary Zoan Devil Fruit ability. It goes without saying that Luffy's overall Devil Fruit power is immense. Luffy can tap into Gear 5, which he obtained with the awakening of Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, in a piece Chapter 1044, March 28, 2022, in Shuisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17.
He can fight against the strongest enemies, but Gear 5 can actually be more evolved. As Luffy learns the power of Advanced Conqueror's Haki, he can coat his body in even stronger Haki, potentially spawning new transformations with time limits. Just as Luffy uses Gear 4's maximum output with Armament Haki, he can do something similar with Gear 5 and create something even more powerful than the regular Nika state.
At the same time, the power of Gear 5 is such that it gives Luffy infinite imagination that he can turn into reality. Nerona Emu's Akuma No Me ability, and similar to Rain God Zaza, is a God Fruit, as revealed in One Piece Chapter #1182 on May 10, 2026. Since Zaza and Imu both have their own element rings behind their backs, Luffy can get his own Sun Ring. At this point, it seems that Luffy is unaware of this power, but his energy was also able to activate the Iron Giant in Egghead. If Luffy is able to use this special ring of power, he can easily develop and reach what could be the true state of Gear 5, which is his ultimate Devil Fruit transformation. With this power, Luffy may be able to fight on an equal level with someone as strong as Emu, and this is now much needed in One Piece Chapter 1187 and beyond.
Loki: What's in those black flames?
Emu: Omen is my military power. It is a power that resides in all living beings!
— Explaining Emu's Black Flame Ring Power, One Piece Chapter #1181
Luffy's final transformation will help him fight Imu in the Elbaf climax
As things stand, Luffy is no match for any emu. Even Rocks couldn't stand up to him, and Loki was easily overwhelmed by him, Luffy didn't stand a chance. But when Luffy takes his Conqueror's Haki to the next level and develops something like the power that Shanks used, and on top of that, takes his Gear 5 to its absolute maximum level with a possible Sun Ring, then he will surely be a worthy match for Imu.
“Was that Haki even stronger than the redhead? There was no hostility in it!” – Dory and Broggy highlight Joy Boy's level, One Piece Chapter #1123
It should be noted that Luffy has reached Joy Boy's level. As things stand, he's not even stronger than Shanks, so in order for him to reach Joy Boy's level he'll need to get a few more power-ups and progress a lot as a fighter. Ultimately, Luffy is the one who must take down Imu, and the battle has now officially begun with the release of One Piece Chapter #1186 in WSJ Issue #31 on June 28, 2026. Oda will have plenty of opportunities to allow Luffy to develop his Gear 5 even in the arc climax, and it could become his source for unlimited power at some point in the story.
All chapters of One Piece by creator Eiichiro Oda are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.
