After 4 years, One Piece officially set Luffy's greatest feat since Gear 5

WITH One piece back from hiatus with chapter 1183 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump #26 of May 24, 2026all eyes are currently on the series' protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, as he prepares to enter the final battle against Imo in the climax of the Elbaph arc. In this incredibly exciting battle that fans have been waiting for for ages, the Sun God Nik will face off against the Devil God One piece world and continue the battle that ended 800 years ago at the end of the Void Century.

While Luffy vs. Imu is sure to be an exciting matchup that serves to elevate the climax of the Elbaph arc, it should be noted that the Straw Hat Pirates captain's power is nowhere near Nero Imu's at this point. Despite having the power of Gear 5, Luffy pales in comparison to the overall power. Eiichiro Oda, the author of the series, has already prepared a major Haki upgrade for him in the upcoming battle, and more than that, a potential Gear 5 evolution that will more than make up for the power he lacks to defeat the Sovereign of the World.

One Piece's Elbaph Arc Climax prepares Luffy's next Haki Power Up to fight Imu

One Piece's Elbaph Arc climax shocked all fans when Chapter 1179, which was officially published in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19 on April 6, 2026, he officially overthrew Nero Ima, king of the whole world, on Warland. Nero Imu's appearance in Elbaph was not at all expected, but against all odds, he shocked fans by showing up all alone to fight both Nika and Nidhoggr. Chapter 1180 of the manga, which was released the following week, followed with Imu knocking out Zoro, Sanji, and Hajrudin and starting a battle with the warrior god Elbaph Loki. This battle has continued ever since.

Meantime, One piece Chapter 1181 gave us our last look at Monkey D. Luffy as he continued to consume excessive amounts of food to prepare for his battle against Nero Imo. Obviously, Eiichiro Oda has already set up Luffy versus Ima based on the latest developments in the story. One piece Chapter 1183, which will be released on May 24, 2026, and the subsequent chapters will likely move the story in this direction, setting up the eventual clash of the Sun God Nik against the Demon God, the Devil God, Im.

“I need to eat more! I've never felt anything like this before! It's so hard and rough! What's with this guy's Haki?” — Monkey D. Luffy after sensing Imu's Haki in One Piece Chapter #1181

When comparing the strength of Luffy and Ima, it goes without saying that the former are no match at this point. In fact, he struggled to beat the likes of Kaido in the Wano Country Arc, and couldn't quite beat Kizaru in the Egghead game. For him to be able to fight on par against Nero Imu, who is significantly stronger than both of them, is absurd. Fortunately in One piece Chapter 1152, which was officially released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #30 on June 23, 2025, Eiichiro Oda officially prepared the Haki update for Monkey D. Luffy.

IN One piece Chapter 1152, Scopper Gaban specifically gave Luffy a lot of advice before going into battle against the Saint Knights. Gaban told him to keep in mind how to use his Conqueror's Haki properly, because that's the only way he'll realize that holy knights aren't immortal. This means that Gaban's message came after he saw Luffy's fight against him in chapter 1140 of the story. Gaban judged Luffy's use of the conqueror's haki to be weak and heartless. Luffy needs to know how to properly use his Conqueror's Haki if he is to fight and defeat the likes of Nerona Imu. Therefore, Eiichiro Oda prepared a big Haki upgrade for Luffy.

“You strawman! Make a mental note of how you use your High King color. They are not immortal!” — Scopper Gaban tells Luffy to use Haki properly, One Piece Chapter #1152

It's no surprise that Conqueror's Haki levels vary depending on the user. In One Piece Chapter 1122, which was officially published in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 36-37 on August 5, 2024, Joy Boy's Haki was first introduced. It was clearly seen that he was significantly stronger than Luffy's character or any other character that exists in the One Piece world as even Nero caused immense pain to Ima.

“Was that Haki even stronger than the Redhead? There was no hostility!” — Dorry and Brogy, One Piece Chapter 1123

Shanks has also demonstrated his Haki in several instances in the series, such as Chapter 1056 and then once again in Chapter 1079. With feats he was able to accomplish such as paralyzing an Admiral and defeating Eustace Kid and Killer with a single swing of his blade, Shanks demonstrated better Haki than Monkey D. Luffy. In order to stand up to the likes of Nerona Imu, Luffy has to stand on a similar level when it comes to Haki manipulation, and the climax of the Elbaph arc is this rise to the next level.

Why Luffy could also get the awakening ring in Elbaph Climax

While the Conqueror's Haki upgrade alone is enough to see Luffy compete against Imu at the highest level, Eiichiro Oda has been quietly preparing another upgrade for him. In the climax of the Elbaph arc, especially in chapters 1179 and beyond, Nerona Imu, the demon god of the One Piece world, manifested a black circle of flames behind him. Similarly, in One Piece chapter 1182, which was officially released on May 10, 2024, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue 24, the rain god Zaza, another god, was shown with a ring of water behind his back.

Luffy is a Sun God, but currently does not possess any ring, which could indicate that this power has not yet fully awakened within him. In the battle against Nero Ima, Luffy could evolve if he can truly awaken the power of the Sun God Nik by manifesting a circle of flames behind his back. This could bring out his true Gear 5 abilities and greatly increase his overall power level by giving him a massive power boost. It would also strengthen his Conqueror's Haki, since as confirmed by Rayleigh in chapter 597 of the story, Conqueror's Haki cannot be trained directly and instead grows stronger as the user grows stronger as well.

Although you can control the Supreme King's color, you cannot directly train it to be stronger. It is the embodiment of the spirit of the user. The only way to power it up is for the user to power it up. — Silvers Rayleigh to Monkey D. Luffy, One Piece Chapter 597

In any case, Luffy vs Imu will be very significant for the overall character development of the series' protagonist, both in terms of his role as Sun God Nika and the overall strength of the character. We absolutely cannot wait to see how this battle unfolds and how Luffy's new Haki power-up shapes his journey from here on out. One piece rushing towards the Great War and with it its ultimate end.

You can read the latest One Piece manga chapters through Manga Plus and Viz Media.