One Piece sets up a new Bounty Upgrade for Luffy after Elbaf

Elbaf Arch One piece is currently in its climax with the release of chapter 1184 on May 31, 2024, which continues the Esperia Kingdom flashback. While this flashback is expected to continue for a few more chapters and show Brook and Princess Shuri's past along with the destruction of the kingdom of Esperia, the series is set to return to the current timeline where the battle against Nero Im, the King of the World, is expected to continue.

Previously, One Piece Chapter 1181 officially prepared Monkey D. Luffy to join this battle on April 27, 2026, and it's only a matter of time before he takes his power to the next level. Subsequently, after the events of the Elbaf Arc, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the series, officially set a reward increase for the Straw Hat captain.

Eiichiro Oda stages Luffy's greatest battle against Nero Ima after the Esperia Kingdom flashback

The Elbaf arc of One Piece proved to be Monkey D. Luffy's biggest challenge yet as he finally faced off against the Holy Knights who were officially introduced in One Piece Chapter 1134 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 4-5 December 24, 2024 December 29, 2024 Chapter April 2016 Nero I61. in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 19. While Luffy has fought some very strong enemies recently, Nerona Imu is the strongest enemy he has faced in battle yet, and fighting him requires the Straw Hat captain to be on a completely different level of strength.

One piece Chapter 1181, released on April 27, 2026, saw Monkey D. Luffy consuming massive amounts of food in order to fight Nero Ima after he realized that his Haki power was on a whole other level. With Loki currently doing everything he can against Imo, Luffy will surely join the battle within a few chapters after the series returns to the current timeline after Brook's flashback.

Image by Toei Animation

Once this battle begins, Monkey D. Luffy will surely be pushed to the absolute limit, just like in many other battles where he was outclassed by the enemy. In Luffy's battle against Imo, he takes his Gear 5's abilities to a whole new level. At the same time, it will also force him to upgrade his Haki. As mentioned by Rayleigh v One piece Chapter 886, which was officially released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue #52 on November 27, 2017, the true power of Haki can only blossom in the midst of battle. As such, Luffy is expected to gain a significant power buff in his fight against Nero Ima.

“Luffy, I trained you. But the true power of Haki only blossoms in the heat of battle. The more you face stronger enemies, the stronger you become!” — Silvers Rayleigh explains Haki power-ups, One Piece Chapter #886

While winning against Imu is impossible, Eiichiro Oda cleverly weaved a time limit on Imu, which the author repeatedly pointed out in chapters 1180 and 1182. This time limit means that Luffy can both be weaker than Imu, yet still be able to successfully hold his own in a battle against the King of the World. As such, this battle will take Luffy to a whole new level of power and along with it will also grant him a huge reward.

Luffy's new level versus Imu makes him worthy of a new reward

WITH One piece with chapters 1180 and 1182 officially setting the time limit for Nero Ima, it's clear that Elbaf won't be long. If Luffy and the Straw Hats managed to hold out and defend the land for the allotted time, they would face the strongest force in the entire world and secure a grand alliance with the Cursed Prince Loki as well as all of Elbaf. In the eyes of the world government, this is no doubt a significant and dangerous move by Captain Straw Hat and the Yonko crew. Subsequently, their shame and overall strength will increase in their eyes, which will most likely lead to new rewards.

Plus, the battle between Luffy and Imu probably won't be as one-sided as fans think. While Imu is clearly the stronger of the two, Luffy is very likely to land a few punches on the King of the World, and as such, learn new Haki applications in the process, as well as potentially taking the power of his Gear 5 to a whole new level. Luffy gaining new power just like Zoro and Sanji in Elbaf is a given and with that comes his rise to elite pirate status.

Luffy's reward of 3 billion was his breakthrough reward for becoming an emperor-level pirate. Now that his Haki has greatly improved in Elbaf, specifically after Scopper Gabbana's message in One Piece Chapter 1152 on June 23, 2026, and when he fought Nero Ima in the climax of the arc, it is sure to make him an even more famous pirate, pushing him to a higher level of infamy and giving him a significantly higher reward.

Why Eiichiro Oda's Next Arc Tease Sets Up Luffy's Reward Increase

Image via Toei Animation

During Jump Festa 2026, Eiichiro Oda teased a new arc for One piecewhich sees Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates set sail to an island where only the Pirate King has set foot before. This new island could be either Laugh Tale or potentially Lodestar Island. Eiichiro Oda also stated in his message that a year of meetings will unfold after the events of Elbaf. This means that enemies and friends who have known each other for years will come face to face. This means that a major Luffy and Shanks reunion is on the cards, and when it happens, the Straw Hat Captain must be on a similar power level to the Red-Haired Emperor. Since Shanks' current bounty is 4.0489 billion berries, Luffy's bounty should also be close to the 4 billion mark, which is what we think his bounty will be.

“An island where only the Pirate King has ever gone!? A man marked by flames appears!! Two people who have never crossed paths finally meet!! And the two also run into each other! Will there be a full-fledged reunion festival next year?

The story is moving at lightning speed, but unfortunately I'm getting old, so even if I take care of my health, I'll continue to sail through One Piece at the fastest pace yet for the next year – steady and full strength. The festival is upon us!!” — Eiichiro Oda, Jump Festa 2026

This would also match Luffy's reward increase in the Paramount War. After the events of Enies Lobby, One Piece Chapter 435 officially revealed Luffy's 300 million bounty. After the Paramount War, it was confirmed that Luffy's bounty increased to 400 million berries as confirmed in One Piece Chapter 601. Right now, Luffy has a bounty of 3 billion berries, which was officially confirmed in One Piece Chapter 1053 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 2002, 2029 on June. 4 billion berries, which would then create a perfect parallel for the straw hat captain with an early story jump, and that's something we're all anxiously awaiting.

All the latest One Piece chapters by Eiichiro Oda are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.