after a long wait, One piece is finally returning to the present timeline in Elbaf, and this return was celebrated by author Eiichiro Oda with the official start of the God vs. Devil battle that illuminates the climax of the arc. IN One piece Chapter 1186 Officially Released June 28, 2026 Monkey D. Luffy, who is known as the Sun God Nika, officially confronts Nerona Imu, the Devil God One piece world, for the first time ever, as the battlefield is set for what could potentially be the biggest battle in all of One Piece.
One Piece Chapter 1186 Officially Marks the Beginning of Sun God Nika Vs Devil God Nero Ima
After a very long wait, One piece Chapter 1186 was officially released on June 28, 2026 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #31. This chapter officially marked the conclusion of Brook's flashback where he explained how Princess Shuri was transported to the Holy Land of Marijoa and how Esperia was destroyed long ago. Just as Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, officially established the story line to rescue Princess Shuri, One Piece also kicked off its final Elbafian climax by having Monkey D. Luffy, the series' protagonist, engage in battle against Nero Ima. In One Piece Chapter 1181, which was officially released on April 27, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shounen Jump Double Issue #22-23, Eiichiro Oda showed Monkey D. Luffy consuming massive amounts of food in order to have enough energy to face Nero Ima in battle.
“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 eats food to fuel himself before the Imu battle, One Piece Chapter #1181
One Piece officially introduces the 3000 year old mythical Zoan
The Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit class is preparing to receive the new divine addition shown on Harley's mural in One Piece Chapter 1138.
IN One piece In Chapter 1186, Luffy officially declared that he now had enough power and couldn't imagine anyone in the world defeating him at this point. As such, Luffy charged into the battle with immense confidence and delivered a powerful strike coated in both the Armor Color and the Supreme King Color, right across Nerona Imu's face. This officially marked the beginning of the God vs. Devil battle at the conclusion of the Elbaf Arc, but it is most certainly a menacing battle that foreshadows the defeat of the Straw Hat Pirate.
The bad news guy is Elbaf's enemy, right? Then that means he is also my enemy. I am overflowing with power. I don't see anyone beating me right now.” — Monkey D. Luffy Declares himself invincible, One Piece Chapter #1186
Eiichiro Oda foreshadows Luffy's defeat vs Nero Ima
During the God vs. Devil battle where Nika faces Akuma One piece Chapter 1187 from July 5, 2026 onwards is sure to be incredibly exciting, it is highly likely that Luffy will lose this battle due to many reasons. It should be remembered that Monkey D. Luffy is facing the last antagonist One piecewho even managed to kill Joy Boy 800 years ago. He then played a major role in destroying the ancient kingdom and established a world government, placing himself at the top of it and ruling the world as its king for 800 years. It's practically impossible for such a character to fall in Elbaf, especially since the war against the world government hasn't even officially started yet.
Creator of World Government (one of the first 20)
Power: Akuma no Mi (Devil Fruit)
King of the World St. Nero Ima
— Nerona Imu Starter Box, One Piece Chapter #1179
Imu made an early appearance in Elbaf in One Piece Chapter 1179 on April 5, 2026 in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19, making the possibility of him being defeated here highly unlikely. More importantly, One Piece Chapter 1186 officially saw Luffy heading into battle, stating that he couldn't imagine losing to anyone in the world right now. This message from Luffy was very deliberately inserted into the chapter by Eiichiro Oda and is certainly very ominous. By stating that Luffy can't imagine losing in battle, Eiichiro Oda sets the stage for a complete flip of the script and the defeat of Monkey D. Luffy.
“Get out of Elbaf at once!” Luffy punches Ima in the face, One Piece Chapter #1186
Luffy has not been defeated in battle since One Piece Chapter 1042 on March 7, 2022, where Kaido officially unleashes Horai Hakke on him and kills him in battle. This eventually led to his Devil Fruit Awakening and the return of the Sun God Nika through Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika in One Piece Chapter 1044 March 28, 2022 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump #17. Since then, Luffy has had smooth sailing in the Grand Line, but now it's time for him to hit the wall again. This battle against Nero Ima will test Luffy and push him to the next level, but despite it all, Eiichiro Oda seems to be foreshadowing the Straw Hat Yonka's defeat in Elbaf.
Why can Elbaf still be saved from Imu because of Imu's time limit
Right now both Loki and Luffy are fighting Nero Ima and One piece Officially released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #32 on July 5, 2026, Chapter 1187 will continue this battle. We all expect Imu, the King of the World, to put on a strong showing in battle after being pummeled by Luffy, and the intensity will increase in the next few chapters of the series. As we mentioned earlier, Nerona Imu will probably be the winner of the battle against Luffy, but in the grand scheme of things, Elbaf can still be saved because Imu himself is in the exact timeline.
“Great Imu's body is not meant to maintain the exterior. But even if we overcome this, the power we need and the power we should destroy are right here. — Super Sommers explains Nero Ima's time limit, One Piece Chapter #1182
IN One piece In Chapter 1182, which was officially released in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #24 on May 10, 2026, Saint Sommers mentioned to Saint Killingham that Nerona Imu's body is not designed to be in the outside world and is therefore in a strict time limit. This was also highlighted in One Piece Chapter 1180 where Imu himself told Sommers that they have very little time and every second is precious. Additionally, when Imu landed in Elbaf in One Piece Chapter 1179, which was officially released on April 5, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump #19, we could see the King of the World spitting blood due to the lower world weakening him. As such, Nerona Imu is unable to maintain her powers for long, and this is directly supported by the narrative that Eiichiro Oda built in the climax of the Elbaf arc.
“Under no circumstances, Imu-sama, you must not leave Pangea Castle. We will send the naval admirals stationed at headquarters.” — The Five Elders plead with Ima not to go to Elbaf, One Piece Chapter #1179
Even if Im manages to defeat Luffy and Loki in the arc's climax, he may still run out of time and be forced to retreat to the Holy Land of Marijoa. In this sense, Eiichiro Oda can make Luffy face his first defeat since the Awakening of his Devil Fruit while also protecting Elbaf by making sure that Luffy can last long enough before he is finally defeated, forcing Nero Ima to retreat to the Holy Land. In other words, while the Devil would claim victory over the Sun God in a one-on-one duel, the overarching battle would be won by the Sun God by defending Elbaf against the threat of the Heavenly Dragons.
All One Piece manga chapters by Eiichiro Oda are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.
