After 5 Years, One Piece Officially Crushes Luffy's Gear 5
One Piece chapter 1188 was released officially on July 12, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33, and in this week's chapter, we finally got to see the much-awaited battle between Yonko Monkey D. Luffy and the King of the World, Nerona Imu. This battle has been hyped up ever since the initial introduction of Nerona Imu in One Piece Chapter 906 on June 4, 2018, and finally, Eiichiro Oda delivered it in the climax of the Elbaf Arc.
While most of us expected Monkey D. Luffy to impress against Nerona Imu, especially after eating as much as he potentially could, this week's chapter officially confirmed to us that Luffy, despite using the all-powerful Gear 5, lost the battle. Since the fall of Big Mom and Kaido being officially confirmed in One Piece chapter 1050, Luffy becomes the first Yonko to fall in battle, which is both intriguing and terrifying at the same time.
One Piece Chapter 1188 Officially Confirms The Defeat Of Full-Powered Gear 5 Luffy Vs Imu
At the end of One Piece Chapter 1186, which was released officially on June 28, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #31, Monkey D. Luffy joined the battle against Nerona Imu right at the very end. This was a glorious moment for all of us to witness, and it carried on to One Piece 1187, which was released on July 5, 2026, in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #32. In this chapter, Luffy began his fight against Imu by transforming into Gear 5 at the end of the chapter.
Imu: So thou hast finally shown thyself, Joy Boy!
Luffy: Don't go calling me whatever you want. I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the King of the Pirates.
— Luffy Vs Imu begins, One Piece Chapter #1187
One Piece 1188 continued this battle for the most part, and needless to say, it was an exciting clash that we all absolutely loved, with Luffy utilizing his Gomu Gomu no Majin, a brand-new transformation, for the very first time and even managing to hold his own against Imu. It was truly a fantastic clash for us to witness. However, at the end of this clash, there was only going to be one winner, and that turned out to be none other than Nerona Imu. At the very end of One Piece 1188, Nerona Imu utilized his Omen powers to produce a special sword, called the Blade of Void: Boufu, to strike Luffy directly through the chest.
Now, Monkey D. Luffy has lost the first round of his battle against Nerona Imu, and what's even worse is that the difference in strength between the two is apparent for all to see. Luffy might be one of the strongest Yonko, especially with his awakened Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, but he is most certainly not powerful enough to defeat Nerona Imu or even have Imu take him seriously in battle, which once again solidifies the need for him to receive more power-ups.
"It is clear that thou art not Joy Boy. Joy Boy would never be this weak." — Imu crushes Gear 5 Luffy, One Piece Chapter #1188
Nerona Imu Labels Luffy’s Gear 5 'Too Weak'
As One Piece Chapter 1188 officially marked the defeat of Yonko Luffy, it also highlighted the gulf that exists between the King of the World and the Emperors of the Sea. Luffy is an incredibly powerful pirate, but against Nerona Imu, he cannot even last a single chapter in combat. What's worse, Nerona Imu even taunted Luffy by saying that there is no way he could be Joy Boy since he was too weak. As Joy Boy's biggest rival and the one who eventually won over him, Nerona Imu knows very well that Joy Boy was a monstrously powerful entity. Yet, when fighting against Luffy, Imu did not get the same enjoyment. In fact, Imu clearly expressed his disappointment in One Piece Chapter #1188 on July 12, 2026.
“Did thou not just boast about seeing what became of Loki and his Giant body?” — Nerona Imu warns Luffy of impending defeat, One Piece Chapter #1188
This is damning evidence of the fact that Luffy, despite having access to his Sun God Nika form thanks to Gear 5, is still far from reaching his full potential and that, as things stand, he is nowhere close to the top of the world in terms of strength. Furthermore, this also confirms to us that, just like Luffy, every other Emperor of the Sea that exists in the world of One Piece is no match for Nerona Imu, and that only a select few can stand in battle against him.
Why Monkey D. Luffy Could Get A Strength Boost In Elbaf Arc Climax
As was officially confirmed in this week's chapter, Monkey D. Luffy is way too weak to rival Imu in battle, and this is precisely why he deserves a significant power-up. In One Piece Chapter 1044, which was released officially on March 28, 2022, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17, Luffy awakened the power of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, for the first time. Back then, he claimed that this power was the peak of his Devil Fruit abilities. That said, it is possible that Luffy has not fully tapped into his Awakening just yet. Curiously, One Piece Chapter #1044 and all the subsequent chapters label Luffy as the Sun God, yet Luffy has yet to utilize the power of the sun in combat.
"Possessing a body with the powers of rubber, and fighting in whatever way he fancies, bringing smiles to the faces of people, the Warrior of Liberation...also known as the Sun God, Nika!" - Eiichiro Oda explains Luffy's Sun God powers, One Piece Chapter #1044
Another intriguing point to note is that when Nerona Imu made his debut in One Piece Chapter 1179 on April 5, 2026, in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19, he displayed a ring of black flames behind his back. Similarly, when Rain God Zaza made her appearance in One Piece Chapter 1182 on May 10, 2026, in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #24, she had a water ring behind her back. Given that these godly entities hold giant elemental rings behind them, Luffy, who was also a God, could potentially have a ring of his own. If Luffy gains a sun ring behind his back, then perhaps his Awakening will finally be completed, and this is the form that he could officially call Gear 6.
For now, this is all a theory on our part, but we strongly believe that Monkey D. Luffy needs further power-ups if he is to defeat Nerona Imu in battle. Consequently, by growing in terms of strength and unlocking the true power of Gear 5, Luffy's Conqueror's Haki would also receive a significant buff, and this is because the level of Conqueror's Haki is directly proportional to the overall power level of an individual, as confirmed by Rayleigh in One Piece Chapter 597.
The latest manga chapters of One Piece by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
One Piece
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
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