One Piece Brings Back Another User Of Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika
One Piece Chapter 1188 was significant both in terms of building the Elbaf Arc narrative and, at the same time, revealing key bits of lore to all of us fans. Through the incredible battle of Nerona Imu and Monkey D. Luffy, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the series, unveiled key bits of lore from around 900 years ago in the One Piece world.
This lore was revealed in the very beginning of the chapter, where a conversation between Nerona Imu and the previous user of the Hito Hito no Mi, that is, Joy Boy, was showcased. In doing so, Eiichiro Oda unveiled the true face of Joy Boy for the very first time and, at the same time, also hyped up the immense power of the previous user of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika
One Piece Chapter 1188 Gives First Look At The Former Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika - Joy Boy's Face
One Piece Chapter 1188 began on a rather surprising note as a mini flashback between Nerona Imu and Joy Boy was explored. In this flashback, their first meeting was shown to us, and it appears that Joy Boy and Imu's first contact came through a Dendenmushi call. In this call, Imu was seen calling for help, and the one who answered the call was none other than Joy Boy. What's especially surprising is that back then, Imu was quite a timid person with a certain level of innocence to the character. The current Imu we see is incredibly boastful and full of arrogance, which suggests that at some point, Imu himself was corrupted through the Akuma no Mi.
Imu: Hello? Hello, Come in? Joy Boy: Hello? Hmm? What? Who are you? Imu: Mu? I am...Imu! Who art thou? Joy Boy: Oh...me? I'm Joy Boy!
— Oda shows the first meeting of Imu and Joy Boy, One Piece Chapter #1188
Regardless, the key important detail here is the face of the former Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika user, Joy Boy. One Piece Chapter 1188 gave us our first glimpse of his face, although only the lower half was visible. It is clear that Joy Boy's face looks remarkably similar to that of Luffy, but nothing about his hair or his eyes was revealed to us.
Upon the first meeting between Nerona Imu, and Joy Boy, the two went on to become friends. This was once again highlighted in One Piece Chapter 1181, which was officially released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 22-23 on April 27, 2026. In this chapter, both Joy Boy and Imu were seen talking to each other, explaining their way of how the world order should be. Clearly, it is this difference in opinion that caused them to split up at some point and be on opposing ends.
"Domination is the only true bliss in this world. Isn't that right, Joy Boy!" — Nerona Imu recalls his past with Joy Boy, One Piece Chapter #1181
While Joy Boy believed that the world should be free and people should be allowed to live the way they want, Imu believed domination to be the only true bliss in the world. This was also officially confirmed by Eiichiro Oda in One Piece Chapter 1181 on April 27. Through this brief appearance of Nerona Imu in Elbaf, Oda has already delivered a lot of exposition to the relationship between these two individuals from the Void Century, which is something that we are incredibly glad about.
One Piece Will Officially Give First Look At Joy Boy And Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika Through Imu
Continuing the tradition of focusing on Imu's mini-flashbacks, it is highly likely that, moving forward with One Piece Chapter 1189, which is set to be released on July 26, 2026, Nerona Imu will once again give us a glimpse of Joy Boy's face and potentially reveal even more details about the former user of the Hito Hito no Mi Model: Nika.
"Of course I know that thou art not Joy Boy! Joy Boy was not this weak!!" — Nerona Imu calls Luffy weak, One Piece Chapter #1188
As things stand, Imu is only being reminded of Joy Boy due to the presence of Luffy. While in One Piece Chapter 1188, Nerona Imu stabbed Luffy directly through the torso with the Blade of Nothingness: Vofu, this battle is far from over. Luffy's resurgence in battle is highly likely to happen sooner rather than later, especially as Sanji and Zoro take down Sommers and Killingham, weakening Imu in the process. As that happens, Monkey D. Luffy will likely be resurgent once again, and Imu could potentially get even more flashbacks of his time with Joy Boy. In other words, the end of the Elbaf arc might reveal the full design of Joy Boy, the former Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika user, to us for the very first time. This is something that we absolutely cannot wait to see in the story.
Why Joy Boy Was A Far Better Hito Hito no Mi User Than Luffy
While One Piece Chapter 1188 delivered a glimpse of Joy Boy on July 12, 2026, it also did a lot for building up the immense aura of invincibility around him. While Luffy and Joy Boy wield the same abilities, it is now a confirmed fact that Joy Boy was far stronger than Luffy is at the moment. At the end of One Piece Chapter 1188, Nerona Imu stabbed Luffy right through the chest and expressed his disappointment at fighting him in battle. Imu also confirmed that Luffy could never be Joy Boy because there was no way Joy Boy would be as weak as he was. This is damning evidence of the fact that Joy Boy was on a completely different level and that Luffy needs to evolve further, possibly evolving to powers such as Gear 6 if he wishes to truly stop Nerona Imu.
Imu: Blade of Nothingness: Vohu!
Luffy: What? The forest withered away!
Imu: The view is far clearer now.
Luffy: Same from up here!
— Imu Unveils the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu, One Piece Chapter #1188
Clearly, Joy Boy's usage of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, was on a completely different level from Luffy's. If the Straw Hat pirate wishes to truly surpass the Four Emperors and become the Pirate King, then he needs to evolve his strength accordingly. For now, Luffy is too weak, but an evolution is bound to follow because, as is always the case, he always bounces right back up.
All the new One Piece manga chapters 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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