One Piece Officially Introduces A New 800 Year Old God
On July 12, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33, Eiichiro Oda published One Piece Chapter 1188 and officially unveiled a ton of exciting lore pertaining to the Void Century, as well as the abilities of the Gods that existed before in the world.
Ever since the reveal of the Harley in One Piece Chapter 1138 on February 3, 2025, we have been fascinated by the God lore of the One Piece world. To that end, Chapter 1188 gave us a proper look at an 800-year-old God, and that is none other than the former Sun God, Joy Boy. By showcasing a brief flashback between Nerona and Joy Boy, Eiichiro Oda gave us a unique look at the strongest character in the world from 800 years ago, and the man whom even Nerona fears as the true Sun God.
One Piece Chapter 1188 Officially Gives First Look At 800-Year Old Sun God Nika
The world of One Piece is incredibly vast, and Eiichiro Oda has built up a story with various time periods, unique timelines, and even different worlds of their own. Eiichiro Oda has crafted an absolute monstrosity of a story, and the depth it carries is absolutely immense. This is why every bit of lore that Eiichiro Oda reveals to us with each passing arc is extremely important. When Nerona Imu arrived in Elbaf in One Piece Chapter 1179 on April 5, 2026, it opened up the room for even further exposition and major reveals, and this was further expanded upon in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33. In One Piece Chapter 1188, Oda showcased Joy Boy for the very first time. Previously, in the Egghead Arc, Joy Boy was shown in silhouette briefly at the end when he spoke to Emeth, and sealed the strongest form of his Haki inside him.
"I've tried a knot of the greatest Haki and locked it inside your body. You're going to keep on living long after I'm dead. There will come a day when I can't help you anymore." — Oda shows Joy Boy and Emeth’s bond, One Piece Chapter #1122
In One Piece Chapter 1122, Joy Boy's face was not visible at all, and we could only see a silhouette. In One Piece Chapter 1189, Eiichiro Oda took things a step further and showcased Joy Boy's face for the very first time. This happened as a conversation between Nerona Imu and Joy Boy was given to us. This conversation was from the time they first met, and it appears that Imu was stranded somewhere, needing help. To that end, Imu made some calls to people at sea, and the one who received his call was none other than Joy Boy.
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!
— Exchange showing the first meeting of Imu and Joy Boy, One Piece Chapter #1188
This was their first meeting, and what is extremely striking here is that back then, Nerona Imu was actually quite innocent and timid, based on the way he spoke in Japanese. Now, Imu is incredibly boastful, arrogant, and demonic in nature, which suggests that a massive shift took place at some point, or that Nerona Imu himself was corrupted with the power of the Akuma no Mi.
In either case, Eiichiro Oda unveiled to us an 800-year-old God in this chapter, as the true sun god Nika was showcased. What made this massive reveal of the 800-year-old Sun God even more special was Nerona Imu stating at the end of the chapter that Luffy, despite being a Sun God on his own, is nowhere close to Joy Boy in power. In other words, this was Oda's way of saying that Joy Boy was the one true Sun God Nika from 800 years ago and that his powers were above anything else seen in the story.
Joy Boy Fought As Nika Against The World Government 800 Years Ago
As Eiichiro Oda expands upon the lore of the One Piece world, we will gradually start seeing bits and pieces from the Void Century itself. So far, Oda has already revealed two unique flashbacks from the Void Century, with Chapter 1122 delivering the first one and Chapter 1188 delivering the second one. This suggests that One Piece is slowly edging closer to its end and will wrap up sooner rather than later, but with a few more arcs still to go, it will still take some time for the full Void Century flashback to be explored.
"Domination is the only true bliss in this world. Isn't that right, Joy Boy!” — Nerona Imu recalls his conversation with Joy Boy, One Piece Chapter #1181
Thankfully, every time Nerona Imu fights a battle, unique exposition to the Void Century will be given. This was already seen in Loki's battle against Imu in One Piece Chapter 1183, where Douzan, the former God of War of Elbaf, was brought up for the first time. Similarly, Imu's battle against Luffy brought memories of the Void Century about Joy Boy, which means as this fight continues, we will continue seeing more of this old time period.
"Monkey D. Luffy, Loki! It's clear that neither of you will submit to be slave soldiers. So, Mu will erase you, just like Douzan!" — Nerona Imu, One Piece Chapter #1183.
As we know, during the Void Century, Joy Boy fought against the World Government, and it is possible that a glimpse of this battle will be given to us in the upcoming chapters. We also know that at the end of the 100-year Void, Joy Boy officially died, and Imu was victorious. This led to the banding together of the 20 Kings and the creation of the World Government as we know it today in the world of One Piece.
Why Joy Boy's Nika Form Was Far Stronger Than Luffy's
Another interesting thing that One Piece Chapter 1188 confirmed to us upon the reveal of the 800-year-old God is that Joy Boy was a much stronger Nika than Luffy. In fact, when Imu fought Luffy in his Gear 5, he was rather disappointed at the latter’s weakness, despite him being at the peak of his powers. This disappointment was cleared to see when Imu stabbed Luffy with the Sword of Nothingness: Vofu and declared that Luffy was way too weak to be called Joy Boy. In other words, Imu finds it disrespectful for Luffy to be compared to the man who was once his friend and who he then fought and defeated in a 100-year war to claim control over the entire world.
“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
One Piece Chapter 1044, released on March 28, 2022, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17, marked the return of Joy Boy after 800 years, when Luffy awakened it in the fight against Kaido. However, there is no comparison between his strength and that of Joy Boy. This was officially confirmed to us first in One Piece Chapter 1122, when Joy Boy's Haki was unleashed in Egghead and proved to be strong enough to nullify the powers of the Five Elders as well as bring even Nerona Imu to his knees, and then again in Chapter 1188 after Luffy's defeat. Luffy stands nowhere close to this level at this point, and to Imu, his mere existence as the Sun God is a disrespect to Joy Boy. This goes to show that, despite being rivals with Joy Boy, Nerona Imu actually does respect him quite a bit, and it will be interesting to see how Oda explores their relationship further in the future.
The latest chapters of the One Piece manga 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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