One Piece Officially Teases The Identity Of The Forest God
On July 12, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33, One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda published the 1188th chapter of the series titled "Void." In this chapter, quite a lot of the focus was on the battle between Monkey D. Luffy, the Emperor of the Sea, and Nerona Imu, the King of the World. In the midst of it, Eiichiro Oda also made sure to throw in a lot of the lore pertaining to the world of One Piece.
One of the most exciting things that the creator of the series expanded upon was the Harley texts that were first revealed in One Piece Chapter 1138 on February 3, 2025. The latest One Piece release has now officially teased the identity of the Forest God, which was first mentioned in The Second World of the Harley and is a powerful deity that we are all eagerly waiting to see. The true identity of this deity might just be none other than Nerona Imu, based on the ability to wither away forests that was showcased first in One Piece Chapter 1188.
One Piece Chapter 1188 Teases Nerona Imu As The Forest God Of The World
One Piece Chapter 1188 was released officially on July 12, 2026, and it focused quite a lot on the various abilities of Nerona Imu. Previously, Imu showcased the Sword of Judgment: Stigma to us, and this ability was extensively used in Chapter 1188 as well. Thanks to Monkey D. Luffy's latest Devil Fruit transformation called Gomu Gomu no Majin, which allowed him to transform into a Genie, he was successfully able to avoid the powerful hit from this Stigma. However, the ability that Imu utilized shortly after, that is, the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu, proved to be way too strong for Luffy. Utilizing this new ability, Nerona Imu was able to leap into the air at such a blistering pace that Gear 5 Luffy could not see him coming. Immediately after, Luffy was pierced right through his torso and completely defeated.
"Of course I know that thou art not Joy Boy! Joy Boy was not this weak!!" — Nerona Imu declares Luffy weak, One Piece Chapter #1188
What made this even more shocking was Nerona Imu declaring Luffy way too weak, despite being the Sun God Nika, having awakened his Devil Fruit as well as mastering all three types of Haki. At this point, it is clear that Luffy is way too weak to fight against Nerona Imu. This was quite a shocking scene for all of us fans to absorb, but what made it even more special was the ability that Imu utilized to beat Luffy. When he tapped into his power of Omen, which stems from his Akuma no Mi, to create the Sword of Nothingness: Vohu, the vegetation stemming from the Adam Tree immediately withered and, at one point, was completely destroyed. With this ability, Imu was able to clear up an entire forest in the blink of an eye, which even Luffy stated himself.
Imu: Blade of Nothingness: Vohu!
Luffy: What? The forest withered away!
Imu: The view is far clearer now.
Luffy: Same from up here!
— Exchange showing Imu's Blade of Nothingness: Vohu, One Piece Chapter #1188
When Imu used Vohu, his surroundings were immediately affected, and it was as if he had some level of control over the forests. Similarly, when Nerona Imu arrived in Elbaf in One Piece Chapter 1179, which was officially released on April 5, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19, the surrounding forest immediately took on a demonic life of its own and developed devil faces. When Imu left the area, these faces disappeared with him, which once again suggests that he might have some level of demonic manipulation that affects forests specifically. Tying that together with a new release of One Piece Chapter 1188, where Nerona Imu was able to drain the life from the forest itself, it makes sense to see him as the Forest God of the world.
Why Nerona Imu Being The Forest God Lines Up With Harley Lore
Nerona Imu being the Forest God of the One Piece world, also lines up perfectly with the lore mentioned in the Harley, which was officially released in One Piece Chapter 1138 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #10 on February 3, 2025. In this release, The Harley officially stated that the Forest God emerged in the Second World following the inception of Breath, and immediately after, the Forest God sent forth demons. This piece of lore lines up perfectly with Nerona Imu.
"Within the Void, there was breath. The Forest God tamed the demons, and the Sun spread the fires of war. Those of the half moon dreamed. Those of the moon dreamed. Man killed the Sun and became God, and the Sea God stormed. And they'll never meet again." — The Harley introduces the Forest God, One Piece Chapter #1138
For one, Nerona Imu's Sword of Nothingness directly correlates to the first opening line in the Harley, which said that in nothingness, there was Breath. The same terminology is used for Nerona Imu's sword, which suggests that this nothingness came from Nerona Imu's sword, and from this nothingness, life was born once again. As that happened, the Forest God sent forth demons once again. Imu's ability to manipulate the forest, which was shown once again in One Piece Chapter 1188 on July 12, 2026, comes into play here.
What makes it even more accurate is the fact that the Demons Forest God sends are akin to the Five Elders, those who are Domi Reversed, as well as the Holy Knights. All of these have demonic powers, which stem directly from Imu's Akuma no Mi. In other words, Imu has the Forest God Devil Fruit, which allows him to send forth demons, just as was stated in the Harley, making it the perfect parallel between the two.
How Imu's Forest God Powers Established The World Government
If the lore pertaining to The Harley is to be believed, then it makes sense as to how the Forest God ended up creating the World Government. For one, the Forest God's main role is to send forth demons and unleash powers upon the Second World of One Piece. This makes sense when taking into consideration all the powerful allies of Nerona Imu. Imu's allies are currently all in Marijoa, and they were once the 20 Kingdoms that united to fight the threat of the Ancient Kingdom. All of these families currently reside in the Holy Land, other than the Nefertari Family, and all of them have uniquely powerful Demons within the ranks of the Holy Knights who defend the Holy Land.
Similarly, the Five Elders also stem from these 20 kings and hold demonic abilities. As such, all of them have been sent forth by the Forest God in one way or another, and it makes sense for the Forest God to be none other than Nerona Imu in that case. Simply put, Nerona Imu utilized the power of the Akuma no Mi, which is quite clearly the most powerful Devil Fruit to exist in the world of One Piece, and assumed the role of the Forest God then.
Upon assuming the Forest God role, Nerona Imu unleashed the demons of the Holy Knights, the Five Elders, and the Domi Reversed slaves, using which he then went on to crush the Ancient Kingdom and eventually kill Joy Boy. Following this battle, Nerona Imu was crowned as the King of the World, as was officially confirmed to us in One Piece Chapter 906, on June 4, 2018. Now, Nerona Imu is looking to utilize the power of the Forest God Fruit once again in Elbaf, and it will be interesting to see how this battle develops in the weeks and months to come.
All chapters of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece 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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