One Piece's New Power Officially Surpasses Haki & Devil Fruit
On July 12, 2026, One Piece marked the release of its 1188th chapter titled "Vohu," and this chapter showcased the biggest and most anticipated fight in the entire series, Luffy vs Imu. While this fight is far from over, Monkey D. Luffy has officially suffered defeat in the first round, falling to the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu, from Nerona Imu.
This blade was created directly by Imu, utilizing a brand new power system that revolves around the usage of a dark ability known as Omen or Maki. While initially introduced in One Piece Chapter 1180 on April 20, 2026, Nerona Imu's Omen has now officially made itself the strongest power system after piercing through Luffy's Haki, as well as overwhelming his Devil Fruit powers.
One Piece Chapter 1188 Officially Confirms Omen To Be Stronger Than Devil Fruit And Haki
The power of Omen was first mentioned by Nerona Imu in One Piece Chapter 1180 when he utilized it immediately upon his descent on Elbaf. Following this surprising arrival, Nerona Imu quickly went to Saint Sommers and gave him a ring of black flames, which floated over his head. Immediately after, Zoro launched a powerful attack at Imu and was immediately defeated within a matter of seconds. Similarly, he then flew to the location of Saint Killingham, gave him a ring of black flames on his head, and defeated Sanji while he was at it.
Chopper: What are these black flames?
Sommers: This is it! an Omen!
Imu: Quickly, Sommers. There's no time to waste.
— Nerona Imu grants an Omen to Sommers, One Piece Chapter #1180
It was quite clear for all of us to see that Nerona Imu was utilizing a power that we had never seen exist before in the world of One Piece. This ability was later explained to be Omen in One Piece Chapter 1181, on April 27, 2026. According to Nerona Imu himself, Omen, or Maki, is an ability that is very similar to Haki. In One Piece Chapter 597, Rayleigh explained Haki to be a power that exists within all living things. In One Piece Chapter 1181, Imu explained that Omen, or Maki, exists within all living things in the world as well.
"Omen is my military might. It's a power that dwells within all living things. People crave power. However, if the power they crave is obtained through ease, it leads to corruption." — Nerona Imu explains Omen, One Piece Chapter #1181
In essence, all characters that exist in One Piece, including Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, or any of the Straw Hats, have the power of Omen within them. Yet this power is not awakened by all, just like Haki, and only Imu knows how to tap into the power of Omen. This ability is bestowed to him using the Akuma no Mi, which is a unique Devil Fruit that stands atop all others in the world of One Piece and probably is in a classification of its own.
Since the introduction of Omen in One Piece chapter 1180 on April 20, 2026, this new power system has gone on to repeatedly overwhelm both Devil Fruit as well as Haki abilities. Be it powerful Devil Fruit abilities of Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Nidhoggr, which Loki unleashed first in One Piece chapter 1175 on March 2, 2026, or Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, which debuted on March 28, 2022, in One Piece in chapter 1044, Nerona Imu's Omen surpasses them both.
"Of course I know that thou art not Joy Boy! Joy Boy was not this weak!!" — Nerona Imu beats Luffy with Omen, One Piece Chapter #1188
Furthermore, even powerful Haki users such as Luffy and Loki have both been overwhelmed by Nerona Imu's Omen. The best display of this was given to us in One Piece Chapter 1189 on July 12, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33, when Imu utilized his Omen to create Wohu, stabbed Luffy right through the gut, and defeated him.
Why Omen Stands As One Piece's New Power System
As is quite clear, Nerona Imu's usage of Omen surpasses both Devil Fruit as well as Haki abilities, and what makes it a true power system is Imu's confirmation that this ability exists within all living things. It appears that Omen can only be brought to the surface by Nerona Imu utilizing his demon powers. Regardless, there are some characters who can easily make use of it. These characters are none other than Imu's very own Holy Knights as well as the Five Elders, or anyone else that he turns using his ability.
“You have no idea how strong we are at the moment.” — Saint Sommers hypes up the power of Omen, One Piece Chapter #1187
Saint Killingham and Sommers have already started making use of Omen in battle against Zoro and Sanji, and similarly, Imu can give this power and extend it to any other Holy Knight or Five Elder, making them much stronger. There are other characters that exist in the world of One Piece that can potentially go on to tap into this unique power system as well, and the Final War will likely see them come into play.
One Piece's Final War Will Expand Significantly On Omen
Among the Straw Hat Pirates, the ones who have uniquely tapped into the power of demons are Zoro, Sanji, and Nico Robin. These characters could potentially go on to tap into Omen or Maki at some point in the story. With Zoro, Omen would likely stem from the power of Asura which is officially termed to be “demonic,” while for Sanji, it could stem from the demonic fire-based abilities of Ifrit Jambe in the future. Similarly, Nico Robin has her own transformation of Demonio Fleur which could potentially allow her tap into Omen.
“I'll be a Devil if that's what it takes to help the people that count on me.” — Nico Robin, One Piece Chapter #1021
As the final war of One Piece unfolds, these characters are going to be pushed to the extreme limits and be forced to evolve even further in the midst of battle. It is here that this power system could be extended to the Straw Hat Pirates as well, alongside the Five Elders and the Holy Knights. We absolutely cannot wait to see how Eiichiro Oda builds this power system further in the future of One Piece. For now, Nerona Imu, Saint Killingham, and Sommers remain to be its first three users, but we are sure that many other powerful users will showcase even greater feats than the Holy Knights in the future. All we need to do is wait and witness how Nerona Imu continues to demonstrate the incredible abilities of this new power system against Monkey D. Luffy in Elbaf.
All the new 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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