One Piece Officially Shows The Strongest Devil Fruit With Imu’s Elbaph Debut

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The Elbaph arc of One Piece is full of surprises, and the newest chapter delivered another big one with the first appearance of Saint Imu Nerona, one of the original 20 leaders of the Warland. It’s now clear that Saint Imu is the main villain of this arc, standing between Luffy, Loki, and all the other fighters on the island. By introducing the series’ strongest character to Elbaph, the author, Oda, has also unveiled the most powerful Devil Fruit ability – simply known as “the fruit of the devil” itself.

Analyzing The Reason Behind Saint Imu Nerona’s Arrival In The Land Of Giants

From the start of the Elbaf arc, it was obvious Eiichiro Oda was doing things differently. Unlike most arcs, there wasn’t an immediately clear villain, making it hard to predict who the main enemy would be. Considering the Five Elders were the major threat in the Egghead arc, fans speculated that Oda would raise the stakes even higher by introducing Saint Imu Nerona, the world’s ruler, as the ultimate antagonist – and many believed that’s exactly what would happen.

I was completely shocked in One Piece chapter 1178 when Oda revealed Imu actually left Mary Geoise! For hundreds of years, this person hadn’t left the Holy Land, and suddenly they were heading to Warland Elbaph. It was a huge moment – we finally saw Imu’s true form and a glimpse of their incredible power. Apparently, the reason for this trip was to directly confront both Nidhogg and Nika. Imu clearly believes that completely wiping them out is essential to establishing the order they envision, and they weren’t willing to trust such a critical task to anyone else – not even the Elders or the Admirals. That’s why Saint Imu Nerona is there in person.

Breaking Down Imu’s ‘Devil Fruit’ Ability

I was really surprised by everything Oda revealed about Imu in the latest chapter! It seems Imu’s Devil Fruit power is something completely different than what most fans, myself included, expected. What’s most shocking is that the fruit doesn’t even have a regular name – it’s just called “the Devil Fruit” or “the Fruit of the Devil.” It really feels like Oda is establishing this as the most powerful Devil Fruit in the One Piece world. I get the impression that with this fruit, Imu has control over all other Devil Fruits and, consequently, holds the ultimate authority.

Imu’s Devil Fruit power appears to be linked to actual magic. He can make deals, or Contracts, with his followers – like the Five Elders and the Holy Knights – and even turn enemies into puppets using these Contracts. He also has a special book, a grimoire, that lets him summon powerful weapons for battle, as seen when he summoned a shotgun that injured Brogy. Hints from the Reverie Arc suggest Imu can also transform into a different creature, and he seems to be immortal or untouchable. This combination of abilities leads to the theory that his Devil Fruit is the strongest in One Piece, potentially combining the powers of all Logia, Paramecia, and Zoan types.

Why The World Sovereign Has Awakened His Power

In the world of One Piece, cloud-like rings appearing around someone’s neck usually mean their Devil Fruit power has awakened. We see this with Luffy’s Gear 5, which creates a white ring, and with Rob Lucci and Kaku, who develop black rings when they awaken their abilities. The Gorosei (Five Elders) all have these black rings as well, and Shamrock’s Cerberus ability also displays this feature, further hinting at awakened powers.

Five Elders, Mu shall leave the Holy Land for a short while. — Saint Imu Nerona in One Piece 1178

Imu now has a distinctive neck ring covered in eyes, signaling that their powers have fully awakened. Fans would expect this level of ability from the story’s main villain. Imu’s ability to grant powers to objects and transform them into monstrous creatures strongly suggests a Devil Fruit Awakening. While the full extent of this power remains unknown – Oda hasn’t revealed all the details – it’s likely that Imu’s awakened Devil Fruit will be the most powerful one in the entire One Piece world.

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Gauging The Overall Strength Of The World’s Strongest

Imu’s powers have now fully awakened, and combined with his immense Haki, he’s established himself as the strongest character in One Piece. Historically, only Davy D. Jones and Joy Boy could have challenged him, but both are no longer alive. While Luffy possesses the powerful Nika fruit, he isn’t yet strong enough to fight Imu on equal terms. Considering Imu easily defeated Rocks at God Valley—and that wasn’t even his true form—it’s clear why he rules the world. He is, without a doubt, the strongest character currently.

Even with the Nidhogg’s help, Luffy and his crew are facing certain defeat. This arc will likely end badly for the Straw Hat Pirates, as they’re expected to be thoroughly defeated by the world’s ruler, showcasing immense power. This situation feels similar to what happened at Sabaody Archipelago before the timeskip, when the crew was completely overwhelmed. It’s unclear how much damage Oda will ultimately inflict on the Straw Hats.

You can read One Piece chapter 1179 on Manga Plus starting April 5, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

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2026-04-05 18:07