On July 26, 2026, Eiichiro Oda published One Piece Chapter 1189 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #35. This chapter confirmed once and for all that Monkey D. Luffy's Haki is set to grow even further and that he's set to unlock more types of Haki in the future. While the vast majority of the chapter showed Monkey D. Luffy being overwhelmed by Nerona Imu, especially as he was stabbed using the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu and, on top of that, the Blade of the Sea God: Fragarach, it also opened up the room for Luffy gaining further power-ups. With them comes further mastery over Haki, and attaining new types of this power.
As things stand, Luffy is already a user of Advanced Supreme King Haki, but he hasn't taken this power to the highest level. Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, has lined up three different types of Haki for Monkey D. Luffy, which he will learn in the Elbaf arc and the arcs to come in the future.
One Piece Chapter 1189 Confirms Luffy Must Still Grow His Haki Further
One Piece Chapter 1189 was quite a significant one for the protagonist of the series, Monkey D. Luffy. This is because Luffy finally got a taste of Nerona Imu's overwhelming strength after he was stabbed with the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu. As confirmed by Imu himself, this blade drained Luffy's vitality and ensured that he was not able to move anymore. Immediately after, Nerona Imu stabbed Luffy with the Blade of the Sea God: Fragarach, dealing further damage to him. Just as Imu was prepared to take Luffy's head, Scopper Gaban saved the life of the protagonist of the series.
This only means that Luffy will be resurgent and will join the battle again. While the vast majority of fans saw this as a major defeat for Luffy, others can tell this is actually a good thing for his character because it will force him to grow even stronger. Monkey D. Luffy is weak at the moment, despite being one of the Yonko. When compared to the top tiers of the world, such as Nerona Imu himself, as well as Joy Boy, Luffy lacks firepower and, most importantly, strong Haki, and that must change in the future.
"Alas, the third will be the Axe of Xingtian! Thou should be honored to die by the weapons that created the world!" — Nerona Imu prepares to kill Luffy with World Weapons, One Piece Chapter #1189
In One Piece chapter 1152, released officially on June 23, 2025, Scopper Gaban reminded Luffy to be mindful of how he uses his Haki against the likes of the immortals. Using Supreme King Haki is the key against the Government fighters, and by taking it to the next level, Luffy can officially hold his own against the likes of Nerona Imu and the other Holy Knights. While he has not done so yet, that is precisely why Scopper Gaban's entry into battle at the end of One Piece chapter 1189 is important. It will open the gateway for Luffy to improve his Haki even further.
"Listen, Straw Hat! Etch into your mind how you use your Color of the Supreme King. These guys aren't immortal!" — Scopper Gaban tells Luffy to learn to control Supreme King Haki properly, One Piece Chapter #1152
Eiichiro Oda Is Setting Up Long-Range Haki, Observation Killing, And Solo-Sky Split Haki For Luffy
As far as Supreme King Haki power-ups go, One Piece Chapter 597, released officially on August 30, 2010, made it clear to us that this ability cannot be trained directly. Luffy cannot simply work on his Conqueror's Haki and make it stronger. It is a manifestation of the spirit of the user, and it only grows stronger when Luffy grows stronger. In other words, as Luffy gets new transformations and improves his overall physical attributes, his Conqueror's Haki will grow in strength as well. That certainly doesn't mean that Conqueror's Haki cannot be refined. There are applications of Conqueror's Haki that one can certainly tap into. For instance, when Luffy tapped into Supreme King Infusion, he simply learned a new application of this ability that he wasn't aware of. Similarly, there are variants of Supreme King Haki that Monkey D. Luffy doesn't possess yet.
Luffy: You can infuse your attacks with the Color of the Supreme King, can't you?
Kaido: Only a handful of the strongest can. Not a dead man walking!
— Kaido explains Conqueror's Haki Infusion, One Piece Chapter #1010
The first of them all is Long-range Haki, which Shanks showcased in One Piece Chapter 1055, on August 1, 2022. Shanks was able to send his Supreme King Haki to Green Bull from miles away and paralyze him completely. Luffy lacks this skill so far, but he must learn it in the future if he is to stand on the same level as the Red-Haired Emperor and combat the likes of Nerona Imu.
Another ability Luffy will gain is Observation Killing. This is an ability that Shanks excels in and was confirmed to us by Eiichiro Oda in One Piece Vol. 4 Billion. Shanks' Conqueror's Haki presence is such that he can prevent his enemies from seeing the future, and this grants him a tremendous advantage in battle. Against Nerona Imu, this ability would certainly come in handy for Luffy because it will give him a massive edge, especially when considering the fact that he can see the future himself.
Finally, there's Critical Mass Haki with the potential to split the skies. This is the highest possible form of this power. So far, only one character in One Piece has managed to split the sky solo, and that's Joy Boy. Joy Boy attained this power in One Piece Chapter 1122, which was released officially on August 5, 2024, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Double Issue #36-37 when Emeth unleashed a bolt of his Haki in Egghead. Joy Boy's Haki was so strong that it split the skies by itself, nullified the abilities of the Five Elders and sent them back to Marijoa, knocked out all the Vice Admirals, and caused Imu tremendous amounts of pain. This is the bar that Luffy must reach by the end of the series, and the final Haki power-up that he must gain. It must be said that it is too early for Luffy's Haki to reach this level, but by the end of One Piece, especially in the Final War, which is now looming, Monkey D. Luffy must attain this power-up one way or another.
Why Monkey D. Luffy Will Be The Strongest Haki User At The End Of The Series
Luffy is far from being the strongest character in One Piece at the moment, but slowly and steadily, he is improving in terms of power level. Luffy's battle against Nerona Imu, which officially began in One Piece chapter 1187 on July 6, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #32 and concluded just one chapter later in 1188, showcased his current standing. As he gains further power and improves upon Haki by gaining new types, he is sure to reach higher levels of strength.
"Of course I know that thou art not Joy Boy! Joy Boy was not this weak!!" — Imu confirms Luffy is weaker than Joy Boy, One Piece Chapter #1188
Eiichiro Oda also already confirmed in One Piece Chapter 968 that Monkey D. Luffy will surpass Gol D. Roger. At the same time, we know for a fact that Luffy must reach the same level as Joy Boy, something that Imu also indirectly implied after stabbing him with the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu, at the end of One Piece Chapter 1188. What's more, Monkey D Luffy must surpass Joy Boy's level if he is to do what he couldn't. Joy Boy was not able to defeat Nerona Imu, but Luffy has to, which means that by the end of the series, Luffy must be even stronger than the first pirate to ever exist. In other words, Luffy's Haki is going to be even stronger than that of Joy Boy, and that is something we absolutely cannot wait to see.
All new One Piece manga chapters by Eiichiro Oda, published in WSJ, 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
