One Piece Creator Oda Unveils A Gear 5 User Stronger Than Luffy

On March 28, 2022, Eiichiro Oda released One Piece Chapter 1044, which gave us our very first look at Gear 5, the iconic awakened form of the Hito Hito no Mi Model: Nika. Since then, Luffy's Gear 5 has been central to every major battle that he has been in, and in the Elbaf arc, Eiichiro Oda showed its powers once again when the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates took on the King of the World, Nerona Imu, in the climax.

While Luffy vs. Imu was a battle that we were all looking forward to, the difference in strength between the two became clear immediately at the beginning of the fight. What's more, Nerona Imu, who is also the strongest character in the series, officially confirmed to us a Gear 5 user significantly stronger than Luffy. This is none other than Joy Boy, the former wielder of the Hito Hito no Mi Model: Nika.

Eiichiro Oda Officially Confirms Joy Boy To Be Gear 5's Best User In One Piece's Elbaf Climax

In One Piece Chapter 1188, which was officially released on July 13, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33, Eiichiro Oda finally began the battle between Luffy and Imu. Much to the surprise of the fans, this battle ended in the very same chapter, with Nerona Imu impaling Luffy with the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu, a powerful weapon of one of the 19 creators of the World Government. Immediately upon impaling Luffy with this blade, Imu stated something that the vast majority of fans could never have imagined. After stabbing Luffy, he clearly insulted Luffy by stating that he was not the real Joy Boy because the real Joy Boy would not have been that weak. Given that Joy Boy also held the same power of Gear 5 as Luffy, it is now official that Luffy is inferior to Joy Boy when it comes to using Gear 5.

"Of course I know that thou art not Joy Boy! Joy Boy was not this weak!!" — Imu defeats Luffy, One Piece Chapter #1188

One Piece Chapter 1189, which was then released on July 26, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #35, showed Imu dominating Luffy even further before Scopper Gaban, the left arm of the Pirate King, ended up saving him. In One Piece Chapter 1191, which was released on August 23, 2026, Luffy attempted to fight Imu once again, only for the latter to showcase his new Akuma no Mi transformation, which powers him up even further. The disparity in power between the two is clearer than ever before. Given that Joy Boy was a match for Imu, it goes to show how strong he was with his own version of Gear 5.

Why Joy Boy's Gear 5 Was Better Than Luffy's

The primary reason why Joy Boy was so overpowered with Gear 5 was down to his experience of utilizing the Hito Hito no Mi Model: Nika. At the same time, Joy Boy's Haki was on a completely different level, and he may even have had more Sun God transformations that Luffy has not tapped into yet. One Piece Chapter 1122 gave us a look at Joy Boy's Supreme King Haki. It was strong enough to knock out all the Vice Admirals, nullify the powers of the Five Elders, send them back to the Holy Land of Marijoa, split the skies above Egghead, and even cause pain to Imu.

"I've tied 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’s Haki, One Piece Chapter #1122

Luffy's Haki is not on this level yet. Given that Haki is the representation of the spirit and the overall strength of an individual, Joy Boy's mastery over his Gear 5 must have been on a completely different level to be able to put out Haki on this scale. This is something that Luffy needs to attain by gaining further mastery over his powers. Once Luffy grows both in terms of physical and spiritual strength, his Haki will improve, and consequently, he will also have far superior control over his Gear 5.

How Luffy Can Take His Gear 5 Control To The Next Level

At the moment, Monkey D. Luffy is operating at the very limit of his powers. But, has already gone all out and cannot bring out more of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. That is precisely what must change in the climax of the Elbaf arc, and the best way for him to do it would be through a new transformation. When Imu arrived in Elbaf in One Piece Chapter 1179, which was released officially on April 5, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue 19, it was clear for all of us to see that his Akuma form gave him a ring of black flames instead of a simple cloud around his neck. Similarly, in Chapter 1182, which was released on May 10, 2026, when Oda showed Rain God Akaza for the first time, she was seen with a ring of water behind her neck. For some reason, Luffy, despite being the Sun God, does not have a ring of Sun flames behind his back just yet.

Creator of the World Government (One of the First 20)

Power: Akuma no Mi (The Devil's Fruit)

King of the World St. Nerona Imu

— Imu's introduction box, One Piece Chapter #1179

It is possible for Luffy to gain a new Sun God form at some point later down the line, and if he manages to tap into it, then his Gear 5 control will shoot to the next level. Even more than that, Monkey D. Luffy would also gain a significant boost to his Haki by awakening a new form. It must be remembered that One Piece Chapter 597, which was officially released on August 30, 2010, in WSJ Issue #39, clarified to us that Supreme King Haki cannot be directly trained and only grows when the user grows stronger. In other words, the only time Luffy's Haki will get an upgrade is when he taps into a new form and grows exponentially in overall physical and spiritual strength. Only by unlocking a new form can Luffy take his Gear 5 control to the next level and eventually surpass Joy Boy.

As things stand, Luffy has made a recovery at the end of Chapter 1191 and now is looking to fight Imu head-on alongside Hajrudin, Loki, and Scopper Gaban in the Underworld of Elbaf. We await the release of One Piece Chapter 1192, which is set to come out on September 6, 2026. Perhaps this chapter will give a heightened Nika state to the protagonist Monkey D. Luffy, as he attempts to drive out Imu from Elbaf.

All the latest One Piece manga chapters by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.