One Piece Unveils Its New Strongest Devil Fruit Power

On August 23, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #39, One Piece saw the release of chapter 1191, which showcased the brand-new Devil Fruit power of the strongest character in the world at the moment, Nerona Imu. Imu is the ruler of the World Government and the wielder of the legendary Akuma no Mi.

In One Piece chapter 1179, which was released officially on April 5, 2026, Imu made landfall in Elbaf and has since done incredibly well to showcase his strength. Now, in One Piece chapter 1191, Imu unleashed his new strongest Devil Fruit power by taking on a unique transformation, which brings out even more of his strength. This new power could potentially be tied directly to the 19 Kings of the One Piece world, and its full extent will be shown to us on September 6, 2026, with the release of chapter 1192.

One Piece Chapter 1191 Unveils Imu's New Devil Fruit Power

One Piece Chapter 1191 was significant for Nerona Imu as it once again showed his superiority over all the characters present in Elbaf. Previously, Chapter 1190, which was officially released on August 10, 2026, showed us the battle between Imu and Scopper Gaban. Against all odds, the Left Arm of the Pirate King pushed Imu quite a lot and did more damage to him than the combined effort of Luffy and Loki. Imu's Akuma no Mi form took quite a lot of damage from Gaban's Yachitakeru, which was an incredibly powerful strike infused with Supreme King Haki. After sustaining quite a lot of damage, Nerona Imu decided to go all out and utilized his strongest Devil Fruit transformation in Chapter 1191.

"Crew of the King of the Pirates! I failed to foresee what would become of those mere children at God Valley! I should've eliminated all of it on God Valley, along with Rocks, on that day, years ago!" — Imu shocked upon witnessing Gaban's power, One Piece Chapter #1191

This new power saw him get much bigger in terms of size and take on a completely different appearance as well. Imu's hands and legs were completely coated in Omen, and the ring of black flames with eyes embedded in it, which was previously floating behind his back, was now around his waist and his wrists. Furthermore, Imu also sprouted much bigger wings than before, and his hair took a flame-like appearance similar to Luffy's Gear 4: Snake Man transformation. As things stand, this new form that was officially unveiled to us in Chapter 1191 is the peak of Imu's Devil Fruit powers. It is the ultimate Akuma no Mi form that Oda has revealed to us so far, and it pushes Imu to a completely new level. In fact, Nerona Imu himself stated in Chapter 1191 that his new form is so strong that the next strike from it would be strong enough to end both Luffy and Gaban, who had already sustained quite a lot of damage from him.

Why Imu's Power Could Tie In To 19 Kings

It is interesting to note that Nerona Imu's Akuma no Mi powers don't function like traditional Devil Fruit abilities. For one, this fruit is named ‘The Devil’s Fruit’ and does not have a double-naming pattern like all the other fruits that exist in the One Piece world, such as Gomu Gomu no Mi, Hito Hito no Mi, Gura Gura no Mi, Goro Goro no Mi, and every other fruit that exists. At the same time, it is also important to note that this fruit does not have a classification. Eiichiro Oda did not assign any classification to Imu's Akuma no Mi when it first debuted in Chapter 1179 on April 5, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19. A case could be made for this fruit to fit any of the three categories of Logia, Zoan, and Paramecia, depending on which form Imu is in.

"800 years ago, the 19 Kings who forged this world took an oath of equality, thrusting their weapons into the ground around the Empty Throne. Blade of Chaos, Tohu! Vohu! Nemesis! Longinus! Stigma! Muramasa! They are the 19 weapons of those who brought the world to heel! The Great One used Omen to bring them back and grant them to us.

There are no lies among the legends each family passed down!" — Sommers explains the 19 Kings’ Weapons, One Piece Chapter #1189

In other words, Nerona Imu's fruit could be in its own special category. This is precisely why his powers are different from the others. One of the most intriguing developments that we saw recently in the story came in Chapter 1188, which was officially released on July 13, 2026, in Issue #33 of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. In this chapter, Nerona Imu confirmed that, through the power of Omen, he could summon the blades of the 19 Kings. Long ago, the 19 Kings of the world placed their weapons in front of the Empty Throne to take an oath of equality. Now Imu can access their weapons through the power of Omen, but it is possible that Imu can access more than just their weapons.

It is entirely possible that Nerona Imu also has access to their bodies. This would mean that the form that Imu took in Chapter 1179 on April 5 was one of the 19 Kings, and the form that he showcased now in One Piece Chapter 1191 is another one of the 19 Kings. This is especially intriguing to note when taking into consideration the fact that Luffy stated his appearance was completely different upon his resurgence on August 23, 2026. It also explains how Nerona Imu looks completely different in the Holy Land of Marijoa and perhaps also explains why he wants Vivi.

Imu: An impressive feat! To escape Honebami's wrath with losing only one arm. There will be nothing left of thee after the next one!

Luffy: Is that him? But he looks completely different?

— Luffy surprised at seeing Imu's new appearance, One Piece Chapter #1191

Imu's New Form Makes Him The Strongest In The World

Regardless of whether Nerona Imu's new Devil Fruit form, which was unveiled to us on August 23, 2026, is simply an upgraded transformation or the body of a member of the 19 Kings, the fact is that Imu is now even stronger than before and quite easily the mightiest character in the entire world. Nerona Imu's strength and size grew quite clearly in Chapter 1191, and so did his confidence. With his new level of strength, Imu was certain that he was capable of eliminating both Luffy and Gaban, and that goes to show that there is absolutely no force in the world that can stand in his path.

For now, Eiichiro Oda's One Piece is on break, but we are eagerly waiting to see the manga return on September 6, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #41. As it does, Nerona Imu's new form will be further expanded upon, with new abilities being unveiled to us, and we absolutely cannot wait to see that.

All the chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.