With the descent of Nerona Imu in Elbaph, a display of his incredible strength was delivered to the fans in chapter 1180 of the manga. Needless to say, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, has done a brilliant job in establishing an overwhelmingly powerful final villain for his series, and evidently, he is incredibly dominant.
In the latest One Piece chapter, Imu showcased a fraction of his strength by going up against the Wings of the Pirate King, known to be some of the strongest pirates in the entire series. Clearly, he was able to overwhelm them both without even going serious in battle and, as such, crushed them completely. For the very first time, the top Commanders of the Straw Hat Pirates have felt a crushing defeat, and things are about to get a lot worse for the crew as the Elbaph arc continues.
How Imu Dismantled Luffy's Strongest Commanders In Elbaph's Latest Chapter
Immediately upon the descent of Nerona Imu in Elbaph, it was clear that he was going to unleash his powers, and quite a few characters would fall to him in combat. However, few expected Zoro and Sanji to be his first few victims. Imu's goals immediately shifted to rescuing the Holy Knights upon his arrival in the Warland, and he demonstrated his fighting experience immediately after launching an assault on Roronoa Zoro.
While Zoro attacked Imu with his King of Hell: Onigiri, charged with the powers of Armament and Conqueror's Haki, he did not even take the threat seriously and blocked it with his tail. Immediately after, he followed with an ‘Omen’ black flame of his own, and left Zoro bloodied on the floor. Imu then moved towards Sanji at a blistering pace, and when the Straw Hat cook attacked him, he blocked his attack with his own leg and unleashed black flames which took out the cook as well.
GameRant Quiz
Breaking Down Zoro and Sanji's Limitations Of Power
Both Zoro and Sanji are tremendously powerful and stronger than the vast majority of the Yonko Commanders. Zoro has access to all three types of Haki and incredible offensive output, thanks to Enma allwoing him to use powers of King of Hell. Meanwhile, Sanji is growing in his own way and has mastered the demonic flames of Ifrit Jambe.
Sanji is a man truly worthy of being the Wings of the Pirate King! — Nico Robin, Chapter 1020
Zoro and Sanji are going to be Yonko level individuals in the future, and even though they aren't there right now, they are still incredibly powerful and can stand their own against the Yonko. However, when compared to someone like Imu, their power is insufficient. The latest chapters of the Elbaph arc have proven that Imu is on a completely different level, and this means that Zoro and Sanji need to get stronger in the story moving forward if they are to be useful to Luffy on his quest to become the Pirate King.
Why The Fall Of The Wings Will Trigger An Evolution Of Strength In Elbaph
The wings of the Pirate King have fallen to Imu in chapter 1180 of One Piece, but this isn't the end of the road for them. With each obstacle comes a reason to be stronger, and Zoro and Sanji have realized that now. At the same time, Imu has also completely restored Sommers and Killingham. Someone needs to get up and fight them, especially if they are even stronger than before. Zoro and Sanji are sure to return before the end of Elbaph, and when they do, they will most likely gain power-ups.
In the case of Zoro, he needs to learn how to control his Conqueror's Haki properly so he can take his offensive output to the next level. In the case of Sanji, he needs to awaken the power of Conqueror's Haki so he can deal sustained damage to the immortals of the One Piece world and overwhelm them completely. Sommers and Killingham are going to be perfect enemies for them in this regard, but they are nowhere close to Imu in terms of power. It is unlikely that they will ever go on to reach those heights. Clearly, Imu is dominant, and on a completely different level of strength.
One Piece Chapter 1180 will be available to read on Manga Plus on April 19, 2026, at 11 a.m. EST.
