One Piece’s Elbaf arc is currently in its climax, following the arrival of Nerona Imu in the Warland on April 5, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19. Luffy, the protagonist of the series, is currently up against the greatest power in the world of One Piece as he and his crew attempt to defend the country of the Giants from falling prey to the World Government.
Over the years, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, has shown the Straw Hat Pirates go head to head against some of the biggest threats. These include the likes of Navy Admirals, the likes of Cipher Pol, and, above all, the Yonko of the New World. However, no force comes even remotely close to what they are faced with at the moment, especially given that Monkey D. Luffy is facing his greatest challenge in Imu. The Straw Hats are undergoing a metamorphosis right in front of our eyes, and the crew is bound to grow significantly in terms of strength as well as infamy following the events of Elbaf, which will skyrocket their bounties to a completely new level.
One Piece’s Elbaf Arc Climax Sets Up New Straw Hat Pirates Bounties Following Holy Knights And Imu Battle
As things stand, Elbaf is faced with three major threats, and they are Nerona Imu, the King of the World, as well as his two overpowered henchmen who belong to the ranks of the Holy Knights — Saint Rimoshifu Killingham and Saint Shepherd Sommers. All three of these monsters are strong in their own way, with Imu being on a completely different scale when it comes to strength, but Sommers and Killingham are not to be underestimated either. In One Piece Chapter 1180, released officially on April 20, 2026, Sommers and Killingham both received an Omen power-up from Imu, which took them to a whole new level.
Chopper: What are these black flames?
Sommers: This is it! An Omen!
Imu: Quickly, Sommers. There’s no time to waste.
— Nerona Imu grants Omen to Sommers and Killingham, One Piece Chapter #1180
In the latest release of One Piece Chapter 1189 on July 26, 2026, by Eiichiro Oda in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #35, the author showcased the incredible strength of Imu’s henchmen, both of whom are comparable to the Admirals in terms of overall power level right now. As such, Sommers and Kiringham are the greatest threats faced by both Zoro and Sanji, respectively, making them significant challenges for the crew. Meanwhile, Luffy is up against Nerona Imu. At the end of One Piece Chapter 1189, which was released on July 26, 2026, he had to be rescued by Scopper Gaban. In one way or another, Elbaf will need to be saved, and this will require the full effort of Luffy and all the other members of the Straw Hats. Once the defense of Elbaf is successful, Nerona Imu is most certainly going to take the threat of the Straw Hats more seriously, which means that a high price will be put on the heads of the Straw Hats and their bounty will be increased.
“The size of a bounty doesn’t just reflect the combat abilities one possesses. It also shows how dangerous they are to the World Government.” — Kuzan explains bounties in One Piece Chapter #320
It must be noted that Imu cannot fall here, given that he is the final villain and a Great War is on the way already. In other words, this battle will only serve as a prelude for something even greater to come. To that end, the World Government is likely going to make things harder for Luffy and the crew by raising their bounty even further and accurately reflecting the level of strength they possess, especially if they overcome the challenge posed by Imu and the Holy Knights in Elbaf.
Why Luffy And His Wings Have Earned Bigger Final Bounties
Within the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy and his two Wings, who are collectively known as the Monster Trio, have earned the biggest bounties in Elbaf. This is because of the threat they pose directly to the elites of the World Government, specifically the 13 who wield a Covenant offered directly by Nerona Imu, as well as King himself.
When it comes to Zoro and Sanji, we received official confirmation in One Piece Chapter 1152 on June 23, 2025, that they will both master Supreme King Haki. In One Piece Chapter 1187, released officially on July 6, 2026, Scopper Gaban’s flashback also confirmed Sanji to be a wielder of Supreme King Haki. At the same time, it confirmed to us that both Zoro and Sanji will receive a significant upgrade in this sphere, given that this is the only power strong enough to take down the Holy Knights and the other immortals of the One Piece world, as confirmed by Scopper Gaban in the release of One Piece Chapter 1170.
Zoro: You’re one of the Three Demons. You’re the ones who ruined a feast between good old friends. My companion is on the way to the village, so I don’t think yours will be coming back because he’ll be dead.
Sommers: You seriously have no idea about how strong and awesome we are at the moment!
— One Piece Chapter #1187 marks the beginning of Zoro and Sanji’s battles in Elbaf
We now know for a fact that Zoro and Sanji are two of the biggest dangers that the World Government faces. As such, they are bound to receive new bounties, especially if they manage to kill both Sommers and Killingham in battle, despite them wielding an Omen from Nerona Imu’s Akuma no Mi powers.
The same can be said for the Captain Monkey D. Luffy as well. Luffy is a Yonko with a bounty of 3 billion berries, but this figure does not accurately represent his level of strength. Luffy defeated Kaido in battle, a monster worth 4.61 billion berries. The overall threat he poses to the World Government as Sun God Nika is far greater than anything Kaido could ever pose, and his level of strength is also significantly greater than Kaido’s by this point in Elbaf. All things considered, Luffy’s bounty should be rivaling that of Kaido at this point in the story. If he manages to hold off against Nerona Imu in the climax of Elbaf, then as the successor to Joy Boy, he undoubtedly deserves a significantly higher bounty, especially in the last stretch of the series. Just like the Wings, Luffy is bound to receive a significant upgrade to his bounty at the end of the Elbaf arc.
“Of course I know that thou art not Joy Boy! Joy Boy was not this weak!!” — Imu defeats Luffy’s Gear 5, One Piece Chapter #1188
The Remainder Of The Straw Hats Will Automatically Receive High Bounties
As far as figures go, Zoro and Sanji should receive bounties close to 2 billion berries each, while Luffy himself should receive a significant upgrade, which should be pushed to 4 billion+ overall. Given that the likes of Kaido and Big Mom have held bounties of 4.61 and 4.388 billion berries, respectively, and that Luffy has surpassed them both as well as poses a greater threat to the World Government, it goes without saying that his bounty should be higher than both of them. In all fairness, Luffy’s bounty hitting 5 billion berries should not come as a surprise to any fan.
Q: All the characters of “Yonko Officer” class have very high bounties. Do their bounties ever go up simply for the reason that they are the Officer of XX? P.N. Rice LOVE
Oda: Yes yes, that totally happens. After the Dressrosa incident, all the people involved with the Straw Hat Crew got a flat 50 million increase. The crew members’ bounties often increase with their captain. This is because it is actually fairly difficult to appraise the strength of each individual person and assign a money value to them.
— Oda explains bounty growth for Yonko crews
But, given that the World Government would still want to hide his identity as Sun God Nika, he could receive a bounty in the region of 4 billion berries. In either case, a new bounty for Monkey D. Luffy cannot be disregarded at any cost. As confirmed by Oda himself in One Piece SBS, with an Emperor, all the remaining underlings get a bounty boost as well. In other words, the remaining members of the Straw Hat Pirates, which include the likes of Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Franky, Robin, Brook, and Jinbe, will all gain significant increases to their bounties as well, and that is something that we are eagerly waiting to see.
All the new One Piece manga chapters by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.