One Piece Chapter 1191 was officially released in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #39 for 2026 on August 23. This chapter was extremely significant for the character of Nerona Imu, who serves the role of the primary antagonist of the entire series. Imu made his presence known in the ongoing Elbaf arc in One Piece Chapter 1179 and has since then been on a roll, beating one main character after another. He has already defeated the likes of Loki and Luffy once, and as the battle continues, Eiichiro Oda is highlighting more of Nerona Imu’s abilities, all of which stem from the powerful Devil Fruit Akuma no Mi.
In One Piece Chapter 1191, Nerona Imu surprised all of us by unveiling a completely new Devil Fruit transformation after being hit by Scopper Gaban’s Kamudo and Yachitakeru. This showcased that he still has more surprises up his sleeve that he hasn’t utilized in battle yet and excited us even more for what’s to come in the future of One Piece.
One Piece Chapter 1191 Unveils Imu Upgraded Devil Transformation
One Piece Chapter 1191 was officially released on August 23, 2026, and picks up right from where the last chapter left off. In this chapter, Nerona Imu was shown following his clash with Scopper Gaban, which, despite being short, was his most deadly challenge yet. Even though Imu fought against the likes of Loki and Luffy previously, Gaban was the one who pushed him the most, despite being old and injured. Scopper Gaban utilized the power of his immense Haki and Axeplay to unleash a strong attack known as Kamudo. This powerful bolt of Supreme King Haki drew quite a lot of blood from Nerona Imu. Immediately after, Gaban followed up with a technique known as Yachitakeru, which was a 100x stronger version of Yasotakeru, which he first utilized against Luffy at the beginning of Elbaf in One Piece Chapter 1140.
“Sorry about this one, Jewel Tree Adam! It wasn’t my intent to eat you! Damn these creaky joints!! It sucks to get old! Gate of God!!” — Scopper Gaban unleashes his attack on Imu, One Piece Chapter #1190
Yachitakeru proved to have such immense strength that it chopped off a portion of the Adam Tree and sent it crashing to the Underworld of Elbaf, where it crushed several mountain ranges at once. This further goes to show why Scopper Gaban is the Mountain Eater of the One Piece world. More than that, the power of this technique was such that it forced Nerona Imu to transform and utilize a new form in One Piece Chapter 1191. Nerona Imu’s upgraded Devil Fruit transformation makes him stronger than ever before, but it is highly likely that, since he is putting out more power, he is losing out on the time that he can stay in the outside world due to his nerf.
“Even though you’re old, still the Pirate King’s Crew!” — Nerona Imu pays respect to Gaban, One Piece Chapter #1190
Why Imu’s New Form Could Be The Awakened Akuma no Mi
It is unknown as to what classification Imu’s Akuma no Mi is. As things stand, Eiichiro Oda has only told us that Imu has a unique Devil Fruit called the Akuma no Mi, or “The Devil’s Fruit.” This fruit does not have the standard Devil Fruit naming pattern, nor does it fit in any standard category yet. It does have a select few qualities of the Zoan types in that it allows the user to transform into unique forms. If that is the case, then the new transformation that Imu has showcased could very well be his awakened Devil Fruit form and thus his strongest.
“Awakening is what happens when your mind and body catch up with your ability. And those certainly are ridiculous powers!” — Kaido explains Devil Fruit Awakening, One Piece Chapter #1046
In other words, this transformation is Imu’s version of Gear 5 that Luffy is utilizing, which means that the form that he was utilizing up until now would be the equivalent of Luffy’s Gear 4. In other words, Imu’s new power level upon undertaking his ultimate transformation in One Piece chapter 1191 on August 23, 2026, is going to eclipse what he has shown previously.
This is especially surreal because Nerona Imu was already dominating his battle against every single individual that he fought. For him to take a new transformation due to Gaban shows how dangerous the Left Arm of the Pirate King truly was, and more than that, that he is going to wipe out all competition from here onwards.
Nerona Imu Is Officially The Strongest In All of One Piece
Immediately after Imu’s descent on Elbaf in One Piece Chapter 1179 on April 5, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19, it became clear to us that the King of the World was quite easily the strongest character around. Nerona Imu was effortlessly able to deal with characters like Zoro, Hajrudin, and Sanji, and even toyed with Loki before eventually defeating him with the Sword of Hatred: Stigma. When Luffy joined the battle, he did so at full power, yet was easily defeated. Right now, it is clear that Imu is the strongest in Elbaf, and as such, his defeat is out of the question. The only thing that the Straw Hats and their allies can do is drive him out of Elbaf, and a big portion of that responsibility rests on Zoro and Sanji.
Despite Imu being the strongest, he can be driven out of Elbaf. Nerona Imu officially stated in One Piece Chapter 1171 that the loss of each Covenant comes at a significant price for him and that he gets weakened when the wielders die. This happened after Loki killed Harald in Aurust Castle. In One Piece Chapter 1188, Eiichiro Oda officially set up a confrontation between the Holy Knights and Luffy’s Wings. If Zoro and Sanji manage to kill both of the Holy Knights present in Elbaf, then Imu will be significantly weakened. It must also be remembered that Imu is already weakened due to being in the outside world, which his body is not meant to sustain. This was confirmed directly by Sommers in One Piece Chapter 1182. As such, if Sommers and Killingham fall, then even the strongest character in the entirety of One Piece can be driven out of Elbaf for momentary respite.
The latest One Piece manga chapters by author Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.