One Piece’s Elbaf Arc Puts Luffy’s Sun God Against Imu

One Piece just set up its biggest clash yet: Luffy’s Sun God Nika identity is about to face off against the series’ main antagonist, Nerona Imu, in the Elbaf arc. This confrontation highlights the manga’s key theological conflict — divinity versus absolute authority — pushing the story toward its climax.

The Elbaf arc has been highly anticipated, with Eiichiro Oda using the Land of Giants to unveil long-speculated revelations. Luffy’s Nika form, tied to the Sun God mythology, connects directly to the Void Century and the origins of the World Government. This fight carries more weight than your typical shonen power struggle.

This setup also ties into a broader theological framework that Game Rant reports Oda has been building across hundreds of chapters. Imu, whose Devil Fruit powers remain partly hidden, seems to embody the “Devil” side of the equation, contrasting with Nika’s divine mythology. Oda has been hinting at this binary since the Reverie arc.

Alongside this, there’s another exciting revelation: MSN reports that the story after Elbaf is already hinting at what could be the final legendary Devil Fruit reveal. Chapter 1138 introduces a 3,000-year-old Mythical Zoan Fruit, suggesting Oda is moving toward the manga’s conclusion with a clear direction rather than dragging it out.

On the anime front, new trailers confirm the Straw Hat crew’s arrival in Elbaf, drawing the animated adaptation closer to this epic confrontation. Fans are buzzing about the return to this arc, as the Land of Giants offers visual opportunities that the manga’s black-and-white format can’t fully utilize.

By The Numbers

One Piece Odyssey Release Date	January 13, 2023
Steam Review Score (Odyssey)	80% positive (1,813 reviews)
Current Price on Steam	$9.99
One Piece Chapters Published	1,138+
Netflix Season 1 Episode Count	7 episodes

Community Pulse: Fans have reacted positively to the arc’s escalation. One Steam reviewer of One Piece Odyssey, who has spent time on the series’ gaming side, commented on the franchise’s depth and layered systems: “If you like One Piece and you like turn-based strategy games then you’ll like this — it has a rock, paper, scissors system and will always let you know when an attack is weak or more resistant.” This engagement with One Piece’s internal logic is what fans appreciate in Oda’s careful construction of the God versus Devil framework throughout the manga.

What To Watch

• Imu’s Devil Fruit identity: The series has kept Imu’s full abilities under wraps for years. The Elbaf confrontation is likely when Oda will finally reveal everything, impacting how the final arc’s power scaling works.
• The post-Elbaf Devil Fruit reveal: Chapter 1138’s 3,000-year-old Mythical Zoan tease suggests at least one more major ability will be introduced before the series wraps up — keep an eye on which character gets it and how it ties to the Void Century.
• Anime production pacing: With new Elbaf trailers already out, watch how quickly the anime adapts this arc. Also, see if Toei Animation treats the God versus Devil battle as a milestone worthy of enhanced animation resources.