For twenty-eight years, One Piece fans have treated the Sun God Nika as the ultimate mythical power in Eiichiro Oda’s world. When Luffy’s Gomu Gomu no Mi was revealed to be the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika — a Divine-Class Mythical Zoan thought to be nothing more than legend — the Straw Hat captain was handed what felt like the series’ most overpowered ability. But the Elbaph arc has shattered that assumption, and Oda is no longer playing it safe with the Final Saga.
A brand-new Mythical Zoan has been unveiled in the manga, one that doesn’t just rival Nika — it might be the single most dangerous Devil Fruit ever introduced. And it’s directly tied to the person standing at the top of the World Government: Saint Nerona Imu.
The New God Devil Fruit: What We Know So Far
The latest chapters of One Piece have confirmed that Imu wields a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit with terrifying implications for the entire world. Unlike Nika, which is associated with freedom, laughter, and the liberation of the oppressed, this newly revealed power is its dark mirror — a fruit connected to dominion, destruction, and the ancient authority of the Void Century’s ruling class.
Here’s what makes this reveal so significant:
- Divine-Class Status: Just like Nika, Imu’s fruit falls into the “Divine-Class” tier of Mythical Zoans — a category so rare that most people believe these fruits are pure mythology.
- Void Century Origins: The fruit is directly tied to the Nerona clan, one of the twenty original founding families of the World Government, and its power dates back over 800 years to the Ancient Kingdom era.
- Environmental Control: Imu’s ability manifests as large-scale environmental manipulation — including a devastating rain-based attack system that has already demonstrated the power to obliterate entire battlefields. The “rain god” ability isn’t just weather control; it’s a weaponized natural force.
This isn’t just another Devil Fruit reveal. Oda is deliberately setting up a god-versus-god dynamic for the endgame, and the parallels between Nika and Imu’s fruit go far deeper than most fans realize.
Nika vs. The Dark God: The Mythological Blueprint
If you look at the mythological roots Oda has been pulling from throughout One Piece, the pattern is impossible to ignore. Nika is based on the real-world sun deity — a bringer of light, joy, and liberation. The counter-force that Oda has now introduced appears to draw from dragon mythology and the concept of a primordial destructive force.
Within the Elbaph arc, the connection to Norse mythology has been front and center. The giants of Elbaph revere their own pantheon, and the reveal of a draconic power tied to the Ancient Giants’ history suggests that Imu’s fruit is modeled after Nidhogg — the great serpent or dragon from Norse myth that gnaws at the roots of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, and is destined to play a key role in Ragnarok.
Think about what that means for the narrative:
- Nika = Sun God = Liberation, Joy, Freedom
- Imu’s Fruit = Dragon/Serpent God = Destruction, Control, Erasure
This is the classic mythological dichotomy that Oda has been building toward since the very beginning. The Sun God fights the Serpent of the Underworld. Light battles darkness. Freedom versus tyranny. Every piece of the Final Saga is locking into place.
Why Imu’s Devil Fruit Changes Everything We Thought We Knew
Before the Elbaph arc, most fans assumed the final battle would be Luffy versus Imu — a straightforward clash between the inheritor of Joy Boy’s will and the secret ruler of the world. But Oda is making it more complicated than that, and the Devil Fruit reveal is the key.
The power dynamic has shifted. Imu isn’t just a political figurehead hiding behind the Five Elders. They are a legitimate combat threat wielding one of the most destructive abilities ever shown in the series. The rain god manifestation alone has demonstrated power on a scale that dwarfs almost every Devil Fruit we’ve seen — and we haven’t even seen Imu’s full awakening yet.
There are also implications for the broader Devil Fruit system itself. Oda has been expanding the lore around how Devil Fruits are created, with the Elbaph arc suggesting a connection between Devil Fruits and the Ancient Kingdom’s lost technology. If Imu’s fruit is a creation or inheritance from the Void Century era, it raises questions about whether the Twenty — the original World Government founders — deliberately created or weaponized Mythical Zoans to suppress the Ancient Kingdom.
The Loki Connection: Two Sun Gods?
One of the most fascinating wrinkles in all of this is the introduction of Loki, the imprisoned prince of Elbaph, who has claimed to be the “Sun God” destined to destroy the world. Loki’s Mythical Zoan transformation — a draconic form tied to the Ancient Giants’ forbidden treasure — creates an entirely new layer to the Nika narrative.
Now we have multiple figures claiming or wielding “god” titles:
- Luffy — The true Sun God Nika, bearer of Joy Boy’s will
- Loki — A self-proclaimed Sun God with a draconic Mythical Zoan form
- Imu — Wielder of the Dark God Mythical Zoan, the ancient enemy of Joy Boy
Some fans theorize that Loki isn’t truly a Sun God at all — that his claim is either a misunderstanding or a deliberate manipulation. Others believe Loki’s fruit is connected to a different mythological figure entirely, possibly a fire giant or chaos deity from Norse mythology. Either way, his presence in the Elbaph arc guarantees that the “god versus god” theme will play out across multiple characters before the Final Saga is over.
What Happens Next: 3 Predictions for the Final Battle
Based on everything Oda has revealed so far, here are the most likely directions the story will take:
1. Imu’s Awakening Will Be Unveiled Before the End
Luffy’s Gear 5 showed us what a Mythical Zoan awakening looks like — reality-bending, cartoonish freedom. Imu’s awakening will likely be the opposite: a total environmental override that reshapes the battlefield itself. If Nika makes the impossible possible through imagination, Imu’s power might make the possible impossible through erasure and control.
2. The Void Century’s True History Will Be Fully Revealed
The Nerona clan, the Ancient Kingdom, and the war that led to the Void Century are all converging in the Elbaph arc. Oda is revealing the key players one by one. The connection between Joy Boy and Imu — once allies, now eternal enemies — is becoming the emotional core of the Final Saga, and the Devil Fruit lore is the mechanism Oda is using to tell that story.
3. Another Straw Hat Will Receive a Mythical Zoan
Oda has already teased that the last Straw Hat crew member may receive a Devil Fruit ability in the Elbaph arc. Given the god-level stakes being established, it’s almost certain that this fruit will also be a Mythical Zoan — possibly another deity from Norse mythology, creating a full pantheon of god-powered Straw Hats for the final confrontation.
The Bottom Line
One Piece’s Elbaph arc has done something remarkable: it’s taken the single most beloved power-up in the series — Gear 5 Nika — and made it feel vulnerable. Imu’s Mythical Zoan is the first real counterweight to Luffy’s godhood, and it changes the entire calculus of the Final Saga.
Oda isn’t just giving us bigger and bigger explosions. He’s building a mythological framework that ties together 28 years of worldbuilding, and every Devil Fruit reveal in the Elbaph arc is a piece of that puzzle. The god-versus-god dynamic is real, the Void Century war is being replayed in the present, and the stakes have never been higher.
What do you think? Is Imu’s Devil Fruit the strongest in the series, or does Nika still hold the edge? And which Straw Hat do you think will get the next Mythical Zoan? Drop your theories in the comments — the debate is just getting started.
