In One Piece chapter 1179, released officially on April 5, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19, Nerona Imu made his grand debut in the Elbaf arc. Eiichiro took this opportunity to introduce his powerful Devil Fruit, Akuma no Mi, to us. Nerona Imu’s Devil Fruit is incredibly powerful and most certainly one of the strongest in the series, surpassing even Luffy’s Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.
At this point in time, it can be stated that Nerona Imu is the ultimate Devil Fruit user in the world of One Piece, but Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the series, has already set up a Devil Fruit user whose skill with Devil Fruits in particular far surpasses that of Nerona Imu. This character is none other than one of the Four Emperors of the Sea and the direct descendant of Davy D. Jones, Blackbeard.
One Piece Chapter 441 Confirms Blackbeard’s Superiority Over Akuma no Mi
When it comes to Devil Fruit abilities, few can rival the power of Akuma no Mi, which Nerona Imu wields. In the Elbaf arc, Imu explained the power of the Akuma no Mi quite clearly to us in One Piece chapter 1180, which was released officially in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Double Issue #22-23 on April 27, 2026. As he fought Loki, Nerona Imu explained that his ability was akin to “God’s Domination” or a “Contract with the Devil.” In other words, Nerona Imu can force contracts onto other people. By granting Covenants to his loyal followers, he can turn them into his own minions by granting them tremendous powers, such as infinite regeneration, immortality, and superhuman strength. At the same time, Imu can also forcibly use his powers to turn others into demonic slaves with the ability of Domi Reversi.
Loki: So your power is God’s Domination? Think you mean a contract with the Devil!
Imu: God? Devil? What is the difference?
—Loki and Imu explain God’s Domination, One Piece Chapter #1181
Above all, Nerona Imu can utilize a special power called Omen or Maki, and these black flames can be used both offensively and defensively, just like Haki. This power makes Nerona Imu one of the strongest in the One Piece world. The recent chapters in the Elbaf arc confirm to us that his Devil Fruit powers of the Akuma no Mi far surpass both Loki’s Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Nidhoggr, and Monkey D. Luffy’s Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. That said, there exists a Devil Fruit in the world of One Piece that surpasses Nerona Imu’s Akuma no Mi, and that is the Yami Yami no Mi, wielded by none other than Yonko Blackbeard.
Blackbeard’s Yami Yami no Mi is a Logia-type Devil Fruit that was first properly introduced to us in One Piece chapter 441, which was released on January 22, 2007. Back then, Blackbeard fought against Portgas D. Ace, the Second Division Commander of the Blackbeard Pirates. In this fight, Blackbeard clearly explained that the power of the Yami Yami no Mi made him the strongest in the world. He also stated that his Yami Yami no Mi is canonically the most powerful of all Devil Fruits and that it made him a man of darkness.
“Ace, you can’t kill me. They say this is the most powerful of all the Devil Fruits. Logia type Yami Yami no Mi. With it, I’ve become a man of darkness.” — Blackbeard explains his Devil Fruit, One Piece Chapter #441
Essentially, the power of the Yami Yami no Mi makes Blackbeard a darkness human. While he cannot turn into the element itself like other Logia fruit users, Blackbeard can use the power of immense gravity to suck in anything, including light itself. Most importantly, Blackbeard’s fruit can cancel out the Devil Fruit abilities of all other Devil Fruits upon contact. It is with this power that he was able to cancel the vast majority of Ace’s abilities, and as explained by Blackbeard himself, this applies to all Devil Fruits that exist in the world of One Piece. Nerona Imu, the user of the Akuma no Mi, or The Devil’s Fruit, is not excluded from this.
If in direct contact with Blackbeard, Nerona Imu’s Akuma no Mi powers will be canceled, meaning that he is not the strongest Devil Fruit user in the world of One Piece. That title officially belongs to Blackbeard. This is not to be confused with who the stronger of the two is. In terms of offensive output or overall strength, Imu far surpasses Blackbeard in power, but as far as Devil Fruit usage goes, the Yami Yami no Mi is the undisputed strongest in One Piece.
Why Blackbeard’s Devil Fruit Combination Can Trump Nerona Imu
Ever since Blackbeard was young, he had been in search of a particular Devil Fruit, which he eventually came across when Tatch found it. This is precisely why Blackbeard killed the Fourth Division Commander of the Blackbeard Pirates, Tatch, and consumed this Devil Fruit for himself. Immediately upon consuming this fruit, he ran off and started his own crew — the Blackbeard Pirates. This Devil Fruit was destined to reach Blackbeard because it is an ability that his father, Rocks D. Xebec, was also searching for. It is one of the abilities necessary to defeat the King of the World, Nerona Imu, and it has finally found the true successor of Davy D. Jones.
“You probably realized it as soon as I grabbed you. The other thing that my darkness can suck in is the power of the Devil itself.” — Blackbeard explains the true power of his fruit, One Piece Chapter #441
Given that Blackbeard is the one who carries the will of Davy D. Jones, it makes perfect sense for the Yami Yami no Mi to come into his possession. With this power, he can cancel Nerona Imu’s Akuma no Mi ability, and when combined with the power of the Gura Gura no Mi, it gives him the power to land deadly damage on the King of the World. Blackbeard is the perfect counter to Imu, and fans shouldn’t be surprised if Blackbeard goes on to face him at some point in the future.
Blackbeard Might Be One Piece’s Final Villain
Right now, all things point towards Nerona Imu being the final villain of One Piece. He is the strongest in the entire world and has direct ties to Joyboy and the Void Century. Just like Luffy is the successor of Nika, Blackbeard is the successor of Davy D. Jones. His importance to the final war cannot be understated, and alongside Luffy, he too has a big grudge against Imu, which could eventually see him defeating the King of the World.
“Davy D. Jones was once the King of the World!! You’ve been afraid for a long time, haven’t you? Afraid of the fact that someone will inherit the Will of Davy and fulfill the promise!” — Rocks reveals the Will of Davy, One Piece Chapter #1163
Blackbeard could very well be made the final villain in One Piece by Eiichiro Oda, especially if he goes on to kill Imu by canceling his Devil Fruit abilities and eventually stealing the power of the Akuma no Mi. This would then set up Blackbeard as the strongest antagonist for Luffy to overcome and make for quite an enthralling finish to One Piece. For now, Blackbeard is patiently working towards becoming the King of the World and defeating Imu. He’s not anywhere close to Imu’s level right now. Regardless, he is the strongest Devil Fruit user in One Piece, simply down to the fact that his fruit has superiority over all Devil Fruits, including Nerona Imu’s Akuma no Mi.
All the new One Piece manga chapters by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
