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.
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.
لۆکی: کەواتە دەسەڵاتی تۆ هەژموونی خودایە؟ وابزانە مەبەستت گرێبەستە لەگەڵ شەیتان!
ئیمو: خوایە؟ ئەهریمەن؟ جیاوازی چییە؟
—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.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://gamerant.com/one-piece-replacing-nerona-imu-strongest-devil-fruit-user/
