Introduced properly in One Piece Chapter 597 on August 30, 2010, Haki is an incredibly important ability that has gained profound importance in the second half of the story in the New World. It is essentially a manifestation of the spirit of the user, which strengthens one both offensively and defensively and allows them to navigate the threats of the Grand Line properly. In the current arc of One Piece, that is Elbaf, which is currently in its climax, the importance of Haki has been highlighted time and again by Eiichiro Oda.
Supreme King Haki specifically has been highlighted to be the ultimate form of offense against the likes of the Holy Knights, the Five Elders, and Nerona Imu. For that reason, it has received a lot of focus from the creator of the series. At the same time, the Final Saga of One Piece has also unveiled to us the God of Haki from the Void Century who died 800 years ago, and that is none other than the first pirate to have ever existed, Joy Boy.
One Piece’s Final Saga Confirms Joy Boy As The Only God of Haki From The Void Century
Over the years, Eiichiro Oda has showcased a lot of powerful Haki users to us in One Piece, but none of them come even remotely close to Joy Boy in terms of proficiency with this skill. As confirmed in One Piece Chapter 1114 on May 13, 2024, Joy Boy was born in the bountiful ancient kingdom long ago in the Void Century, at some point around 900 years ago. Joy Boy was surrounded by tremendous firepower, but one of his biggest weapons was his Haki, which stemmed directly from his spirit. A glimpse of Joy Boy’s Haki was given to us in One Piece Chapter 1122, which was released officially on August 5, 2024, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #36-37. This Haki of Joy Boy was unleashed through Emeth, the Iron Giant, in Egghead. When unleashed, Joy Boy’s Haki proved to be so strong that it nullified the abilities of all Five Elders, split the sky on its own, knocked out all Vice Admirals, and, above all, caused tremendous pain to Nerona Imu.
“I’ve tried a knot of the greatest Haki and locked it inside your body. You’re going to keep on living long after I’m dead. There will come a day when I can’t help you anymore.” — Joy Boy seals Haki in Emeth in the Void Century, One Piece Chapter #1122
So far, Joy Boy’s remains to be the single greatest feat of Haki that we have ever seen in One Piece and confirms him to be the absolute God of Haki. No other character in the entire world of One Piece comes even remotely close to what Joy Boy can do with his Haki, and it makes it even more preposterous as to how he lost the battle of the Void Century long ago.
Why Joy Boy’s Haki Surpasses Imu’s In One Piece
In One Piece chapters 1162 and 1179, Nerona Imu’s Haki was officially shown to us for the very first time. In Chapter 1162 on October 13, 2025, a massive bolt of Imu’s Haki was unleashed in God Valley after the King of the World presented himself through Saint Saturn. This Haki was so preposterous that the likes of Roger, Rocks, and all the other top tiers, including Gaban, Rayleigh, Whitebeard, Garp, and others, took notice of it. Even after being attacked by the strongest form of Haki by absolute monsters, Imu barely budged. Moving forward to One Piece Chapter 1179, which was released on April 5, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19, Nerona Imu descended upon Elbaf, and immediately upon this descent, unleashed a powerful bolt of Conqueror’s Haki felt all over the country.
“What’s going on? Even at God Valley, I never felt Haki like this!” — Scopper Gaban hyped up Imu’s Haki on Elbaf, One Piece Chapter #1180
Imu’s Haki in Elbaf was even more preposterous and had strength such that Scopper Gaban stated that he had not felt such Haki even in God Valley, despite all the powerful monsters present there. In other words, this is the second-greatest feat of Haki that we have seen in the story of One Piece, but compared to Joy Boy’s Haki, it was certainly not as powerful. For one, it did not manage to split the skies on its own, and other powerful individuals managed to keep hold of their consciousness. Compared to what Joy Boy managed to achieve, Imu’s Haki was insignificant, but there is a big reason as to why that is the case.
“Great Imu’s body isn’t meant to sustain the outside. But even pushing past that, the strength we need and the strength we ought to destroy are both right here.” — Saint Sommers explains Imu’s nerf, One Piece Chapter #1182
Nerona Imu is currently nerfed, and this was confirmed to us directly in One Piece Chapter 1179 and again in One Piece Chapter 1182 on May 10, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #24. With Imu being nerfed severely, it makes sense as to why his Haki is not the strongest and why Joy Boy reigns supreme as the sole Haki God of One Piece.
Imu’s Akuma no Mi Powers Helped Beat Joy Boy 800 Years Ago
Despite Joy Boy being the God of Haki from the Void Century, he still lost his battle to Nerona Imu 800 years ago. The main reason why Imu was able to beat Joy Boy was because of his Akuma no Mi powers. This power allowed him to enter into contracts with various powerful entities and, at the same time, make slaves out of powerful countries who opposed them. Against such might and firepower, even Supreme King Haki was not efficient. When coupled with the fact that Imu gained access to the Ancient Weapons at some point, there is little Joy Boy’s Haki could have achieved in this era.
“Omen is my military might. It’s a power that dwells within all living things. People crave power. However, if the power they crave is obtained through ease, it leads to corruption.” — Nerona Imu explains how corruption allows him to grow his influence, One Piece Chapter #1181
However, things are going to be remarkably different in the Great War to come. As foretold in the Harley in One Piece Chapter 1138, the Sun God will take the world to its end, and Nerona Imu’s dominance will finally end with it. Joy Boy might have fallen 800 years ago, but he is resurgent, stronger than ever before. Luffy will succeed in doing what Joy Boy failed to do long ago by liberating the world once and for all from the clutches of this monstrosity.
All the One Piece manga chapters by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
