One Piece Yonko-Level Threats: Confirmed Beyond Emperors Guide

In One Piece, the Yonko—known in English as the Four Emperors—are treated as the New World’s apex pirate threats. They were officially introduced in Chapter 432 by Monkey D. Garp, and at the series’ start their lineup consisted of Whitebeard, Shanks, Kaido, and Big Mom. That balance didn’t last: during the Paramount War, Whitebeard was killed and the seat was eventually filled by Blackbeard. Later, in the War of Wano, two of the Yonko teamed up for the first time, only to fall against the Worst Generation.

Quick scan: Four Emperors, then the “stronger than Yonko” claim

The Yonko were introduced in One Piece Chapter 432 by Monkey D. Garp.
Early Yonko roster: Whitebeard, Shanks, Kaido, and Big Mom.
After the Paramount War, Whitebeard dies and is replaced by Blackbeard.
In the War of Wano, two Yonko collaborate, but both lose to the Worst Generation.
One Piece Chapter 1053 (June 20, 2022, Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #29) formally names Luffy, Shanks, Buggy, and Blackbeard as the new Four Emperors.
Four years later, Eiichiro Oda confirms a group that could be even stronger than the Four Emperors, linked to the World Government.
This group is tied to Nerona Imu’s Akuma no Mi power, introduced in Chapter 1179 (April 5, 2026).

One Piece Chapter 1053, which came out on June 20, 2022 through Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #29, effectively put the new Yonko front and center: Luffy, Shanks, Buggy, and Blackbeard. Now, several years on, creator Eiichiro Oda has officially acknowledged the possibility of an even more dangerous faction than the Four Emperors. The key detail is that this potential “bigger than Yonko” group is directly connected to the World Government and draws its birth from Nerona Imu’s Akuma no Mi abilities—abilities that were introduced in Chapter 1179 on April 5, 2026.

One Piece’s Elbaf Arc Climax Adds “Omen” As The Power-Up Behind Imu’s Closest Fighters

Even with the Yonko standing as the benchmark for raw pirate power, the Final Saga has introduced other heavy hitters as well. To understand why the Holy Knights and the Five Elders can rival—or even outclass—the Emperors, you have to start with the method of their enhancement. For the Holy Knights in particular, their boost is tied straight to Nerona Imu’s Depths Covenant. With the Covenant in play, their overall strength spikes, and they also gain major upgrades like immortality and rapid regeneration.

That immortality angle gets emphasized in One Piece Chapter 1187. The chapter was officially released in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #32 on July 5, 2026, where St. Killingham confirms that being immortal is far more effective than simply being “unusually hard to kill,” like Kaido. The point is straightforward: Imu’s influence grants the Holy Knights more than survivability—it grants a whole category of durability that changes how fights play out.

Still, the Holy Knights aren’t portrayed as a guaranteed Yonko replacement on their own. One Piece Chapter 1149, released May 26, 2025, makes it clear that Scopper Gaban is substantially stronger than Sommers. Meanwhile, in God Valley, Satchels Maffey gets shut down easily by Whitebeard in Chapter 1161, and Sommers is also beaten without much trouble by Silvers Rayleigh. In other words: without the right escalation, these members don’t automatically match Emperor-tier threats.

“That black flame though, it was transforming into bullets and bombs…and he clearly helped the Knights of God, who were already here power up further. If we don’t put an end to them soon, things will get out of hand.” — Roronoa Zoro, surprised by Omen’s power boost (One Piece Chapter #1182)

This is where the “Omen” power-up concept comes in—and it’s positioned as an official mechanic for how Imu’s side can leap beyond expectations. One Piece presents the idea of an Omen enhancement in Chapter 1180, dated April 20, 2026, in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #21. The Omen is said to come directly from Nerona Imu’s Akuma no Mi abilities. When Imu wants to strengthen allies, she can generate an Omen that manifests as a huge ring of black flames hovering over their heads. The buff is so intense that it can even allow the Holy Knights to fly.

“Hello! This is Sommers speaking. Did I just say Sommers? I meant Super Sommers. I’ve found a Giant ship to use. Bring those brats over here in 5 minutes!!” — Saint Shepherd Sommers boasts about his Omen power (One Piece Chapter #1182)

Omen doesn’t just sharpen combat stats; it elevates multiple aspects of a Holy Knight’s kit. The power boost strengthens Devil Fruit abilities, improves resilience, and reinforces immortality. Even more importantly, it’s portrayed as a level-shifting upgrade: Sommers and Killingham—described as relatively weaker—are pushed above the typical strength range of Yonko First Commanders. The same principle can be applied to heavier Holy Knights as well, including Gunko and Shamrock, plus any other members who haven’t appeared yet.

Zoro vs Sanji has been a long-running debate for decades, but the newest One Piece chapter is framed here as the decisive settlement.

How Certain Holy Knights Can Surpass the Yonko

Several Holy Knights are shown with feats that already suggest they can hang with Emperor-level threats—then Omen is offered as the multiplier that makes the leap credible. In One Piece Chapter 1146 (official release April 21, 2025), Gunko demonstrates the ability to take down four Straw Hat Pirates, including Jinbe, with ease. At the same time, One Piece Chapter 1137 has Shamrock Figarland state that Gunko is capable of defeating Loki, and that with an Omen power-up, she should become even more formidable. The implication is that Shamrock herself is a monstrous calamity who should be as strong as Yonko Shanks, and when you add Omen on top of Imu’s support, Shamrock is positioned as one of the strongest figures in the entire world.

Imu: Omen is my military might. It’s a power that dwells within all living things.

Imu: Blade of Judgment: Nemesis!

Imu: People crave power. However, if the power they crave is obtained through ease, it leads to corruption.

— Nerona Imu explains Omen (One Piece Chapter #1181)

The same escalation logic is applied to Harald, another Holy Knight. One Piece Chapters 1169 and 1170 depict Harald as stronger than any other Yonko. With an Omen in effect, he’s described as an unstoppable presence—something even the world’s greatest powers can’t stop, except for Nerona Imu. That leads to the conclusion that if every Holy Knight receives Omen, the whole faction could function as a rival to the Four Emperors, potentially becoming even stronger when factoring in the Supreme Commander Garling Figarland.

“If Harald left the castle in that state, he would’ve brought a great calamity upon the whole world. I had a taste of a hopeless future in that fight. No matter what we did to him, his body kept regenerating. I still can’t believe that someone actually managed to stop him.” — Scopper Gaban confirms Harald surpassed the Yonko (One Piece Chapter #1171)

This reasoning carries over even more forcefully to the Five Elders. Unlike the Holy Knights, the Five Elders don’t have a huge gap in capability between members: all of them are portrayed as Yonko-level fighters. Their kit also includes high-end options like Supreme King Haki. In short, they’re already among the strongest individuals in One Piece, and if they receive an Omen power-up from Nerona Imu, their strength is described as going well beyond the Yonko that currently dominate the world.

Why the Omen-Powered Five Elders Surpass the Yonko

With Omen active, any individual in the world of One Piece gains a major strength increase for as long as the power-up remains active. That’s framed as the main reason the Five Elders can surpass the Yonko: the group already sits at Emperor-level toughness, and Omen turns that baseline into something even more extreme. In the Egghead Arc, viewers get direct exposure to the Five Elders’ power, and what stands out is that they measure up to the Yonko in durability. Some, it’s claimed, can even be tougher than the Emperors.

One example given is Topman Warcury. He’s shown enduring the same Red Roc attack that previously struck Kaido hard enough to make him bleed, a moment connected to One Piece Chapter 1000 (released January 4, 2021) in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #5-6. The comparison is used to argue that the Five Elders’ survival ceiling is already extremely high—so an Omen enhancement would push it even further.

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Similarly, Nusjuro is described as producing feats of strength that rival any Emperor figure in the world. If these “monsters” are then powered up by Omen, the text argues their strength would even eclipse the Yonko. That chain of logic is also used to connect back to Nerona Imu’s broader history—specifically how Imu is credited with winning the Void Century conflict against Joy Boy and his allies in the first place.

Eiichiro Oda’s New Power System Points Toward the Biggest War Yet

Through Omen, Eiichiro Oda is said to have built a new power system designed to supercharge the strongest assets of the World Government, including the Holy Knights and the Five Elders. The mechanic is tied to Nerona’s Akuma no Mi and was introduced officially in One Piece Chapter 1179 on April 5, 2026. With it, the World Government is positioned to field multiple Yonko-level fighters, and as a group—especially when the Five Elders and possibly even the Holy Knights operate together—they can surpass the Four Emperors.

That setup is why the upcoming final conflict, following the events of Elbaf, is framed as particularly significant. The idea isn’t just that the World Government is strong—it’s that Omen creates an advantage structure that can rewrite who’s “top tier” in the endgame.

The latest chapters of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece manga are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.