Summary
- Chapter 1138 of One Piece is considered one of the best, with lore about the Void Century and maybe even the mysterious Imu.
- Imu has likely been active since the Void Century, rules from the Empty Throne, and has a connection to Nefeltari Lily.
- Imu’s role as a shadow ruler may tie into a cyclical world theory, potentially linking them to Blackbeard in the series.
The mural etched onto the Adam Tree on Elbaf is centuries old and gives the reader insights not only into the past, but into the future as well. Because of the incredible reveals and details engraved into this mural, most fans confirm that Chapter 1138 is one of the best ever released for the One Piece franchise since it was a massive and long-awaited lore drop about the Void Century as well as the age before it.
One of the most confusing aspects regarding it was the details of the ‘First World’ of One Piece, which mostly remains vague. However, one thing is certain; that it was ruled over by some sort of monarch or God that fans currently know very little about, with some fans theorizing it might be Imu. So, let’s take a look at who that mysterious figure could be and how it could tie into being Imu.
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Everything Currently Known About Imu
The Mysterious Ruler of the World
|
First Appearance |
One Piece, Chapter 906, “The Holy Land Marijois” |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
June 4, 2018 |
|
Story Arc |
Reverie |
Imu is the secret ruler of the world whose entire being remains a mystery to fans at the current moment. Theories regarding their identity have been rampant ever since their first appearance, ranging from Imu being Joyboy’s brother to even being Nefeltari Lily the entire time. The details that are known for sure are deliberately vague and are kept so in order to keep fans guessing until the reveal is eventually made.
It is implied, and is likely true, that Imu was the mastermind behind the defeat of Joyboy and the Ancient Kingdom and has been active since the Void Century at least. Although the system of the World Government, that was created by the 20 nations opposed to the Ancient Kingdom, was set up in a way so that no one person could rule over the others, Imu has sat on the Empty Throne for at least 800 years as the shadow ruler of the world whose authority supersedes everyone else’s.
It’s the Empty Throne. It symbolizes the pledge that royals of all countries are equal and no one desires a dictatorship.
It is also apparent that Imu is the one who has given the 5 Elders their terrifying Yokai powers. The true reasoning for this is a mystery as well, though the speculation about these powers coming from a special or corrupted type of Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit remains. All that is known is that Imu can take away or bestow these powers on their subordinates at will.
Finally, the last thing known about Imu is the fact that they had some sort of relationship with Nefeltari Lily. Again, the specifics of this relationship can only be speculated as of now, but it’s clear that Imu has some kind of obsession with the Nefeltari family, since they acted out in anger upon finding the truth about Lily’s allegiance to Joyboy and the D Clan. Moreover, Imu also held a picture of Lily while cutting up the pictures of Luffy, Blackbeard, and Shirahoshi in their first-ever appearance, showing that there is some kind of connection there.
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Is Imu Older Than We Previously Thought?
A New Dilemma To Answer
Chapter 1138 of the One Piece manga was very important to the overall story, since it gave a long-awaited, albeit incredibly vague, explanation about what happened in the Void Century, as well as in the first age of the world before it. The mural at the end of the chapter showed dozens of characters and plot points that left the entire fandom buzzing about the lore implications and how the future of the series will play out.
The ‘First World’ is something fans were completely unaware of before the start of the Elbaf arc, but it was explained that there was an even more mysterious time before the Void Century and the only connecting thing between the 3 ages of the world is the Sun God Nika Devil Fruit. However, upon closer inspection, this may not be true, since the depiction of the First World showed a mysterious monarch with an elongated crown similar to Imu. This prompted some fans to think Imu may be older than they previously thought.
The reasoning for how this came to be is still incredibly speculative and impossible to know for sure. However, it could be that the figure everyone now refers to as Imu is some sort of entity that has always desired to rule over the world, and, through its amazing power, it was always able to do so by defeating the Sun God of each time period. If something like this is true, it disproves the popular fan theory of Imu being a sibling or compatriot of Joyboy who eventually betrayed him.
However, it can also work with this theory, since Imu may have taken a friendly visage to deceive Joyboy and the original Nika to become the ruler of the world. The strongest connection between this shadowy monarch and Imu is how they both look, judging by which some fans have begun to think of them as one and the same. If this ends up being true, then it would change everything since it would show how the world has been pushed to this fate since the very first age and how Imu, or someone like them, has always been at the forefront of this.
If it weren’t for Lily’s mistake on that day, the loathsome artifacts called the Poneglyphs would not be scattered all over the world.
Conversely, the most likely theory here has to do with the cyclical nature of the world itself. Seeing as how each of these ages has a figure who has taken up the mantle of the Sun God and serves the role of a great liberator, it’s entirely possible that each world also has an antithesis to this trope, only the one who does so for the Void Century and current day is the same due to gaining immense power and somewhat breaking this cycle.
This opens up the possibility of Blackbeard perhaps even being the one who was meant to become the dark ruler of the world in the current day but, through Imu’s planning and corruption of the cycle, was never able to do so. If this turns out to be the case, it could open up amazing possibilities for the future and how this story could end, with perhaps even Blackbeard ending up as the final enemy Luffy has to defeat.
Moreover, Blackbeard also has some kind of connection to Imu as well, but that is currently pure speculation. A few similarities between the two of them can be seen due to Blackbeard’s role as the opposite of Luffy, as seen in how he wants to be the King of the World by amassing the most power and control possible, similar to how Imu has likely gotten into power themselves.
The thematic connections run quite deep here, since Blackbeard wants the same thing as Luffy but in a way that makes him the exact opposite. This is also likely what put Imu at odds with Joyboy all those centuries ago, and if this theory about Imu’s immortality ends up being true, could also have been what happened during the First World with the original Nika. As such, this also exists as a plausible connection that could show that Imu has been the ruler of the world who has led it to its many apocalyptic events multiple times over its history.
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