Warning: Contains spoilers for chapter #1113 of One Piece.
One Piece‘s latest chapter may have just confirmed one key detail about the series’ final villain, Imu, revealing the secret ruler’s identity at last. Despite making only a handful of appearances in the series thus far, Imu is undoubtedly a key figure in the world of One Piece. However, little is known about the enigmatic figure whose appearance has always been cast in shadow. However, Vegapunk’s message may have indirectly exposed Imu’s secret identity, confirming a conspiracy theory that has been discussed even within the series.
In chapter #1113 of One Piece, Vegapunk begins his message in which he states that he does not blame those responsible for his death and claims that he cannot label them as good or evil. Vegapunk then mentions that he does not know enough about a certain “him”, which could be referring to Imu. This would confirm that Imu is indeed male, and is the same St. Imu Nerona who was one of the twenty rulers from the Void Century who formed the World Government.
While Vegapunk could also be referring to Kizaru, whose morality has always been ambiguous, Vegapunk and Kizaru are quite well acquainted and it wouldn’t make sense for Vegapunk to claim to know very little about him after all these years. The “him” in the chapter is also bolded, implying a deeper hidden meaning which, together with the focus on Saint Saturn’s face at that very moment, point to Imu being the one Vegapunk is talking about.
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Vegapunk Hints At Imu’s Gender and True Identity
One Piece created by Eiichiro Oda, chapter #1113, “Stalemate”
Thus far, Imu has appeared in silhouette only and chapter #1085 is the only instance Imu is seen speaking. In the chapter, Imu referred to themself in the third person using “mu” and, as the anime has yet to adapt the chapter, it was impossible to be sure of Imu’s gender. That said, Emporio Ivankov proposed an interesting theory in chapter #1086 when he revealed that there was a monarch among the first twenty rulers named St. Imu who belonged to the Nerona Dynasty.
While the “saint” prefix is commonly used for both male and female World Nobles in the English translation, in Japanese, there are two separate terms for each. Male Celestial Dragons are called “sei” while female Celestial Dragons are called “gū”. As such, Saint Imu is referred to as “Imu-sei” in the original Japanese text, confirming that the original Imu was indeed male.
Judging by how Imu seemed to know Nefertari Lily well and was aware of her blunder as well as the true history of the D Clan and the poneglyphs, it is safe to assume that the Imu seen in the present is the same Imu Nerona from 800 years ago. As Ivankov proposed, someone had to have proved the Op-Op Fruit’s ability to grant eternal life, and this may very well be Imu and the Five Elders. All these facts add up to prove that the mysterious man Vegapunk mentions in chapter #1113 is very likely Imu.
One Piece’s Anime Has Also Dropped A Few Clues About Imu’s Identity
The World Government’s Secret Leader Imu Wasn’t Revealed Until One Piece Chapter #906
Toei Animation’s stunning adaptation of the Egghead arc finally reached the pivotal moment where Imu made themselves known to Albasta’s King Cobra and unknowingly to the Revolutionary Army’s Chief of Staff, Sabo—the dramatic moment expertly kept the mysterious figure layered in shadows. However, One Piece‘s anime revealed something the manga couldn’t, potentially exposing more about the World Government’s secret ruler from the sound of their voice.
With the character being one of the long-running series’ most enigmatic, fans were not expecting the anime to reveal anything that the manga’s chapters didn’t, and while hearing the voice failed to narrow down the character’s masculine or feminine vocal range, it did succeed in making Imu sound otherworldly. Some fan theories believe they could be inhuman, like a real devil or possibly even a robot like Dr.Vegapunk’s satellites. Author Eiichiro Oda provided only a small number of clues about the Five Elder’s leader, who controlled much of the world for over 800 years.
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The flashback involving Sabo’s brutal confrontation with the Five Elders and Imu’s demonic forms claimed the life of Albasta’s King Cobra ended in episode #1120. However, it also provided more historical insight from Revolutionary Ivankov’s words. The flamboyant leader recognized the name Nerona Imu, one of the original 20 kings who helped defeat Joy Boy and form the World Government at the end of the Void Century 800 years ago. The leading idea is that Imu used the immortality granting Ope-Ope Devil Fruit, but the theories that they are a robot or an unaging devil have yet to be disproven.
Vegapunk’s Message Casts Doubt on Imu’s Morality
The World Government and the Ancient Kingdom May Not Be Wholly Good or Evil
As a man of science with rather complex morals himself, Vegapunk is certainly right to assume that he is in no place to make moral judgments. Though Imu has largely been considered an evil tyrannical ruler, Vegapunk’s words suggest there may be more to his character and story than meets the eye. A few fan theories have even entertained the idea that the Ancient Kingdom may not have been as good and innocent as fans have been led to believe and that perhaps the World Government’s strict authoritarian rule was born out of necessity.
Given One Piece‘s nuanced approach to morality, such a twist would certainly be possible. According to Professor Clover, it is the ideals of the Ancient Kingdom that the World Government deemed dangerous and tried to bury, which may be related to freedom given the implied connection between Sun God Nika and the Ancient Kingdom.
Nevertheless, while freedom is presented as a positive ideal through the lens of the pirates, it is entirely possible that unrestricted freedom nearly brought the world to the edge of destruction in the past. This may be especially true if the Ancient Kingdom, which Vegapunk revealed was more scientifically advanced than Egghead, did in fact create the Ancient Weapons as popularly speculated. The dangers of unrestricted scientific advancement are well-known in real life and have been discussed even in One Piece.
It is possible that Imu deems his actions necessary for the greater good of the world and even the World Government’s plans for a great cleansing simply serve to restore the equilibrium they believe is necessary. The Great Pirate Era has caused plenty of upheaval and while there are technically “good” or rather “morally just” pirates like the Straw Hats, there are also those like Kaido who have caused nothing but suffering to innocent people while aspiring towards freedom.
What Imu’s Immortality Means for One Piece
At this point, it is all but inevitable that Imu will be one of the series’ primary antagonists in the Final Saga alongside Blackbeard. Imu being immortal not only makes him appear more intimidating but also adds a poetic sense of meaning to his inevitable confrontation with Luffy, who has inherited the will of Imu’s oldest enemies, the D Clan.
Imu’s immortality does not necessarily equate to him being invincible, but he will surely not be an easy opponent by any means. Imu’s gender does not invalidate the theories about his connection to the sea, and given the brief glimpse of his powers in chapter #1085, he may be just as troublesome to deal with as the Five Elders.
Overall, as seen from Neferatri Cobra’s death, Imu’s existence is a secret learned at the cost of death and very few have seen him and lived to tell the tale. It is still unclear how Vegapunk managed to learn of Imu’s existence without the Five Elders’ knowledge, but it is possible that Ohara’s findings and Shaka’s research may have uncovered the truth. This raises the interesting question about just how many secrets Vegapunk knows about the world of One Piece which could be revealed in his message.
One Piece is available from Manga Plus and Viz Media.
One Piece
Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a multimedia franchise that began as a manga series and follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates as led by Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy, an enthusiastic pirate with a thirst for adventure, is afflicted by a mysterious curse that gives him various powers he uses to protect himself and his friends. The manga eventually gave way to the anime series, with the two being some of history’s longest-running anime and manga series. Along with over fifty video games made over the years, the series entered the live-action world with Netflix’s 2023 adaptation.
- Created by
- Eiichiro Oda
- First Film
- One Piece: The Movie
