Imu is an extremely important characterinOne Pieceand, in the grand scheme of things, they are possibly the greatest villain in Oda’s story. Although Imu was introduced rather recently, shortly after the events of the Whole Cake Island arc, they have gone on to become extremely important. Usually, one would expect Oda to have introduced Imu even further back into the story, yet, their existence is fitting, given that their identity was kept secret from the entire world for centuries.
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Fans knew very little about Imu until recently, however, now thatOne Piecehas enteredits Final Saga, the greatest of mysteries are finally being tackled in the story and, as such, fans are also finding out bits about Imu’s past.One Piecechapter 1085 did great in that regard and revealed bits from their past to the fans.
Imu’s Age
It is quite easy for the fans to know that Imu is not a character born into the current era. Imu is a person who has been alive for centuries upon centuries now. This would mean that they are actually immortal and, as far as what the story has revealed so far, there is only one way to attain immortality in the entire story. This would be with the powers ofthe Ope Ope no Mi.The Perineal Youth Surgery is known to be great enough to grant youth in perpetuity to whoever gets this surgery performed on them. In exchange, the person who performs this surgery ends up dying. It is very likely that Imu was able to get the surgery done on themselves long ago in the past and that is why they have been alive for centuries upon centuries.
Imu is certainly a relic from the old age and that much is beyond any dispute. However, things are more interesting than just that. Judging by the way Imu talks and refers to themselves, it has been pointed out by many fans who understand their Japanese dialect that Imu actually talks in a childish manner. That could very well indicate that Imu is actually not an adult but a child or maybe a teen, like Luffy. This is further backed up by the size of this particular character. Imu does not look particularly tall or big. They have a very short body, which makes the idea that they could be a child even more convincing.
Imu’s Past
Thanks to One Piece chapter 185, fans also know bits about the past of Imu now. It was revealed by King Cobra that the name Imu isn’t all that mysterious among the monarchs of the One Piece world, and this holds especially true for those who descended from the line ofthe 20 Kings who once fought against the Ancient Kingdom.According to Cobra, he recognizes the name Imu and there was actually one person either among the 20, or related to them, with this name. Cobra certainly knew more about the person named Imu, however, before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the Sovereign of the World.
Now, fans know that Imu isn’t a God but instead, a greedy monarch who seized the Empty Throne for themselves. This also means that Imu swore to never sit on the Empty Throne themselves, long ago. There are 19 weapons in front of the Empty Throne and, as Cobra mentioned himself, Imu was one of the 20 or related to them. The only person who did not put their weapon in front of the throne was Queen Nefertari D. Lily and that was because she did not intend to become a Celestial Dragon and instead wanted to go back to Arabasta to rule her people. The other 19 put their weapons in front of the throne and this would mean that Imu’s very own weapon would be in front of the throne as well. Despite that, somehow, Imu tricked the others and gained power, becoming the supreme ruler of the entire world.
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Imu And Queen Lily
Recently, fans alsofound out quite a bit about Queen Lily, thanks to King Cobra. As soon as he mentioned Lily, Imu entered the throne room and a connection between the two was established thereafter. InOne Piece1085, it was made clearer that Imu and Lily knew each other very well and that they hold a grudge against her. According to Imu, the people of the D were the enemies of those who created the World Government. They were formidable people, however, their strength dwindled and currently, they are only a husk of their former selves, and most of them don’t even know the true meaning of their names. The D. would have been completely eradicated, however, it was Queen Lily who made sure that they survived somehow.
Lily somehow spread the Poneglyphs all over the world and these texts have since then been safeguarded by various clans and races in an attempt to bring the eventual dawn of the world. Lily herself met her end in an unknown manner, however, fans are more than certain that Imu had something to do with that. In the future, Oda will likely throw more light on this incident and show the fans how exactly Lily met her end. Even centuries after the death of Lily, Imu still blames her and pins the resurgence of the people of the D. on her. Imu and the Gorosei despise the Nefertari Family for this reason and this was made clearer when they also eliminated Cobra.
Imu As The Sovereign Of The World
As soon as the Ancient Kingdom lost the war, a new world order was created by the 20 Monarchs who had banded together to battle the superior combat prowess of the enemy. They moved to the Holy Land of Marijoa atop the Red Line and thereafter, lived there, going by the name of the Celestial Dragons. Their respective countries elected new royal families and their own names were erased from the histories of their countries to ensure a smooth transition in power. The 20 Monarchs swore to never vie for further power and were supposed to be equal in the eyes of each other. They put their weapons in front of the Empty Throne as a sign of respect and equality, however, somehow, Imu, likely one of the 20 Monarchs, ended up as the ruler of the entire world.
The others certainly ended up dying, however, Imu somehow survived. Given that they are immortal, there would have been nobody to challenge their power after the other 19 passed away. Imu has, since then, ruled as the sovereign of the entire world and created an entire order to protect themselves and maintain a firm grip over the world. Under Imu are the powerful Gorosei, also known as the Five Elders, who dispatch every command of theirs. They also have the power of the strong government officials, known as the Cipher Pol. The military face of the World Government, also known as the Navy, is yet another massive power under Imu’s control. It is quite easy to see that Imu is the most powerful as well as influential character inOne Pieceat this moment and fans are more than excited to see what role they play going forward in the final saga.
