Summary
TheOne Pieceseries tells the story of Monkey D. Luffy’s journey to follow in Gol D. Roger’s footsteps and become the Pirate King, but as the story progresses, more and more elements tie into the mystery ofthe Void Century’s forbidden history. Though Blackbeard was initially believed to be the final antagonist, the way the story is shaping up makes it more likely that the final saga will conclude with the Straw Hats fighting against the Gorosei and Imu, in a grand-scale battle that involves most of the characters seen in the narrative so far.
On his journey to achieve his dreams, Luffy has been inadvertently liberating people and kingdoms since day one, and it would only be fitting if theOne Piecestory concluded with himliberating the entire worldfrom the World Government’s oppressive reign. Though the story’s focus has only recently shifted to Mariejois and the role of the Worl Nobles, fans noticed that Oda may have foreshadowed this conclusion in Volume 25’s Cover art all the way back in 2002.
Who is Imu?
At the vertex of theOne Pieceworld government, there are the World Nobles, a group of rulers who left the original Twenty Kingdoms to inhabit Mariejois. There, in Pangeia castle, one can find the Empty Throne that symbolizes their commitment to maintaining peace and equality among the nations, surrounded bythe weapons of the rulers who made this commitment. This throne should be empty by definition, and in the eyes of the rest of the world, there is no authority higher than the Five Elders who preside over the World Nobles, but fans no this to be false.
In fact, there is one above all others, whose existence is known only to the five Gorosei. Though not much is known about this enigmatic figure and their gender is still uncertain, Oda has revealed thatthey are called Imuand they reside in Pangeia Castle, otherwise believed to be empty. They appear to be immortal, dating back all the way to the Void century, and they almost certainly have personal ties to the original Joyboy, and Vivi’s ancestor Lily. As of now, only their silhouette has appeared, but as they speak in the manga, fans are hopeful that once theOne Pieceanime reaches that point, Oda will be forced to at least reveal their gender so that the voice can be accurately cast.
How Does Volume 25’s Cover Foreshadow Imu’s Defeat?
One Piececover 25 is already famous for hinting at the New Yonko, years ahead ofBig Mom and Kaidou’s defeat. It depicts Buggy, Luffy, Shanks, and Blackbeard at the four corners, with a goat chewing on paper as the central focus. In Japanese, the word for paper is “Kami”, however, the Kanji for Kami can also be read as the word God. Though strange to English readers, it is normal for Japanese Kanji to have multiple pronunciations with different meanings, and since Oda has been known to play around with Kanji readings in the past, this likely foreshadows something in the narrative.
As the World Nobles are considered the Gods of theOne Pieceworld, and Imu rules over the World Nobles, this could mean that these four Emperors Of The Sea are destined to defeat Imu in her capacity as God. Curiously, all except for Shanks are depicted with their mouths open, even the smaller figure of Jaguar D. Saul in the background. As the goat is chewing on paper and themembers of the D clanare known as enemies of the Gods, this could imply that those with open mouths are part of this. This would explain why Shanks is the only character to have his mouth closed, as though he is almost certainly not aligned with them, he is known to be a direct descendant of the Figarland family. It would also be coherent with the fan theory that Buggy is secretly a D, a fact which is certainly possible as nothing is known of his life before he became Gol D. Roger’s Cabin Boy.
Only time will tell whether this theory is true or not, andOne Piecefans are eager to see how Oda will set up the endgame conflict. The current arc has already set up major events that will probably tie into future developments, and the community expects that given the events thattook place on Hachinosu, Blackbeard and the World Government may take a more central role in the story after the Straw Hats leave Egghead Island.
