Who is Imu and How They Became the King of the World in One Piece?

Imu, the One Piece enigma, only revealed to manga readers as the world’s true ruler, represents one of the biggest mysteries the series has ever seen. Seated upon the Empty Throne, which was supposed to symbolize equality between the nations around the world, Imu’s very existence is the direct contrast of shared power across the globe.

Operating in secrecy, this king orders around the World Government and, subsequently, the entire world, without any public figure or, for that matter, most of the highest-ranking officials even knowing. But who is Imu in One Piece, and how did he end up being the ruler of that world?

What place did Imu have in ancient times, more precisely with Joyboy and the events of the Void Century? All right, here is a speculative theory trying to unravel these mysteries.

Theory: Imu Is a Survivor of the Ancient Kingdom

One of the most widespread theories proposed so far has been that Imu could be a survivor of the Ancient Kingdom that got destroyed during the Void Century. Most records about this kingdom have been erased by the World Government, but from what we can assume, it was a strong civilization, really advanced in technology and a great influence on the world.

The Ancient Kingdom’s philosophy may have clashed with the dream of a world in their power that ultimately came to be as the World Government. However, Imu might have been some kind of rogue leader or person that hailed from within this very kingdom who wanted powers for personal purposes.

Perhaps Imu viewed the Ancient Kingdom’s egalitarian or idealistic objectives as flawed and weak, thus allying herself with the emerging coalition of nations that would form the World Government. Under that theory, Imu could have betrayed the Ancient Kingdom in return for the promise of rulership over the world.

The following is how Imu became the King of the World:

• The Selling Out of the Ancient Kingdom: “Imu, presumably part of the hierarchy in the Ancient Kingdom-most probably a king, a queen, or even a highly ranked person-might have provided vital information or technology to the founders of the World Government, which was then used to destroy the Ancient Kingdom in return for their promised position at the pinnacle of world power.
• Immortality through Ancient Technology or a Devil Fruit: Imu has lived for more than 800 years, and this might be because of the potential to gain access either to ancient technology or to a Devil Fruit power giving the capacity for immortality. Ope Ope no Mi, the Devil Fruit of Law, has been theorized to have the ability to grant eternal youth through the Perennial Youth Operation, and it is very possible that Imu may have gone through such a procedure. Another explanation is that Imu undergrounds their longevity to the Ancient Kingdom’s Void Century technology, allowing them to persist in control for centuries.
• Control through the Gorosei and Cipher Pol: Imu, after the destruction of the Ancient Kingdom, consolidated power by remaining behind the scenes and letting the Gorosei be their public face. The Five Elders hold high positions of power but are subservient to Imu, who remains the actual authority. Imu was concealing the world’s intellect through Cipher Pol; no record of their existence and that of the Ancient Kingdom was to ever pop up.

The Relationship Between Imu and Joyboy

Another very interesting character hailing from the Void Century, whose continuing influence is assured in the mysteries of the ancient Poneglyphs, Raftel treasure, and world-time dawn. The fact that it was an ancient weapon associated with Joyboy shows that Joyboy was possibly against the formation of the World Government and the oppression of the people.

With that, the following are some possible interactions or conflicts that happened between Imu and Joyboy:

Joyboy Was Imu’s Rival

One of the most straightforward reasons is that Joyboy and Imu were rivals during the period of time in the Void Century. Joyboy could have represented the ideals of freedom and equality, thus unifying the world under a benevolent philosophy. Imu sought to control and dominate, which might have been the reason behind the war between Ancient Kingdom and the Twenty Kingdoms that finally formed into World Government.

In that case, Imu could have seen Joyboy’s world outlook, himself at the center, as some kind of barrier to his aspirations of supremacy and domination. On the other hand, Imu would have ordered Joyboy’s defeat; in fact, he even manipulated the events just to defeat the Ancient Kingdom and to have the World Government established.

Imu and Joyboy Were Once Allies

Another possibility is that Imu and Joyboy had once been allies to each other, or even in the same group inside the Ancient Kingdom, jointly wanting to change this world, until some fundamental disagreement made them split ways.

He could have been an idealist aiming to use the power of the Ancient Kingdom to make the world a better place, while Imu became power-hungry and decided he needed to consolidate his power. This breach in their friendship could have bubbled over into betrayal.

It could be that, with time, Imu came upon the realization that Joyboy’s message was getting out there and turned to the future founders of the World Government for a deal to destroy the Ancient Kingdom. Thus, the betrayal of Imu was personal rather than a political move that brought about Joyboy’s eventual demise.

Imu Was Jealous of Joyboy

A more character-driven theory could be that Imu was indeed jealous of Joyboy for a variety of skills, charisma, or even power. Perhaps Joyboy was favored among his people and viewed as some kind of hero or a born leader, which Imu had been eclipsed by. This envy could have resulted in the attempts by Imu to damage Joyboy’s efforts and finally bring about his destruction and the ascendancy of the World Government.

That would make the struggle between them a personal matter since it was hooked on deep-seated animosity. Imu’s need to remove all traces of Joyboy from history may stem not from political necessity but from a deep-seated need to eradicate any reminder of one’s own inferiority.

The D. Clan and the Will of D

The initial ‘D.’ because of Luffy, Gol D. Roger, and other key personalities forms a family or a bloodline that opposes directly the ‘gods’ of the world, the Celestial Dragons and their rulers. It would not be very far-fetched to assume that the D. Clan is from the Ancient Kingdom and their will is somehow connected with Joyboy’s mission of freedom and equality.

• Imu and the D. Clan: If anything, Imu can be said to be the polar opposite of the D. Clan, the ‘gods’ of the world who want total control. The D. Clan may carry in them the will of Joyboy that has been passed down for years in attempts to fulfill a promise-made centuries ago-of bringing about the dawn and freeing the world from tyranny.
• Imu’s Fear of the D. Clan: Imu is probably afraid of the emergence of any person carrying the D. initial, and this is simply because they pose a direct threat to the clan’s dominance. That Imu has the powers to bring down whole nations on a whim, just as was the case in Lulusia Kingdom, shows just how ruthless they are in ridding their landscape of people who would stand in the way of their dominance.

Imu’s Endgame

The ultimate goal of Imu is likely to maintain their absolute control of the world and never let the truth about the Void Century and the Ancient Kingdom surface. They may be aware of the prophecy concerning Joyboy’s return and, subsequently, the eventual ‘dawn’ of the world. That can explain their paranoia and eagerness in crushing any would-be uprising, in particular from people with the D. initial.

• The Final Confrontation: Arguably, the final battle of this series would be Luffy (or some other character housing Joyboy’s will) pitted against Imu. It’s more than likely that this conflict will revolve around the true history of the world, the nature of the Ancient Kingdom, and what the One Piece treasure is. In that case, Imu’s defeat might parallel the fall of the corrupt system that has corrupted the world for hundreds of years as Joyboy’s will finally finds consummation in the world promulgating into a new era of freedom and equality.

Conclusion

As of the question that who is Imu in One Piece, its most likely a figure that has existed since the times of the Void Century, possibly some old ruler or traitor to the Ancient Kingdom seeking control instead of freedom. They have come into power through treachery, deceit, and the fear of Joyboy’s ideals, instilled within them through generations via the D. Clan.

Imu’s immortality and sustained rule are kept by their behind-the-scenes influence, and the suppression of true history is their ultimate aim to continue their reign. The battle-the already-announced final one between Imu and the Inheritors of Joyboy’s Will-promises to bring the central themes of One Piece to their climax, including the struggle between freedom and tyranny, legacy and history, and unshakeable wills saddled with the ‘D.’