Imu's shocking connection to that Straw Hat pirate

Key insights

• Imu's mysterious connection to Vivi raises theories about her past and possible possession of Lily's body.
• Fans speculate that Imu and Lily's story involves betrayal, obsession, and a possible connection to Vivi's lineage.
• Imu's enigmatic presence in One Piece suggests a deep-rooted connection to key characters, sparking curiosity and fan theories.

One of the greatest attractions One piece Franchise is the great mystery that surrounds the world and its history. From the Void Century to the location and identity of the fabled One Piece treasure itself, there is so much wonder surrounding this series, which is arguably the main reason the franchise is as successful as it is now.

One of the most widespread secrets of One piece has to do with the enigmatic Imu, a character so shrouded in mystery that fans barely know anything about her, even after over 1,100 chapters. However, Imu is known to have a keen interest in one of the Straw Hat's key allies, and as a result, many fans believe that a connection can be made between the two. Let's take a look to see if there's really anything there.

Imu's connection to Vivi

How could Imu and Vivi be connected?

Although Imu was believed to have been ruler of the entire world for over 800 years since the end of the Void Century, next to nothing is known about Imu. However, one thing that is very interesting about this character is his mysterious connection not only to Joyboy, but also to various characters of the modern era, which was seen in his first appearance in the Flower Chamber, where posters of Luffy and Blackbeard were too her feet slashed while Shirahoshi's was pierced by a sword and Vivi's was held in her hands.

From that point on, fans knew that Imu had a special interest in Vivi for some reason, which was later confirmed when Nefeltari Cobra finally laid eyes on the ruler of the world. Here Imu mentions an ancient ruler of the Alabasta Kingdom and one of the 20 rulers who banded together to defeat the ancient kingdom over 800 years ago; Nefeltari lily.

It's pretty clear that Imu and Lily had some sort of connection, as Imu seems to view the ancient ruler of the Kingdom of Alabasta with some disdain due to her “mistake” of bringing the Poneglyphs into the world. Also, finding out that Lily would add the “D” later. Imu started with her name and launched an attack to kill Cobra.

From this interaction, it is easy to conclude that there is a relationship between Imu and Lily, due to which they also have a vicarious connection to Vivi. Although nothing further has been clarified, there are many fan theories that want to explain why this could be.

Fan theories about Imu, Lily and Vivi:

One of the most widespread theories that seems to be causing a stir is that Imu is some kind of mysterious being that has possessed the body of the Nefeltari Lily for 800 years. At this point this is only speculative, although there are some reasons for it. The strongest reason to believe this is Imu's slim and feminine physique.

Although this currently means nothing and could very well just be her design, some fans believe that this could be someone who possesses Lily's body, as Imu has a very slim build and her silhouette suggests that she has long hair. This theory is supported by the recent appearance of Imu in 2000 One piece Anime in which the character's voice is a mix of male and female voices. Additionally, Lily is said to have disappeared 800 years ago and never returned home, leading to her younger brother taking the throne in her absence.

Without Lily's mistake that day, the hideous artifacts called Poneglyphs wouldn't be scattered across the world.

As for Imu's identity, the story only makes a connection when Sabo tells Dragon and Ivankov about it, with the latter saying that one of the 20 kings was a holy Imu from the Nerona Dynasty. The rest is still a mystery. However, some fan theories suggest that Imu was once an ally of Joyboy and long ago betrayed Joyboy and his crew and ensured their defeat to become the ruler of the world. The same theory suggests that Imu was also in love with Lily centuries ago!

This is reinforced by the fact that Imu is the only person who consistently mentions Imu, even going so far as to hang a portrait of her in the flower chamber, suggesting possible obsession. This fits in well with Imu's need to capture Vivi as well, as Vivi appears to be a spitting image of Lily in Imu's portrait. At this point, Imu could be anyone, but one thing is for sure: when the reveal happens, perhaps no one will see it coming!

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