One Piece is currently focusing heavily on the World Government, which is obvious, because in the Final Saga, the endgame villains are going to be the most important.

At the same time, One Piece is currently building up towards the final war, and of course, Imu and the Elders are going to be the antagonists there. Currently, there are many mysteries in the story, particularly surrounding the character of Imu. Fans know that this particular individual shockingly spawned out of absolutely nowhere during the Reverie Arc, and was revealed to be the mastermind behind the World Government and their growing influence over the centuries.

Of course, Oda has chosen to keep Imu under wraps since their proper introduction. Fans know very little about them, but, what they do know is that this character is deeply linked to Lily, in one way or another, and it is possible that Imu could actually be inside Lily’s body.

Imu’s Immortality and His Powers Are A Big Mystery So Far

Imu Has Been Alive For 800+ Years

Imu Belongs To The Nerona Family

Fans have only just been introduced to Imu, when one takes into consideration the length of One Piece. One Piece has gone on for 1125 chapters, and out of these chapters, Imu was introduced over halfway through. As such, it is no surprise that the fans don’t know much about them. What they do know right now is that Imu is a celestial dragon and that during the Void Century, they joined forces with the other Founding 20 members and fought against the Ancient Kingdom. When their forces were put together, they became strong enough to destroy the Ancient Kingdom, and eventually, Joy Boy was killed as well. It was after these events that Imu rose to the very top, and ended up becoming the sovereign of the world.

There was a Saint Imu from the Nerona Family long ago! Could it be that he’s immortal? – Ivankov

Before that, all the Founding 20 were considered to be equal, and the fact that they all placed their weapons in front of the Empty Throne was proof of that. But, Imu, who hailed from the Nerona Family, somehow seized power and ever since then, the World Government took certain shape. At the same time, fans also know that Imu has stayed alive ever since. Now, this might be confusing to many fans, but, when taking into consideration what Ivankov mentioned about Imu rather recently, things start becoming clear. Imu was revealed to be of the Nerona Family through Ivankov. Clearly, the fact that Imu Nerona is alive to this day is a clear implication of the fact that they are immortal. As to how Imu could have become immortal, fans need not look further than the Ope Ope no Mi. This is a very powerful devil fruit, and that this fruit can potentially grant someone immortality. To grant immortality, one needs to perform the Perennial Youth Surgery, but the user of the fruit dies in the process. It was implied by Ivankov that Imu had the surgery performed on them, and because of that, they ended up becoming immortal.

This idea makes a lot of sense and goes on to explain why Imu is still alive to this day and how they ended up becoming the main antagonist of the series. But, sadly, this only explains one aspect of the character. Fans also know that Imu is kept under the wraps for some reason, appearance-wise. In fact, even in the anime, Imu’s voice was revealed to be muffled using a machine. There is a reason for that, and it could be linked to another power of the Ope Ope no Mi. Fans know that another character was deeply linked with Imu during the Void Century, and this character was Lily. Of course, this character is very important, but, readers only know little about her.

How Imu Could’ve Switched To Lily’s Body After The Great War

Imu Might Be Present In Lily’s Body Right Now

Fans know that Imu and Lily had a connection during the Void Century. This doesn’t come as a surprise to the readers, especially because they were both part of the Founding 20. Because they both worked for the same unit, it is natural for them to have spent some time together. However, eventually, Lily was revealed to have sided with Joy Boy’s group. It was she who was responsible for spreading the Poneglyphs across the world, and Imu resented her for this. Eventually, Lily died in mysterious ways, but it was revealed that after she swore in front of the Empty Throne, she never made it back to the land of Arabasta. There is a clear reason for that, and fans don’t know exactly what happened to her.

The idea that we are putting forward here is that Lily was essentially taken over by Imu and, once again, this ties together to the Ope Ope no Mi. When Doflamingo introduced the special power of the Ope Ope no Mi, the power known to be the ultimate devil fruit, he brought up two abilities. The first one was the Perennial Youth Surgery, which everyone focuses on. Sadly, the second part of Oda’s message is something that every fan forgets, for one reason or another. The second most important power of the fruit is the Personality Swap, and this power was something that Doflamingo wanted for himself. He believed that if he had it, he could swap with Imu and essentially become the King of the World.

Perhaps, that is what Imu utilized long ago in the Void Century and took over Lily’s body. This would make a lot of sense for many reasons. For one, this could be because the one who had immortality performed on their body was not actually Imu but Lily. It would also then explain why Lily’s body was never brought back to the kingdom of Arabasta. But, one might wonder as to why Imu would take over Lily’s body, specifically. The answer it’s pretty simple.

Imu And His Obsession With Vivi

Imu Might Be Able To Control An Ancient Weapon Through Lily

The answer to why Imu would even think of taking over Lily’s body is because of her special ability. Right now, it doesn’t appear as if Lily had any special power. However, fans know that Vivi, her descendant, holds special importance in One Piece, and most likely, Lily did as well. There are three ancient weapons in the world of One Piece and all of them seem to be tied to an individual. For instance, the Ancient Weapon Poseidon is Shirahoshi, in the form of a living being. The Ancient Weapon Pluton seems to be somewhat linked to Momonosuke, which is why it is currently kept under Wano country. He’s the only one who can free it using Zunesha’s powers, and most likely the only one who can command it as well.

I shall not open the borders of Wano Country right now, Zunesha! – Momonosuke

This brings fans to the third ancient weapon, which is, Uranus. Given that the other two are linked to a person, it is highly likely that the third ancient weapon was linked to a commander as well, and this person was none other than Lily of the Nefertari Family. Because Imu wanted to control the powers of this weapon, they eventually took control over Lily’s body and, ever since then, have maintained control over it. This also explains why Imu is currently able to utilize Uranus.

Most importantly, it explains why Imu currently wants Vivi’s body. Just as Shirahoshi was reborn, and Momonosuke was reborn, both with the power to control ancient weapons, perhaps, Vivi was born with special powers too. It is likely that Vivi possesses the power to control the third Ancient Weapon, and Imu’s current goal is to swap to her body and take over her instead. This would make sense because Vivi is Lily’s descendant, and if Lily had the power to control Uranus, now, this power would pass on to none other than Vivi, and that is precisely why Imu wants her. Of course, at the end of the day, this is just a theory, but it is one that could end up being possible.