Summary
Ever since the very first chapter ofOne Piece, Devil Fruits and Haki were introduced as the primary power systems of the world, despite the latter only being fleshed out properly later on. At the earliest stages of the story, the main enemies that Luffy and his friends faced were other Devil Fruit users, and at some point in the middle of their journey, Haki was shown as the only real way to counter these strange abilities by manifesting the user’s will.
At the current stage of theOne Piecestory, the most powerful characters in the world either have incredibly overpowered Devil Fruits, strong Haki, or even both. While everyone who fans have been introduced to use these powers,Imu and the Gorosei seem to hint at a brand-new systemthat may just be stronger than both, so let’s go over what this could be and why it’s so strong.
Gorosei First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 233, “The World’s Greatest Power”
Ever since the early days of theOne Piecefranchise, the World Government has been framed as a corrupt and powerful organization that is the central antagonist of the story.There is a hierarchy within this organization, of which the 5 Elders are at the top. Everyone who ranks below them is directly subservient to them, and for the longest time, they were believed to be the greatest power in the world.
However, in Chapter 906 of the manga, it is revealed that there is a shadowy figure who outranks these 5 Celestial Dragons and sits atop the Empty Throne, which is a symbolic representation of how the original 20 Kingdoms never meant for all the power to go to a single person. However, the mysterious figure known only as Imu sits here as the true ruler of the world who commands even the 5 Elders and is implied to have been alive for centuries; at least since the Void Century.
We, the 5 Elders, are here before you! The light that needs to be extinguished from history, have you decided who it should be yet? If you have… please tell us their name!
During the Egghead Island arc, the 5 Elders finally made their full debut in the story, where their names and abilities were shown for the first time. On the face of it, everyone believed thatthe powers of these Celestial Dragonswere a special kind of Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit that gave birth to monstrous transformations. However, there are a few hints that these powers may not have come from Devil Fruits at all and that the series is gearing up to introduce a terrifying new power system.
Following the Straw Hat’s departure from Egghead Island, it was shown that Imu became enraged with St. Jaygarcia Saturn for failing to defeat the pirates and allowing ‘Joyboy’ to get away. Due to this, from seemingly half a world away, they took away Saturn’s powers, reducing the Elder to nothing but bones. Seeing how these powers gave Saturn and the other Elders Mythical Zoan-like powers and even seemingly granted them immortality, it shows that this is different from any kind of power system that has been shown before.
It is entirely possible that these abilities could be the product of Imu having consumed aparticularly overpowered God Fruitthat gives them such powers, which would make sense as being a counter to the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. However, it’s just as likely that this is some sort of a demonic power that Imu calls their own, which is unlike any other in the entire series.
Even the Awakened state of the Gorosei’s most powerful transformations create a black ribbon around them, which is different from the standard white one that others have, hinting at the fact that this is likely not a Devil Fruit power at all. So, when looking at the overpowered and seemingly reality-warping nature of Luffy’s Gear 5, it would make sense for the greatest villain of the franchise to have something similarly powerful to be able to compete.
The Most Likely Explanation For This
Imu’s True Powers, Explained
The most likely theory for why Imu can do this, however, goes against both theories of this being or not being Devil Fruit powers. Firstly, it’s known thatthe legendary Sunlight Eve Treeis what provides Fishman Island with direct sunlight. to do this, the tree passes through the Red Line and Pangea Castle itself, and it’s theorized that the mysterious Chamber of Flowers was built around the tree itself.
Many believe that the Eve Tree is where all Devil Fruits grow in the first place. If this is the case, then Imu would have a direct link to them, allowing them to directly corrupt these fruits once they grow on the tree. This, perhaps, is Imu’s true Devil Fruit ability, which even works with what is theorized about the Forest God fruit, which could send forth demons.
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One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
