One Piece: Imu's intervention in Elbaph has revealed their true identity

With the release of the latest One Piece spoilers, fans learned of mangaka Eiichiro Oda’s shocking choice to involve Imu in the Elbaph Arc. While the World Government’s true ruler didn’t set foot on Elbaph themselves, they did possess Holy Knight Gunko’s body. This also triggered a physical change in her, the most notable feature of which is her eyes now matching theirs.

However, fans have also noticed that Gunko’s hair had grown significantly longer as a result of this possession by Imu. Moreover, the styling of the hair is extremely feminine, certainly much more so than Gunko’s original hairstyle appeared to be. Although fans initially brushed this off as insignificant, it may in fact be particularly telling for what Imu’s true identity is.

Firstly, it would suggest that the presumed final villain of the One Piece manga is a female. From there, fans are understandably drawing a connection to Princess Nefertari D. Lily, one of the World Government’s founding members. Despite this important role, Lily refused the rank of Celestial Dragon, choosing to instead return home to Alabasta and rule her kingdom.

However, it was clarified that Lily never made it back to Alabasta and that her exact whereabouts were never confirmed. Fans are likewise asserting Imu’s true form is that of Nefertari D. Lily, whose body they possessed shortly after the Void Century. While seemingly a major leap based on a single, small detail, there is other evidence supporting this theory.

Imu’s obsession with Lily, Oda’s secrecy with them all but confirm their true identity in One Piece

Arguably the biggest prior piece of evidence in the idea that Imu stole Nefertari D. Lily’s body is their obsession with Nefertari D. Vivi. Since One Piece’s Levely Arc, the World Government’s true ruler has had a clear and almost obsessive desire to capture her. The Egghead Arc’s flashback to the Levely’s events further solidified this.

The Egghead Arc’s flashback also saw Vivi’s father, Cobra, confront Imu regarding Lily’s disappearance. The enigmatic figure made it clear that they not only knew Lily but knew of her well enough to confirm that she spread the Poneglyphs around the world. They also called this a “mistake” and asked Cobra to confirm whether or not it was intentional, as if it mattered greatly.

This desire to know Lily’s intentions was initially thought to be out of Imu’s love for her. This was further supported later on during the Egghead Arc when Imu was seen with what is confirmed to be a portrait of her. Coincidentally, or rather not so, Gunko’s post-possession hairstyle in One Piece chapter 1149 is reminiscent of Lily’s own character design as fans have seen so far.

There’s also Imu’s Room of Flowers, in which lily flowers can be seen. The room is also always shown to have a single sword stabbed into its ground. Fans theorize that this is Lily’s sword, which she refused to place near the Empty Throne after the formation of the World Government. The Empty Throne is also only ever shown with 19 swords nearby, further supporting this theory.

Final thoughts

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While certainly speculative, the latest One Piece spoilers lend further credence to what is already a widely agreed upon theory. Likewise, many fans are taking this latest reveal as Oda’s first step to fully explaining the truth of Imu’s identity as Nefertari D. Lily. However, fans will simply have to wait and see what happens as the Elbaph Arc and Final Saga progress.

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