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The fan-made translations of One Piece chapter 1084's raw scans are already available, but readers are certainly waiting for the official release, which is scheduled for Monday, May 22. This installment indeed includes a number of dialogs whose content is very important for the lore of the series.
Unfortunately, One Piece will be on break next week, leaving readers more curious than ever, as chapter 1084 may have shed some interesting light on Im-sama, the most enigmatic character in the series.
Given Im's alleged personal acquaintance with Queen Nefertari Lili, who lived about 800 years ago, it seems strongly implied that the leader of the World Government is immortal. Follow this thread to find a well-explained theory about Im's immortality and how it could influence the future events of One Piece.
Trending
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1084.
A theory about Im-sama is trending, and it may explain how the final villain of One Piece became immortal
Im is more than 800 years old
One Piece chapter 1084 introduced the figure of Nefertari Lili, who reigned over the Arabasta Kingdom about 800 years ago. Despite being among the Twenty Kings who founded the World Government, Lili refused to become a Celestial Dragon and to go live at Mary Geoise.
Shortly after the establishment of the World Government, Lili disappeared without a trace. With such a circumstance already being suspicious, there's even more. Im mentioned the former monarch of Arabasta not as "Queen Lili" but just as "Lili".
This clearly implies that Im and Queen Lili had a significant degree of personal knowledge. Some One Piece fans speculated that Lili could be Im's lover who escaped before getting married. Regardless of the exact circumstances, the issue is crucial, given that Nefertari Lili lived about 800 years ago.
If Im knew her personally, this can only mean that this individual, who is still around nowadays, is centuries old. Which is hardly surprising, as Im-sama being immortal, or at least eternally young, has always been a popular theory within the One Piece fandom.
What is the source of Im-sama's immortality?
While there may be other yet undisclosed ways to obtain immortality in One Piece, as of now the only known means is to employ the powers of the Ope-Ope Fruit. The user of this Devil Fruit can perform the "Immortality Operation" to grant another person perennial youth.
However, this result comes at the cost of the Ope-Ope user's life. At one point in the series, Donquixote Doflamingo wanted to lead Trafalgar Law, the current user of this Devil Fruit, into performing the Immortality Operation on him so he could live forever.
According to Doflamingo, the Celestial Dragons of Mary Geoise possess a national treasure that, if used in combination with the Ope-Ope Fruit, would allow the user to conquer the world and rule over it for all eternity. As the supreme leader of the World Government, Im is undoubtedly aware of all these secrets.
Some One Piece fans speculate that Im and Lili are the same person. In that case, the former queen of Arabasta may have had someone use the Ope-Ope Fruit's ultimate ability to make her immortal. However, given that the Nefertari have always been depicted as benevolent and kindhearted people, this seems unlikely.
Another possibility is that 800 years ago, Lili was the owner of the Ope-Ope Fruit, and Im forced her to sacrifice her life to use the Immortality Operation on him. This would explain why Lili never returned to Arabasta and why Im seems to know her so well.
The hyped Holy Knights may be Im's Horcruxes
It is not entirely clear how the Ope-Ope Fruit can grant eternal youth via the Immortality Operation. According to a very attractive theory, the target of the technique becomes immortal as his soul is divided into several pieces, granting eternal life until all parts are destroyed.
This takes inspiration from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. In this record-breaking fantasy series, the main villain, Voldemort, became immortal by employing the Horcruxes, living beings or non-living things in which he hid pieces of his soul.
One Piece has just introduced the Holy Knights, some major fighters who are sent to deal with those kingdoms that would rebel against the authority of the World Government. According to Monkey D. Dragon, once the Holy Knights make their move, it means that the real battle has begun.
So far, the identity, appearance, and abilities of the Holy Knights have yet to be disclosed, as they were only shown in the form of darkened silhouettes. Some fans assumed that these individuals could be Im's horcruxes, meaning that they withheld a part of the World Government's leader's soul.
As of now, it has been implied that there are nine Holy Knights. Interestingly enough, the Straw Hat Pirates, excluding Luffy, consist of nine people. After the events of the Wano Arc, the newspaper referred to Luffy as the "Senior Captain" and the rest of the Straw Hats as the "Nine Senior Officers" of the Grand Fleet.
The Straw Hat Pirates vs. Im and the Holy Knights
Being the second coming of Joy Boy, the legendary "Warrior of Liberation", Luffy will eventually find the truth of the world and carry the burden of history. As foreshadowed by Edward Newgate, this will generate a great war, and the World Government lives in fear of the day when that happens.
Undoubtedly, the moment of the final clash between the World Government and the Straw Hat Pirates will come sooner or later. As the Straw Hats are ten while the Holy Knights are nine, One Piece author Eiichiro Oda would likely have Luffy challenge Im while the rest of the crew, the "Nine Senior Officers", fight the Holy Knights.
To pose a serious challenge to someone like Roronoa Zoro, an Advanced Conqueror's Haki user who aims to become the World's Strongest Swordsman and, at the time of the battle against the World Government, may have already surpassed Mihawk, the Holy Knights need to be top-tier-level individuals.
This would make even more sense if the Holy Knights really are the custodians of Im's soul. It would be very cool if Im couldn't be killed until all the pieces of the latter's soul were destroyed, and thus the Straw Hats should defeat all the Holy Knights to allow Luffy to beat the main villain once and for all.
However, within the Straw Hats, there are enormous differences in power. Especially the weakest members of the crew, namely Chopper, Nami, and Usopp, aren't ready to fight in 1v1 against commander-level individuals, let alone stronger fighters. Even Franky, Nico Robin, and Brook have a way to go before reaching that level.
Granted, it's not like all Holy Knights are bound to have the same strength. Like in the Seven Warlords, the Eleven Supernovas, or the All Stars, the Sweet Commanders, and many other collettives, including the Straw Hat Pirates as well, a group may include stronger and weaker fighters with notable gaps in power.
Therefore, it wouldn't be unprecedented if the Holy Knights had very different levels of might. Among the nine warriors could be individuals strong enough to give a proper challenge even to Zoro and, simultaneously, minor fighters with whom the members of the Weak Trio can afford to contend.
Among the silhouettes of the Holy Knights, one resembles that of Shanks in any possible way. Considering the speculation about the "two Shanks," the mysterious warrior may be the twin brother of the captain of the Red Hair Pirates. Admittedly, if this were true, he would be an intriguing opponent for Roronoa Zoro at the end of the series.
With each member of the crew partaking in a well-tailored fight against a suitable opponent, all Straw Hats would be essential, as the defeat of each Holy Knight would be crucial to enabling Luffy to overthrow Im-sama. This would allow all the Straw Hat Pirates to shine, regardless of how strong they are individually.
Final Thoughts
In popular shonen series, immortality has always been a typical power of the final villains. One Piece author Eiichiro Oda may have chosen the same path for the mysterious Im, who is most likely the ultimate bad guy in the former's masterpiece.
With regards to Im's own power, this enigmatic individual owns a tremendous ability or weapon that was used to completely destroy an entire island within seconds. Such devastating power far exceeds any feat displayed by the strongest One Piece characters. Combining this with immortality, Im's might would be frightening.
Im's eternal life may be the result of the former's soul being split in several pieces like that of Harry Potter's Voldemort. Assuming that a portion of Im's soul is put in each Holy Knight, this would lead to an intriguing fight with the Straw Hat Pirates, allowing each crewmember to be fundamental to Luffy's final victory.
