One Piece Reveals the Ultimate Weakness of Its Final Villain
After nearly 20 chapters, we’ve finally emerged from One Piece’s longest flashback, which centered on King Harald and Rocks D. Xebec. In chapter 1171, following an extensive narrative that explored the recent past of the world and the history of Elbaph, One Piece also revealed a crucial hint about a way to challenge the seemingly invincible final antagonist, the formidable Imu.
In the previous chapter, Loki obtained the realm’s most sacred weapon, the hammer Ragnir (which takes the form of a squirrel), along with a legendary Devil Fruit, said to be usable only by those deemed worthy by Ragnir himself. With these newfound powers, Loki killed his father Harald, who had fallen under Imu’s control through the Depths Covenant seal. Chapter 1171 reveals that Harald’s death also inflicted damage on Imu indirectly. Until now, the enigmatic ruler of the world appeared untouchable, as demonstrated when Sabo attacked him, only for the assault to be effortlessly neutralized. During the God Valley incident, Imu’s direct possession of Saint Saturn required the combined might of the world’s strongest fighters just to push him back.
As Imu mentions in the latest chapter, executing the Covenant comes with a cost for him as well. This “pact” is Imu’s unique ability, used to empower and bind his most formidable servants. It can grant near-immortality, regeneration, and the teleportation power of the Abyss, but it seems to carry a price for Imu. After Harald’s death, Imu is shown panting and visibly disturbed in his throne room.
At the conclusion of the Egghead Arc, Saturn, a Gorosei member empowered by Imu, died without affecting the ruler. The key distinction was that Saturn’s demise occurred because Imu revoked his powers, causing his centuries-old body to decay. Harald, on the other hand, was killed by his son Loki, who wielded a massive amount of Conqueror’s Haki, a weakness already highlighted during the God Valley incident. This suggests that anyone bound to Imu through a Depths or Abyssal Covenant who is killed by another also takes a piece of Imu with them, or at the very least, that Imu shares in their suffering.
This revelation sheds light on how the final confrontation with Imu might unfold. Instead of facing Imu head-on, the Straw Hats and their allies may need to take down the God’s Knights and their lesser Devoted Blades of Gods one by one to weaken Imu’s power. It appears that Imu’s abilities function like a reverse hivemind, where rather than eliminating the main source, damage is inflicted by removing each individual bound to Imu, thereby diminishing his strength.
It’s exciting to see that Imu’s vast and seemingly overwhelming powers come with some form of consequence. It’s also refreshing to finally gain concrete insights into this villain since Imu’s introduction in chapter 906. However, the full extent of Imu’s powers remains unclear, aside from the ability to mark and manipulate his servants while stripping them of their autonomy. While there’s still much to uncover about Imu, it’s encouraging to glimpse a potential vulnerability that the Straw Hats will need to learn to exploit when the final battle inevitably arrives.
