One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda isn’t holding back on the surprising plot twists in the Elbaf Arc, and it’s clear from how we are finally learning more about Imu. Up until Imu’s appearance in 2018, it was widely believed that Blackbeard would be the final villain of the story. However, now that we have seen the mysterious ruler of the world, everything points towards Imu being the main antagonist. The Elbaf Arc is further solidifying the theory by unveiling the true powers of this demonic entity. Imu is not only believed to be immortal, but their powers are something beyond human comprehension.
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Chapter 1149 shocked the fandom when Imu took control of Gunko’s body. Gunko is a Holy Knight introduced in this arc, who, after Gaban easily overpowered Sommers, Gunko threatened Gaban’s son, Colon, so that the former pirate would stop resisting. As expected, Gaban used Future Sight to see his son’s impending death and quickly dropped his weapons before allowing her to land a decisive blow on him. With Gaban down for the count, the situation in Elbaf should’ve been in the Holy Knights’ favor until Gunko remembered a glimpse of her past. She rushes to save Brook, only to end up completely controlled by the demonic ruler. The latest Chapter 1150 sheds more light on Imu’s powers, and we finally know more about the Five Elders and the Holy Knights’ relationship with immortality in One Piece.
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Imu Has the Ability to Grant Someone Immortality but It Comes at a Price
The fact that the Five Elders haven’t aged a bit since the God Valley Incident and the Ohara Incident is the biggest proof that they are immortal now. The Egghead Incident Arc unveiled that the elders have some kind of demonic powers, and now we know it all traces back to Imu. Not only that, but even the Holy Knights have the same regenerative powers as the Five Elders. Among the Holy Knights, only Gunko is confirmed to have stopped aging, while the Figarlands don’t use the powers granted by Imu. Although there was already a theory before that Imu is the reason behind these inhumane abilities, the manga only just confirmed it in Chapter 1150.
When Imu took control of Gunko’s body, they transformed Dorry, Brogy, and several giants into demonic creatures. They now have wings and have become much larger in size, somehow resembling the ancient giants. However, before transforming Brogy, Imu destroyed one of his arms, but it regenerated in no time after transforming. It’s unclear if the giants can be turned to normal, but we at least know that while Imu can grant someone immortality and regenerative powers, they also make them something similar to a devilish puppet.
The price of such immortality in One Piece is that even if the target doesn’t want to go through with it, the mysterious ruler can easily enhance their abilities while taking away their sense of reason. The Giants now have no control over themselves and are running rampant in Elbaf, destroying the very place they swore to protect.