One Piece May Be Setting Up Imu’s Biggest Opponent & It’s Not Luffy

The One Piece manga takes an unexpected turn after the time skip as one Marine Admiral resigns from his post and joins the most notorious pirate crew in the New World. The Marineford Arc resulted in a major shift in the balance of power. Fleet Admiral Sengoku retired after the brutal war, and his spot was vacant. He was against an uncompassionate man like Sakazuki taking over his position and preferred Kuzan. However, Sakazuki barely wins a ten-day duel against Kuzan and proves his might. After losing the duel, Kuzan leaves the Navy and joins the Blackbeard Pirates.

One Piece Chapter 1081 features a brief flashback on how Kuzan met Blackbeard and his crew. He also talks about the horrors he faced during the Ohara Incident and why he helped Robin, a helpless eight-year-old girl. Kuzan has always been somewhat of a gray character. He is not openly kind like Fujitora, but he’s also not ruthlessly evil like Akainu. However, helping Robin clearly indicates that there’s more to this man than meets the eye. After Kuzan joined the Blackbeard Pirates, there were several theories of Kuzan working as a double agent, possibly targeting Imu, and One Piece may have hinted at it long ago.

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Kuzan May Be Targeting Imu in One Piece

In Chapter 699, Doflamingo tries to kill Smoker, but Kuzan stops him. The villain asks Kuzan where he stands, and the manga clearly shows a reflection of Imu, the mysterious ruler of the world.

This minor detail was pointed out by @NaelTheAdmiral on X, stating: “I just noticed that Imu is in the reflection on Kuzan’s glasses here, right before Dofflamingo asks Kuzan where he stands and what he is aiming for. Could Imu be Kuzan’s target, which is why he joined Teach?”

Although it’s obvious in the manga, the anime doesn’t show anything remotely like that, which is why it’s easy for fans to miss this detail. Imu was first introduced in Chapter 906, destroying our idea of the world. The Empty Throne represents the idea of equal power between the Twenty Kingdoms. Imu is supposed to be the final antagonist, but if the reflection in Kuzan’s glasses is actually them, then we may see a clash between the two.

Luffy doesn’t know Imu’s existence yet, but as an Admiral, it wouldn’t be surprising for Kuzan to stumble upon the world’s biggest secret. He also knows more about the atrocities committed by the World Government than most people. Kuzan joining Blackbeard’s side and fighting Garp is way out of character for him. So it makes sense he has a bigger goal in mind.

Also, this theory makes sense when we remember Blackbeard is one of Imu’s targets, like Luffy, Vivi, and Shirahoshi. Additionally, the villain belongs to a special bloodline, which might explain how he can wield the power of two devil fruits. Kuzan may be working under Blackbeard to learn his secret, which is related to Imu. However, it’s also important to take this theory with a grain of salt since it could just be a coincidence the reflection happened to look like that.