First Twenty's Void Century deal with Imu teased in One Piece chapter 1138

Modified Feb 03, 2025 06:30 GMT

First Twenty's Void Century deal with Imu teased in One Piece chapter 1138 (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha)

One Piece chapter 1138 was released on February 2, 2025. The chapter unveiled the groundbreaking double spread, which hinted at the details of the Void Century War and also predicted the future. Out of the numerous clues in the double spread, one was of key focus, and that might be the deal between Imu and the First Twenty (excluding Nefartari D Lili).

As showcased on the right side of the double page, 19 beings (presumably humans) were offering 'something' to another being who was wearing a crown. Imu, being the Supreme Leader, might be the one with the crown, and the other 19 might be the 19 Monarchs (excluding Lili) who offer Imu their tributes which protected them from the world afterward.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the One Piece manga series and has the author's opinion.

One Piece chapter 1138: Exploring the deal between Imu and the Monarchs

The double spread as seen in the manga (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha)

One Piece chapter 1138 saw a focus on Franky, who was looking at the vast spread of the Adam Tree. After a brief conversation with Ripley, the Elbaph Giant distracted the Straw Hat's attention towards a mural. Ripley termed this mural as 'graffiti' because it had drawings of species that didn't exist in reality, at least according to Ripley's knowledge.

After Robin read the 'Harley Texts' aloud, the mural was displayed in a double panel, in the center of which stood Franky. As mentioned by Ripley, the mural had scribbles about past wars that might not have been drawn by children. The mural might have been updated after each war (three wars, according to the Harley texts) and told the history of the world.

While the mural in One Piece chapter 1138 didn't have any labeling of which part represented which war, the right side of it was of key interest as it showcased an interaction between two sides. On one side were 19 human-shaped scribbles that gathered something and offered them to the other side which had a similar scribble wearing a crown.

Imu as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Judging from the physical details, the one with the crown might be Imu, the Supreme Leader of the World Government. As far as the 19 scribbles go, they might only be one thing: the First Twenty Monarchs of the world. As given the history, after the Void Century War, all Twenty were to relocate to the center of the world, the Holy Land of Mariejois.

However, Nefartari D Lili refused this act, and the First Twenty was left with just 19 members, hence their representation as 19 human-shaped scribbles. The 'something' these Monarchs were offering to Imu, as seen in the mural, might be the 'Heavenly Tributes.' As fans might already know, this tribute is a bunch of assets each country has to pay the World Government.

The Celestial Dragons as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

If this tribute is not paid, the country is left vulnerable to the pirates of the sea. After the war against the Ancient Kingdom (JoyBoy and his crew), Imu (Nerona Imu) might be the only one left with power. So, the remaining Monarchs might have offered their everything (seen from the difference in their tributes from the mural) in exchange for protection from future calamities.

This signified that Monarch got into a deal with Imu for protection before eventually forming the World Government. Afterward, becoming the Celestial Dragons, they kept replenishing their wealth by robbing the country through the Heavenly Tributes.

Final thoughts

As seen from the mural, Imu might have used these tributes to confiscate Uranus (the Ancient Weapon). However, take this information with a huge grain of salt as Oda represented the fans with a masterclass double in One Piece chapter 1138 that makes the previous information look like the other side of the same coin (meaning that everything that fans knew might be different from what happened in the past or could happen in the future).

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Edited by Meghna