Imu and Lili's roles may be reversed, and the darkest One Piece film could explain why

One Piece chapter 1116 revealed the face of Nefartari D. Lili and this makes it clear that Imu had been after Nefartari D. Lili from the very start of the series, considering how they have already cursed her spreading the Poneglyphs all around the world.

The chapter was a lot to take in, considering how it also confirmed that the Iron Giant was carrying the Transmission Transponder Snail which is streaming Vegapunk's message. As indicated by the ongoing events, the Egghead arc could conclude in a few upcoming chapters.

But Imu's silence during all this is not sitting well with fans as in all this ruckus, they keep staring at Nefartari Lili. This had fans thinking, what if Imu is actually Lili Nefartari itself due to their obsession with the Queen of Arabasta?

Moreover, fans support this argument by referencing the main villain from the darkest and creepiest movie of the series.

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

Why Imu could actually be Nefartari Lili in One Piece

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

Imu is the Supreme Leader of the World Government and one of the series' main antagonists. They first appeared in episode 885 and have since been one of the biggest mysteries related to One Piece.

Imu's actions so far have indicated that they want the world to end, in a more specific sense, the great flooding to happen. The destruction of the Lulusia Kingdom, activation of Buster Calls: everything that has happened does through Imu.

Nefartari Lili's silhouette as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

Nefartari D. Lili is another mystery related to the series. She was the first ruler of the Arabasta Kingdom as she refused to become one of the World Nobles alongside the 20 Kingdoms. Unfortunately, or some might say creepily, she vanished before she could return to her kingdom.

Just like Imu, Lili has also made a few appearances in the series, but she hasn't appeared in person once, thus adding to her mystery.

One Piece chapter 1114 revealed the real picture of Nefartari Vivi in a room where Imu was sitting. Again, strangely enough, her picture seemed very eerie because her eyes weren't visible as it seemed like the picture was pretty old.

Amidst the current tension where the Five Elders are trying their best to stop Vegapunk's stream and the Navy is trying to capture the Straw Hats and Bonney, Imu is just sitting, listening to Vegapunk's message as they stare at the eerie painting of Nefartari Lili.

As fans have already witnessed during the Reverie, Imu had a transformation where they became something horrid and powerful, but sitting idly while looking at a picture doesn't seem right.

So, could it be the personality which is present as the Supreme Leader of the World Government could actually be someone else other than Imu themselves?

The Straw Hat Pirate crew as seen in the movie (Image via Toei Animation)

One Piece Movie 6: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island saw the Straw Hat Pirates visit Omatsuri Island as a sort of break from their activities. But the Baron of this island forces them to take part in ridiculous games, thus resulting in the vanishing of every Straw Hat Pirate, one by one.

Fortunately, after listening to a former pirate crew about their visit to this island, Robin gets suspicious of the special flower of this island, the Lily Incarnation (Nefartari D Lili = Lily Incarnation). This flower was the central antagonist of this movie and has the power to control life.

The true form of Lili Incarnation (Image via Toei Animation)

It started consuming each Straw Hat Pirate and was about to kill Monkey D Luffy after it transformed into a creepy monster, its true form. Fortunately, the Baron shot it in the head and it died.

This movie is known for its creepy and dark plotline as it hardly had any music, thus making the voice acting seem empty, and was played in dark colors, making it seem like there would be no morning.

Nefartari Vivi as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Moreover, Lily Incarnation had the same voice actor as Nefartari Vivy, the princess of Arabasta: Misa Watanabe. All these hints that Nefartari Lili could be the parallel of Lily Incarnation, hinting at the fact that Lili could control life just like Lily Incarnation.

This led fans to think that Nefartari Lily could have used her power to consume Imu and become the Supreme Leader of the World Government itself. Everything Imu has said against Nefartari Lili could be a facade to make her existence an even bigger and creepier mystery than before.

This also explains Imu's obsession with Lili, which led to her consuming Imu and becoming the Supreme Leader of the World Government.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande