Luffy vs Imu could be a battle of One Piece's origin Devil Fruits, and it makes perfect sense

A recent Reddit theory by @Desperate-Ad8210 suggests that Imu's and Luffy's Devil Fruits might be the first ever in One Piece. These fruits could symbolize the opposites of oppression and freedom, adding deeper meaning to their conflict.

Moreover, this theory also points out how Imu's Devil Fruit could be connected to the character of Nefertari D. Lili, the former Queen of Alabasta and one of the most mysterious individuals in the One Piece universe. It is theorized that Imu could originally have been Lili herself but the corrupt nature of the Devil Fruit turned her into this physical representation of oppression, drawing a direct contrast to Nika's pure and free form when Luffy uses Gear 5.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

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Explaining how the Luffy vs. Imu fight could represent the first two Devil Fruits in the One Piece universe

Luffy and Imu could have a very memorable final battle (Image via Toei Animation).

A key factor of this theory on Reddit is that Imu is really Nefertari D. Lili, the ancestor of Vivi and the former Queen of Alabasta during the days when the World Government was created. Therefore, the theory goes one step further and suggests that Imu's Devil Fruit is the direct opposite of the Nika one, representing the absolute desire for oppression and power.

It points out how Lili was consumed by the Devil Fruit and turned into Imu, which is a direct contrast to how Luffy is still himself while using the Nika Fruit. That could even be displayed through their designs as Gear 5 Luffy has a mostly white motif in his look while Imu is covered in shadows, thus reflecting their moralities and the nature of their powers.

The theory also suggests that these two Fruits were the first ones to appear in the One Piece universe and were the representations of good and evil, with the remaining Fruits starting to become a byproduct of that beginning. Therefore, it would be the birth of the Devil Fruits that could have potentially started the rise of the World Government and Joy Boy's opposition.

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The many mysteries of Imu

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

There is no denying that Imu is arguably the most mysterious character in the entirety of the One Piece universe and almost every single major question in the series involves him or her. The creation of the World Government, the defeat of Joy Boy, the Void Century, and a lot more are connected to Imu, but author Eiichiro Oda has not even shown the character's full form and his or her gender.

Due to his or her position as ruler of the World Government, it is very likely that Imu is very powerful, which was recently shown by the way he or she destroyed Saturn, one of the Elders of the Gorosei. This begs the question of what the character's ultimate goal is and how that connects with the mysteries of the past.

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Final thoughts

It is very likely that Imu and Joy Boy have a connection to the origin of Devil Fruits in One Piece, although that is yet to be confirmed. Furthermore, it also seems that the ruler of the World Government must be a being of very special abilities, which fits with this theory.

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