One Piece chapter 1122 teases Imu and Joy Boy’s Void Century War being for the Empty Throne

Modified Aug 31, 2024 18:28 GMT

One Piece chapter 1122 teases Imu and Joy Boy’s Void Century War being for the Empty Throne and how to use it (Image via Toei Animation & Shueisha)

One Piece chapter 1122, released on August 5, 2024, was a rollercoaster of emotions as the Egghead arc finally concluded after this chapter. It also revealed some interesting information regarding JoyBoy. While the Conqueror's Haki burst of JoyBoy was one of the spotlights, Emeth's words for JoyBoy became the talk of the town.

Emeth claimed that he wanted to make JoyBoy the king of the world. As the concept of 'pirate king' didn't exist before Roger, Emeth's dialogue indicated that JoyBoy wanted to sit on the empty throne of the world where Imu is sitting currently. This also confirmed that the Empty Throne could be used to become the freest man, just like what Luffy aims to be after fulfilling his dream.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the One Piece manga series.

One Piece: Why JoyBoy aimed to sit on the Empty Throne

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

One Piece chapter 1122 showcased a damaged Emeth standing before the Gorosei, who were ready to break him into pieces. Right then, the Iron Giant undid the knot that JoyBoy had forged with his overpowered Conqueror's Haki when he was alive.

The shockwaves of this Haki were so strong that its effects were sent all around the Grand Line (even to Imu in the Holy Land of Mariejois). The Conqueror's Haki canceled Saint Saturn's summoning spell and sent the summoning (the other 4 Gorosei) back to where they came from.

Emeth's apology to JoyBoy (Image via Shueisha)

Before undoing the knot, Emeth kept apologizing to JoyBoy, as usual, for not making him the 'king.' Like Monkey D Luffy, the fandom was also confused as 'king' was a vague term that could be misinterpreted in various ways.

Moreover, the difference between these terms became evident right after this moment as Luffy introduced himself as the future pirate king. 'JoyBoy' and 'Pirate King' are unrelated terms because the latter was introduced with Gol D Roger, the first pirate king of the Grand Line. So, what could 'King' mean from the perspective of JoyBoy?

The term directly indicates the 'King of the World,' and the current holder of this title is Imu. This would also link JoyBoy's connection to the Empty Throne, the place where no one is allowed to sit other than the King. But why would JoyBoy want to become the leader of the world when his aim should be to become free, just like his persona?

The Empty Throne as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

The answer lies in the question itself: becoming the leader of the world and governing everything according to one's own will could be equivalent to becoming the freest man in the world.

Luffy claims that the Pirate King is the freest person in the world, and as this title didn't exist in the era of JoyBoy, JoyBoy's claim could be that the freest person could be the King of the world, as there was no king at that time which ruled over the 20 families.

The silhouettes of the 20 families (Image via Toei Animation)

JoyBoy's goal would have been to spread freedom to other oppressed people through his power as the King of the world. Unfortunately, as indicated by Emeth's apology, the first pirate couldn't become the 'King of the World' and died fighting for this title against Imu and the starting 20 kingdoms during the Void Century War.

So, JoyBoy's life goal was to get his hands on the Empty Throne so he could use it to stop Imu and the 20 families from oppressing the masses and bring freedom as a whole.

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Edited by Shreya Das