Imu's shadow has loomed over One Piece forever, but it seems to be much more threatening since our heroes arrived on Elbaf Island. In Chapter 1149, the villain even made a surprise appearance, with Eiichiro Oda confirming a major theory about him.
One Piece 1149: Imu Appears on Elbaf
Chapter 1149 begins as 1148 ended: with a glimmer of hope. After severing Sommers' arm, Scopper Gaban cuts the Divine Knight in half, likely incapacitating him. The Pirate King's left arm accomplished the impossible with perhaps a type of haki never before seen. Unfortunately, this joy was fleeting.
After defeating Sommers, Scopper Gaban goes to confront Gunko. Problem: Koron reveals to the antagonist that he is the son of the legendary pirate. The Divine Knight then takes the opportunity to threaten him, forcing Scopper Gaban to submit. Gunko pierces him with her arrows and makes him fall off the cliff. While the situation already seemed catastrophic, it gets even worse, because after a moment of absence, Gunko finds himself controlled by Imu. Oda confirms the connection between the two characters, while giving clues about their true nature.
One Piece: The Gunko Mystery Unravels
Since her first appearance, Gunko has been presented as an enigmatic character. Everything, from her appearance to her way of speaking, suggests that she is hiding a heavy secret. For us, there was no doubt that she was linked to Imu, and Oda confirmed it. Better than that, the mangaka gave us keys to better understand the nature of this connection.
After eliminating Scopper Gaban, Koron's screams revived memories for Gunko. We then discover that she knew Brook, which explains her attachment to his music. While many have assumed she was his daughter, this seems unlikely. Brook was the leader of a guard troop in a West Blue kingdom and never mentioned having a child. So who is Gunko? It's possible she's a princess.
The secret behind Imu's nature almost revealed
If Gunko is enigmatic, Imu is even more so. The main antagonist of One Piece, he is arguably the most powerful character in the manga, although his powers remain unclear. However, chapter 1149 gives us a new clue. It shows Imu taking control of Gunko's body and mind. Why her? Because she's probably a princess.
Imu has a special bond with Nefertari D. Lillie and wishes to possess Vivi. While it's unclear why he desires her, other than to harm that bloodline, Chapter 1149 suggests that he might need a princess to obtain a physical body. Connecting this idea to the Abyss theory makes sense. Much like the Divine Knights, Imu would need a princess to have an immortal vessel and interact meaningfully with the world. While he already exerts impressive control over his subjects, as seen with Saturn, his hold on Gunko is much greater, even revealing an important fact about himself.
The final panel of Chapter 1149 shows Gunko under Imu's control. A striking physical change is evident: his face becomes darker, his eyes become identical, and his hair grows longer. Gunko thus seems to be adopting Imu's characteristic features. What does this mean? Well, it's possible that the antagonist is actually a woman. This is still just a theory, but given recent events, this revelation wouldn't be all that surprising.
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