Imu

The mysterious ruler who sits on the Empty Throne, secretly controlling the World Government from the shadows. To the rest of the world, the World Government promotes the idea that there is no "King of the World." At the heart of Mary Geoise stands the Empty Throne, surrounded by twenty swords representing the twenty founding kingdoms; this symbolizes that no one would ever sit there and that all kingdoms are equal. The charade: Not only does Im-sama sit on the Empty Throne, but the Gorosei (the Five Elders)—whom the world believes to be the planet's highest authorities—kneel and show total submission to him. It is Imu who issues orders and decides which "lights" must be extinguished from history. Saint Imu of the Nerona Family: Ivankov mentions that among the twenty kings who founded the World Government 800 years ago (during the Void Century), there was a monarch named Saint Imu of the Nerona Family. All signs point to the current Im-sama being that very same person. Immortality: How could someone survive for 800 years? The theory most accepted within the manga itself is that Imu underwent the "Perpetual Youth Surgery" of the Ope Ope no Mi (Law's fruit), performed by a past user, thereby granting him eternal life. Imu appears to have a deep, resentful connection to the past—specifically to Queen Lily, the ruler of Alabasta from 800 years ago. Lily was the only one of the twenty founders who refused to live in Mary Geoise and mysteriously vanished; she was responsible for "scattering" the Poneglyphs across the world (an act Imu calls a "blunder" or a calculated betrayal). Because of this, Imu is obsessed with Princess Nefertari Vivi (Lily's direct descendant), keeping a photo of her intact while tearing up photos of Luffy, Shirahoshi, and Blackbeard. Destructive Power: Imu ordered the complete destruction of the Lulusia Kingdom using an apocalyptic weapon of mass destruction (which utilized the "Mother Flame" created by Vegapunk—possibly the Ancient Weapon Uranus). The kingdom was wiped off the map and erased from history itself in mere seconds. Monstrous Transformation: When Sabo attempted to attack the Gorosei and Imu at Mary Geoise, Imu transformed into a gigantic, bestial creature (resembling a voracious shadow) capable of "swallowing" fire attacks and delivering blows that nearly killed Sabo. Imu and the Gorosei appear to share demonic natures or possess extremely dark, Awakened Zoan transformations.