Quick answer
Imu is the hidden ruler of the World Government — the one who sits on the Empty Throne, the seat the world is told nobody occupies.
What the manga has confirmed:
- The name. Chapter 1179's caption calls Imu 「世界の王 ネロナ・イム聖」 — King of the World, Saint Nerona Imu — one of the "First Twenty" who created the World Government.
- The power over people. Through the God's Knights' covenant, Imu can take over the people who signed it, and did so on Elbaf.
- Imu in person. Since chapter 1179, Imu has been on Elbaf in their own body, fighting Luffy, Loki and the giants.
What it hasn't: what Imu actually is, how Imu has lived for some 800 years, and what Imu wants with Joy Boy, Vivi or "Lili".
Evidence layers.
- Everything below is CHAPTER-REFERENCED: each point is given in at least two independent post-release reviews (sources at the foot of the page). Where only one source says something, we say so.
- No leak sites. Pre-release "confirmed spoiler" posts are excluded.
- Pronouns. The manga hasn't stated Imu's gender, so we use "Imu" and "they".
Timeline
| Chapter | What happens |
|---|---|
| 906 | A silhouetted figure deep in Mary Geoise looks at a giant frozen straw hat. It is later revealed to be Imu. |
| 908 | Imu sits on the Empty Throne. The Five Elders kneel. In the flower room: wanted posters and photos. |
| 1060 | Sabo's report breaks off at "the throne where no King of the World should be…". Lulusia is erased by an attack from the sky. |
| 1085 | Cobra dies. Imu asks who wrote a letter; Cobra answers Nefertari D. Lili. |
| 1086 | Ivankov says one of the original twenty kings was "Saint Imu of the Nerona family". The weapon is named Mother Flame. |
| 1122 | Joy Boy's Haki, released at Egghead, reaches the flower room. Imu screams "Joy Boy!!!" |
| 1125 | Imu purges Elder Saturn from afar. Garling takes his seat. |
| 1149–1150 | On Elbaf, Imu takes over Gunko. 1150 names the power Domi Reversi (黒転支配). |
| 1167–1170 | The Knights' covenant is explained, and how Imu took over King Harald fourteen years ago. |
| 1178 | Loki freezes Imu-in-Gunko. Imu slips out of her body. |
| 1179 | Imu leaves the Holy Land and appears on Elbaf in person. The name is confirmed. |
| 1180–1193 | Omen, a new form, named swords — and the blow that slams Imu into the treasure tree Adam. |
| 1194–1196 | Imu doesn't appear. |
The Empty Throne (906–908)
The first look (906). A silhouette deep inside Mary Geoise stands before a colossal straw hat kept frozen in a cold room. The chapter doesn't name the figure.
The throne (908).
- The seat. At the Reverie, the figure takes the Empty Throne — the symbol that the twenty founding kings rule as equals and none of them as king.
- The Five Elders kneel. They ask whether there is another "light" to be erased from history.
The flower room (908):
- Slashed. The wanted posters of Luffy and Blackbeard.
- Pinned with a sword. A photo of Shirahoshi.
- Kept. A photo of Vivi — not cut. Imu takes it to the throne.
Lulusia and the Mother Flame (1060, 1086)
- 1060. Sabo is reporting what he saw at the Reverie and breaks off at the throne. Then Lulusia Kingdom is wiped out by an attack from the sky, and the Five Elders say there was never such a country.
- 1086. The weapon is named Mother Flame, and the chapter shows the target was picked because it was close.
Whether the weapon is Uranus — one of the Ancient Weapons — is a popular reading. The manga hasn't said so.
The name: Nerona Imu (1085–1086, confirmed 1179)
1085 — Cobra. Cobra is killed at Mary Geoise. Before that, Imu questions him about the letter, and Cobra names its writer: Nefertari D. Lili. More on her: who is Lily?
1086 — Ivankov's line. Far from the Holy Land, Ivankov says that among the original twenty kings was a Saint Imu of the Nerona family.
- Then: a link readers drew, not a statement. Nobody on the page said this Imu is the one on the throne.
1179 — confirmed. The chapter is titled 「ネロナ・イム降臨」 — Nerona Imu descends. Imu's caption reads:
- 「世界の王 ネロナ・イム聖」 — King of the World, Saint Nerona Imu;
- one of the "First Twenty", the creators of the World Government.
