Eiichiro Oda one piece Led by Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, it's a traditional shounen tale full of incredible adventures and incredible world-building that no other story in the world can match. These two are also the company's biggest strengths. one piece. However, recently Eiichiro Oda is also trying his hand at romance. When One Piece first began, the series' writers made it clear that they did not want romance to be the center of the story. This is especially because One Piece is a boy's story and young boys tend not to be very interested in romance. But obviously things have changed significantly in the Final Saga.
Recently at Elbaf Arc. one piece Centering around Nerona Imu, King of the World, and his deep obsession with Nefertari Lily of the Void Century, it laid the foundation for one of the darkest romance stories in history. Along the way, people like Princess Candelle and Shuri also got involved.
One Piece reveals Imu's one-sided dark romantic obsession with Nefertari Lily
main villain of one piece This is Nero or Imu, who is also the king of the world. Imu was a huge mystery in the overall plot of . one piece Until recently, One Piece Chapter 1179, which was officially released on April 5, 2026 in Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump's 19th issue, revealed the character's first appearance in Warland Elbaf, unraveling the mystery of this character. Nerona Imu's full character design was revealed to us, as were his abilities in subsequent chapters.
“Gorosei, the Holy Land will be empty of radish for a while. I leave it in your hands.” — When Nero or Imu heads to Elba, One Piece Episode 1178
At the same time, Imu's relationships with people from the past began to become clear. For example, Eiichiro Oda gave us a flashback panel of Nero or Imu and Joy Boy, which made it clear that they were friends at some point in the movie. one piece Episode 1181, Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump Issues 22-23, published on April 27, 2926.
At the same time, we know Nerona Imu's deep obsession with Nefertari Lily. Initially, Lily was one of the Founding 20 Kings. However, she eventually sides with Joy Boy and raises the banner of revolution against the sinking world. This was officially confirmed in One Piece Episode 1085, released on June 5, 2023. Imu's obsession with Lily seems to have started even before this. Although he clearly blames her for spreading the poneglyphs across the world and keeping D's spirit alive, Imu longs for her deeply. This is why Nerona Imu also wants Nefertari Vivi, who looks exactly like Lily. At this point in the story, Eiichiro Oda has made it abundantly clear that Nero or Imu has a one-sided obsession with Nefertari Lily, which is especially evident in the portrait of the former Queen Arabasta in his studio.
One Piece has officially set three major upgrades for its monster trio.
The Monster Trio is getting a major upgrade with the upcoming Battle of Elbaf in One Piece.
“If it hadn’t been for Lily’s mistake on that fateful day, the disgusting artifact known as the Poneglyph would not have been scattered across the world!” — Nerona Imu explains Lily's role in Void Century. One Piece Episode 1085
Why Princess Shuri's downfall is directly related to One Piece's darkest story
Imu's obsession with Nefertari Lily is very clear, but there's more to it than that. Imu appears to project her obsession with Lily onto other blue-haired women in the One Piece world, with Princess Shuri being one of them. This was evident in the following: one piece Chapter 1185 officially released in the 29th issue of Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump on June 15, 2026. In this chapter, Brook tells Shuri that at some point the Celestial Dragonship went to Esperia and stayed for several months. During those months, Shuri's mother, Mrs. Kandel, was particularly overworked and stressed. Shortly after that, Ruben and Kandel's marriage was announced and Shuri was born.
“Once, a ship of the World Government was stranded in Esperia, and the kingdom was astonished by an authority it had never experienced before. Lady Kandel lay in bed for months from exhaustion, and you would not believe how depressed the people were during those months.” — Brook explains Candelle's dark past. One Piece Episode 1185
This, combined with the fact that Shuri possesses Celestial Dragon bloodline and is from the Manmaier family, officially confirms that King Ruben is not her real father and that she is the product of a specific Celestial Dragon. Shuri has the same blue hair as Vivi, which explains why Nerona Imu took her back to the Holy Land and why she personally serves him as his maid. Shuri would have been in her 70s by now, but she clearly hasn't aged much since she went to the Shrine of Marie Jois.
Apparently Imu kept her with him to take care of his every need, turning her into a mindless slave soldier for him to protect. Whichever way we look at it, this is a dark, unrequited love story with a very twisted form of tragedy that Imu has thrown at several characters so far. Now he wants to do the same to Nefertali Vivi.
New questions added!
GameRant Quiz
start
Easy (15 seconds) Medium (10 seconds) Hard (5 seconds) Eternal Death (5 seconds)
The reason why Lily was able to love Joyboy instead of Immu
Imu's obsession with Lily makes a lot of sense when we look at the following. one piece In the 26th issue of Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump, episode 1183 announces the start of the Esperia flashback on May 25, 2026. In this flashback, it was very clear that Shuri, with her childlike personality, was in love with none other than Brooke. Her childish innocence prevented her from realizing why her feelings for Brooke were wrong. No matter what Brooke told her, Shuri was determined to show him how she felt. Interestingly, at the beginning of the flashback in One Piece Chapter 1183, Eiichiro Oda showed Brook doing the Nika pose. This was the author's main hint, linking Brook directly with the sun god Nika and Shuri with Nefertari Lily.
Nerona Imu: There is one more thing. I want Vivi!
Five Elders: As you wish
— An exchange demonstrating Nerona Imu's dark obsession with Lily
So the implication here is that Lily has feelings for none other than Nika, just as Shuri had feelings for Brook. This was clearly revealed in . one piece Chapter 1181 officially published on April 27, 2026 in WSJ Issue #22-23. Joy Boy and Nerona Imu were friends, but because Lily chose Joy Boy over Nerona Imu, his obsession with her grew to an unhealthy level, which certainly played a role in the major war that unfolded 900 years ago. This also explains his deep desire to acquire Nefertari Vivi in the Final Saga. As the Elbaf Arc rushes toward its end, information about the relationship between Shuri and Imu, Lily and Vivi, etc., will be revealed through Eiichiro Oda, raising much anticipation.
All new One Piece chapters by Eiichiro Oda can be read through Manga Plus and Biz Media.
