One Piece reveals new relationship between Nerona Immu and Dracula Mihawk

The Elbaph Arc officially reaches its climax with the descent of Nerona Imu and the beginning of the final battle. First the battle with Loki, and then the battle with the sun god Nika-Luffy. By greatly expanding the powers of Nero or Imu, Eiichiro Oda also delivered a key hint about the Nero or bloodline he coveted. Thanks to One Piece Chapter 1181, Nerona Imu is now in a relationship with the famous character Dracula Mihawk, who stands as the world's strongest swordsman.

Until now, the similarities between the two could have been dismissed as coincidental, but the official latest chapter release via Viz Media further strengthens the connection between the two, which will be explored at some point in the future.

Analysis of the main similarities between the previous Shichibukai and Nerona Imu

Nerona Imu and Dracula Mihawk have quite a few connections, and the first thing that connected the two in the minds of fans a few years ago was the fact that they both have similar eyes. Mihawk is known to have unique eyes in the One Piece world. These eyes are red in the cartoon and have pupils. Obviously these eyes are very distinct, and not many characters are known to have them. These eyes earned him the nickname “Hawkeyes.”

Now fate, how will you treat this heaven-sent boy? Will his life end here, or will he escape this black blade? – One Piece Episode 560: Dracula Mihawk.

Surprisingly, when Nero and Imu were first revealed, he had similar eyes. This, combined with the fact that Mihawk has always looked and acted like royalty, similar to the Celestial Dragons, means there is a strong connection between the two. It was still unproven at the time, and only in the Elbaph arc did this association grow significantly.

Why the King of the World's divine sword attack suggests a blood relationship with Mihawk

Image created by artist Rei Penber using official One Piece assets from Manga Plus and Toei Animation.

As described by Eiichiro Oda in the official release of One Piece Chapter 1181, Imu pulls out an incredibly powerful named attack from his arsenal called Nemesis. To fans' surprise, Nemesis looks exactly like Mihawk's Yoru and is also a deadly blade made from Maki.

Blade of Judgment – Nemesis. – Nerona Immu, One Piece Episode 1181

In fact, the attacks that Immu uses with this blade are in the same style as those used by Mihawk on Luffy, especially in Chapter 561, Summit War. Combined with the fact that they both have similar eyes and the fact that Mihawk is clearly royalty, a strong connection is established between the two. Mihawk may have received the sword in some way from the Imuna Nerona family, most likely a former Celestial Dragon.

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How Eiichiro Oda Foreshadowed the Swordsman's True Lineage with a Clever Name

The similarities between the sword and the ringed eyes aside, Eiichiro Oda cleverly established the Nerona clan's lineage between Mihawk and Imu through the former's name. As seen in the recent chapter 1179, Nero or Imu is the king of the world and, more importantly, possesses the powers of the 'Akumanomi' or 'Devil Fruit'. Through this fruit, Imu can become the devil himself. No doubt it has very special powers.

Interestingly, Mihawk's last name 'Dracule' literally means 'son of the devil'. Given that Imu is a demon and Mihawk is the son of a demon, this could be a setup for a direct lineage between the two, which Eiichiro Oda will explain in detail soon. This means that the Nerona family will be shown in great detail with more members as the Final Saga continues, and needless to say, this makes it incredibly exciting for the future of One Piece.

Mihawk's important role in the war

Image via Toei Animation.

Now that the character of Dracula Mihawk has received more attention through Nero and Imu, it's clear that he will have a big role in the final story. Mihawk is sure to come face to face with Imu at some point, and his past will detail his relationship with the King of the World. With the end of Elbaph approaching, Mihawk may be given new importance in the story and his incredibly interesting storyline may finally be addressed soon.

Through Mihawk, Oda will show the history of the Nerona Clan, Imu, and other members as well as the Void Century. It also connects directly to the Figarland family and Shanks, establishing the famous rivalry between Mihawk and Shanks.

You can read the latest chapters of One Piece at Manga Plus.

release date

October 20, 1999

network

Fuji TV

move

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Ito, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudo, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yuji Endo, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Sato

author

Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shoji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda.

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  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

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  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)