WARNING: SPOILERS FOR ONE PIECE CHAPTER #1124
The oceans of One piece filled with eccentric characters with even more eccentric abilities, but the smartest man in the world, Dr. Vegapunkfind a way to become immortalwhich he might have learned from Ithe secret ruler of the World Government. Although obtaining an ageless body is not a new idea for the series, after meeting the Gorosei, Dr. Vegapunk has found another way to live forever by sharing his consciousness across multiple bodies. However, he is not the only one to discover a way to significantly extend life.
Egghead has proven to be one of the best arcs in One Piece, thanks in part to the introduction of Dr. Vegapunk, all seven of his versions. Fans were introduced to all of them, and each one had a specific function: to maximize the productivity of the smartest man in the world. Unfortunately, all of them died except for the traitor York, the greedy side of Dr. Vegapunk, and Lilith, who seemed to represent evil. Although the doctor's main body was dead, his consciousness was able to live on through his satellites.
Custom image by Merlyn De Souza
More information is needed to determine whether Dr. Vegapunk's entire consciousness transferred to Lilith and what she planned to do after escaping Egghead and the Straw Hats. However, when they left the island in chapter #1123, Imu also shows signs that they may also be related to the Five Elders. similar to how Dr. Vegapunk connects to his satellites.
Although it is unknown how long the Five Elders have held their positions as the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons, Imu has ruled the World Government of One Piece for at least 800 years.
Imu and Dr. Vegapunk may have split themselves into multiple people
One Piece is written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, Anime by Toei Animation
The five elders of the World Government have finally emerged from the shadows in the latest arc of One Piece and used some sort of dark magic to teleport to Egghead Island. While the five monsters took the form of mythical beasts from Japanese folklore, they were forced to return to their human bodies and teleport back to the World Government headquarters on Mary Geoise. The incredible Haki blast that defeated them all also shook Imu for the first time In the series, this may refer to the mysterious leader's connection to the Five Elders.
Years ago in One Piece's past, before Dr. Vegapunk split himself into his satellites, he was invited to Mary Geoise, where he became one of the few people to meet the Five Elders. They sought to utilize the world's most intelligent minds to help develop weapons, but the extent of the knowledge they shared is unknown. However, it would be an intriguing twist if Dr. Vegapunk came up with the idea of splitting his consciousness after meeting the Five Elders, who serve Imu with absolute loyalty, possibly because they are part of Imu.
There is more than one way for Imu to survive for hundreds of years.
The leader of the World Government is not revealed until Chap #906.
After learning of Imu's existence from Sabo, Emperor Ivankov recalls hearing about one of the twenty kingdoms that helped form the World Government 800 years ago, the Nerona Clan, led by a man named Saint Imu. The kingdoms teamed up to defeat the legendary Joy Boy and the super-advanced civilization he came from and judging by Imu's reaction after feeling Joy Boy's Haki attack; it is clear that the two have a history that author Eiichiro Oda will likely keep for later.
The ultimate ability of Trafalgar Law's Operation Devil Fruit is to sacrifice the user's life to grant eternal youth to others. It may have been used on the Imu in the past, explaining another way they were able to survive for so long. However, even if the long-time ruler of the evil World Government had an ageless body, sharing their mind with the Gorosei has some benefits that Dr. Vegapunk brilliantly outlined at the beginning of One Piece's final story arc, which will surely reveal more about the mysterious villain before the story's conclusion.
