#op 1084

...but the reason this time is different from seeing characters you haven't seen in years enter the action or taking the front stage in the story over the Straw Hats.

It's about this panel.

One Piece has never really been a scary manga, it has never scared me before until this panel. It is just terrifying to look at... We had great villains in OP before & for many different reasons but there hasn't been one villain (at least for me) that has been frightening just by the thought or sight of their mere presence like Im has. We know that they are the king of the world at this point, that is terrifying on it's own but that's not just what is terrifying here even if it still factors in the fear aspect of that panel.

No, what is terrifying here is that they look like a literal predator here, their eyes watching you (which are also very creepy looking), ready to strike at any point. Im unlike other villains so far, even the more powerful or serious ones in the series, means business, but like ACTUAL business. Like we had examples of what they are capable of, like what they did with Lulusia, they are deadly & you understand that very well. They want to stay in power & will go to any length possible to stay in that power. They even feel different from the Five Elders who are already threatening in their own way, Im doesn't look like they would make as much compromise or show mercy as the Five Elders could. They feel like a true threat in the story.

& the fact Im looks like a living shadow also plays in that aspect that they are untouchable and you can't quite get what they are. Are they even human or some other race or being in One Piece that we currently know ? It's just impossible to know because there is really no features from that character that can give us a hint about what they are. Almost supernatural in a way, and I don't mean that in a good way.

Im just gives me the creeps & you know the story is getting serious when they appear at some point in the story. & the fact we know Cobra died (which we know Im is definitely behind it now) yet I can still get frightened by their presence speaks level about Oda's talent as a storyteller.

Edit: To add to what I said:

The fact that some of the gards in the Pangaea Castle dissapear, clearly because of Im & in whatever room they were at the beginning of the Reverie, adds to the walking mystery aspect about them. No one apart from a very few people know about their existence or some people are straight up thinking it's a legend & all of it is not real. They are even a threat to their own allies or people serving under them.

I liked the Arabasta arc back when it ended and hoped we’d see Vivi in the future, but I didn’t think she’d become an important character again. 

...

I stand corrected. Maybe I should’ve realized that back when the Nefertaris were revealed to be one of the 20, meaning Vivi could’ve been born as a celestial dragon... 

...Anyway, so, what happened to queen Lili? When Cobra says that she isn’t mentioned in any historical documents after the founding of Arabasta, we see a question mark (along with an exclamation point) from the elders. Does that mean they didn’t know about this? Or are they just baffled about why would Cobra ask about something so long since past? 

At first, I thought this was what got Cobra killed; after all, “D” is a taboo name. One must not talk about “D”, it’s dangerous. But-

...I was wrong, again. This is obviously the real reason; Cobra shouldn’t have seen that. Now the question is who killed him? Someone from the government, obviously, but we have three choices: Imu, the elders and a third party. Imu would be an obvious choice since he seems to have some personal grudge against the Nefertari family, not to mention it was him whose secret got out, but the reason I think it might’ve been someone else was how Cobra was killed. When we see Sabo standing over his body, it doesn’t seem badly beaten up; it’s more like he got stabbed or shot once, and that is something I think might not be Imu’s style, considering what happened at Lulucia.

Back to the grudge that I think Imu has for the Nefertari family. Has a bitterness of Lili not becoming one of the 20 been passed down from generation to generation, ruler to ruler? Possible, but I think it’s more likely that Imu knew Lili personally, that he is over 800 years old. I’ve seen people discuss this before, and I feel like the way he says Lili’s name strengthens this theory. 

How could he be that old? I see three possibilities:

1. He’s eaten some kind of long life/immortality devil fruit

2. He gained immortality from the power of the Ope Ope no Mi

3. He’s of some race that has a very long lifespan 

Of course, it could be something else, but these three possibilities are what I came up with.

Now, about Vivi: What will she do? She’s in hiding, safe for now, but for how long? What will she do in the long run, now that the WG is obviously probably after her head, even if not publicly? Well, I have an idea, occurring due to one of the most iconic scenes in the series:

I gave up on any true hopes of seeing Vivi go on an adventure with the crew again years ago, but now, those hopes are reawakening. Perhaps, Vivi will go to the crew in search for safety, either intentionally or by coincidence. Perhaps, she will search them out in order to receive help in exposing the secrets of the World Government (Dream Team Vivi and Robin, go!), or perhaps fate will bring them together while she’s at it. Either way, I’m starting to believe that Vivi will get on board once more.

Lastly, very random theory that’s probably complete BS: perhaps Imu is Nefertari Lili. Just an idea that occurred to me, but probably not... but c’mon, wouldn’t that be kinda awesome? First she declines from the honor of becoming one of the Celestial Dragons, leaving behind an exceptional reputation, and then goes and becomes even more than them in secret?