Chapters · Final Saga › Elbaf

Chapter 1179: Nerona Imu Descends

Arc: Elbaf · Saga: Final Saga · Released: — · 17 captured pages

Summary

In the Hall of Power at Sacred Marijoa (rendered “Marijoa” on-page), the Five Elders panic: Imu — a growling black-robed silhouette (“GRRRGG…”) — intends to descend to the Lower World, to Elbaph (on-page VIZ spelling). Marijoa is under siege: “the Lower World’s plan to starve us out still continues,” crowds roar at the walls, and the food shortage bites even the Celestial Dragons; at a Marijoa “Power Plant, Labophase,” a captive, starving York (in a “PUNK 06” shirt) is bullied through a Den Den Mushi into producing energy — “one of the things that can break the siege… is the Mother Flame.” The Elders blame the cascade of disasters on “the arrival of Nika”; Imu retorts “Arrogance, sloth, detachment, pride — casteth away these things at once!!! This is no longer coincidence, Warcury… ALL IS PRE-ORDAINED!!!” — over a memory-montage spanning Rocks (“I will be back!!”), the stolen Devil Fruit, Neptune’s daughter, Loki (“He is Loki, Harald’s son!!”), Monkey D. Luffy, Marshall D. Teech (VIZ on-page spelling), and slashed wanted posters screamed over as “Davy Jones!!” and “JOYBOY!!”, ending on “Nefeltari D. Lily” and Imu’s confession “Still you continue to torment mu!! … I desire… …Vivi…” Declaring “It all began… long before this,” Imu steps onto a glowing magic circle in the Pangaea garden (“The Holy Land, I leave to thee”), becomes a black spike, and vanishes — the Elders concede “we do not have the right to stop the Great One.” On Elbaf, mop-up continues (demon parts self-reassemble “like a magnet”; a steel heart is found beating inside a demon; the injured Usopp and Brook hang bandaged by the Walrus School, which Loki has flash-frozen along with the bat-winged Holy Knight) — until black pillars crash from the sky and an island-spanning runed pentagram forms over Aurust Castle. Black flames spread to a musical beat (“Dororon♪”), possessing houses and forest with demon faces, and a burst of Conqueror’s Haki erupts from the castle. Inside the wrecked throne room a wounded black form coughs and splatters dark blood, then climbs to the rooftop: St. Nerona Imu, King of the World, creator of the World Government (one of the first 20), power: the Devil’s Fruit — face revealed — perched atop Aurust Castle. To be continued.

New reveals

• Imu’s face is shown for the first time (pp. 16–17): a humanoid figure with long voluminous white hair, two large black curving horns, ringed staring eyes, black lips and black fingernails, a dark streak running down from the eye/mouth, and an eye-and-staff sigil marking on the hand/forearm. Gender not stated. Ornate ruffed robe with skull ornament at the waist; black flame-coils and ZZT static crackle around the body.
• On-page captions (p. 17): “KING OF THE WORLD — ST. NERONA IMU” and “CREATOR OF THE WORLD GOVERNMENT (ONE OF THE FIRST 20) — POWER: THE DEVIL’S FRUIT.” First explicit on-page statement that Imu created the World Government, is one of the First Twenty, and that Imu’s power is “the Devil’s Fruit” (definite article, singular).
• Imu descends in person. Imu leaves Pangaea Castle against the Elders’ pleading (“You mustn’t descend to the Lower World!!” / “You don’t mean to go to Elbaph, do you?!”), transits as a black spike via a glowing rune-ringed magic circle (pp. 6–7), and manifests in Aurust Castle’s throne room (p. 15). Even the giants gasp “You mean… IN PERSON?!!” (p. 16).
• Marijoa is besieged and starving (pp. 2–3): “the Lower World’s plan to starve us out still continues”; crowds roar outside (“RAAAAH”); “the Holy Land is under a food shortage”; an Elder mentions “the former Navy headquarters…” while demanding “military might to keep the rest of the world under our thumb.”
• York produces Mother Flame at Marijoa (p. 3): caption “POWER PLANT, LABOPHASE, MARIJOA” — York, captive and starving, is coerced (“If you want to live like a Celestial Dragon… then hurry up and produce energy for us!!… one of the things that can break the siege… is the Mother Flame”; “your original form, Vegapunk, is one of the rebellious forces arrayed against us”).
• “With Shamrock’s return, it seems that the situation is quelled…” (p. 2) — Shamrock has returned (to the Holy Land side; not shown).
• The demonized giants have steel hearts (pp. 8–9): a beating metal heart is found (“A steel heart?!” B-BMP); severed demon parts pull back together “like a magnet”; Franky: ”…If we destroy THIS, they won’t be able to go back to normal?!” — destroying the heart may make demonization permanent.
• Loki froze the Walrus School and the bat-winged Holy Knight (p. 10): “It’s not [frozen]! I merely sapped all its heat energy!!” — the knight is frozen solid (“Is she dead…?” / “It’s a flash freeze… it won’t be fatal… but only this guy can melt the ice”), with the ice squirrel Ratatoskr (“KURIRIRI!!”) on hand.
• Imu’s descent spreads possessing black flames (pp. 11–13): houses and trees sprout demon faces to musical sound effects (“DORORON♪,” “DADADAN♪”); giants ask “Is this someone else’s power?!”
• A Conqueror’s Haki burst erupts from Aurust Castle (p. 14): “That’s Color of Supreme King…” / “Was that from the castle?!” / “That’s the same Haki from before!!”

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Marijoa: Imu (silhouette pp. 2–7; true form pp. 15–17), the Five Elders — St. Marcus Mars (spiky-haired, bespectacled; greets Garling, berates him over food, coerces York by Den Den Mushi), St. Topman Warcury (named by Imu: “This is no longer coincidence, Warcury”; “Then WE should head into the field again!!”), Garling (named on entry, “GARLING…”; “We do not have the right to stop the Great One!!”), St. Shepherd Ju Peter and St. Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro (present; individual lines not name-tagged), York (captive, “PUNK 06”).
• Imu’s memory-montage (mentions only): Rocks (“I will be back!!”), Davy Jones, Joy Boy, Blackbeard (“MARSHALL D. TEECH,” VIZ on-page), Luffy (“MONKEY D. LUFFY”), Ace (image; “Whitebeard protected him?”), Whitebeard, King Neptune + Shirahoshi (“It seems Neptune… had a daughter”), King Harald + Prince Loki (“He is Loki, Harald’s son!!”), Nefertari D Lily (“NEFELTARI D. LILY,” VIZ on-page), Vivi (“I desire… …Vivi…” — photo + a dark-hall portrait of a long-haired woman, unlabeled).
• Elbaf: Prince Loki (giant form, eating the frozen school food; with Ratatoskr), Gerd (named on-page by a demon head: “You said your name was GERD?!”), Franky, Jinbei, Sanji, Usopp + Brook (gravely injured, hanging bandaged), Nami + Zeus, Tony Tony Chopper (senses the Haki; also asked-for: “Where is Chopper?!”), Luffy (“GREAT ONE?!”, food in his teeth), Hajrudin + Stansen (names called out, p. 8), assorted giants (an aged giant — likely Jarul — “That’s the same Haki from before!!” / “You mean… IN PERSON?!!” — identity unconfirmed; a small white-haired giant child, possibly Collun, p. 8 — unconfirmed), the frozen bat-winged Holy Knight (name still not printed), demonized giants (Depths Covenant victims).
• Groups / lore: Holy Knights, Empty Throne, Abyss Pentagram (glyph-family of the descent circle), Mother Flame, Giants, Marines (“the former Navy headquarters”; “we can send the Navy admirals from headquarters to Elbaph”).
• Locations: Mariejois (“Sacred Marijoa”; “The Hall of Power”; “Power Plant, Labophase, Marijoa”), Pangaea Castle (named: “You should NOT leave Pangaea Castle!!”), Elbaf (“ELBAPH, NEW WORLD” — VIZ on-page spelling), Western Village (“Western Village, Sun World”), Walrus School (“By the Walrus School”), Aurust Castle (“Inside Aurust Castle — Throne Room”).

Notable panels

• p. 1 — Title page. Reader request: “Ace and Otama and Yamato leading boar piglets on a hike down a wetlands path!!” by Naoyama Wants To Travel. Monochrome decorative illustration — not a cover-story serial, no color spread.
• p. 2 — Imu’s black silhouette with staring eyes, “GRRRGG…” growl; the Hall of Power; Marijoa exterior with siege-roar (“RAAAAH”) and rubble.
• p. 3 — York at the “Power Plant, Labophase, Marijoa,” bawling “THIS WASN’T PART OF THE DEEEEAL!!” in a PUNK 06 shirt.
• p. 4 — Imu walks the Pangaea flower-garden: ”…You should NOT leave Pangaea Castle!!”; Imu’s archaic rebuke “casteth away these things at once!!!” (register matches the Holy Knights’ “thou canst,” Ch. 1177).
• p. 5 — Imu’s single-eye close-up: “ALL IS PRE-ORDAINED!!!”; memory-montage (Rocks’ manic grin “I will be back!!”; “What is in Elbaph?!”; “They stole the Devil Fruit?!”; baby Shirahoshi; “MARSHALL D. TEECH”). (mirror candidate.)
• p. 6 — Wanted posters sliced under “Davy Jones!!” and “JOYBOY!!”; the “NEFELTARI D. LILY” panel — a stern, bearded, ruff-collared man’s face with Imu-style ringed eyes (identity uncaptioned — mirror candidate: compare Imu’s p. 17 ruff); “I desire… …Vivi…”; Imu steps onto the glowing circle (FWUM). (mirror candidate.)
• p. 7 — “The Holy Land, I leave to thee.” Elders capitulate; Marijoa rumbles; the garden plaza panel ends on a black spike where Imu stood (FZZ).
• p. 8 — Elbaf: rain over the great tree; “Hajrudin!! Stansen!!”; Gerd holds a chattering demon part (“It’s like a magnet. It’s scary”); a demon head vows Gerd “a miserable death.”
• p. 9 — The steel heart (B-BMP); Usopp and Brook strung up in bandages by the Walrus School; a demon vows revenge on Sanji, who answers “I forget…” (demon: “NOW SAY MINE!!”).
• p. 10 — Loki, the frozen school, and the frozen bat-winged Holy Knight (SHVR); Ratatoskr “KURIRIRI!!”; Nami feels the rumble.
• p. 11 — Black pillars fall from the sky (DOOM!!) around the hilltop castle. (mirror candidate — the pillars mirror the Pangaea black spike.)
• p. 12 — SPLASH: island-scale runed pentagram magic circle in the sky on black-pillar legs above the castle — “A MAGIC CIRCLE?!!” Same glyph-family as the Abyss Pentagram. (mirror candidate.)
• p. 13 — Houses and forest possessed by demon-faced black flames to musical SFX (“DORORON♪,” “GEHHO♪,” “DADADAN♪”); aerial of the burning village. (mirror candidate — jack-o’-lantern faces echo the demon-giant design.)
• p. 14 — SPLASH: black bolt strikes Aurust Castle; “That’s Color of Supreme King…” / “That’s the same Haki from before!!” Restages the looming-descent DOOM-splash grammar (dark descending column + black-flame ground + giant ドォーン brush-SFX in the upper corners + reaction strip) for the final villain’s arrival.
• p. 15 — Throne room: black spike; the wounded, huffing black form with round staring eyes; the dark SPLAT handprint; “WHO’S THAT?!”; KABOOOM through the castle wall.
• p. 16 — “You mean… IN PERSON?!!” / Luffy: “GREAT ONE?!”; a small figure lands atop the castle tower (“Someone’s up there!! On top of the castle!!”); left strip: black flame-coils with an arrow-like protrusion climbing the tower .
• p. 17 — FINAL SPREAD: Imu’s face close-up (horns, white hair, dark tear-streak, black nails, eye-staff sigil on the hand) + full body perched on the rooftop amid black coils and ZZT static. Captions: “KING OF THE WORLD — ST. NERONA IMU” / “CREATOR OF THE WORLD GOVERNMENT (ONE OF THE FIRST 20) — POWER: THE DEVIL’S FRUIT.” (top-tier mirror candidate.)

Open questions raised

• What exactly is “THE Devil’s Fruit” — the original fruit, the source of all fruits, or the fruit that is the Devil? (Nature of Devil Fruits, Imu Akuma no Mi Is Root of All Devil Fruits)
• What is Imu’s race/nature — the horns, black blood/tears, static, and hand-sigil are uncaptioned. Is this Imu’s original body, or a possessed vessel (Imu Possessed Lily)?
• Why does the descent wound Imu (coughing, dark blood)? Is Imu bound to Mary Geoise?
• Whose face accompanies the “NEFELTARI D. LILY” memory panel — Lily’s contemporary? Imu’s original form? (uncaptioned)
• “That’s the same Haki from before!!” — the same as which prior burst? (Underworld @1151? Harald-era?)
• Where is Gunko? (Last seen Imu-possessed @1174; the wounded throne-room form is NOT identified on-page.)
• Is the p. 6 dark-hall portrait Lily or Vivi?
• What became of “the former Navy headquarters,” and who besieges Marijoa (“the Lower World’s plan to starve us out”)?
• Will destroying a demon’s steel heart kill the giant or strand them demonized forever?