Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is a traditional shonen that is filled with incredible adventures led by the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy, and mind-blowing world-building, the likes of which hardly any story in the world can match. These two things also form the biggest strengths of One Piece. However, as of late, Eiichiro Oda is also trying his luck with romance. When One Piece originally began, the author of the series stated quite clearly that he did not want romance to be a pillar of the story. This is specifically because One Piece is a shonen story, and young boys don’t tend to care about romance much, but clearly, things have changed in the Final Saga significantly.
Just recently, in the Elbaf Arc, One Piece laid the groundwork for one of the darkest romance stories of all time, centering around the king of the world, Nerona Imu, and his deep obsession with Nefertari Lily from the Void Century. In the midst of it all, the likes of Candelle and Princess Shuri got involved as well.
One Piece Unveils Imu’s One-Sided Dark Romantic Obsession With Nefertari Lily
The main villain of One Piece is none other than Nerona Imu, who is also the King of the World. Imu was a massive mystery in the overarching plot line of One Piece until recently, but One Piece Chapter 1179, which was officially released on April 5, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 19, demystified this character by showcasing his arrival on the Warland Elbaf for the very first time. Nerona Imu’s full character design was unveiled to us, and so were his powers in the subsequent chapters.
“Gorosei, the Holy Land shall be without Mu for a while. I leave it in thy care.” — Nerona Imu as he heads off to Elbaf, One Piece Chapter #1178
At the same time, Imu’s connections to those from the past also started becoming clear. For instance, Eiichiro Oda gave us a flashback panel of Nerona Imu and Joy Boy, clearly showcasing that they were friends at one point in One Piece Chapter 1181, released on April 27, 2926, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #22-23.
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 ended up siding with none other than Joy Boy and raised a flag of revolution against the sinking world. This was officially confirmed in One Piece Chapter 1085, released on June 5, 2023. Imu’s obsession with Lily seems to have begun before this. Although he clearly blames her for spreading the Poneglyphs all around the world and keeping the spirit of D alive, Imu deeply desires her. This is precisely why Nerona Imu wants Nefertari Vivi as well, who looks exactly like Lily. By this point in the story, Eiichiro Oda has made it plenty clear that Nerona Imu has a one-sided obsession with Nefertari Lily, which is especially evident from the portrait of the former queen of Arabasta in his flower chamber.
One Piece Officially Sets Up 3 Major Upgrades For The Monster Trio
The Monster Trio is getting major upgrades through their upcoming Elbaf battles in One Piece.
“If not for Lily’s mistake on that fateful day, the loathsome relics called the Poneglyphs would not have scattered across the world!” — Nerona Imu explains Lily’s role in the Void Century, One Piece Chapter #1085
Why Princess Shuri’s Fall Is Directly Tied To One Piece’s Darkest Storyline
While Imu’s obsession with Nefertari Lily is quite clear, there is more to it than just that. It appears that Imu projects his obsession with Lily onto other blue-haired women in the world of One Piece, and Princess Shuri is one of them. This was evident from One Piece Chapter 1185, which was released officially in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #29 on June 15, 2026. In this chapter, Brook stated to Shuri that at one point, a Celestial Dragon ship went to Esperia and stayed for a couple of months. During those months, Lady Candelle, Shuri’s mom, was especially overworked and stressed. Immediately after, a marriage between Reuven and Candelle was announced, and Shuri was born.
“One time, a ship from the World Government washed up on Esperia, and the kingdom was stunned to encounter such an authority they had never experienced before. Lady Candelle was bedridden for several months after due to fatigue, and you wouldn’t believe how gloomy the people were during those months.” — Brook explains the dark past of Candelle, One Piece Chapter #1185
This, when combined with the fact that Shuri holds Celestial Dragon blood and is from the Manmayer family, officially confirms that King Reuven is not her real father and that she is the product of a certain 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 own maid. Shuri should have been in her 70s by now, but clearly hasn’t aged much since she went to the Holy Land of Marijoa.
Evidently, Imu has kept her with him to tend to all his needs and made her a mindless slave soldier for himself to keep. No matter which way we look at it, this is a dark, unrequited love story with a very twisted form of tragedy that Imu has thrust upon multiple characters so far. Now, he’s looking to do the same with Nefertali Vivi as well.
New Questions Added!
GameRant Quiz
Easy (15s)Medium (10s)Hard (5s)Permadeath (5s)
Why Lily Could’ve Been In Love With Joy Boy Instead Of Imu
Imu’s obsession with Lily makes a lot of sense when looking at One Piece Chapter 1183, which marked the beginning of the Esperia flashback on May 25, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #26. In this flashback, it was quite clear that Shuri, in her childlike nature, was in love with none other than Brook. Due to her childish innocence, she did not realize why her feelings for Brook were out of place. No matter what Brook said to her, Shuri was dead set on showcasing her feelings for him. Curiously enough, at the very beginning of this flashback in One Piece Chapter 1183, Eiichiro Oda showcased Brook doing the Nika pose. This was a major hint by the author connecting Brook directly to the Sun God Nika and Shuri to Nefertari Lily.
Nerona Imu: There is one other thing, I desire Vivi!
Five Elders: As you desire
— Exchange showing Nerona Imu’s dark obsession with Lily
As such, the implication here is that just as Shuri had feelings for Brook, Lily had feelings for none other than Nika. This was clearly showcased in One Piece chapter 1181, which was officially released 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 amount, which certainly had a significant role to play 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 hurtles towards its end, Shuri’s connection to Imu, as well as more information pertaining to the likes of Lily and Vivi, will also be unveiled by Eiichiro Oda, and that is something that we are eagerly waiting to see.
All the new One Piece Chapters by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
