Thread by @StrawhatUFO

One Piece Theory:

Imu’s lost child - Nami.

In this thread, I’ll explore how our favourite navigator might be connected to the Empty Throne.

This is a big one. Let's go.

#onepiece #onepiecetheory

Now - let me start with a disclaimer. This theory can very well prove to be false. Still, I think it’s really fun to speculate about Nami’s origins.

I think Oda has something amazing planned; this is my guess on what that might be.

For this particular theory, I’m going to talk about three things first: Imu, birds, and then Imu + birds.

I’ll then talk about how this might unfold in the story, and why Imu might soon come looking for the children that Bell-mère raised.

[IMU] We know very little about Imu, apart from the fact that they’re hidden in Mary Geoise, occupy the Empty Throne, have the Gorosei under their command and wield island-breaking powers.

With the reveal of Saturn, might we be able to guess who Imu is? Perhaps.

Folks have fixated on the planets, but I think Imu might not be part of the solar system at all.

If all the Gorosei are named after Roman Gods, perhaps Imu might be too.

I think Imu will be inspired by Juno, wife of Jupiter, and the Roman goddess of marriage and childbirth.

She’s also the Queen of the Gods - which fits the Gorosei kneeling to her.

For more on this idea, check out this theory.

Long story short, Imu = Juno. From this, we might be able to infer Imu’s role in the story. On to the next topic.

[BIRDS] What might the following characters have in common: Robin, Nojiko, Tsuru, Hina, Toki, Kuina, Kiwi, Mozu?

They’re all named after birds. It’s an Oda thing - he likes naming characters (especially female characters) after birds.

The idea of birds and flight is actually core to One Piece. We saw a microcosm of it in Dressrosa, when Doflamingo put up a cage, a symbol of his rule.

In the One Piece world, just like in Dressrosa, the citizens are trapped under the cage of the World Government.

Nami herself was trapped once - Arlong kept her in the Chart Room of Arlong Park to draw maps so that Arlong could conquer the world.

Luffy and the crew came along and freed her from her cage.

(I’ve a theory about how Nami might be named after a bird. Will link at the end.)

Now, might Imu have a connection to a bird as well?

There’s actually three possible connections.

First, Imu might be a pun on ‘emu’, the flightless bird. Perhaps Imu is someone who longs to fly.

(Interestingly, the cover of Chapter 2 features Luffy and a striped emu.)

Going back to the Juno connection - there are two birds associated with the Queen of the Gods - the peacock and the cuckoo.

One of them has already appeared in the story - the peacock is a bird associated with Neferatri Vivi and Kozuki Hiyori.

This might hint at a connection between those two families and Imu.

(I personally think Imu is a Nefertari, but that's for another theory)

As for the cuckoo - there are two notable features.

The cuckoo is associated with the cuckoo clock. We've seen a huge clock before - at Alubarna

Just like the climax of Alabasta, where the bomb was hidden in a clock tower and a bird appeared, could a clock of note appear again?

Fast forward to the Reverie.

We actually see a clock in an unexpected place - the cover of Volume 90. The 12 characters around Luffy are positioned like a clock.

Imu is the cuckoo to the clock that is Mary Geoise. Empty most of the time, appearing only when the time is right.

(Side-note, Oda's mentioned the cuckoo twice in the SBS.

In Chapter 73, a reader asks him what he should do with a cuckoo that won't sing, and in Chapter 370, someone asks him what'll come out of a Love Bomb.

If you're eagle-eyed, you'll notice that 73 is Nami's number. 😉 )

The second feature - the cuckoo is notorious for being a brood parasite. They place their eggs with other birds and let someone else raise their child.

I believe this is what happened with Nami and Nojiko - they are Imu’s “children” that were being raised outside of Mary Geoise.

We still don’t know what exactly happened at Oykot Kingdom.

I believe they came under attack by people who knew that something important was being defended by the Marines there.

Perhaps pirates or even Revolutionaries.

Why does Imu have children, you ask?

Maybe it’s like Big Mom, who wants to have a big family? Or maybe she wants to ensure her bloodline and it’s features continue? Or she could even be creating wives to give to Nobles.

Many possibilities - let me share with you my favourite.

I've theorized before that Nami could be connected to dragons - I believe she's either the Dragon Sovereign (theory at the end), or she could be a dragon in human form.

Imu wants to eat her. From Oda's notes in volume 13:

Okay - maybe eat is an extreme word. Perhaps absorb or merge.

This won't be the first time someone ate a person in One Piece. We saw it with Big Mom and Mother Carmel. Even Doflamingo and Law, to an extent.

The Celestial Dragons even say "bad kids will get eaten by the 'D'".

So to recap, Imu's real identity is Juno, the Goddess of marriage and childbirth.

Imu is also represented by the cuckoo bird, a bird known for letting other raise their children.

Combining both ideas, you get Imu whose children was raised by Bell-mere.

So what happens now?

I think Imu will begin looking for the children who were rescued by Bell-mere. Just like a tangerine, they are finally ripe for the taking.

The soldiers from Mary Geoise, just like Arlong and his crew during Arlong Park, might show up at Cocoyashi Village.

They’ll find Nojiko but not Nami, who's at sea with the Straw hats.

They’ll see that poster of Nami though. Will Nojiko deny that she has a sister? I doubt it.

In #onepiece1076, Zoro hears Nami's scream. In Chapter 1075, we also saw Nami leaving behind a bag of diamonds.

If Nami is taken, this heavy bag might be the crew's last reminder of her.

We all know the parallels between Doflamingo and Imu. Perhaps just like Law, Nami was raised to die for Imu's sake.

We also know the parallels between Enel and Imu. Perhaps just like Enel, Imu will take Nami to the world of dreams.

Interesting, isn't it?

I'll end with this intro image Oda did for Volume 104. Coincidence, or Goda foreshadowing?

Do like and RT if you enjoyed this thread, and thank you for reading. I appreciate it, and I appreciate you. 🙏

Nami's Real Name:

Nami, the Dragon Sovereign: