One Piece reveals a new connection between Nerona Imu and Dracule Mihawk

The Elbaph arc has officially entered its climax with the descent of Nerona Imu and the beginning of the final battle, first with Loki and then against the sun god Nika — Luffy. Expanding on the powers of Nerona Imu, Eiichiro Oda has also delivered important hints about his coveted Nerona bloodline. Thanks to One Piece Chapter 1181, Nerona Imu now has ties to the famous character Dracule Mihawk, who stands as the strongest swordsman in the world.

While the similarities between them could have been brushed off as coincidence until now, the official latest chapter release via Viz Media further strengthens the connection between the two that will be explored at some point down the line.

Breaking down the key similarities between the former Shichibukai and Nerona Imu

Nerona Imu and Dracule Mihawk have quite a few connections, and the first thing that connected the two in fans' minds years ago was the fact that they both have similar eyes. Mihawk is known for having unique eyes in the One Piece world. These eyes are red in the manga and have ringed pupils. Obviously, this eye is very distinctive, and not many characters are known to have it. These eyes have even earned him the name “Hawkeyes”.

Now, fate, how will you deal with this heaven-sent boy? will his life end here or will he escape this black blade? – Dracule Mihawk, One Piece Chapter 560.

Surprisingly, when Nerona Imu was revealed for the very first time, he was seen with similar eyes. This, combined with the fact that Mihawk always looked and acted like royalty, similar to the Celestial Dragons, made for a strong connection between them. It was still unwarranted back then, and only in the Elbaph arc has this connection grown significantly.

Why the king of the world's new sword attack involves a blood connection to Mihawk

Image created by author Rei Penber using official One Piece assets from Manga Plus and Toei Animation.

As portrayed by Eiichiro Oda in the official release of One Piece Chapter 1181, Imu pulls out an incredibly powerful named attack, called Nemesis, from her arsenal. To the fans' surprise, Nemesis looks exactly like Mihawk's Yoru and is also a deadly blade made with Maki.

Blade of Judgment – Nemesis. – Nerona Imu, One Piece chapter 1181

In fact, the attack Imu does with this blade is specifically in the same style that Mihawk used on Luffy in the Summit War in chapter 561. When put together with the fact that both have similar eyes and the fact that Mihawk is clearly royalty, it establishes a strong connection between the two. Mihawk could have gotten his blade from either Imu or the Nerona family one way or another and is likely a former sky dragon.

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How Eiichiro Oda foreshadowed Swordman's true lineage with clever naming

The similarities in terms of swords and the ringed eyes aside, Eiichiro Oda also cleverly set up the Nerona clan blood connection between Mihawk and Imu through the former's naming. As seen recently in Chapter 1179, Nerona Imu is the King of the World and, more importantly, has the powers of the 'Akuma no Mi' or Devil Fruit.' This fruit allows Imu to become the devil himself. It's definitely a pretty special power to have.

Curiously, Mihawk's last name “Dracule” literally translates to “Son of the Devil”. Considering Imu is the devil and Mihawk is the son of the devil, this could be a set up for a direct blood connection between the two that Eiichiro Oda will surely develop sooner rather than later. This means that the Nerona family will certainly be shown in detail, with more members, as the Final Saga continues, and needless to say, that's incredibly exciting for the future of One Piece.

Mihawk's important role in the Great War

Image via Toei Animation.

Now that the character Dracule Mihawk has gotten more attention through Nerona Imu, it's clear that he has a big role to play in the final saga. Mihawk will surely come face to face with Imu at some point, and his past will develop his connection to the King of the World. With Elbaph nearing the end, Mihawk could be given renewed importance in the story, and his incredibly exciting plot line could finally be tackled soon enough.

Through Mihawk, Oda is set to show the Clan Nerona, Imu and the other members, as well as their history from the Void Century. It will also connect directly to the Figarland family and Shanks, creating the famous rivalry between Mihawk and Shanks.

One Piece's latest chapter can be read on Manga Plus.

Release date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Ma Shihi Endo, Toshihiro Ma Shihi Endo, Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

Author

Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda

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  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

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  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)