After 20 years, One Piece brings back a new character from the Void Century

The mysteries of the Void Century are a central plot point to the overall story of One Piece which Eiichiro Oda himself established long ago. First teased at the end of the Alabasta arc, Eiichiro Oda went on to fully expand on the Void Century and its secrets in Chapter 395 of the story in 2006. Since then, the Void Century has only grown in importance in One Piece. One Piece Chapter 1182, which was officially published in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #24 on May 10, 2026earlier this week saw Eiichiro Oda confirm a new character from the Void Century era.

The author also set up the reveal of great secrets of this era through him at the end of the Elbaf arc, which is incredibly exciting for all fans. This character is none other than the ice squirrel, Ratatoskr, who is now officially confirmed to have a significant relationship with Nerona Imu from 900 years ago.

One Piece Chapter 1182 Confirms Nerona Imu and Ragnir's Connection from the Void Century

The Void Century of the One Piece world was a specific time period from 900 to 800 years ago, which was first properly explained in One Piece Chapter 395, which was published in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 6-7 on January 7, 2006. During the Void Century, a massive war was fought between one king and 20 kings. the ancient kingdom. The details of the war have been kept completely under wraps and erased from world history. All that is known is that the World Government was formed after the 100-year Void and that they made studying the Void Century a crime punishable by death itself.

“Why did the people of the past resort to writing on stone to convey the message to the future? They dotted the world with these unbreakable stone tablets, on which they carved their history. Is this not because they felt their message would be obliterated if left to paper and books?” —Clou D. Clover, One Piece Chapter 395

Considering the Void Century was from 900 to 800 years ago, it doesn't make sense for a few individuals to be alive from that time period. Even the giants and ancient giants of the One Piece world don't live for 800 years, but a few select characters from that era have appeared in the current timeline. Nerona Imu, the King of the World, is one such individual, and he is a relic from the Void Century, as confirmed by Eiichiro Oda himself in chapter 1086 of the story. Now, in chapter 1182, Eiichiro Oda also confirms that Ragnir is from the same era as Nerona Imu due to these two having a very strong bond from days gone by.

“Ragnir! So you stayed as you were in the past, waiting for a new master to come. How familiar is your sight!” — Nerona Imu, One Piece Chapter 1182

In the latest chapter of the One Piece manga, published in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #24, Eiichiro Oda confirms that Ragnir hasn't changed one iota in the past 900 years. Imu states that he was looking for a new master, just like before, and finally found it in the form of Loki. Ragnir had a few things to say to Nerona Imu, but due to its nature as an animal, those words were kept hidden from the fans. But most important of all this is the fact that Ragnir is from the Void Century and knows the whole gist of what happened during this war and how the likes of the Warrior God of Elbaf and even the former Sun God Nika aka Joy Boy died.

The ice squirrel Ratatoskr knows the whole truth about the Empty Century

Image curated by the author using official One Piece manga assets from Manga Plus.

During the era of the Void Century, Ragnir existed in a different form than what fans know it to be today. The hammer was used by the Warrior God of Elbaf. Meanwhile, the Squirrel fought alongside the Warrior God as its most loyal help, which was officially confirmed by Jarul in Chapter 1175 of the manga. After the death of Elbaf's warrior god, the squirrel's soul resided inside Ragnir the Hammer, and thus the Ragnir that fans know today was officially born.

For 800 years, Ragnir guarded the devil fruit from the warrior god of Elbaf, awaiting the arrival of Loki, who eventually proceeded to eat this fruit 14 years ago. After waiting for centuries upon centuries, Ragnir knows the whole truth about the Empty Century. It knows exactly the connection between the former Nidhoggr and Nerona Imu, and at the same time it is also fully aware of what happened to the former sun god Nika, as well as the truth behind the destruction of the ancient kingdom.

“Nhoggr…to think I would see you again in this world…traitor!” — Nerona Imu, One Piece Chapter 1182

In the grand scheme of things, Ragnir's character is doubly special, as it contains the truth of the world that may well be revealed at the end of the ongoing Arc, thanks to the help of Chopper.

Why Chopper can easily reveal all the secrets of the Void Century by conversing with Ragnir at the end of Elbaf

Ragnir's introduction as a character from the Void Century is extremely important in the overall plot of One Piece because through him, Eiichiro Oda can reveal the deepest secrets of the Void Century without Luffy even having to visit Laugh Tale. This is because Ragnir himself lived these events, which was confirmed by Nerona Imu in chapter 1182. By bringing in Chopper, who can clearly understand the language of all the animals found in the world of One Piece, Ragnir is able to tell the story of what happened in the past to the Straw Hat doctor. Then Chopper is able to convey the truth to Nico Robin and the rest of the Straw Hat team, opening up the room for massive revelations at the end of the Elbaf arc.

This is a very important development in the overall plot of the story that many fans tend to overlook, but it is something that Eiichiro Oda set up himself. Chopper's ability to converse with animals has come into play on many occasions, especially in arcs like Arabasta. Now, this forgotten ability can be used to reveal some of the biggest secrets of the One Piece world as a whole, and that's something fans should be very excited about.

Of course, Ragnir shouldn't be privy to all the secrets of the Void Century, because otherwise finding the One Piece and locating the Rio Poneglyph would be completely useless. Ragnir should be aware of a significant part of the Void Century that Eiichiro Oda could go on to reveal in the final segment of the Elbaf arc. This will only serve to raise the stakes for the Great War while revealing a few more glimpses of the lost era. It will feature not only Elbaf's warrior god, but more of Nerona Imu and Joy Boy as well. From the looks of it, the end of the Elbaf arc will be filled with very heavy lore reveals, and fans absolutely can't wait to see what Eiichiro Oda delivers now that Ragnir, a Void Century character privy to the full truth, is here.

All the latest One Piece manga chapters can be read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.