Judging by his role as the true ruler of the world for 800 years, fans have long known that Imu's strength would be beyond measure when he made his full appearance in One Piece. However, his introduction during the Elbaph Arc really surprised fans, as no one could have predicted how much power he actually had.
In addition to having some of the most potent Conqueror's Haki that fans have seen, Imu has arguably the most mysterious and powerful Devil Fruit in One Piece story, which gives him access to three mystical swords. Each of these swords has a strength that will push Luffy and friends to their absolute limits, and more will likely be revealed in the near future.
Imu's swords may be tied to his devil fruit ability
The strongest weapons in the world
As Devil Fruits are the primary power system for One Piecefans were convinced that Imu's fruit, whenever it was shown, would be the strongest in the entire world. But no one could have predicted how immense its power could truly be, as shown in the Elbaph arc.
Known as the Akuma no Mi, or “Devil's Fruit”, this legendary mythical Zoan grants a host of abilities to its wielder, such as the mysterious black flame and immense strength. But one thing that caught everyone's attention was Imu's ability to summon massive and powerful blades seemingly out of thin air, with three main weapons on display.
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Blade of Judgment, Nemesis
Nemesis was the first of Imu's swords to be shown. The massive polearm from his first appearance eventually transformed into an incredibly large, crucified greatsword that appeared to be larger than Imu herself, as it stabbed Loki through the chest, nearly killing him on the spot.
Fans noted that Nemesis bore a striking resemblance to Mihawk's Yoru, both in its design and how Imu briefly used it. Additionally, Nemesis was only shown for this brawl, as Imu's polearm was transformed into it to stab Loki from above, after which the power was restored to Imu's original weapon.
Blade of Hate, Stigma
One of the more interesting applications of Imu's powers came through Stigma, the Blade of Hate. Unlike Nemesis, Stigma doesn't seem to come from a polearm transformation; rather it works very much like a powerful Ki blast from Dragon Ballin that it seems less like a sword and just a massive attack of black flames that Imu releases at a moment's notice.
It also seems that the attack itself can't just be unleashed out of nowhere, as the small black flames that Imu produces through her Devil Fruit power must land on the opponent and act as a sort of target that Stigma automatically connects to. The perfect example of this was seen when Luffy took off the cloak that had the flames on it, allowing him to escape from danger.
Blade of the Void, Bofu
Of all the “swords” that Imu has shown so far, Bofu may be the main weapon used by the ruler of the world, making it arguably the strongest weapon in the series. Like the Nemesis, this weapon is brought about by Imu transforming her pole arm and creating a new shadow.
Although its full strength has yet to be seen, one would not be wrong to assume that Bofu is the strongest weapon in the entire series, as not only is it the weapon of the ruler of the world, but its mere presence was enough to wither the entire forest around it, which has fantastic implications for the rest of the story.
What could these Imu swords be?
The world's strongest weapon
One thing that fans of the series noticed when Imu used these weapons was the fact that, despite their unique powers and applications in battle, he only used one at a time. This was true only for the special attack values like Nemesis and Stigma, but also for the physical ones like Bofu or the mystical polar arm.
All of this seems to potentially mean that these weapons are either a product of Akuma no Mi or are somehow tied to it. When Imu put away the polar arm to summon Bofu or turn it into Nemesis, Imu used the black flames to do so, and in Bofu's case, the sword seemed to have been contained within the ring of black fire that is always behind Imu.
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Because of this, as well as the special powers that Bofu seems to have, fans believe that Akuma no Mi is the greatest power in the world whose special properties also allow Imu to use several different weapons. Another fan theory states that each of the eyes on Imu's fire ring may represent a different power or application of his weapon.
This could be very likely, as each weapon represented in these eyes could have a special ability or application, which would make Akuma no Mi the most versatile and dangerous Devil Fruit in the entire series. If true, taking down Imu may be even tougher than fans previously thought.
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