The Covenant of Imus and their powers, explained

The Imu are the leaders of the World Government, making them the highest authority within the organization. They belong to the Nerona family, one of the twenty nations in One Piece who collaborated to take down the Ancient Kingdom because they perceived it as a major threat to their sovereignty. The Imu not only oversaw the destruction of the Kingdom, but they were also responsible for creating the organization now known as the World Government.

Family

One Piece: Oda has already confirmed Imu's True Demon Form

Imu is the most powerful in the series. Their demon form was just revealed by Oda in One Piece.

However, achieving so much without help would have been next to impossible, especially since the Ancient Kingdom was said to have technology that was centuries ahead of its time. Therefore, Imu and his allies must be powerful. Once the kingdom was wiped out, Imu made the other rulers swear their allegiance and then became the ruler of the world. But Imu was aware that they needed powerful servants who would do what they promised, and that's probably how they made alliances.

What is covenant in one paragraph?

Confederation was introduced in the Elbaf arc

Image by Viz Media

Covenants are special contracts formed between Imu and other humans. Usually those who are the most submissive to the Imu are chosen for the “honor”. A person marked with the covenant is considered loyal to Imu. What makes these contracts extraordinary is that they grant several incredible abilities, but they come at a high cost. Before going into what the cost is, it is imperative to review the types of covenants.

There is four types of covenants:

1. Shallows Covenant

2. Deep connection

3. Abyssal League

4. The Demon League

Of the four, the Demon League is the most unusual. Unlike the others, this particular covenant is enacted using a terrifying technique known as Domi Reversi. Imu has used Domi Reversi a handful of times to turn her enemies into loyal demons, willing to do her bidding. In the Elbaf arc, Imu used the power of Dorry and Brogy and turned them into demons to wreak havoc on the land. Davy D. Xebec was also a victim of Domi Reversi. Imu used the power during the God Valley Incident, causing Xebec to become subordinate. In exchange for being turned into a demon, the Demon League grants a person immense strength and immortality. Another difference between the Demon League and the rest is that the person has no choice; they instantly turn into mindless demons.

Image by Viz Media

While Demon Covenant is strong, Imu prefers to use the other three. The first is the Shallow Covenant, given to Devoted Blades. These are people who are probably fighting for world government. In Harald's case, he received the covenant when he was alone with the five elders. The Shallows Covenant also makes it impossible for a person to disobey Imu's command if they are close to them. The next step is the Depths Covenant, which is reserved for people who join the Holy Knights. Unlike the Shallows Covenant, the Depths Covenant gives the marked person new abilities. However, the person cannot obey Imu's orders, regardless of their location.

Finally, there is the Abyssal League. Since it's the last of the three, there's a good chance it gives the person an insane amount of strength. Their physical strength increases, and they gain the ability to recover from all types of attacks. In addition, they become immortal and lose the ability to age. According to the Five Elders, only 13 people are chosen for the Deep and Abyssal Covenants. It is likely that the Holy Knights will receive the Profound Alliance, while the Five Elders will receive the Abyssal Alliance. There is also a possibility that the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights has the Abyssal League.

Alliances make their users extremely strong

They are shortcuts to becoming strong

As previously mentioned, three of the four Covenants take their users' strength to a whole new level. A good example is Davy D. Xebec's transformation into a demon, which caused such an increase in his physical abilities that it took the combined efforts of Monkey D. Garp and Gol D. Roger to keep him in check. Xebec's Conqueror's Haki became more potent, and neither Garp's nor Roger's attacks could bypass his defenses. With no end in sight, Roger Garp suggested they use Critical Mass Haki to end the fight. Having no options, Garp agreed and they decided to put all their Haki into one attack. Surprisingly, the ploy paid off and Xebec was beaten, after which he reverted to his human form. Based on the result, it is not impossible to save a person who becomes a demon, although it requires a lot of effort.

Image via Toei Animation.

While the Demon League is a shortcut to gaining immense power, it is far from ideal. The Deep and Abyssal Covenants are superior to it, as they do not turn the recipients into demons. A person with either the deep or the abyssal bond retains their personality while gaining the powers. So they can think clearly and strategize instead of just recklessly attacking a person. One Piece fans saw the power of a person with any of the bonds in the Egghead arc, where the five elders ran amok.

Family

Loki's family tree in one piece, explained

Loki's family tree is one of the most interesting in One Piece. Here's a closer look at it.

The five destroyed almost every single thing on the island, and they would have killed the Straw Hats too if not for Joyboy's Haki. In the Elbaf arc, Oda introduced more characters with Depths and Abyssal Covenants. Shepherd Sommers, Gunko, Shamrock, and Killingham all have covenants, which is why they are so ridiculously powerful.

Bonds are Imu's weakness

Giving a covenant to a person is not entirely safe for Imu. When Loki killed Harald, the focus shifted to Imu, who clearly told the five elders that carrying out a covenant also incurs a certain cost to them. This means that whenever Imu perform a covenant, they are weakened and therefore unable to fight at full strength. Since Harald got the Deep Alliance, it will be interesting to see if the same applies to the Demon Alliance. If it does, then beating Dorry and Brogy would cause Imu to be weakened.

Furthermore, Gaban has made it clear that a person with Conqueror's Haki can nullify the regeneration and thus beat their opponent. Currently, there are four Conqueror's Haki users in Elbaf fighting for the giants. These are Luffy, Gaban, Zoro and Loki. Of the four, only Zoro is a bit inept when it comes to using Conqueror's Haki. But Oda will make sure to give a power-up at even odds. After all, it would be embarrassing if the Straw Hats were forced to turn tail twice. Of course, the other characters will also play an important role, but the focus will be on the four mentioned above.

One Piece

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)