This article contains SPOILERS for One Piece #1060
The most mysterious character in One Piece, Im-sama, who is also possibly the final villain of the series, finally make their return with a brief appearance that, however, has a huge impact on the story and will leave fans with more questions than they had to begin with.
The world of One Piece has been ruled for the past 800 years by an organization called the World Government, an alliance of hundreds of kingdoms established after the mysterious Void Century. The World Government serves as the main antagonist of the series, mostly through its armed forces, the Marine, who relentlessness hunt for the free-roaming pirates and mercilessly enforce "True Justice" in the world. While member countries retain most of their freedom in internal affairs, even kings have to defer to the World Nobles, aka the Celestial Dragons, the descendants of the twenty kings who created the World Government. On top of them stand the Gorosei, the Five Elders, the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons who were supposed to be the highest authorities in the world, until the existence of Im, the secret King of the World, was revealed.
Im (whose features and gender are still unknown), made their debut in chapter #906, when it was revealed that they are the true ruler of the world, to whom even the Gorosei bow to, and sits on the Empty Throne in Mary Geoise. The existence of Im is kept secret to everyone except the Gorosei, and after that first appearance they were never shown again, until now. In chapter #1060 of One Piece, Luffy's sworn brother, Sabo, has managed to get in touch with his friends in the Revolutionary Army. Unaware that his call is being intercepted by the Marines, Sabo reveals he survived the battle of the Levely, and has discovered a dangerous secret of the World Government. Just when Sabo is about to reveal Im's existence, the King of the World orders (through undisclosed means) an attack on the island where the Revolutionary Commander is hiding, which gets immediately erased by a mysterious weapon hidden in the clouds.
Im's return confirms what was already obvious from their previous appearance, that they could be the series final and biggest villain, perhaps even dethroning Blackbeard. As the leader of One Piece's main antagonists, the World Government, Im represents everything that Luffy and his friends fight against: oppression, tyranny, and privilege. More importantly, chapter #1060 proved that Im's existence must be kept a secret at all costs, as they were ready to erase an entire kingdom from the maps just to silence Sabo. This also means that Luffy's brother will become a fundamental character, if he survived the attack. Sabo is the only one who knows the truth about the World Government, and this revelation could instigate the final war that One Piece has been teasing for a while.
Everything about Im remains a complete mystery. Fans of the series have been going crazy with theories and speculations, but Eiichiro Oda has been carefully protecting this character, meaning that he will be revealing the truth only at a real turning point in the manga. Whatever Im-sama's true identity will turn out to be, this mysterious villain will likely play a fundamental role in One Piece's much-awaited finale.