Warning: Contains spoilers for One Piece chapter #1084.One Piece’s final saga has been filled with one big reveal after another, and chapter #1084 might have gone as far as revealing the true identity of the final villain, the "King of the World" Imu, who may actually be Queen Lily of the Alabasta Kingdom. One of the most enigmatic characters to be introduced in recent years, Imu is the secret king of the World Government and undoubtedly a character set up to be the final antagonist of the series. Beyond their primary role in the story, however, nothing about Imu has been explained; not their powers, not their motives and personality, and even their gender hasn’t been specified, as all dialogue from and surrounding Imu has been exclusively gender-neutral.

There’s a lot of mystery surrounding Imu’s character, but One Piece chapter #1084 might have already revealed their true identity. During King Cobra’s meeting with the Five Elders, he brings up Nefertari Lily, the Queen of the Alabasta Kingdom who was a founder of the World Government but refused to move to Mary Geoise as a Celestial Dragon, and then mysteriously disappeared before she could return to Alabasta. Lily is obviously connected to Imu in some way, but rather than simply be an associate or enemy, there are several points in this chapter and others to suggest that Lily is Imu’s true identity. The idea isn’t necessarily true, but if it is the case, then it would stand out as one of One Piece’s biggest reveals in years.

Related: One Piece's Biggest Villain, Imu, Returns With A Shocking Revelation

One Piece’s Biggest Hints That Imu Is Nefertari Lily

Nefeltari Lily and Im

The idea that Imu is Nefertari Lily might seem odd, but One Piece has already left numerous hints toward that conclusion. For starters, chapter #1084 makes a point of there only being 19 swords surrounding the Empty Throne, symbolizing the vow of the original Celestial Dragons to always share power, with Lily’s sword being the missing 20th. However, in chapter #908 Imu was shown in his secret garden with a sword sticking in the floor, thus creating the biggest hint that the two characters are the same. Chapter #1084 also whites out Lily’s eyes in her silhouette, which creates a clear contrast to Imu’s eyes being their only detailed feature.

There are numerous other details to go along with the theory, as well. For starters, Nefertari Lily’s crown is drawn cut off by a speech bubble, suggesting that it might be the same giant crown Imu wears. There’s also how the Chamber of Flowers appears to be filled with lily flowers and how Imu not only keeps a picture of Princess Vivi (who was a Straw Hat for some time) alongside pictures of major figures like Luffy, Blackbeard, and Shirahoshi, but seems to specifically keep Vivi’s picture on their person. Add in the convenience of Lily disappearing right after the World Government was founded, and there’s plenty to suggest that Lily is secretly Imu.

Is Imu Really Nefertari Lily (And What Would That Mean For One Piece)?

Im and the straw hat

While many things could be interpreted as hints that Imu is Nefertari Lily, that might not necessarily be the case. Things like Imu possessing what’s likely Lily’s sword and having a special interest in Vivi could simply suggest that Imu has a connection to Lily, possibly as someone who was once friends with her and maybe forced to kill her for the sake of the World Government. Not only that, but it would be odd for the Five Elders to show disdain towards the Nefertari family, as they did in the past, for not becoming Celestial Dragons if a member of that dynasty was their king. With all of that taken into account, the idea of Imu being Lily ends up being far less of a certainty.

If this theory ended up being true, then it would have big implications for One Piece’s story going forward. Not only it would completely change the Nefertari after years of the series establishing them as strictly heroic figures, but it would do a lot to reveal the scope of Imu’s plans, as it would mean that they’re someone who’s been working for nearly a millennium to try and control the world. The upcoming chapters of One Piece are set to finally delve into Imu’s character, so fans hopefully won't have to wait for long before learning is the true identity of this ultimate villain is that of Nefertari Lily.

The latest chapter of One Piece is available from Viz Media.