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I know this theory sounds completely ridiculous at first. The idea that the mysterious ruler of the world, Nerona Imu, could actually be King Sterry of the Goa Kingdom seems almost impossible.
But if you carefully examine Sterry's actions, his strange obsession with the Empty Throne, and several manga panels that appear to foreshadow Imu, you may start to see why I reached this conclusion.
Before I begin, I want to give proper credit where it's due.
While searching for additional evidence, I discovered a Japanese YouTube theorist called Drop Pizza, who proposed this same idea around three years ago. I did not copy this theory. I reached the same conclusion through a completely different chain of evidence before discovering their video. However, since they published it first, they deserve full credit for being among the earliest people to suggest that Nerona Imu could be King Sterry.
Now let's get into the evidence.
1. Imu's Reveal Doesn't Match the Original Silhouette
When Oda finally revealed Imu's appearance, did you notice something strange?
The original shadow silhouette looked completely different.
What if the Imu we finally saw wasn't Imu's normal appearance?
What if Oda revealed Imu while using a hybrid Zoan form or another transformation?
If that's true, then Imu's true human appearance may already have been introduced long ago, but we simply failed to recognize them because Oda only showed their transformed state.
2. Where Is the Nerona Family?
In Chapter 1086, Ivankov states that the person sitting on the Empty Throne belongs to the Nerona Family, one of the original Twenty Kings that founded the World Government.
That creates a very interesting mystery.
The other founding families still exist today as Celestial Dragon families.
So...
Where is the Nerona Family?
As far as I can remember, we've never seen any Celestial Dragons introducing themselves as members of House Nerona.
It almost feels as though the family vanished entirely.
That seems odd.
One possible explanation is that the Nerona family deliberately concealed its true identity.
Perhaps the other nineteen founding families came to despise House Nerona.
Perhaps they attempted to erase the Nerona name from history and replace them with another celestial dragon founding family
If something like this happened, it would also explain why Imu hides even from the Celestial Dragons instead of openly ruling them.
3. Why Could Sterry Be Imu?
The biggest objection is obvious.
Sterry appeared as a child during Sabo's flashback, while Imu should have existed since the Void Century.
But this may not be an impossible problem.
Imu has demonstrated powers unlike anything we've seen before and appears capable of wielding abilities that resemble multiple Devil Fruits.
If Imu truly possesses several Devil Fruit abilities already been introduced in manga by other devil fruit users, then using an ability similar to Jewelry Bonney's age manipulation could allow Imu to appear as a child.
this would explain how someone from the Void Century could blend naturally into modern history.
4. Why Become King of Goa?
If Sterry really is Imu, why would the hidden king become ruler of the Goa Kingdom?
Perhaps because ruling secretly was never enough.
The Nerona family may have lost its public legitimacy among the founding families. If the other nineteen founding families eventually came to despise House Nerona or attempted to erase its status, then Imu would have had no legitimate path to openly rule the world, despite secretly controlling it from the shadows.
If that's true, reclaiming authority through the world's own political system would be the perfect strategy.
The first step would be to become King of the Goa Kingdom.
The second step would be to attend the Levely as a legitimate monarch recognized by the World Government, effectively placing himself once again among the descendants of the Twenty Founding Families.
From there, Sterry's ultimate objective may be to convince both the World Government and the Celestial Dragons that the old system no longer works—that the Empty Throne should no longer remain empty and that the world needs a single supreme ruler to preserve justice, order, and stability.
But how could he convince them to abandon the very symbol of equality they have protected for centuries?
One possibility is by manufacturing a crisis.
If Sterry truly is Imu, he may intentionally allow the Celestial Dragons to experience extreme hardship, such as widespread famine or devastating attacks on Mary Geoise by powerful enemies like Blackbeard or other pirate forces. Once the Celestial Dragons are pushed into fear and desperation, Sterry could then intervene as their savior, restoring order while earning their complete trust and gratitude.
Such a crisis would give him the perfect opportunity to argue that the world can no longer function without a supreme king sitting upon the Empty Throne. By presenting himself as the only person capable of protecting the Celestial Dragons and preserving their privileged way of life, he could transform what was once an unthinkable idea into an accepted necessity.
If this scenario turns out to be true, then becoming King of Goa was never the end goal—it was simply the first move in a long-term plan to legitimize Nerona Imu's public rule over the entire world.
Additional Clues
1. Sterry's Obsession With Wealth
Sterry constantly desires more wealth, status, and luxury.
This greed immediately stands out.
Some fans have also theorized that Nami may have hidden ties to the Nerona family.
Both Nami and Sterry were adopted into different families and both possess a strong attraction toward treasure, although their personalities couldn't be more different.
If those older theories regarding Nami's lineage ever prove true, then Sterry and Nami sharing Nerona blood would become an interesting possibility.
2. The Mihawk Connection
Some fans believe various color spreads subtly connect Mihawk and Nami.
If Mihawk has hidden ties to Imu, and Nami also has hidden ties to Nerona, then Sterry's possible connection to Nami becomes another small piece of the puzzle.
By itself this proves nothing, but it is another interesting coincidence.
3. Chapter 907 — The Empty Throne Foreshadowing
One of the strongest clues comes from Chapter 907.
Sterry is brought before the Empty Throne.
After being told that nobody is ever allowed to sit on it, his immediate reaction is that he wants to become the one who sits there.
At the time, this seemed like a joke.
But looking back after Imu's reveal, it almost feels like Oda was quietly hinting at Sterry's true identity.
If Sterry were secretly Imu, this scene would become brilliant foreshadowing.
4. Sterry and Imu's Interest in Vivi
Imu later becomes fixated on Princess Vivi.
Interestingly, Sterry also shows an unusually enthusiastic reaction when Vivi is mentioned during the Levely.
5. "Do You Know Who I Am?"
When Garp insults Sterry, Sterry responds:
"Do you know who I am?!"
On the surface, this simply reflects his arrogance.
But if Oda intended hidden foreshadowing, the line gains a second meaning.
It almost sounds as though Sterry is secretly saying:
"You have no idea who you're really talking to."
6. Hatred Toward Fish-Men
Sterry displays prejudice toward Fish-Men.
Imu's actions also suggest hostility toward races that oppose the World Government..
thankxs for reading 🙂...
I know this theory sounds completely ridiculous at first. The idea that the mysterious ruler of the world, Nerona Imu, could actually be King Sterry of the Goa Kingdom seems almost impossible.
But if you carefully examine Sterry's actions, his strange obsession with the Empty Throne, and several manga panels that appear to foreshadow Imu, you may start to see why I reached this conclusion.
Before I begin, I want to give proper credit where it's due.
While searching for additional evidence, I discovered a Japanese YouTube theorist called Drop Pizza, who proposed this same idea around three years ago. I did not copy this theory. I reached the same conclusion through a completely different chain of evidence before discovering their video. However, since they published it first, they deserve full credit for being among the earliest people to suggest that Nerona Imu could be King Sterry.
Now let's get into the evidence.
1. Imu's Reveal Doesn't Match the Original Silhouette
When Oda finally revealed Imu's appearance, did you notice something strange?
The original shadow silhouette looked completely different.
- The silhouette had a much thinner body.
- The sword looked different, almost resembling Gryphon.
- The proportions were much slimmer.
- The revealed Imu has massive horns, long hair, and a much bulkier build.
What if the Imu we finally saw wasn't Imu's normal appearance?
What if Oda revealed Imu while using a hybrid Zoan form or another transformation?
If that's true, then Imu's true human appearance may already have been introduced long ago, but we simply failed to recognize them because Oda only showed their transformed state.
2. Where Is the Nerona Family?
In Chapter 1086, Ivankov states that the person sitting on the Empty Throne belongs to the Nerona Family, one of the original Twenty Kings that founded the World Government.
That creates a very interesting mystery.
The other founding families still exist today as Celestial Dragon families.
So...
Where is the Nerona Family?
As far as I can remember, we've never seen any Celestial Dragons introducing themselves as members of House Nerona.
It almost feels as though the family vanished entirely.
That seems odd.
One possible explanation is that the Nerona family deliberately concealed its true identity.
Perhaps the other nineteen founding families came to despise House Nerona.
Perhaps they attempted to erase the Nerona name from history and replace them with another celestial dragon founding family
If something like this happened, it would also explain why Imu hides even from the Celestial Dragons instead of openly ruling them.
3. Why Could Sterry Be Imu?
The biggest objection is obvious.
Sterry appeared as a child during Sabo's flashback, while Imu should have existed since the Void Century.
But this may not be an impossible problem.
Imu has demonstrated powers unlike anything we've seen before and appears capable of wielding abilities that resemble multiple Devil Fruits.
If Imu truly possesses several Devil Fruit abilities already been introduced in manga by other devil fruit users, then using an ability similar to Jewelry Bonney's age manipulation could allow Imu to appear as a child.
this would explain how someone from the Void Century could blend naturally into modern history.
4. Why Become King of Goa?
If Sterry really is Imu, why would the hidden king become ruler of the Goa Kingdom?
Perhaps because ruling secretly was never enough.
The Nerona family may have lost its public legitimacy among the founding families. If the other nineteen founding families eventually came to despise House Nerona or attempted to erase its status, then Imu would have had no legitimate path to openly rule the world, despite secretly controlling it from the shadows.
If that's true, reclaiming authority through the world's own political system would be the perfect strategy.
The first step would be to become King of the Goa Kingdom.
The second step would be to attend the Levely as a legitimate monarch recognized by the World Government, effectively placing himself once again among the descendants of the Twenty Founding Families.
From there, Sterry's ultimate objective may be to convince both the World Government and the Celestial Dragons that the old system no longer works—that the Empty Throne should no longer remain empty and that the world needs a single supreme ruler to preserve justice, order, and stability.
But how could he convince them to abandon the very symbol of equality they have protected for centuries?
One possibility is by manufacturing a crisis.
If Sterry truly is Imu, he may intentionally allow the Celestial Dragons to experience extreme hardship, such as widespread famine or devastating attacks on Mary Geoise by powerful enemies like Blackbeard or other pirate forces. Once the Celestial Dragons are pushed into fear and desperation, Sterry could then intervene as their savior, restoring order while earning their complete trust and gratitude.
Such a crisis would give him the perfect opportunity to argue that the world can no longer function without a supreme king sitting upon the Empty Throne. By presenting himself as the only person capable of protecting the Celestial Dragons and preserving their privileged way of life, he could transform what was once an unthinkable idea into an accepted necessity.
If this scenario turns out to be true, then becoming King of Goa was never the end goal—it was simply the first move in a long-term plan to legitimize Nerona Imu's public rule over the entire world.
Additional Clues
1. Sterry's Obsession With Wealth
Sterry constantly desires more wealth, status, and luxury.
This greed immediately stands out.
Some fans have also theorized that Nami may have hidden ties to the Nerona family.
Both Nami and Sterry were adopted into different families and both possess a strong attraction toward treasure, although their personalities couldn't be more different.
If those older theories regarding Nami's lineage ever prove true, then Sterry and Nami sharing Nerona blood would become an interesting possibility.
2. The Mihawk Connection
Some fans believe various color spreads subtly connect Mihawk and Nami.
If Mihawk has hidden ties to Imu, and Nami also has hidden ties to Nerona, then Sterry's possible connection to Nami becomes another small piece of the puzzle.
By itself this proves nothing, but it is another interesting coincidence.
3. Chapter 907 — The Empty Throne Foreshadowing
One of the strongest clues comes from Chapter 907.
Sterry is brought before the Empty Throne.
After being told that nobody is ever allowed to sit on it, his immediate reaction is that he wants to become the one who sits there.
At the time, this seemed like a joke.
But looking back after Imu's reveal, it almost feels like Oda was quietly hinting at Sterry's true identity.
If Sterry were secretly Imu, this scene would become brilliant foreshadowing.
4. Sterry and Imu's Interest in Vivi
Imu later becomes fixated on Princess Vivi.
Interestingly, Sterry also shows an unusually enthusiastic reaction when Vivi is mentioned during the Levely.
5. "Do You Know Who I Am?"
When Garp insults Sterry, Sterry responds:
"Do you know who I am?!"
On the surface, this simply reflects his arrogance.
But if Oda intended hidden foreshadowing, the line gains a second meaning.
It almost sounds as though Sterry is secretly saying:
"You have no idea who you're really talking to."
6. Hatred Toward Fish-Men
Sterry displays prejudice toward Fish-Men.
Imu's actions also suggest hostility toward races that oppose the World Government..
thankxs for reading 🙂...
