At this point victory is a matter of necessity for Imu if he is to have any sort of value as a threat in the mind of the reader. It would be the apotheosis of anticlimax to have our Final Villain finally forced to directly combat the protagonist only for him to completely fail in all his objectives and leave no lasting damage on the protagonists. Imagine Yhwach not killing anyone in the first invasion and getting driven off while he loses multiply sternritters. It completely kills any respect, fear, or anticipation the reader would have had for the villain.
Obviously he won’t kill Luffy or a Strawhat but something like Gaban and kidnapping the kids actually gives Imu the gravitas of a Final Villain.
Obviously he won’t kill Luffy or a Strawhat but something like Gaban and kidnapping the kids actually gives Imu the gravitas of a Final Villain.
