This really is a fascinating arc. Because of that specifically, I have a very hard time seeing him going down this arc. He really feels (on paper, we'll see when we see images) like a scary threat that isnt actually meant to be fought here, just to showcase that Imu has 5 people under him that all can exude a force to make Admirals and Yonko stop in their tracks from aura alone.
That absolutely feels like endgame material to me
That absolutely feels like endgame material to me
2. There are 4 other copies of him, all subordinates at the end of the day. So he isn't irreplacable.
3. When Oda wants to hype someone while wanting to save them for future arcs - he will do so without showing their DFs or their abilities. Like f.ex., Kaidou's introduction or Im's introduction. This screams to me that he's like the starting block that gets the final saga going.
I don't think Saturn is surviving Egghead honestly.
For Crocodile, Mr. 3 was the first subordinate that Luffy met & was defeated in Little Garden.
For Doflamingo, Vergo was the first subordinate that we met & was defeated 1 arc before Doffy.
For Kaidou, Doflamingo was the first (unofficial) subordinate that we met & was defeated 1 saga before Kaidou.
For Im, Saturn seems like the first subordinate being fleshed out & he will be defeated multiple arcs before Im's dealt with.