@Pringles Sorry, I forgot to respond to this, got very distracted.
This is really interesting. Definitely has to tie in with Amazon Lily now and what we know from this chapter, its not coincidental at all. I was a fan of the idea of Rouge being connected to Amazon Lily too. Its no wonder Oda has been trying to setup Luffy with Boa too then.
I really wanted Imu to be either Umi/the sea devil/sea goddess or w/e or the Earth God at least so this is very fitting too. Imu being Mother Gaia/Nature would be perfect too.
I refuse to believe this was a throwaway line/gag by Oda too, its just all random puzzles pieces/hints/breadcrumbs for him to assemble later when needed:
Same applies to this, I refuse to believe it was just something exclusive to Skypeia only, the same arc people tried to call as filler and skippable for over a decade if not longer too:
(This pic is 75% headcanon ofc but I love it. Very similar to my own wishes, almost identical but even better too.)
Oda has casually mentioned the sea devil and even Davy Jones in the story too. I can't wait for all of these "random lore drops" to come to a head, to serve their actual purpose and gain the recognition they deserve. Oda has HUGE things planned as going by his own comments and also proven by what he revealed at the end of Wano out of the blue and also has done in certain chapters just before, during and after Wano too.
Once we get to Elbaf which I strongly believe we will too regardless, shit is really going to get real imo. Just wait until Greek, Norse and Celtic cultures/mythologoies really come into play too, as also implied by what you posted. We've had a lot of Greek symbolism from Big Mom especially. A bit of Norse with Kaido at least. (Kaido would love Valhalla too.)
I'm doing my usual ADHD random conspirational rambling as usual BUT what you posted it very interesting and I appreciate you tagging me for it, thank you!
Imu could be the ultimate force of nature, the wrath of all kinds of nature personfied from the seas, to the earth and sky. Even maybe the heavens and hell. Very exciting possibilities. Xebec would probably fit more for the sea devil or Davy Jones would or whoever is causing these whirlpools too. Maybe they were the lurking legend we were meant to see at Wano or w/e? Lmao.