Oda’s Biggest Mystery May Have Been Hiding in Plain Sight.

I believe that all recent events in One Piece point towards one greater theory. Imu's so-called "demon king" form, the Elbaf mural, Chopper's possible awakening, Hajrudin's character development, Luffy's abnormal physiology, and Gaban's role in reaching Laugh Tale could, in fact, all be parts to the same puzzle.

I believe it is best to begin with Imu, for I think Oda has left us a great clue in his new form in Elbaf. Imu's "doping form" has three skulls, an interesting feature that resembles both Totmusica and Blackbeard's Jolly Roger. This makes me believe that this is not a random new form, but rather the "Demon King" that Oda has been building up for years, a being connected to the world and nature of Devil Fruits themselves.

And if the design with three skulls does represent anything deeper, it doesn't necessarily have to be three, but rather five.

Imu has the potential to absorb the powers or remains of the Five Elders, thereby turning them into bones that he turns into his own body. And if this would happen, the Five Elders would no longer merely be his servants, but rather become components of Imu's ultimate form.

However, there is an interesting weakness that Imu might have, that many do not realize.

Imu has displayed ridiculous levels of Conqueror's Haki, but it seems that Imu's Observation Haki is not the same level. Imu failed to realize Sabo in Mary Geoise and was caught off guard by Hajrudin in Elbaf.

This hints that Imu could have ridiculous offensive power, yet little "eyes". This could also explain why Imu keeps York, or Gung, close.

If York has the potential to awaken, she could have an extraordinary ability to see the future or see from a long distance.

This could compensate the "eyes" power that Imu lacks.

Moving on, the mysterious power that Imu possesses I call "Maki".

This power seems to allow Imu to transform and control over other creatures, including the giants. I think that the form we see in Elbaf may not be Imu's true form, that it may be a hybrid form. The robed silhouette could represent Imu's human form, while the monstrous form shown to Sabo could be the true, complete Devil form.

This is where the Elbaf mural comes in.

The mural shows a devil with what looks like a "forbidden sun" in his possession. I do not think that this represents Luffy/Nika, but rather there could actually be a literal sun that was sealed in the past.

My theory is that the Celestial Dragons, in trying to become gods, sealed up the "sun", or the "forbidden sun". A sun could be frozen and hidden under Mary Geoise.

In particular, I think that the giant heart under Mary Geoise could be hiding it.

This connects to Loki and Nidhogg.

If Loki ends up transforming into the dragon Nidhogg, he could be the one to melt the forbidden sun's seal, thus creating a release that could be what will bring the "dawn of the world" that we have foreshadowed since the beginning of the series.

This could also explain why Elbaf is so important to the final saga. The giants may not simply be an additional powerful race to help Luffy. The giants could literally be a part of the mechanism bringing in the dawn.

And now, Chopper.

I think that Chopper could have a much more crucial job in defeating Imu that many do not realize. His Human-Human Fruit may not simply be a way to give animals human characteristics, but rather there could be a unique aspect of its power to restore to one's original, or "true human", state.

If Imu's Maki is what controls and transforms others, Chopper could be the natural weapon to defeat Imu specifically.

Instead of fighting the control that Maki has over every single transformed giant, Chopper may have the ability to strip this control and restore them to their true self. This would be an extremely crucial power that Chopper would wield against Imu.

Biblo the Owl could be connected to this.

If Biblo is truly a former companion of Joy Boy, Chopper's use of his "human power" against him could have far greater implications than just giving the ability for an owl to talk to humans. Biblo could potentially become a source of knowledge of the Void Century.

This is because Chopper could potentially restore his ability to talk to humans, and Biblo could begin to divulge the information that he knows of Joy Boy's era.

This could lead up to one of the biggest flashbacks of the series: the true story of Joy Boy and the Ancient Kingdom.

Another being that I believe many underestimate is Hajrudin.

During the combined attack of Luffy, Loki, and Hajrudin, we saw the visual presence of Conqueror's Haki of Luffy and Loki, but Hajrudin has yet to show the same ability.

I do not believe this is a coincidence.

Conqueror's Haki is repeatedly tied to the themes of ambition, willpower, leadership, and the power of one's spirit. Hajrudin's greatest character growth has not been physical, but rather emotional.

For years, Hajrudin and Loki's relationship had been built on their shared blood feud and past. Now, Hajrudin is willing to apologize and resolve their hatred.

This could be the character development that Hajrudin needs.

By letting go of an old hatred and forging his own path as a leader, Hajrudin could awaken his Conqueror's Haki. And if he does, it is only natural that he would become the true leader of the Giant Warrior Pirates.

And finally, Luffy.

Luffy's body has always displayed strange characteristics, but with recent recoveries of his body, I think there could be a physiological explanation for some of his abilities hidden underneath these cartoonish displays of power.

His rapid replacement of lost teeth and broken body parts, his ability to consume ridiculous amounts of food to recover, and his rapid recovery of injuries seem to be reminiscent of Seimei Kikan, or "Life Return".

CP9 users displayed this technique by consciously controlling the functions of their bodies that one normally controls automatically. Warriors of the Amazon Lily have been associated with similar concepts.

Thus, Luffy may have an abnormally high degree of control over his own body.

This means that some of his absurd recovery abilities may not be simply cartoon physics, but rather his Devil Fruit amplified some sort of natural physiology that is abnormal to humans, allowing him to manipulate his body to an incredible degree.

Finally, Gaban.

I think that Gaban is going to become a very important figure once the Straw Hats reach the final stage of their journey.

What stands out to me first about Gaban is his scar over his right eye. Scars around the left eye are far more common in One Piece, so a prominent scar over the right eye could have special significance. If Gaban is a part of some larger group of figures that share this symbolism, then Oda is likely drawing our attention to the fact.

More importantly, Gaban was part of Roger's crew and knows of the route to Laugh Tale.

Once the Straw Hats reach Lodestar Island, the Log Pose becomes useless for finding the final island. This implies that there must be some other way to reach Laugh Tale.

Gaban may know of exactly what that method is.

If Gaban was part of the crew that served as the navigator, or held any major navigational responsibilities, he may know of the method that Roger's crew used to reach Laugh Tale. This method could be something that the current generation knows nothing about.

This is where whales such as Laboon could come into play, if it's anything like what has been suggested.

Perhaps Roger's crew discovered a method of communicating with or utilizing whales to be a part of their navigational system. Perhaps the final part of their journey to Laugh Tale was something that did not rely on the Log Pose system at all.

Gaban could be far more than a cameo appearance as an old Roger Pirate. He could be the man that knows of the final missing piece of the journey to Laugh Tale.

Thus, I believe that all of these mysteries are interconnected.

Imu's Demon King transformation, the Five Elders and possible five-skull form, weak Observation Haki of Imu, York's potential to compensate to his weakness, Maki and the control over others, the forbidden sun in the Elbaf mural, the possible sun beneath Mary Geoise, Loki becoming Nidhogg, Chopper's ability to remove Maki, Biblo's possible connection with Joy Boy, Hajrudin's possible awakening of Conqueror's Haki, Luffy's strange control of his own physiology, and Gaban's knowledge of the method reaching Laugh Tale could all connect together.

The thread binding them together could simply be the ancient world.

The Void Century.

Joy Boy.

The Ancient Kingdom.

The dawn.

And finally, Laugh Tale.

Oda has spent years introducing individual mysteries, ones that seemed completely unrelated to others. However, as we are getting closer and closer to the end, these mysteries seem to be interweaving together.

And I think that it is the right time to remind ourselves that the final saga may not be about solving these individual mysteries.

It may be about realizing that these mysteries were all parts of a greater mystery from the beginning.

thanks for reaDing.