Imu Plays the Grand Line Like Chess: The One Piece Theory Redefining Imu’s Power
One Piece’s shadow ruler Imu steps into the spotlight, yanking the saga’s strings with Domi Reversi—an unnerving power that twists anyone into demons and cements his iron grip on the world, poised to rewrite the story’s fate.
I love a good One Piece brain-bender, and this one is ambitious: a fan theory that turns the entire world map into a literal game board, with Imu on one side and Luffy on the other. It is wild, it is oddly tidy, and if it sticks the landing, it actually lines up a bunch of ongoing threads in a neat (maybe too neat) way.
The pitch: Imu is playing Reversi with the planet
According to Reddit user u/AccountantNo4679, the big bad of One Piece, Imu, isn’t just lurking in the shadows anymore — he’s basically steering events. The theory says Imu’s signature ability, called Domi Reversi, lets him flip people into demonic, obedient pieces on his board. Think rulers, kingdoms, whole islands: if they pay tribute to the World Government, they’re already his tiles.
The board itself? The Grand Line world map. Imu keeps power by holding the majority of squares. With that majority, he can keep “regenerating” his influence wherever he needs it, so his rule never really gets challenged.
Where Luffy fits in
Luffy is framed as the opposing player — the reincarnation of Joy Boy, fated to take on Imu in this massive world-game. Every ally Luffy pulls in flips a chunk of the board to his side. That includes countries the Straw Hats visited during the time skip and any nation that ends up under Luffy’s protection. Once the local rulers become friends of the Straw Hats, they’re implicitly enemies of Imu.
In the theory’s symbolism, Luffy’s side is the white pieces — which tracks visually with Gear 5. He’s slowly turning more of the board, and the stakes are as blunt as they get: death versus freedom.
So what is Domi Reversi supposed to be?
Within this theory, Domi Reversi is the core trick: Imu can convert people into demon-like followers and keep flipping territory by flipping the leaders. The more he controls, the easier it is to keep control — that’s the “regeneration” loop the theorist keeps pointing to. It’s a tidy way to explain why the World Government’s grip can snap back after shocks.
Poneglyphs, the Will of D., and Nika — how the pieces interact
This is where the theory gets chewy:
Poneglyphs are treated like markers that originally circled the ultimate square: Laugh Tale — the literal “one piece” of the board. That gives the stones a strategic placement purpose beyond just lore breadcrumbs.
The Will of D. is pitched as a power that sits outside Imu’s normal board mechanics. People with D. can mess with the game from the edges and potentially stop Imu’s regeneration trick entirely. If true, it would take a coalition of D. bearers to break Imu’s system for good.
And Nika — embodied by Luffy — is the natural counterforce to Imu. The theory even suggests Nika lost this game once before, which would explain the current world order. This time, with Luffy’s momentum and alliances, the white side could finally finish the job.
Does it hold water?
As a lens to look through the saga, it’s surprisingly coherent. It cleanly explains why alliances matter so much, why the World Government is obsessed with control over kings and borders, and why the Will of D. feels like a cheat code the regime can’t fully solve. It also turns every new ally into a literal power move, which is a fun way to track the Straw Hats’ progress.
Quick hits
- Reddit theory by: u/AccountantNo4679
- Imu’s current role: Main antagonist, seemingly directing major events
- Domi Reversi (as theorized): Flips people into demon-like followers; holding a majority lets Imu continually regenerate his influence
- Board metaphor: The Grand Line world map; Luffy’s allies flip tiles away from Imu
- Poneglyphs: Markers placed around the ultimate square, Laugh Tale
- Will of D.: Outside force that can halt Imu’s regeneration; key to taking him down
- Nika/Luffy: The counter to Imu; allegedly lost in the past, but the tide is turning
- Imu’s manga debut: Chapter 906
- Imu’s anime debut: Episode 885
- Imu’s powers and status (as presented): Supreme ruler of the World Government, Immortality, Domi Reversi, Supreme Haki
- Where to watch One Piece: Crunchyroll
Even if you don’t buy every part of it, the Reversi framing gives the final saga a clean read: every alliance is a flip, every Poneglyph is a checkpoint, and the endgame is a numbers war against a guy who wins by having more tiles than you. If Oda leans into even half of that, the payoff could be nasty in the best way.