The Void Century is still one of the biggest mysteries in One Piece, and honestly, that mystery has only gotten bigger as the story has gone on. We’re talking about a missing hundred years of history, a period when the Ancient Kingdom existed, the World Government was formed, and some of the most important events in the entire story took place. The World Government has spent centuries making sure nobody gets too close to the truth, even going as far as hunting down people who try to read or study the Poneglyphs. But the past keeps finding ways to come back. Figures and ancient beings connected to that era are still affecting the story 800 years later, and some of them are clearly going to matter a lot before One Piece reaches its end.
Nefertari D. Lili: The Queen Who Helped Hide the Truth in Plain Sight
Queen Nefertari D. Lili of Alabasta is one of the more unusual figures from the Void Century because her importance isn’t really about how strong she was in a fight. Her influence came from what she did politically and, more importantly, what she left behind. Lili was one of the original 20 monarchs who joined forces against the Ancient Kingdom, helping establish the foundation of what would eventually become the World Government. But there was one major difference between Lili and the other rulers. She refused to give up her position in Alabasta and move permanently to Mary Geoise as a Celestial Dragon.
That decision turned out to be pretty important. During King Cobra’s confrontation with Imu, it was revealed that Lili played a major role in scattering the Poneglyphs around the world. Instead of allowing the history of the Void Century to disappear completely, she made sure those stones would survive and eventually be discovered by people willing to look for the truth. The Poneglyphs contain information connected to the Ancient Weapons, the lost history and, ultimately, the road toward Laugh Tale. And then there is the biggest revelation of all: Lili carried the mysterious “D.” initial. That connects the Alabasta royal family to the people the World Government has always treated as a threat, making Lili one of the most important figures in the story’s hidden history, even though she lived centuries before the current generation.
Zunesha and Emet: Ancient Beings That Refuse to Disappear
Zunesha and Emet are two very different creatures, but they have one huge thing in common: both survived the fall of the Ancient Kingdom and both have a direct connection to Joy Boy. Their existence alone says a lot about how advanced and strange the world was during the Void Century.
Zunesha has been wandering the seas for more than a thousand years, carrying the entire civilization of Zou on its enormous back. The creature is so ridiculously huge that it almost feels like something out of a completely different story, standing at more than 35 kilometers tall. And despite spending centuries wandering the ocean, Zunesha is still incredibly powerful. Its trunk can deliver attacks strong enough to wipe out entire fleets. But its connection to Joy Boy is arguably more important than its physical strength. Zunesha was one of the first beings to recognize what was happening when Luffy awakened the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, reacting to the return of the “Drums of Liberation.”
Then there’s Emet, the Iron Giant, another leftover from the Ancient Kingdom’s incredible technology. Emet was apparently built using technology far beyond what the modern world was capable of producing and had remained hidden on Egghead Island for centuries. When it finally became active, it wasn’t exactly a quiet reappearance. Emet was able to stand against the Five Elders and survive attacks that would destroy most ordinary beings. Its biggest moment came when it released a knot containing Joy Boy’s Conqueror’s Haki, which had been stored inside the machine for around 800 years. The burst of Haki was powerful enough to disrupt the Five Elders’ transformations and push back the World Government forces attacking Egghead. For a machine that had basically been sitting around for centuries, Emet made one hell of an entrance.
Joy Boy and Saint Nerona Imu: The Two Sides of the Void Century
If the Void Century eventually comes down to one central conflict, it is hard to look past Joy Boy and Imu. They represent two completely different ideas of what the world should be, and the strange part is that their conflict didn’t really end 800 years ago. It is still playing out in the present.
Joy Boy is remembered as the first pirate in recorded history and one of the most important figures connected to the Ancient Kingdom. He was the original user of the awakened Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and everything we know about him points toward a person who stood for freedom, liberation and bringing people together. At some point, Joy Boy left behind the treasure known as the One Piece on Laugh Tale, setting up the journey that would eventually be followed by Gol D. Roger and, much later, Luffy.
Joy Boy wasn’t invincible, though. He failed to keep his promise to the Fish-Men and was eventually defeated, leaving the world under the control of the forces that would become the World Government. Even so, his influence never really disappeared. The fact that a portion of his Haki was still sitting inside Emet after eight centuries says plenty about the kind of power he possessed. More importantly, his story seems to have passed forward to Luffy, who has now awakened the same Devil Fruit and is carrying the fight for freedom into the final saga.
On the opposite side is Saint Nerona Imu, the figure who has been quietly sitting above the entire World Government. Imu occupies the Empty Throne in secret, ruling from Mary Geoise while the rest of the world is left believing that no single person sits above the world’s rulers. Imu is connected to the Nerona Dynasty, one of the original 20 families involved in the formation of the World Government, and is believed to have gained functional immortality through the Perpetual Youth Surgery performed with the Op-Op Fruit.
Whatever Imu actually is, their abilities are clearly far beyond anything the average One Piece character can deal with. Imu can command the Five Elders and possesses mysterious powers capable of causing destruction on a massive scale. But perhaps the most frightening part isn’t even the strength. It’s the control. For centuries, Imu and the World Government have tried to erase the “D.” initial, suppress information about the Ancient Kingdom and make sure the Void Century stays buried. And now, with Luffy carrying Joy Boy’s legacy and the final saga finally digging into those old secrets, that buried history is starting to come back whether Imu wants it to or not.