One Piece: What does the Empty Throne represent?

❘ Published: 2023-04-21T14:38:55

An image of Gorosei and Imu in One Piece

Crunchyroll

In One Piece, the World Government is the central ruling figure of over 170 allied nations. Officially, there is no ruler who sits on the Empty Throne at Mariejois. However, no one except the Gorosei knows that the world has a mysterious ruler, who is referred to as Imu.

One Piece portrays dark themes such as corruption, slavery, human trafficking, etc. However, any horrible thing that happens is somehow related to the World Government. Whether it is Ohara or Flevance, thousands and millions of people have suffered at the hands of the world’s most powerful organization.

Nonetheless, no one can shake the very foundation of the World Government since they have the powerful Marines working under them. Their headquarters, the Holy Land of Mariejois, is in the red line and inaccessible to those without proper authorization.

There, the Pangaea Castle has the legendary Empty Throne placed in it. Officially, the Empty Throne is located at the centre of the world. Here’s why there is no official ruler to sit on the Empty Throne.

What does the Empty Throne represent?

An image of all the rulers at Reverie in Mariejois

The throne is officially declared empty to represent peace and equality between nations. When the World Government was formed in the Void Century, twenty small kingdoms came together to defeat the Great Kingdom. That is how the World Government was established, and the rules of those twenty kingdoms were granted the title of the Celestial Dragons.

The Celestial Dragons reside in the Mariejois, and their descendants have continued to occupy the place for centuries. The false premise is that no one, not even the Gorosei, is allowed to sit on the Empty Throne. However, the world’s sovereign Imu, whose authority exceeds even that of the Gorosei, is said to occupy the empty throne.

Does the existence of Imu prove the World Government is hiding a conspiracy?

An image of Imu standing near a giant straw hat and holding Luffy's bounty poster

The idea behind establishing the World Government is to create a world where everyone is equal. The twenty allied nations became 170 over the years, further amplifying the World Government’s power. However, the fact that the world is unaware of a mysterious ruler means the World Government has something to hide.

For now, the series has only shown the Gorosei being aware of Imu’s existence, meaning they are all conspiring for something big. It is also highly likely that the Celestial Dragons are also in the dark. Their status and the farce of the Empty Throne are all for the sake of Imu and their goals.

One Piece can currently be streamed on Crunchyroll. In the meantime, check out our other TV hubs below: