The past few chapters of One Piece have been nothing short of mind-blowing. Not only have fans finally gotten answers to what happened at the Reverie after years of teases and hints, but they also even received some more information about the "Will of D." and Imu.
Out of all the exciting developments in recent chapters, arguably the most exciting was to see that all the Gorosei as well as Imu seem to be Devil Fruit users. Unfortunately, while that much was confirmed, the exact nature and powers themselves haven't been fully revealed, but instead only terrifying silhouettes. Undeterred, fans have already started coming up with their own theories as to what their Devil Fruits could possibly be, with one theory in particular standing out.
What Are "Nightmare" Devil Fruits?
According to the theory, the Gorosei and Imu are using Devil Fruits that have become corrupted in nature. While this has never been shown in the series before, it would be an interesting idea given what was recently revealed about the origins of Devil Fruits. During the "Egghead" arc, Dr. Vegapunk claimed that Devil Fruits are the manifestations of the desires of people, with each representing a different path of evolution for whatever eats it. In other words, Devil Fruits are the representations of dreams, which is an incredibly important theme in the series. Taking cues from this recent revelation, the theory puts forth the possibility of Devil Fruits that represent nightmares.
The idea behind this is that if good dreams can be made real, so too can nightmares. The theory also posits that this may be why they are called "Devil" Fruits. Part of this theory comes all the way from the "Alabasta" arc, where in the royal tomb there was a tapestry that depicted the sealing away of a "Devil King." This Devil King could be one of the original or maybe most powerful of the Nightmare fruits. While many theories don't hold much water, given what was shown off in Chapter 1085, this might have some level of credibility.
How Likely Is This One Piece Devil Fruit Theory?
As far as sheer possibilities go, this theory seems relatively plausible. Dreams are an incredibly important theme in One Piece, with many characters inheriting them from others, most notably Luffy and Roger. As such, it would be a very interesting idea of taking that concept and reversing it with nightmares. Furthermore, considering that Luffy's Devil Fruit is all about creativity, freedom and turning dreams into reality, it would be very fitting to have this ultimate enemy he's facing in the World Government be the polar opposite. It would also make it more understandable why they are concerned about the Nika Devil Fruit. Granted, being Joyboy's Devil Fruit is already a good enough reason, but having a Devil Fruit be the exact opposite of their own would pose a real threat.
However, what's most peculiar is the mention of a Devil King and a Devil Fruit that represents it. In the chapter, the thing that attacks Cobra and Sabo looks exactly like the common depictions of a devil's tail. Already, this raises some flags about the possibility of a Devil Fruit with actual devil powers, but when combining this information with everything in the theory, a lot of things start lining up. This might even tie into Imu's name. Imu refers to themselves as "Mu," as this name translates to "void." Void is a term that means nothingness, and it's usually a negative concept that's prevalent in the horror genre, which would fit the nightmare motif well.
Then comes Wapol's reaction to seeing the Gorosei murder Cobra. While he was definitely in shock after witnessing Cobra's last stand, he seemed particularly confused as to the creatures that killed him. Considering he is a Devil Fruit user who has encountered multiple others, especially those that cause bodily transformations, it seems too convenient for him to not know what he was seeing if they were normal Devil Fruit powers. Sabo himself claims that he feels like he's in Hell when he sees the Gorosei and Imu's Devil Fruit powers manifest. If anything can be said for certain, it's that the nature of these abilities is much more sinister than that of a standard Devil Fruit.
Even if naturally corrupted Devil Fruits aren't real, the theory posits the possibility that it's Imu themselves that's corrupting them. It states that this "Devil King" fruit is actually the Nightmare Devil Fruit and that one of its powers is to corrupt other Devil Fruits. This wouldn't be the first time a Devil Fruit has been shown to have the power to affect other ones, as Blackbeard's Yami Yami no Mi can literally disable the powers of other Devil Fruit users. Coincidentally, the theory mentions the possibility that the Yami Yami no Mi might itself be a corrupted Devil Fruit, which would make sense. If Devil Fruits are the manifestations of dreams, what would one call the thing that takes them away?
Luckily for fans, they probably won't have to wait too long for answers. Though most of the past few issues have been flashbacks, it's been shown that presently in the story, a member of the Gorosei is personally on their way to Egghead Island in response to the current situation going on there with the Straw Hats. It's highly likely that this encounter will lead to at least some answers to these questions, especially the ones posed in this theory.