One Piece Chapter 1122: Teasing the War for the Empty Throne between Imu and Joy Boy during the Void Century

The Egghead arc finally came to a close with the release of One Piece chapter 1122 on August 5, 2024, and it was a rollercoaster of emotions. This chapter also shed light on JoyBoy, providing intriguing new information. The talk of the town was not only JoyBoy’s display of Conqueror’s Haki, but also Emeth’s words regarding him.

Emeth stated his desire to make JoyBoy the king of the world, implying that he wanted him to sit on the Empty Throne currently occupied by Imu. This further solidified the idea that the Empty Throne could grant its occupant ultimate freedom, a goal shared by Luffy as he pursues his dream. Emeth’s dialogue also revealed that the concept of a ‘pirate king’ was not present until Roger’s time.

Please be aware that this article contains spoilers from the One Piece manga series.

One Piece: Why JoyBoy aimed to sit on the Empty Throne

Emeth as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

In One Piece chapter 1122, the Gorosei faced a damaged Emeth, prepared to shatter him into fragments. However, just as the Iron Giant was about to do so, he released the powerful Conqueror’s Haki knot that JoyBoy had created during his lifetime.

The impact of this Haki was incredibly powerful, causing its effects to ripple throughout the Grand Line and even reaching Imu in the Holy Land of Mariejois. The Conqueror’s Haki successfully halted Saint Saturn’s summoning spell, causing the other 4 Gorosei to be sent back to their original locations.

Emeth's apology to JoyBoy (Image via Shueisha) — Emeth’s apology to JoyBoy (Image via Shueisha)

Despite his apologies to JoyBoy, Emeth continued to untie the knot. As with Monkey D Luffy, the fandom was also perplexed by the ambiguous nature of the term ‘king’ and its potential for misinterpretation.

Additionally, the contrast between these terms was apparent immediately when Luffy declared himself as the future pirate king. ‘JoyBoy’ and ‘Pirate King’ hold distinct meanings as the latter was first used by Gol D Roger, the initial pirate king of the Grand Line. Therefore, what could the term ‘King’ signify from JoyBoy’s perspective?

The term directly refers to the ‘King of the World,’ and Imu currently holds this title. This also suggests a connection between JoyBoy and the Empty Throne, the seat reserved only for the King. However, it is unclear why JoyBoy would strive to become the ruler of the world when his ultimate goal should be to attain freedom, mirroring his character.

The Empty Throne as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Ultimately, the key to freedom may already be within the question at hand: to assume the role of the world’s leader and dictate every aspect of existence could arguably equate to becoming the most liberated individual on the planet.

According to Luffy, the Pirate King is the most liberated individual in the world. As this title was not present during JoyBoy’s time, JoyBoy may have believed that the King of the world, with no ruler over the 20 families, could be considered the freest person.

The silhouettes of the 20 families (Image via Toei Animation)

Despite JoyBoy’s goal of using his power as the King of the world to spread freedom to oppressed people, he was unable to achieve it. As evidenced by Emeth’s apology, the first pirate who attempted to become the ‘King of the World’ died in the Void Century War, fighting against Imu and the initial 20 kingdoms in pursuit of this title.

Therefore, JoyBoy’s ultimate aspiration was to obtain the Empty Throne in order to put an end to Imu and the 20 families’ tyranny over the people and bring about universal liberation.

One Piece chapter 1122 spoilers
One Piece chapter 1122 teases Joy Boy as the eye-patched pirate
One Piece: Does the Egghead Arc end with chapter 1122? Explained
Joy Boy’s debut in One Piece chapter 1122 all but debunks one of the most popular theories