–The Balance and it’s Purpose
The point of the balance of powers was never to help people or keep the peace but to divide up the world so that people are either always fighting or staying in their place. The balance the Five Elders talk about is not making sure that the pirates and marines are always equal but to make sure that there is always enough problems that people are not uniting. And this is why Luffy is a threat to the balance because he is going around taking down corrupt marines (Morgan), pirates (Arlong), kings (Wapol), warlords (Crocodile), spies (CP9), and in the future Yonkos.
He is also uniting people. That is why he is a threat. For example, if Kid took down an emperor, the world government won’t care as much. He is not a threat to them. The point of the balance is corruption and the continued cycle of oppression. That is what Imu wants. To continue the cycle and keep the world divided. All the systems designed by the World Government are designed in that way. The balance is only maintained if everyone is separated. That is also why Dragon is the most wanted man in the world and not someone like Blackbeard or Kaido. He is showing people another way to be free of the cycle of corruption and oppression. Corruption isn’t an accident. It is by design. Im fears unity.
–Im-sama vs Luffy
I don’t think Im is going to be a some mustache twirling villain. Oda adds depth to every character and I am sure it is going to be more than a good vs evil fight. Something that makes a good villain is that they are opposed to their protagonist on more than the basic good vs evil level but a philosophical and moral level. Luffy wants to explore the world and make as many friends as possible. In the Marineford war, Mihawk states that Luffy’s strongest power was to befriend even his enemies or in others words bring people together.
So if you think of the opposite it would Im someone who divides up people and box people in. Luffy wants freedom. Im wants continued cycle of oppression. I think this will be the conflict with Im. Im will try to convince Luffy that the world is corrupt by nature and all systems whether or not, they are built with good intentions will fall into corruption. That there always needs someone to sit at the top and so on. And the cycle of oppression cannot end because there is always someone or some group out to rule everything. Like a Blackbeard or Rocks. And Luffy will counter it by showing the power of unity and freedom and break the cycle.
I also think the only way Luffy is going to defeat Im is bringing together eight groups of people either eight races, pirates, organizations, and/or countries. This is a reference that there are multiple symbols in the series of the Kozuki, Alabasta, and Skypiean have the circle with the eight surrounding circles.
*Theory by Mr_Mythy
