why did imu kill saturn

This question is about a One Piece manga plot point, not a real event. In the story, Imu kills Jaygarcia Saturn because Saturn’s failures at Egghead made him too dangerous and too useless to keep alive.

Quick scoop: what happened

• Imu remotely kills Saturn while Saturn is on a ship near Egghead, with Saturn’s body rapidly withering, aging, and collapsing to bones.

• The scene comes right after news that Figarland Garling has been promoted to replace him as the new Warrior God of Science and Defense.

• It is shown as a “punishment execution” for failure, not an accident or outside attack.

Why Imu killed Saturn (in‑story reasons)

Most analyses and official summaries agree on a few key in‑universe reasons:

• Massive failure at Egghead
  • Saturn let Luffy (whom Imu views as the new Joy Boy and a direct threat) escape instead of eliminating him.

* He disobeyed standing orders by sparing the Ancient Robot (Emeth/Iron Giant) out of scientific curiosity, which later helped Joy Boy’s will, stunned Imu, and weakened the Elders.

* He also failed to stop Vegapunk’s worldwide broadcast exposing secrets about the world.

• Showing weakness and begging for mercy
  • When Imu’s presence reaches him, Saturn clutches his throat, ages rapidly, and begs for mercy instead of accepting punishment, which is portrayed as unforgivable weakness in Imu’s eyes.

* The chapter frames this as Imu killing him precisely because he faltered, panicked, and failed at the most important mission of the Final Saga so far.

• Easily replaceable subordinate
  • The story explicitly shows that a successor (Figarland Garling) is already chosen, so Imu loses nothing by discarding Saturn.

* Commentaries point out that this also terrifies the remaining Gorosei: if one Elder can be killed and replaced, none of them are safe from Imu’s judgment anymore.

How Imu killed Saturn (power explanation)

The exact mechanics are still mysterious, but current chapters and fan discussions describe it like this:

• Imu appears to have granted the Elders a dark “mist” type power that gives them monstrous forms, regeneration, and long lifespans.

• In Saturn’s death scene, that same power is violently stripped away: the black aura leaves him, his body reverts to its true aged state, and he dies almost instantly.

• Many readers interpret this as Imu revoking the longevity/immortality and beast power that had been bestowed on Saturn, effectively killing him by taking back the “blessing.”

So, within the story and fandom discussions, the answer to “why did Imu kill Saturn?” is:

Because Saturn catastrophically failed at Egghead—disobeying orders, letting Luffy/Joy Boy’s will escape, and exposing Imu’s secrets—Imu judged him as a weak, replaceable liability and executed him by stripping away the very power and pseudo‑immortality that had kept him alive.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.