I think people misunderstand Imu's immortality

Disclaimer: This is my first ever official theory - feel free to let me know how good or bad of a cook I am.

I think I always assumed something that would explain one of the biggest mysteries in the series, that I haven't yet heard anyone else mention though.

Everyone assumes that the Ope Ope no Mi's "Perpetual Youth Surgery" permanently changes the target's body, making them immortal or eternally young.

But... what if that's not what it does at all?

What if the user sacrifices their life to create an eternal ROOM where time no longer flows?

Think about it:

• The Ope Ope no Mi's entire power revolves around creating a ROOM.
• Every major ability only works inside that ROOM.
• Why would the ultimate technique suddenly ignore the fruit's core concept and permanently alter someone's biology?

Instead, the final awakening could be the creation of an eternal ROOM, a space where aging simply stops because time itself is frozen (or effectively doesn't progress).

And that would perfectly explain Imu.

What if Imu has to remain inside the Flower Room / Throne Room because that's the eternal ROOM created centuries ago by a previous Ope Ope no Mi user?

Leave that ROOM, and time starts flowing again.

Imagine hundreds of years of aging catching up quite quickly, or at least the immortality ending.

It would also explain why Imu is always shown inside Pangaea Castle and never casually traveling the world despite having seemingly unlimited power.

The "immortality" wouldn't actually belong to Imu.

It would belong to the ROOM.

The previous Ope Ope user didn't make Imu immortal.

They made the ROOM immortal.

It just feels much more in line with how Devil Fruits usually work. Rather than introducing a completely unrelated immortality spell, the ultimate technique would simply be the strongest possible extension of the fruit's defining ability.

Am I onto something, or did I completely overcook this?