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For the chapter of the same name, see Chapter 1086.

The Five Elders[2][3] are a council of the five highest-ranking Celestial Dragons:[1][4] the "Highest Authorities of the World Government" (世界政府最高権力, Sekai Seifu Saikō Kenryoku?). They are believed to hold the greatest authority over the world at large, although they are secretly subordinate to the government's shadow ruler Imu, who occupies the Empty Throne.[5][6][7]

The Five Elders' political sway over the World Government, its subsidiary organizations, agencies, and military branches is paramount and near-illimitable, including absolute command over Cipher Pol, the Marines, and (prior to their disbandment) the Seven Warlords of the Sea, thus controlling two of the Three Great Powers. As of now, it is unknown how the Elders acquired their positions and how long they have been in power, but they are almost always found residing in the Room of Authority in Pangaea Castle.

Due to their status, longstanding actions both indirect and direct, and their profound plot involvement, the Five Elders are among the main antagonists in the Final Saga and of the One Piece series as a whole, while also being the main antagonists in the Egghead Arc. The Elders first appear during the Jaya Arc and are officially named during the Egghead Arc.

Members[]

See also the associated category: Five Elders.

Overview[]

Despite being Celestial Dragons, none of the Five Elders wore the full-body white suit that their lower-ranking brethren wear. Also, none of them have been seen wearing the bubble or glass case over their heads to separate their air supply from other people, even when seen outside of Mary Geoise.[8] They are all rather tall, comparable in height to the over 10 feet tall Sakazuki.[9] It would appear that none of them has physically changed in appearance over the course of twenty-two years (from the destruction of Ohara to current times). Jaygarcia Saturn is shown to look the same as he did thirty-eight years ago.[10]

Their primary concerns are protecting an unstable world from the influence of piracy and maintaining the public image of the World Government, going to great lengths to keep their oppressive reputation a secret from the public. They have ordered the killing of an entire island of people to hide the discovery of the Void Century through the deciphering of Poneglyphs. They have hidden the fact that Gecko Moria was beaten by Monkey D. Luffy and later ordered his silent assassination to make it look like he died in the war for a better image, and they have kept the escape of Level 6 inmates of Impel Down a secret, a decision that even angered Sengoku, the then-fleet admiral of the Marines. They are extremists who will sacrifice a countless number of innocent people for the sake of maintaining the World Government's political power and authority and even turn a blind eye to political corruption such as the atrocities of Warlords of the Sea Sir Crocodile and Donquixote Doflamingo, and when it should ever be exposed, they will simply give the Marines credit through falsified propaganda.

Each of the Five Elders is in charge of particular area of politics and hold the title Warrior God (武神, Bushin?, VIZ: "Godhead") akin to a minister. These positions are as follows:[11]

Warrior God Field of Politics
Jaygarcia Saturn Science and Defense
Marcus Mars Environment
Topman Warcury Justice
Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro Finance
Shepherd Ju Peter Agriculture

They each personally take note of Luffy not only for his heritage as Dragon's son, but also for all the trouble he and his crew have caused by rebelling against them, such as: invading Enies Lobby and defeating CP9 to save Nico Robin, causing the first mass breakout of Impel Down and later intruded on the Summit War of Marineford to save Portgas D. Ace, and most of all defeating multiple Warlords such as Crocodile, Moria and Doflamingo.

Though not to the same extent as the other World Nobles, they take great pride in their heritage, as Marcus Mars considered the Nefertari Family to be traitors for not joining their ranks 800 years ago.[5] Unlike their fellow World Nobles, they are capable of showing respect to other people, like Shanks, as well as reverence in the case of Imu. They do not wear the same full-body suits and bubbles that separate their air supply from the people of the lesser classes when in their presence. Also, unlike their lower ranking brethren, who mainly enjoy abusing their own powers for hedonistic pleasures, the Five Elders show themselves to be more responsible and concerned about the world's activities and even demonstrate being regretful and upset at times such as when they ordered the death of all of Ohara's scholars being a measure they reluctantly took when the scholar Clover, was going to reveal the name of a Great Kingdom. This shows that despite being willing to take extreme and questionable measures, the Five Elders, unlike most World Nobles, are not without remorse. While typical Celestial Dragons would attack anyone of lower social statuses who tried to argue or protest with them, the Five Elders are more tolerant in that they are willing to at least give the benefit of counterarguments, as when Sakazuki openly insulted them, they bickered with him instead of threatening him with death. Another difference with other Celestial Dragons, none of the Five Elders say "-eh" at the end of their sentences.

Each one has a different criterion, made evident when they question each other's decisions, such as sending a CP0 agent as a scapegoat to cause Luffy's defeat, something that one of them considered contrary to their objectives but justified by another Elder, given the gravity of the situation.[12]

When providing them with food it must be thoroughly examined by agents to confirm that it has not been poisoned, given their excessive paranoia and the risks associated with their high political status.[13]

Due to them almost exclusively staying at Pangaea Castle and rarely being in the outside world, only on special occasions, their status has almost become mythological, with people being completely unaware of their existence or if they exist at all, usually seeing them on portraits or only knowing they live in Mary Geoise.[14] This leads to panic and hysteria from people who have never encountered them as well as people being totally caught off-guard whenever an Elder leaves Mary Geoise.[15][16] This level of secrecy even goes as far as the Elders ordering their underlings to not reveal their presence to anyone but a select few.[17]

Relationships[]

Imu[]

Despite being reputed as the greatest authorities in the World Government, the Five Elders all answer to Imu, the current sovereign of the world and occupant of the Empty Throne whom all the Elders are extremely loyal to and is revered by them in high regard. As such, they immediately turn to Imu's guidance regarding whichever "light" deserves permanent erasure from history, indicating their role in the Government's oppressive tyranny for centuries. They also obey Imu's commands without questioning, even agreeing to wipe out entire kingdoms if they wish it and retrieving whoever Imu desires, stopping at nothing until their task is done. They are also very protective of Imu's secrecy and their status as being kept from the public and will eradicate and assassinate anybody who happens to encounter or even gains a peek at Imu to protect their status and keep up the illusion of the Elders' being the highest authority. At least one refers to Imu as "the Creator", indicating they only see themselves as their servants, ready to fulfill and execute their orders at any given point.

Marines[]

Sakazuki[]

After the World Government played a role in falsifying the news of Doflamingo's resignation from the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Sakazuki was outraged by how the Five Elders would go out of their way to protect him, not even caring if it would tarnish the Marine's reputation. During a heated argument, Sakazuki even insulted, provoked, and mocked them because CP0 acted over their heads, testing his limits and showing that he does not agree with everything the Five Elders do.

Nefertari Family[]

Despite descending from one of the First Twenty monarchs that founded the World Government, the Five Elders consider the Nefertari Family to be traitors, since their ancestors preferred to stay in Arabasta instead of joining the other kings who moved to Mary Geoise. It appears that they keep that opinion to themselves, and try to avoid conflict with the family. When they are willing to have an audience with Cobra, their hostile intentions became known as Imu showed themself to him and revealed that the Cobra family bears the Will of D. After which, the Five Elders and Imu kill Cobra, and they turn their attention to deal with Vivi next.

Enemies[]

Monkey D. Luffy[]

The Five Elders hold tremendous animus towards Monkey D. Luffy, not only for his heritage as the Revolutionary Dragon's son, but also for all the trouble he and his crew have caused. This includes invading Enies Lobby and defeating CP9 to save Nico Robin, causing the first mass breakout of Impel Down, intruding on the Summit War of Marineford to save Ace, and most of all for defeating multiple Warlords of the Sea such as Crocodile, Moria, and Doflamingo.

They acknowledge Luffy's strength and see that he is truly Garp's grandson, as well as a deadly variable in their plans. They feared what he would be capable of should he defeat the Emperor, Kaidou, and so they ordered CP0 to eliminate him before that could happen. They were deeply concerned about Luffy's survival and were even fine with losing an agent and angering Kaidou as long as Luffy was killed, as they understood the potential of what he could do once his Devil Fruit was awakened, calling it the "most ridiculous power in the world." Their decision backfired, as not only did Luffy awaken his Devil Fruit, but he used his newfound power to defeat Kaidou.

When Luffy later temporarily disrupted their plans by capturing York, they were first formally introduced to Luffy, making it their first exchange, during which they tried to persuade him to reveal crucial information, though they were unable to do so. Later, when Saturn, who was at Egghead, saw Luffy in his Gear 5 form, he immediately recognized him as "Nika". Seeing Luffy severely weakened from his battle with Kizaru, Saturn attempted to kill him, only for Franky to foil him. Shortly after, Saturn was bewildered when he spotted that Luffy somehow acquired food and ordered him to be detained, though he ultimately managed to escape his sight. Once Luffy returned in his Gear 5 form once more spotting Bonney and an injured Vegapunk, Saturn called him and Bonney "stupid insects" that deserved death, Saturn then used his ability to wound Luffy, but it proved useless as the Emperor struck him with multiple powerful blows causing him to be launched through a building. Saturn then returned enraged and in his full beast transformation as he attempted to kill Luffy again with multiple poison tainted strikes, but he was restrained when Luffy entered into his Giant form.

Nico Robin[]

The Five Elders have developed a profound interest in Nico Robin, as due to her being the last surviving member of the Ohara Incident, they fear for her knowledge and her ability to read the Poneglyphs. Therefore, they are wary of her presence as part of the Straw Hat Pirates. Despite this, they will stop at nothing to have her silenced and eliminated due to her association with Ohara. On Wano, they specifically instructed their CP0-Agents with finding and capturing Nico Robin, which they later reversed into ordering them to eliminate her instead, fearing her continued presence could prove beneficial for the uncovering of the True History and her ability to read the Poneglyphs would ultimately grant Luffy access to the One Piece.

Later, when they were talking to Luffy on Egghead, they noticed Nico Robin hanging up on the call.

Clover and Ohara Scholars[]

The council recognized the merits of the scholar in his search for truth but that his vision was "distorted". The Five Elders were strongly against the research that was conducted by the Ohara Scholars and had them killed for uncovering too much information about the Void Century, displaying their outrage when they decided to kill Clover for what he had learned. Despite ordering their deaths, the Five Elders expressed some regret for their decision, and one of them looked distraught when the order was given.

Sabo[]

Although initially unknown to them, Sabo gained the Five Elders' attention and ire when he stepped in to protect Nefertari Cobra from their assassination attempt in the Throne Room at Mary Geoise and were exasperated when he managed to escape their grasp, having witnessed Imu sitting on the Empty Throne, effectively making him their number one enemy. They noticed Sabo's affiliation with several occupants of the mysterious D., noting he was fate-struck by having encountered several of them.

Dr. Vegapunk[]

Saturn Stabs Vegapunk

Saturn stabs Vegapunk for betraying the Elders.

They became acquainted with Dr. Vegapunk after he won the Ibel Peace Prize, inviting him to a personal audience at Mary Geoise.[18] After enlisting him as a military scientist, they tasked him with the development of several new projects, including the Pacifista Program, the Seraphim, and the replication of the Mother Flame. During the time of Vegapunk's employment, they consistently monitored him and even forced him to abandoned his morality, with Saturn in particular intervening in his work.[19] When they became aware of Dr. Vegapunk's secret research into the forbidden Void Century, thanks to another satellite of him, York, they decided to eliminate him. However, they were fine with letting York live given she could give into their requests and provide her knowledge, as it meant the research and the replication of their (Imu's) secret projects could continue, even going as far as to guarantee her prohibited privileges. Vegapunk would secretly defy the Elders by granting Jewelry Bonney absolute authority over the Kuma-formed Pacifista, surpassing even that of the Five Elders. When Saturn found out of this, he stabbed Vegapunk in anger.[20]

Other[]

Shanks[]

Though Shanks would be considered an enemy given his status as a pirate, the Five Elders showed respect towards him and even allowed him an audience with them inside Mary Geoise, making room in their political agendas for him.

Known Information[]

Ju Peter spoke with Professor Clover and ordered Spandine to kill him before the archaeologist could speak the Great Kingdom's name. They are shown to have at least basic knowledge of the events of the Void Century, according to their shocked reactions to Professor Clover's revelations.

They have shown a paranoid fear of anyone learning the history of the Void Century, masking it as fear of the discovery of ancient weapons. They forbid its research and order the utter destruction of the entire country of Ohara, though given what is known of the Void Century, they may simply be using that as an excuse in order to prevent information they do not want leaked to the public from being revealed.[21] The extreme lengths they are willing to go are best shown during the best shown during the Egghead Incident: They decided to eliminate Dr. Vegapunk, the leader of the SSG (a group meant to replace the Seven Warlords of the Sea) and his satellites after learning he was secretly studying the Void Century; go to war with one of the Four Emperors after Vegapunk allied with them to get off Egghead; trigged a Buster Call against Egghead (an World Government research island full of Vegapunk's irreplaceable inventions); and even personally went to the battlefield themselves to kill Vegapunk and later prevent his record message from being seen by the world.

Their fear of others studying the Void Century surpasses their desire to maintain the balance of the Three Great Powers.

The Elders are well aware of the true nature of Devil Fruits, particularly Zoan Fruits and especially the Gomu Gomu no Mi, acknowledging it as the most ridiculous power in the world. Should its user awaken its true power, they fear it will become a major threat to them. They acknowledged the Gomu Gomu no Mi's awakening should not be seen by the world, as they demanded Luffy's bounty poster be reprinted when they saw it.

Abilities and Powers[]

Political Authority[]

As the official supreme leaders of the World Government, the Five Elders are the rulers of the entire world with tremendous political power superior to their fellow World Nobles, second only to Imu. They have complete control over all government affiliated organizations such as the police, the ten Cipher Pol units, and even the Marines as they are all completely subservient to their commands. Even the orders of the fleet admiral of the Marines can be vetoed by their decisions. They can declare a Buster Call attack on any island that they deem a threat, and can pass that authority onto lower ranked World Government agents. They can revoke a Warlord of the Sea title if they decide that he/she is not living up to their duties as a Warlord. As with any standard Celestial Dragons, the Five Elders can summon a Marine Admiral if they are under attack. They can command not only the Pacifista, but also the Seraphim, the Marines' latest invention by Vegapunk, and their authority over both surpasses even that of Vegapunk himself. Their status also allows the Five Elders to be the only known authority able to exalt a commoner to the rank of Celestial Dragon.[22] Befitting of their status, people unworthy of their presence are not allowed to know of their presence. On Egghead, Saturn specifically instructed Doberman not to reveal his presence to anyone. Later, when he physically appeared on the island, people considered below a certain rank, namely Commodore, were not even allowed to take a glimpse at him, as the penalty would be death, suggesting only people the Elders consider "chosen" are only allowed to be in their presence.

Their primary concerns are protecting an unstable world from the influence of piracy and maintaining the public image of the World Government. They have near total control of what is published in worldwide media (unless the presses defy them as Morgans did), requesting authorization for what they deem convenient, even reclassifying and renaming the Zoan fruit, "Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika" as the Paramecia fruit, "Gomu Gomu no Mi". They will go to great lengths to keep the public's view of them in a good light. They have ordered the killing of an entire island of people to hide the discovery of the Void Century; they have hidden the fact that Gecko Moria was beaten by Luffy and later ordered his silent assassination to make it look like he died in the war for a better image, and they have even kept the escape of Level 6 inmates of Impel Down a secret. When blackmailed by Doflamingo, they agreed to deliver false news that he resigned from the Warlords of the Sea, retracted it accordingly, yet ordered the citizens to remain calm and peaceful despite the gratuitous scandal this caused. Some of their decisions have even angered the Marine fleet admiral Sakazuki, and his predecessor Sengoku.

Devil Fruits[]

Five Elders Confront Luffy

The Five Elders in their full Beast Forms.

All Five Elders seem to have awakened Devil Fruit abilities of the Mythical Zoan variety.[23] While transformed, they were able to take a direct hit from Sabo's giant fire fist and remain unscathed, subsequently forcing the Revolutionary Army's "No. 2" to flee for his life.[7] Their full Beast Forms are massive in size, easily comparable to giants. Four out of five of their Zoan abilities are based on monsters from East Asian myth (though interestingly, the full names of their Zoan fruit models have not been given, only the specific creatures they turn into):

  • Saturn can turn into a Gyuki: a massive ox-spider yōkai.
  • Mars can turn into an Itsumade: a monstrous bird yōkai that is part-snake.
  • Warcury can turn into a Fengxi: a monstrous, four-tusked boar yāoguài.
  • Nusjuro can turn into a Bakotsu: a skeletal, seemingly undead horse yōkai.
  • Ju Peter can turn into a Sandworm: a giant worm monster that can burrow through the earth.

Haki[]

The Five Elders all seem to possess powerful Haki. As soon as they were summoned to Egghead, many powerful characters on the island felt their presence.[24]

Telepathy[]

The Five Elders seem to have some sort of psychic connection with each other, allowing them to communicate telepathically even over world-spanning distances.[25]

History[]

Past[]

Nothing is known of their early lives, and how they became the leaders of the World Government is also unknown, aside that they are the highest ranked Celestial Dragons.

Vegapunk Meets Five Elders

Dr. Vegapunk meets with the Five Elders.

During his time with MADS, Dr. Vegapunk was recognized for his genius inventions and received an audience with the Five Elders in Mary Geoise.[18]

God Valley Incident[]

38 years ago, Saturn was present on God Valley, where the Native Hunting Competition, organized by the World Nobles, was currently taking place. Saturn was informed that a former slave of the World Nobles, Bartholomew Kuma, had been captured again for the competition. However, due to two former slaves's actions, the Rocks Pirates and Roger Pirates, alongside several other pirate crews, all made their way towards God Valley, while the Marines were supported by the arrival of Monkey D. Garp and his Marine officers and the World Nobles were protected by the God's Knights. During the ongoing battle, Saturn happened to come face to face with a young Bartholomew Kuma, knocking him onto the ground while acknowledging his heritage as a Buccaneer. He then condemned Kuma's life as pointless due to being a member of the former race, but to unknown means, Kuma was able to escape Saturn, who stayed on God Valley during what later became to be known as the God Valley Incident.[26]

Ohara Incident[]

Commencing Buster Call. All ships begin the attack. Target everything on the island of archaeology, Ohara. The research done by Ohara's scholars has exceeded our expectations. That knowledge could be passed on. We must not let the exposure be anywhere else but on this island. Completely obliterate the demons living in Ohara! In the name of justice!


Their membership (and appearances) has not altered at least in the last twenty-two years, when they ordered the Buster Call against Ohara since the archaeologists broke a capital law of the Government and that they were not going to allow it. After Clover confronted the Five Elders, Marcus Mars, who was accompanied by at least Shepherd Ju Peter and Topman Warcury communicated through Den Den Mushi, recognized the archaeologist and praised him for his great contribution to universal culture, lamenting that he strayed from the "good path". Clover claimed the right of humanity to know the truth and that no one had the right to deny them the "untold story", Mars counter-argued that if they read the Poneglyphs, they would then resurrect the Ancient Weapons which would lead the world to its doom.

Five Elders Listening to Clover

Warcury, Peter and Mars listening to Professor Clover's demands.

Clover stated again that was the history of humanity and that everyone has a duty to live with it. Clover began to question the Poneglyphs' existence, coming to the conclusion that they had an enemy and that the people of the past did not want their message to be eradicated. As Clover began to talk about his theory about the end of the "Hundred Years of the Void" and the creation of the World Government, the elder asked him what he was implying. Clover concluded about the existence of a great and powerful kingdom whose information was eliminated and that when this kingdom was going to be defeated by the future World Government they carved this knowledge in stone rune. Unaware of the threat it represented to the World Government he theorized that the key was in the name, he attempted to reveal the name of the kingdom removed from history, so one of the Elders ordered Spandine to shoot the scholar. They then ordered the destruction of the island and extermination of its citizens.[21]

Investigation of Pluton[]

Less than fourteen years ago, Spandam manipulated them to give him the authority to seek out the blueprints for Pluton.[27]

Sky Island Saga[]

Jaya Arc[]

The Five Elders discussed the situation around Shanks and Whitebeard. They were determined to keep Whitebeard and Shanks from making direct contact. They were also distressed with Crocodile due to his actions in Arabasta and his subsequent dismissal from the Seven Warlords of the Sea.[28]

Water 7 Saga[]

Long Ring Long Land Arc[]

Later, they heard of Aokiji sneaking out of Marine Headquarters and became disappointed with him. They remarked that he should be careful with his rank.[29]

Post-Enies Lobby Arc[]

Later, after the Enies Lobby raid, they were shocked to hear that Shanks had successfully met with Whitebeard.[30]

Summit War Saga[]

Post-War Arc[]

After the Summit War of Marineford, they gathered to discuss the state the world was in. They talked about how Monkey D. Luffy had become a huge threat, as well as his relations to Garp and Dragon. Topman Warcury commented on how their power structure had almost completely collapsed and asked how they would fill the three vacant Warlords of the Sea positions. They decided to observe world events for now until they could find influential enough people to become new Warlords.

They then discussed Blackbeard and his activities in the New World, mentioning that he had defeated one of the Supernovas and that he was in the lead for replacing Whitebeard as one of the Four Emperors. They believed that the only people who could stop his rise to power were the three remaining Emperors and the Whitebeard Pirates, who were currently under Marco's command. They also expressed concern about the Will of D. and that it had reached the public too much as of late.[31]

Dressrosa Saga[]

Dressrosa Arc[]

Sakazuki and Five Elders Meeting

The meeting between Sakazuki and the Five Elders.

Following the discovered falsehood behind the story about Donquixote Doflamingo's resignation from the Seven Warlords of the Sea and abdication of his throne, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki confronted the Five Elders about this, where they engaged in a heated argument. Sakazuki angrily asked the elders why the whole world had to be misled for Doflamingo's sake, noting that if an incident like this were to occur again, he as fleet admiral would be disgraced. The elders ignored him, saying that they were not concerned with his reputation as the Marines were only the public face of the World Government, and that the case had been left to the Cipher Pol.

Sakazuki retorted that even the elders had been walked over and called them Celestial Dragons' puppets. They responded in anger, blaming Sakazuki for Kuzan joining Blackbeard. Sakazuki replied that Kuzan's actions after he resigned from the Marines were not the concern of the government or the Marines. Suddenly, a Marine interrupted the meeting and reported about what transpired on Dressrosa. Much to their shock and displeasure, they learned of Doflamingo's defeat at Luffy's hands.

Admiral Fujitora publicly announced Doflamingo's defeat to the world along the exposure of the crimes he committed by abusing his Warlord of the Sea position. Since the announcement was given before the elders were informed of it, this prevented them from covering up the debacle, allowing the Straw Hat Pirates to take credit for exposing the Heavenly Yaksha's criminal enterprises.[9]

Whole Cake Island Saga[]

Levely Arc[]

The Five Elders questioned Shanks on why he felt it was necessary to speak with them despite the Levely being so important and his criminal status not being appropriate for global diplomacy. They stated the only reason Shanks was granted a private audience with them was because he is one of the Four Emperors. Shanks expressed his gratitude, and the Elders ordered their guards to leave their chambers. Shanks conveyed his desire to discuss a certain pirate with the Five Elders.[32]

Imu Sits on the Empty Throne

The Five Elders meet with Imu.

Sometime after the Levely had formally begun, the Five Elders headed towards the chamber containing the Empty Throne as they discussed Nefertari Cobra's request to have an audience with them even though they saw the Nefertari Family as nothing more than traitors to the World Nobles for choosing to stay in the "world below". On their way to the chamber, Nusjuro mentioned that things are getting out of their control, and they cannot maintain the balance anymore and will have to carry out a global cleansing soon. Upon arriving at the chamber of the Empty Throne, the Five Elders quickly knelt down as they were greeted by Imu, who then proceeded to sit upon the Empty Throne itself. They asked Imu which "light" should disappear from history.[5]

Wano Country Saga[]

Wano Country Arc[]

During the Levely, they had a private audience with Nefertari Cobra. During the audience, Cobra recounted the history of the World Government and how it came to be, the purpose of the Empty Throne and vow the founding members took upon it who questioned them about his ancestor and one of the founding members, the First Twenty, of the World Government, Nefertari Lili. Cobra then revealed that her name, though she was a member of the First Twenty, was not found in any historical document Cobra possessed, asking the Five Elders if they knew what happened to her after she refused to become a World Noble. However, Jaygarcia Saturn only replied they had no knowledge of what became of her, and anything related to her had been lost to history at this point. Dissatisfied with this answer, Cobra instead asked them about the meaning of the D., which left them shocked upon his inquiry. They were later even more shocked and uneasy when Imu made their appearance during the audience by sitting in front of both the Five Elders and Cobra.[6] They were then drawing their weapons, ready to execute Cobra for having seen Imu when he shouldn't have. However, their attempt failed due to Sabo, who overheard the entire audience and Imu's speech, jumping in to incinerate them with Hiken. However, the Five Elders and Imu transformed into beasts and pursued after Sabo and Cobra. They were able to effectively kill off Cobra, who decided to sacrifice Sabo and after having killed him, noticed someone witnessed what had happened, but were unable to locate them.

Sabo Attacks Elders

The Five Elders are ambushed by Sabo.

Later, after the Levely had ended, the Five Elders discussed how Sabo's fate intertwined with persons who carried the Will of D. before they received a call from Imu. Imu then told them they wanted to test out Vegapunk's invention, the Mother Flame, on Lulusia Kingdom due to its proximity to the Mother Flame. The Elders agreed, preparing the necessary steps to deploy the Mother Flame, mentioning that Lulusia grew suspicious of them anyways due to the people there revolting earlier, stating its power could serve as an example to others and were hoping that if they were able to use its power more freely, they could end an ancient battle with it. They also received their order from Imu to retrieve Vivi, stating they would see to it to be done.[33] Following this, they also discussed the battle in Wano Country and how they could use the Raid on Onigashima to capture Nico Robin and eliminate any other inconveniences. After they received word that Zunesha had arrived at Wano, the Five Elders also became concerned that the Gomu Gomu no Mi could be awakened, which had not happened in centuries and had been covered up by the World Government.[34] They then ordered CP0 to eliminate Luffy at once due to the potential danger he possessed should he defeat Kaidou.[35] After Guernica interfered in Kaidou and Luffy's fight, the Five Elders concluded that the attempt on Luffy's life was worth losing the agent and angering Kaidou. They then discussed the Gomu Gomu no Mi's true nature along with its special abilities and uniqueness.[36]

The five elders speaking to defeat of two Emperors

The Five Elders discussing the defeat of two Emperors.

After the end of the Raid on Onigashima, the Five Elders discussed the defeat of Kaidou and Big Mom and the effect such big news will have on the world. They also noted that with Zunesha gone, Wano Country would remain closed, and they would not be able to militarily occupy the country. They then inquired about CP0's capture of Robin, which the agent confirmed, albeit nervously.[37] Seven days later, when new bounty posters were issued, the Elders contacted a Marine and angrily questioned him about a picture on one of the posters, as well as a "D." not being removed as they had previously requested. The Marine stated that he had not heard that request and clarified that the photograph was sent by the CP0 agent Guernica. In response, Warcury demanded that the posters be reprinted, but the Marine replied that they are unable to contact the printers, so he ordered all distribution to cease immediately, but it was all in vain thanks to "Big News" Morgans.[38]


The following events are Non-Canon and therefore not considered part of the Canon story.


One Piece Film: Red[]

The Five Elders watched Uta's concert in Elegia from the Den Den Mushi. They discussed Uta being the daughter of Shanks, a serious threat that was opposed to the Great Pirate Era, and how to stop her rebellion, though there was some hesitation among them to carry out her elimination as they worried, she may have been related to the Figarland Family. Also, they were very concerned about Uta's connection with Tot Musica and they could not afford to be cautious if she summoned that as a threat. The Five Elders did not fall asleep to Uta's powers as they already muted her songs. They were later informed by Lucci about an estimate being 70% of the world's population would be pulled into the Uta World.

The Five Elders, horrified, witnessed Uta turning everyone including Saint Charlos into inanimate objects. As they couldn't afford more casualties, they needed to make a decision even if a Celestial Dragon would get caught in the crossfire. They witnessed Tot Musica, finally summoned by Uta, attacking the Marine ships. Lucci tried to turn off the Den Den Mushi to cut the sounds, but Ju Peter stated there was no point to mute it as the reality and the song of Tot Musica had already been linked. After Tot Musica was defeated by Luffy and Shanks, the Five Elders witnessed Uta releasing everyone from the Uta World through singing.[39]


Concludes non-canon section.


Final Saga[]

Egghead Arc[]

Three months before the Egghead Incident, they got an anonymous call from York, who leaked information to them about Vegapunk doing and continuing the research on the Void Century. This led to them to deploy a CP0 squad of Rob Lucci, Kaku, Stussy, and the Seraphim-unit S-Bear to assassinate Vegapunk and all his satellites.[40]

During Sabo's attack on the Levely, he managed to catch sight of Imu on the Empty Throne, before escaping. When he tried to contact Dragon to report his findings, in which his call was intercepted by the Marines, the Five Elders ordered the surveillance division to stop the broadcast before Sabo could say any further. They then ordered the Marines to forget that any information was intercepted at all, and that the place where Sabo was hiding, Lulusia Kingdom, never existed as Imu destroyed the entire island using the Mother Flame.[41]

Having anticipated Vegapunk resisting their assassination order, Jaygarcia Saturn personally made his way towards Egghead, being escorted under the protection of Admiral Kizaru[8] and a large force of troops and battleships from a multitude of Marine bases.[42] The remaining Elders were later called by York, with Saturn listening, as she was inquiring about them also wanting to assassinate her, to which Mars replied simply because she was a Vegapunk as well. She brushed them off when Nusjuro wanted to know about the situation she was in. Ju Peter then assured her she would be spared if she could provide them with more Mother Flames after she confirmed the power plant was located at Egghead and if she could replicate the Mother Flame. However, she demanded full protection and the right to become a Celestial Dragon in exchange for the Mother Flame, to which the Elders agreed. After confirming, York then desperately begged them to save her from Luffy and the Straw Hats, fearing they would kill her, leaving every Elder in shock upon hearing the news.[43]

After making the call, Luffy then took the Den Den Mushi, directly addressing the Elders, demanding that they send the fleet away from Egghead should they care about York's safety. The Elders then tried to get vital information out of Luffy, but before he could reveal any crucial details, the call was hung off by a woman, with Ju Peter wondering if it was Nico Robin. Saturn, who was at Egghead, named the three things the Marines had to secure: York's safety, the Punk Records and the power plant fueling the Mother Flame, calling everything else disposable, even the World Government agents. Upon Doberman's inquiry, Saturn only replied that humans were not more than insects who could multiply if the need arises, reaffirming that the three objectives were most crucial. When Kizaru entered the room, Saturn discussed the situation at hand, ordering Kizaru to avoid Sentomaru, but feeling the situation was getting out of hand until Kizaru provided him with clandestine intel from the Labophase, thanks to Rob Lucci.[44]

Bonney Execution

Saturn prepares to have Bonney executed by the Marines.

Due to dissatisfying results, Saturn later decided to take matters into his own hands and set foot on Egghead through using a cycle, appearing into a different form than his human form, resembling an Ushi-Oni. Upon his arrival, panic broke out among the Marine forces as no one expected a Five Elder to be outside of Mary Geoise and instantly Saturn started to apprehend Vegapunk and his allies. To his surprise, he gazed upon Luffy in his Gear 5 form, calling him "Nika" before confronting Vegapunk and his allies. He got stabbed by Bonney, who was filled with rage, but that attack left him unsettled,[45] as he did not consider it lethal nor damaging, drawing the blade out and grabbing Bonney. When Sanji tried to save Bonney, he pushed Sanji back with his gaze and then tried to make short work of Luffy and get rid of Luffy by attempting to stab him with one of his appendages, but that was prevented by Franky who punched Luffy away. He then used an unknown aura to force Vegapunk, Sanji and Franky to the ground and then started to talk to Bonney about Kuma, as she accused him of being responsible for Kuma losing his humanity. Saturn then revealed to everyone present that Kuma was a member of the now extinct race of the Buccaneers, who committed a crime against the World Government in the past.[46]

Kuma Shields Bonney

Saturn's attempt at killing Bonney is blocked by Kuma shielding Bonney.

Saturn then told Bonney Kuma was dead now but she only retorted by using her Devil Fruit powers to hit back at him with a Distortion Future: Nika Mitaina Mirai, though her attack was weakened which Saturn noticed was due to her not knowing exactly what Nika was, though Kuma told her, her powers wore off. Saturn also noticed that Luffy was eating for unexplained reasons and ordered the surrounded Marines to restrain him with Sea Stone cuffs. Saturn then explained to Bonney that he gave her her powers, since he experimented on her when she was an infant, having given her an extract of the Toshi Toshi no Mi. He then went on to explain the drawbacks of her Devil Fruit, as it was allowed her to transform into any possible future, however, the choices narrow down should the user have more knowledge of reality. Saturn then went on to explain that he was the one to give Ginny the Sapphire Scales as an experiment, but deemed her a failure since she kept having symptoms, but was surprised when Bonney somehow inherited the disease. Just when Saturn had a heated argument with Vegapunk about the ethinics of his human experiments, he received word that Kuma somehow had appeared on the island, which left him shocked since that should not have happened in the first place, ordering the Marines to kill Kuma. Saturn then threw Bonney on the ground, trying to end her by stabbing her with his legs, however, Kuma then placed himself in front of Bonney, shielding her and taking the hit, before grabbing Saturn's leg and preparing to punch him.[47]

Saturn was highly confused by Kuma's incoming attack and questioned Vegapunk as to how Kuma was able to appear on Egghead; he further revealed he already had activated Kuma's Self-Destruction Mechanism when Kuma was rescued by the Revolutionary Army, so Kuma should not be ready to move on his own. Unable to evade Kuma's punch, Saturn was fully struck by the Armanent Haki-coated attack, being sent flying through several buildings, all collapsing on top of him. Saturn however, even though he was severely damaged by the attack losing his right arm and one of his horns, quickly recovered and regrew his limbs immediately. He then demanded an explanation from Vegapunk about how Kuma was alive and after Vegapunk gave one, declared that everyone on Egghead was as good as dead, moving to kill Kuma. He was met with some resistance by Sanji, who deflected one of his attacks and Franky, who pierced him with a laser shot through the chest. Saturn, however, was only once again undeterred by the damage and then decided to authorize a Buster Call on Egghead, citing specifically Vegapunk's research on the Void Century, Kuma's Buccaneer heritage and Luffy's awakening of an "Ancient God" as a reason to obliterate Egghead.

Kuma Punches Saturn

Much to his own shock, Saturn is punched by a furious Kuma.

[48] As the Marine stationed had evacuated everyone after the announcement, Vice Admiral Doll pleaded with Saturn and Kizaru to evacuate as well, but Saturn only replied that both himself and Kizaru would stay on the island. Vegapunk then pleaded with Saturn to call off the Buster Call, as it Egghead's destruction would lead to scientific progress being set back at least a century, but Saturn only rebuffed this, justifying that it could come back to hurt the World Government, as a means to destroy anything that could pose a threat to the World Government. He then also told Vegapunk that he had ordered the bombing of an escape ship full of scientists, to avoid any leaks of the secrets of the Void Century, making Vegapunk furious as he argued they were innocent but Saturn only replied Vegapunk had to take the blame as his lust for knowledge was responsible for their deaths. When Franky, Atlas, Bonney and Kuma boarded the Vacuum Rocket to escape to the Labophase, Saturn ordered Kizaru to stop them and after the Rocket was destroyed, with them being in mid-air, Saturn ordered the Pacifista to kill Bonney and Kuma.[49]

Five Elders Summoned To Egghead

The remaining Elders are summoned to Egghead.

To Saturn's shock though, his command was overwritten by Bonney, who instead ordered the Pacifista to take aim at the Marines. Saturn then furiously turned his attention towards Vegapunk, who had secretly defied him by giving Bonney a higher authority, and impaled Vegapunk with his leg for his betrayal. He wasted no time in trying to finish them all off, as he ordered Kizaru to kill them all, but before Kizaru could carry out the order, Kizaru was knocked back into the ground by Luffy in his Gear 5 form, much to Saturn's surprise.[50] After Kizaru returned to deliver a fatal blow to Vegapunk, his heartbeat flatlining triggered a pre recorded broadcast about to deliver the secret of the World, giving a 10 minute window for everyone to prepare to hear it. The other Four Elders telepathically communicated with Saturn about the situation, inquiring on if Vegapunk's execution was carried out. Saturn confirmed that Vegapunk should be dead, coming to the conclusion that the broadcast was triggered due to his death and was being projected within the safety of the barrier surrounding the Labophase. The other Elders telepathically contacted Saturn again, telling him there was no time to waste in stopping Vegapunk's broadcast. Saturn agreed with their concerns and performed an unknown move, prompting four Magic Circles to appear around him, which look just like the one he was summoned from.[51]

Major Battles[]

Merchandise[]

Video Games[]

Non-Playable Appearances[]

Translation and Dub Issues[]

The Japanese word for the Five Elders, "Gorōsei", translates more closely to "Five Elder Stars", which is the name used formerly in the Funimation adaptation. When Oda translated the word in Chapter 907, he left out "stars" from the title. In later episodes dubbed by Funimation, their original name is used as well. The kanji 星 can also refer to a planet or a celestial object in general. Their namesakes, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn have been known about since antiquity as a set of objects in the night sky, possibly providing an origin of the "star" segment of their name.

Their titles as "Warrior Gods" (武神, bushin?) may also be pun on the identical sounding bushin (武臣?), a historical term for a government official serving a military and war. This may be the reason VIZ Media translated their titles as "Godhead".

Trivia[]

  • The Five Elders' names currently have the longest gap between their first appearance to their official introduction at 21 years and 2 days, with 853 chapters released.
    • However, Jaygarcia Saturn was the first of the Five Elders to be named between his first appearance and his official introduction at 20 years, 7 months, 7 weeks, and 1 day, with 840 chapters released.
  • The Five Elders' namesakes are based on the first five non-Earth planets in the Solar System: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
    • Fittingly, the Japanese term for the Five Elders (五老星, Gorōsei?) includes the character 星, which means "star" or "planet", and is included in the Japanese names of planets.
    • Interestingly, the planetary bodies which follow Saturn (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto), all share their names or etymologies with the three Ancient Weapons.
  • The Five Elders resemble the concept of the real world five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, in which the five sovereign states were given a permanent seat by the Charter of the United Nations of 1945, which includes China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
    • All five of them resemble historical figures notable for pursuing freedom and equality between people:
      • Shepherd Ju Peter resembles Abraham Lincoln.
      • Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro resembles Mahatma Gandhi.
      • Topman Warcury resembles Mikhail Gorbachev.
      • Marcus Mars resembles Taisuke Itagaki.
      • Jaygarcia Saturn resembles Karl Marx and Giuseppe Garibaldi.
  • Ordinarily, Marines ranked Commodore and below are not even allowed to have an audience with them.[52]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 90 Chapter 907 (p. 8) and Episode 886, The Five Elders are confirmed to be the most prominent Celestial Dragons.
  2. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 90 Chapter 907 (p. 16-17) and Episode 887, The Five Elders' name is romanized.
  3. One Piece Manga — Chapter 1110 (p. 6-7), "Five Elders" romanized.
  4. One Piece Manga — Vol. 107 Chapter 1086 (p. 14), Ivankov mentions the Five Elders as the highest authority among the Celestial Dragons.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 90 Chapter 908 (p. 14-17) and Episode 889, The Five Elders go to the Empty Throne and bow before Imu, asking about the next "light" to be extinguished from history.
  6. 6.0 6.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 107 Chapter 1084 (p. 3-9, 17).
  7. 7.0 7.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 107 Chapter 1085 (p. 2-12).
  8. 8.0 8.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 106 Chapter 1073 (p. 15), Jaygarcia Saturn is seen on a boat nearing Egghead.
  9. 9.0 9.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 79 Chapter 793 (p. 4-7) and Episode 736, The Five Elders and Fleet Admiral Sakazuki have disconcerted reactions to the Straw Hats-Heart Pirates alliance and Fujitora's decision to expose the Seven Warlords of the Sea's system corruption.
  10. One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1095 (p. 12).
  11. One Piece Manga — Vol. 107 Chapter 1086 (p. 8-9).
  12. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 103 Chapter 1044 (p. 4) and Episode 1071.
  13. One Piece Manga — Vol. 106 Chapter 1073 (p. 14).
  14. One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1095, The Marines discuss the Five Elders's mysterious nature.
  15. One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1094, Franky expresses surprise when told the Five Elders are the highest authority.
  16. One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1095, Several Marines on Egghead flee in a state of panic after receiving word of Saturn's arrival.
  17. One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1090, Saturn tells Doberman he is not allowed to tell anyone about Saturn being at Egghead.
  18. 18.0 18.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 106 Chapter 1075, cover story: Germa 66's Ahh... An Emotionless Excursion Vol. 31.
  19. One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1100 (p. 2-8).
  20. One Piece Manga — Chapter 1106 (p. 8-10), Saturn realizes Vegapunk's betrayal and stabs him.
  21. 21.0 21.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 41 Chapter 395 and Episode 277, Clover speaks to the Five Elders.
  22. One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1089.
  23. One Piece Manga — Chapter 1110 (p. 4-7), The Beast Forms of the Five Elders are fully shown and identified.
  24. One Piece Manga — Chapter 1110 (p. 2 & 14).
  25. One Piece Manga — Chapter 1109, Saturn's telepathic talks with the other Elders.
  26. One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1095.
  27. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 37 Chapter 355 (p. 9-10) and Episode 249, Spandam persuades the Five Elders change their mind. It has been over ten years since Roger's execution.
  28. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 25 Chapter 233 and Episode 151, The Five Elders speak of the situation of Shanks and Whitebeard.
  29. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 32 Chapter 303 (p. 19) and Episode 225, The Five Elders are informed of Aokiji's absence.
  30. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 45 Chapter 433 (p. 18-19) and Episode 316, The Five Elders hear about the meeting of Red Hair and Whitebeard.
  31. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 60 Chapter 594 (p. 2-3) and Episode 511, The Five Elders discuss the results of the war.
  32. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 90 Chapter 907 (p. 16-17) and Episode 887, Shanks requests a private meeting with the Five Elders to discuss an important matter.
  33. One Piece Manga — Vol. 107 Chapter 1086.
  34. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 103 Chapter 1037 (p. 16-17) and Episode 1064.
  35. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 103 Chapter 1041 (p. 9-10) and Episode 1068.
  36. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 103 Chapter 1044 (p. 4-6) and Episode 1071.
  37. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 104 Chapter 1052 (p. 2-3) and Episode 1079.
  38. One Piece Manga — Vol. 104 Chapter 1053 (p. 3), The Five Elders order a stop to the distribution of a wanted poster.
  39. One Piece Movie — One Piece Film: Red.
  40. One Piece Manga — Vol. 107 Chapter 1078, The Five Elders's reasons for having Vegapunk assassinated are revealed.
  41. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 105 Chapter 1060 (p. 11-15) and Episode 1089, The Five Elders orders the Marines to forget about what Sabo would have said.
  42. One Piece Manga — Vol. 107 Chapter 1078 (p. 11).
  43. One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1089 (p. 10. 12-17).
  44. One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1090 (p. 2-4, 13-14).
  45. One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1093.
  46. One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1094.
  47. One Piece Manga — Chapter 1103.
  48. One Piece Manga — Chapter 1104.
  49. One Piece Manga — Chapter 1105.
  50. One Piece Manga — Chapter 1106.
  51. One Piece Manga — Chapter 1109 (p. 4-5, 13-15).
  52. One Piece Manga — Vol. 108 Chapter 1094 (p. 12-13).

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