One Piece - The Five Elders Explained: Powers, Immortality, and Imu’s Secrets
Are the Gorosei actually Devil Fruit users, or something more sinister? Let’s discover the terrifying Yokai secrets behind the Five Elders' true forms in One Piece.
In the final part of the One Piece Egghead Island Arc, the main antagonists of the overarching story, the Five Elders, appeared to battle the Straw Hats and the Giant Warrior Pirates. Thanks to the top-tier Conqueror’s Haki of Joy Boy, Luffy was able to break through the ultimate offense of the Five Elders, though the full mystery surrounding them has yet to be revealed.
After watching the Egghead Island Arc, it is hard not to ponder the mysteries surrounding the Five Elders. Questions linger: how can they summon one another? How do they communicate telepathically without any devices? Why do they seem to take no damage, and most shockingly, why did Saint Jaygarcia Saturn suddenly die? The Egghead Island Arc was amazing, delivering incredible battles while leaving us with many unanswered questions.
Although the Elbaph Arc is almost here, starting on April 5, 2026, the shift to a seasonal format with only 26 episodes per year means it is unlikely to cover the secrets of the Five Elders just yet. As a hardcore One Piece fan who follows both the anime and the manga, I can confidently share that while the Elbaph Arc focuses heavily on a certain character’s history, the truth behind the Five Elders remains a mystery for now.
Since the Five Elders have left us with so many questions and room for endless theories, I want to dive deep into their characters in this post. My goal is to find some clues that might prepare us for what is shaping up to be the biggest arc in One Piece history. Please note that this post focuses strictly on the One Piece anime. While the manga is incredibly popular and I am a hardcore fan myself, this post is manga spoiler free; however, it does contain spoilers for the anime. If you aren't caught up with the latest episodes or want to avoid spoilers entirely, stop scrolling now!
One of the Main Antagonists for Nika: Who are the Five Elders?
Before diving deep into this post, let’s first discuss who the Five Elders actually are. In the world of One Piece, the Five Elders (pronounced as Gorōsei) are the five highest-ranking Celestial Dragons and hold the title of the Highest Authorities of the World Government. As we learned from the Egghead Island Arc, the Five Elders serve under the mysterious Imu, and their primary enemy is Monkey D. Luffy—the current user of the Devil Fruit, Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.
The first of the Five Elders I want to introduce is Saint Jaygarcia Saturn. I know it can be hard to keep track of who is who just by name, but he was the first of the Elders to appear on Egghead Island, where he transformed into a giant, spider-like creature. Saturn possesses the power of the Mythical Zoan-type Gyūki (meaning "Ox-Ogre") Devil Fruit, which enables him to transform into a monstrous bull-spider or a human-Gyūki hybrid at will. Just like the rest of the Five Elders, Saturn looks like a true monster.
The second of the Five Elders I want to introduce is Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro. Just like with Saturn, I understand it can be difficult to recognize them by name alone, but Nusjuro is actually the easiest to identify compared to the others. He is the only one who uses a sword and resembles a Japanese samurai. He is also the one who fought fiercely against Zoro and possesses the ability to transform into a giant horse. Nusjuro has the power of the Mythical Zoan-type Bakotsu (meaning "Skeleton Horse") Devil Fruit, which allows him to transform into a skeletal horse or a human-Bakotsu hybrid resembling a centaur at will.
The third member of the Five Elders I want to share is Saint Marcus Mars, the tallest of the group and the only one with long white hair. Mars is also quite easy to recognize because he is the one who can transform into a massive bird. Mars possesses the power of the Mythical Zoan-type Itsumade (meaning "Until when?") Devil Fruit, which allows him to transform into a giant monster bird with a serpentine body and a human-like face with sharp teeth, as well as a human-Itsumade hybrid at will.
The fourth member of the Five Elders I want to discuss is Saint Shepherd Ju Peter. He is one of the Elders who is harder to recognize by name alone, so let’s look at his Devil Fruit ability. Ju Peter possesses the power of a Mythical Zoan-type Sandworm Devil Fruit, which allows him to transform into a giant sandworm or a human-sandworm hybrid at will. While transforming into a giant sandworm sounds quite powerful, he didn't actually accomplish much during the Egghead Island Arc. Out of all the Five Elders, Ju Peter had the most disappointing performance in this arc.
The fifth member of the Five Elders is Saint Topman Warcury. Although he has a long name, he is quite easy to recognize as the stoutest member of the group. Not only is his human form large, but he also possesses the power of the Mythical Zoan-type Fengxi (a boar demon) Devil Fruit, which allows him to transform into a Fengxi or a human-Fengxi hybrid at will. In his full beast form, he resembles a massive four-tusked boar, nearly larger than a Giant’s ship. Warcury is a truly terrifying member of the Five Elders, but fortunately, thanks to Emet, he was unable to deal any damage to Luffy and his team.
Although they are called the Five Elders, the group now includes a new face: Saint Figarland Garling. While Luffy believed the Elders were immortal, we learned that they can indeed die through specific means. After Imu erased Saturn, Figarland Garling became the newest member of the Five Elders, taking over responsibility for York, one of Dr. Vegapunk's satellites. While many of you may have forgotten Garling, remember that he was the one who executed Saint Donquixote Mjosgard following the incident involving the mermaid princess, Shirahoshi.
Actually, each of the Five Elders is in charge of a particular area of politics, holding the title of "Warrior God." For more details, please refer to this table from AnimeOshi:
The First Mystery of the Five Elders: Why can they summon each other?
Among the mysteries the Five Elders have left us with, let’s first discuss how they are able to summon one another. This is a massive mystery, even for the characters within the world of One Piece. In anime episodes 1143 and 1144, the situation on Egghead Island becomes too much for Saturn to handle alone—between the Pacifista rebellion, Dr. Vegapunk’s global broadcast, and the sudden appearance of Nika. To regain control, Saturn decides to summon the rest of his team.
What is so bizarre is that before the summoning, Saturn contacted his team, received a reply, and then brought everyone directly from Mary Geoise to Egghead Island. While this seemed impossible to everyone watching, once the pentagrams emerged from the ground, the remaining members of the Five Elders suddenly arrived.
Because the remaining Elders transformed instantly upon arrival, everyone was shocked to see these monsters appear so suddenly. Luckily, even though Sanji was stunned, he still managed to notice an important hint: the strange pentagrams. Before the rest arrived, Saturn had used this same method to land on Egghead Island, meaning Sanji had witnessed the summoning process twice. Although Sanji didn't have time to fully investigate, simply noticing this detail helped the whole team significantly.
By knowing that these monsters appear through pentagrams, Luffy and his team can now prepare themselves before the Elders arrive, or perhaps even find a way to stop them. We still don't know the secrets hidden within these pentagrams, but since the monsters emerge from them, the best strategy for the Straw Hats might be to launch their strongest attacks at the circles the moment they are activated. While it is difficult for the team to investigate the pentagrams in the heat of battle, I believe a way to erase or disable them must exist somewhere. Since these monsters have ruled the world for so many years, there must be clues about their powers hidden somewhere in the world.
Right now, there are two possible reasons why the pentagrams can summon the Five Elders. The first reason is the effect of a certain Devil Fruit. In the world of One Piece, Devil Fruits are a manifestation of people’s imagination. Since imagination was strong enough to manifest the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, it is not far-fetched for it to manifest a Devil Fruit that allows people to summon or teleport.
Since this power is so immense, it may be a side effect of the primary antagonist, Imu, or even an entirely different fruit altogether. Based on the fact that Marshall D. Teach is able to possess two different abilities, it wouldn't surprise me if Imu had two, or even three, Devil Fruit powers. Teach must have known it was possible for him to hold two different fruits; therefore, we can assume someone else succeeded in doing so in the past, which ultimately led Teach to take this unbelievable risk.
The second possible reason is the knowledge of ancient technology. I understand it may sound unbelievable that ancient tech would allow people to summon or teleport, but this technology has consistently amazed us since the appearance of Zunesha. From Zunesha and Emet to the Ancient Weapons and even the massive ship Noah, many unbelievable feats exist in the world of One Piece.
Based on Dr. Vegapunk’s theory, modern disasters and rising sea levels are actually artificial phenomena; therefore, it shouldn't surprise us if technology to summon or transport people exists as well. The current lifestyle in the One Piece world is actually regressing, and since we know Joy Boy and his super-advanced technology truly existed, it is possible the pentagrams belong to that era.
The Second Mystery of the Five Elders: Why are they immortal?
The second mystery we will look into is the question Luffy has been asking throughout the battle: why are the Five Elders immortal? After saving Bartholomew Kuma and Jewelry Bonney, Luffy tried numerous ways to strike Saturn, but none of them had any effect. Once the remaining Five Elders arrived at Egghead Island, Luffy attempted to attack them as well, but unexpectedly, his strikes dealt almost no damage.
This is a bizarre reality for everyone. Although Nika Luffy is able to stay positive and fight the Five Elders until the very end, he must eventually find a way to deal with their invulnerability. Otherwise, the Five Elders won't even need to counterattack—Luffy will simply exhaust himself again and again. Since the Nika form consumes a massive amount of energy, Luffy cannot sustain it for an entire battle without a solution, and he won't always have the luxury of finding food mid-fight to recover.
Based on the facts and hints we have gathered throughout the anime series, there are two possible reasons why the Five Elders appear to be immortal. The first possibility is that the Five Elders, or perhaps the pentagrams themselves, are the result of a specific Devil Fruit's power. In the world of One Piece, many Devil Fruits can create incredible effects where the conjured objects or people cannot be destroyed until the user themselves takes damage. We have seen similar mechanics with Gecko Moria’s Kage Kage no Mi, Charlotte Cracker’s Bisu Bisu no Mi, and Sugar’s Hobi Hobi no Mi.
Throughout the series, immortality effects aren't actually that rare, as Devil Fruits can produce powers that ultimately lead to such a state. These examples show us that through the imagination of a user, a Devil Fruit can indeed grant immortality—and perhaps this is the secret behind the Five Elders. If this is the reason for their invulnerability, it is actually a good sign for Luffy and his team; no matter what the power is, every Devil Fruit has its own weakness.
The second possibility involves the side effects of the Ope Ope no Mi. Achieving immortality isn't actually impossible in the One Piece world; even without knowing the secrets of the Five Elders or the pentagrams, we already know of one method to achieve it. Unlike other Devil Fruits, the Ope Ope no Mi possesses an ultimate secret power: the Perennial Youth Operation (often called the Ageless Surgery), which allows the user to grant another person eternal youth at the cost of their own life.
Emporio Ivankov’s theory is likely correct—after all, how would people even know the Ope Ope no Mi has such a power? Unless there was a successful example in the past, it wouldn’t make sense for knowledge of this ultimate secret to be passed down through generations. From the existence of Imu, we know that the Perennial Youth Operation is real, but what if it has other effects as well? At this stage, we don't know how many Devil Fruits Imu has consumed, but it is possible that an Awakening has granted Imu even more incredible powers—ultimately allowing them to summon, transport, and rule the world like an immortal monster.
The Third Mystery of the Five Elders: How was Saturn erased?
While Luffy is likely still focused on how to defeat these terrifying monsters, some of the Marines are asking the exact opposite question: how was Saint Jaygarcia Saturn suddenly erased? For everyone who has followed the One Piece story, there was a sense of relief to see Saturn finally face some form of punishment, but for his subordinates, the event must have been terrifying.
While we may be glad the monster is gone, it leaves us with a major question. Why was even the powerful Conqueror’s Haki of Joy Boy unable to kill Saturn, yet a few words from Imu caused him to be completely erased? There are two possible theories for this. The first is what I call the "Vampire and Dependents" effect.
A vampire shares its blood with its dependents, but at the same time, the vampire holds the authority to take that blood back, which ultimately kills the dependent. As long as the blood is present, both the vampire and the dependents are able to remain immortal; however, once the vampire makes a decision, the dependents lose that immortality. The dialogue between Imu and Saturn right before Saturn was erased really makes me consider this possibility.
A vampire will always hold the authority and the rights, while the dependents must always beg—much like the dynamic between Imu and the Five Elders. I know this may sound unbelievable, but if the Ope Ope no Mi does have other hidden effects, it is possible for Imu to have established this kind of relationship with them. We must remember that Imu has lived much longer than the Five Elders and definitely possesses ancient knowledge; it is entirely possible that Imu has built this strange bond with them over centuries.
Here’s a great YouTube video worth checking out.
The next possible reason is that this is one of Imu’s ultimate techniques. While this may sound like an obvious theory, the way Saturn was terrified just by Imu speaking to him suggests that Imu possesses many hidden abilities. Beyond the scene with Saturn, we also saw the remaining members of the Five Elders tremble at the fact that Imu had so easily removed Saturn from their ranks.
While it is difficult to figure out the exact deal between Imu and the Five Elders, the fact that they only listen, bow, and obey him proves that Imu is far more than just a typical Celestial Dragon. Furthermore, since Imu was able to defeat Joy Boy and his allies in the past, it is clear that Imu possesses powers even greater and scarier than Nika’s. He is someone who truly has every quality needed to rule the world for centuries. For a being like Imu, it would be perfectly normal to have a technique or skill that allows him to eliminate his subordinates anywhere and at any time.
Here’s a great YouTube video worth checking out.
The Fourth Mystery of the Five Elders: Is Conqueror’s Haki the Only Way to Defeat Them?
Now that we have dived deep into the mysteries of the Five Elders, we must address the most important question: is there actually a way to defeat these monsters? Since Luffy is destined to become the Pirate King and uncover the truth of the world, he will inevitably have to face these beings, and Imu once again.
Because another confrontation is certain, we have to ask: how can they be beaten? At this stage, it seems there is a way to defeat them and eventually reach Imu, but Luffy still has some "homework" to do. Throughout the series, and especially as of anime Episode 1153, we have learned that there is always a way to overcome seemingly invincible enemies: Haki—more specifically, Conqueror’s Haki.
Long before Luffy and his team reached Egghead Island, during the battle between Gear 5 Luffy and the "Strongest Creature," Kaidou, it was famously mentioned that "only Haki can transcend all." During that fight, Kaidou struggled with the unpredictable and playful nature of Gear 5, but he proved to us that Haki is what truly matters in the end.
No matter how much Gear 5 Luffy played around, Kaidou’s absolute power and Haki dealt massive damage to him. Beyond Kaidou, the legendary Gol D. Roger also demonstrated the immense potential of Haki. It is truly the strongest weapon for characters in the One Piece world; not only Roger, but Silvers Rayleigh, "Red-Haired" Shanks, and Monkey D. Garp have all shown us that Haki is the ultimate tool for defeating those who seem invincible.
Here’s a great YouTube video worth checking out.
Although the battle between Luffy and the Five Elders made it feel as though Haki wasn't enough, anime Episode 1153 proved otherwise. The legendary Joy Boy showed us that it isn’t that Haki has no effect, but rather that there is a higher tier of Conqueror’s Haki. We don’t yet know if anyone else has reached the same level as Joy Boy, but it is clear he possessed the most powerful Conqueror’s Haki in history.
Not only was Joy Boy able to somehow materialize his Haki and store it within Emet, but his Conqueror’s Haki was also strong enough to force the Five Elders back and even reach Imu deep inside Mary Geoise. In that scene, Joy Boy’s Haki actually made Imu suffer and shout his name in agony. This confirms that Haki is the key Luffy needs to defeat these monsters and Imu. Although Luffy still has "homework" to do to reach that level, having a clear path forward is much better than having no way to fight back at all.
Here’s a great YouTube video worth checking out.
Conclusion:
The One Piece Elbaph Arc is almost here, with the premiere set for April 5, 2026. While it might feel like the Elbaph Arc should answer every question we have, the anime's shift to a seasonal format—releasing only 26 episodes per year—means it will be difficult to cover everything at once. Furthermore, since the "True" One Piece story is so densely packed into this upcoming arc, there are countless details we will need to discuss, investigate, and remember.
With so much left to discover, I hope AnimeOshi’s One Piece guides help you have the best viewing experience possible. For those who want to be fully prepared for Elbaph, I strongly recommend rewatching the final episodes of the Egghead Island Arc; there are many crucial details hidden there that set the stage for the true story of One Piece.
Thank you for reading! I will be publishing more content soon, including plot explanations, character deep-dives, and much more, so please stay tuned. While you wait for my next post, feel free to leave as many episodic reviews as possible, as there are plenty of challenges waiting for you on AnimeOshi! Plus, AnimeOshi has just launched a new Dropkick on My Devil! campaign , so everyone is welcome to join!
Here’s a great YouTube video worth checking out.
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