The Five Elders of One Piece are a group of old men within the World Government whose meetings sometimes take center stage in the manga due to how influential and knowledgeable they are. They're a group of mysterious powerhouses who seem to be about as high up in power as one could get in this Grand Line setting.
Yet somehow, regardless of how many times these characters have appeared and how well-known they should be, One Piece fans know next to nothing about them. So, let's go over what author Eiichiro Oda has either confirmed in One Piece or at least heavily hinted at when it comes to these mysterious individuals.
7 In The Public, They're The Top Dogs, But Behind Closed Doors, They Answer To Im
While the Five Elders may seem like they're just a single "part" of the World Government, they're really at the peak of it, including all its many branches. The Marines, Cipher Pol, Impel Down, and even decisions related to the Seven Warlords, they're the end-all-be-all for all of them. In fact, they even have a hand in deciding certain Pirate bounties, given that Luffy and Robin have always had exceedingly high bounties based on the threat they pose to the secrets the World Government is keeping.
And, while those in the World Government may know of their existence, they seem to be mostly unknown to the outside world, with the Fleet Admiral of the Marines taking center stage as the "head honcho" in the public's eye. But, what's even more mysterious is the fact that they aren't technically the highest "authority" since they're subservient to one person. This person is someone named "Im" and is the "King of the World" who sits on the Empty Throne when no one is around.
6 All Of Them Are Celestial Dragons
One of the primary reasons these five men are so powerful is because they're all Celestial Dragons, and this is also why they have more influence than the other Dragons or World Nobles because they're part of the Government on top of being descendants of the Twenty Kings who originally established the World Government. Now visually, It's hard to tell that these five are World Nobles, considering they don't wear the full-body white suits or the fish-bowl helmets that the other Celestial Dragons such as Saint Charlos customarily wear.
Additionally, these Five Elders also don't seem to follow the other tell-tale signs of a Celestial Dragon such as curling their hair upward, being overweight, or having a general "greater-than-thou" sort of demeanor to them.
5 They Don't Seem To Age Like A Normal Person
Another aspect of the Five Elders that have been visually confirmed but never really explained is that they don't seem to age much. When they briefly appeared in the flashback of the destruction of Ohara, they looked almost exactly the same as they do in the present.
That's a 20-year difference, yet these guys all basically look the same. Of course, there are a variety of reasons for this within the One Piece world, such as:
- It could be that Celestial Dragons just age slower due to the blood of the Twenty Kings that runs through them.
- The World Government could be using secret tech or medicine not available to the public to extend their lives.
- Living in Mary Geoise could have natural health benefits that lead to longer lives.
- They could be used some tech, medicine, or magic from the Void Century to extend their lives as well.
It's unclear and has never been confirmed, but it would make sense if Celestial Dragons had something about their DNA that made them even slightly different from regular people, given their background and political influence.
4 They're Just Really Tall
Another physical aspect of the Five Elders that people don't realize at first glance is that they're absurdly tall. The other Celestial Dragons are about the size of a normal person, sometimes taller, sometimes shorter, with some rare exceptions such as the irredeemable Doflamingo. But, the Five Elders are absurdly tall, being around a similar height to Sakazuki Akainu, who's about 10 feet tall.
It's unclear if these Five are so tall just by pure coincidence or if it has something to do with their lifestyles or the fact that they all seem relatively healthy compared to someone like Saint Charlos, but it's hard to ignore once noticed.
3 They Probably Saw Actual Combat In Their Lives
This next fact is the one with the least amount of confirmation, but the Five Elders, or at least a couple of them, seem to have seen combat in some way shape, or form. All of them have yet to have canon names revealed, but the one with the dreadlocks and hat has a long scar across his face that looks like a cut from a blade or weapon of some sort. Meanwhile, the bald Elder without facial hair carries around a samurai sword and wears similar samurai attire. Next, the blond Elder with short hair and beard has a scar across his chest that seems to have come from a blade as well. And lastly, the Elder with the large handlebar mustache has these spots on his forehead that could be burn scars of some sort, though they could also just be a Port-Wine Stain sort of birthmark.
Of course, all of these scars could just be the result of random accidents in their lives or something completely unrelated to combat. But, given how physically fit they all are and how deep their knowledge seems to be of war, combat, and government when it comes to fighting against the Revolutionary Army, it's much more likely that they've fought in battles at some point in their lives. Here's hoping that fans get to see them in a fight at some point during One Piece's final arc.
2 Have Never Been Seen Outside Of Pangaea Castle
A part of the Five Elders that not many people seem to notice is that they're only ever in one spot. In all of their appearances, in both the anime and manga, the Five Elders have only ever been seen within Pangaea Castle's Room of Authority, where it seems like all their meetings are held.
Pangaea Castle is, of course, in Mary Geoise, where the core of the World Government is and where all of the Celestial Dragons live. It's unknown if the Elders live within the castle or if they just meet here, but either way, they've never been seen anywhere else and this is likely the reason they're mostly unknown to the common folk.
1 Have Knowledge Of The Void Century
And finally, let's talk about how the Five Elders obviously know a lot more about the history of the world than seemingly anyone else does. They know about at least some of the events during the Void Century, if not all of them as well as the true nature of Zoan fruits, and even Devil Fruit Awakening. This was first confirmed during the destruction of Ohara when Professor Clover started to mention the name of the "Great Kingdom", one of the most famous old Kingdoms from the Void Century, and in response the Five Elders order Spandine to shoot him immediately, stopping him from uttering the name.
This knowledge could be why they're also so serious about everything, and may even have something to do with why the World Nobles, outside of those who had left the organization like DonQuixote Doflamingo and DonQuixote Rosiante, never seem to eat Devil Fruits of their own.