Highlights
- The Five Elders hold immense power in the World Government, dictating the overall direction and making major decisions.
- Each of the Five Elders has individual responsibilities in different fields within the government.
- The Five Elders act as spokespersons for the Great Imu and carry out their commands, showing their absolute subservience to them.
The Five Elders have always been the shadowy figures who stand behind every major decision that the World Government has taken so far. Their existence is shrouded in mystery to the point that the overwhelming majority of the world doesn’t even know about their existence even though they hold such a massive amount of power in the palm of their hands.
As the story progresses, however, the Five Elders begin to step out of the shadows and into the limelight, mainly due to the nonstop disturbance caused by Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats. They even go as far as being directly involved in the hunt for Dr. Vegapunk and the Straw Hats in the current story arc. The Five Elders are clearly a very important figure both to the story and to the World Government, but what are they doing on a day-to-day basis? What are their roles in the World Government?
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Dictating the Direction of the World Government
The Five Elders held the greatest authority in the World Government, apart from the Great Imu. For all intent and purposes, they are the leader of the World Government, clothed with immense power and influence. As such, they have absolute control over every major branch within the World Government, such as the Marines, the Cipher Pol, and even the Seven Warlords of the Sea and its successor, the Seraphim.
If the World Government is a billion-dollar company, then the Fleet Admiral is a CEO, while the Five Elders are the Board of Directors. The CEO and everybody else under his command are responsible for the day-to-day operation of the company, while the board of directors focuses on tackling major issues that may arise and deciding the overall direction of the company.
For example, the Five Elders are the ones who decide to erase any record of the Void Century from the history of the world and annihilate anybody who dares to research anything about it. They are also the ones who insist on creating the Seven Warlords of the Seas, the Pacifista, and the Seraphim as well. Since the Straw Hats have become such a major threat to the balance of power in the world, the Five Elders are also actively involved in various efforts to take down Luffy and his comrades.
Individual Responsibilities Over Different Fields in the World Government
Aside from their overarching role as the mastermind behind every major decision made by the World Government, the Five Elders have individual duties as well. Every single one of them is responsible for different fields within the World Government, following their area of expertise. In a way, they are like a bunch of overpowered ministers.
Here are the Five Elders and the areas that they are responsible for:
- Jaygarcia Saturn: Science and Defense
- Marcus Mars: Environment
- Topman Warcury: Justice
- Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro: Finance
- Shepherd Ju Peter: Agriculture
Every Elder has absolute command over their respective fields. They are free to make rules and decisions that they consider to be the best for those fields. Every Elder usually focuses on their own responsibilities, but that doesn’t mean they can’t interfere with the decisions made by the other Elders. Despite their arrogant attitude, they are actually open to discussing various issues and even willing to compromise if they think it will be the best for the world. After all, they are quite level-headed and rarely make a decision based on their emotions.
As the one who is responsible for Science and Defense, Jaygarcia Saturn features heavily in the story as of late. Based on Bartholomew Kuma’s flashback, it’s not an exaggeration to say that he has always been a major figure in the scientific and military advancement in the world within the last few decades. From the development of the Pacifista to having full command over the Seraphim, Jaygarcia Saturn has his hands on everything.
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The Spokespersons of the Great Imu
If the Fleet Admiral is the CEO and the Five Elders are the prestigious Board Members of the World Government, then the Great Imu is the secret owner of the whole company. Nobody knows about the existence of the Great Imu apart from the Five Elders. And as somebody who sits upon the empty throne, Great Imu has the power to command the FIve Elders to do anything. However, since nobody can ever find out about the existence of the Great Imu, the Five Elders become the mouthpiece that relays Imu’s command to the relevant department within the World Government.
As a group of people who basically hold the biggest authority in the world, the Five Elders have a massive ego to match their power. That being said, they are absolutely subservient to the Great Imu and will gladly do anything to fulfill Imu’s desire. The best example of this was when Imu decided that the researchers of the Ohara were too dangerous and needed to be eliminated. So the Five Elders relayed this order to the Marine and initiated the Buster Call to annihilate the entire people of Ohara. Recently, Imu has also shown some concern over Luffy and the fact that he has become the second coming of the Sun God, Nika. In response to this, the Five Elders decide that eliminating Luffy is the next important thing to do after they eliminate Vegapunk.
As the ones who hold the highest authority in the World Government, right after the Great Imu, the Five Elders only concern themselves with matters of great importance that can impact the world at large. That’s why we rarely see or hear about them in the early parts of One Piece. But as Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats begin to disrupt the balance of power in the world and become a bigger threat to the World Government, there’s no doubt that the Five Elders will be much more involved in the story from here on out.
One Piece is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
