One Piece
‘One Piece' 1,100 shows the true appearance of the Five Elders, the demons of the Gorosei
The new chapter of the manga confirms that the World Government is ruled by Yokai, creatures from mythology whose powers are unknown, but who will play a major role in the famous “Egghead Incident”.
We already predicted it back then when we talked about Luffy’s final enemies in the last part of ‘One Piece’. “No one would be surprised if, to put it bluntly, the Five Elders deal a lot of blows.” Well, it’s all said and done. Chapter 1,100 of the manga gave us a glimpse of them in action, revealing the true form of this fearsome basketball team under Im Sama, the King of the World.
Until Egghead, we had only seen the Gorosei in their human form, based on real politicians like Karl Marx and Mikhail Gorbachev. But since we knew that they had been running the world government for over eight hundred years (since the Void Century), and since they had not aged an iota, and were tall and covered in scars and war wounds, something told us that they must not be completely useless in battle. It is a long way from there to imagining that they were Yokai who could make your head explode with their gaze.
These are the names of the Gorosei revealed in the 1,100th chapter of the ‘One Piece’ manga.
- San Shepher Ju Peter, “Sandworm”
- San Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, “Bakotsu”
- San Topman Warcury, “Houki”
- San Marcus Mars, “Itsumade”
- San Jaygarcía Saturn, “Gyuki”
We have arranged them according to the numbers that appeared in their respective invocation circles, which many have interpreted as a first measure of their power. And since Gorosei means “Five Elder Stars”, each member is associated with a different planet (Mars, Jupiter...).
San Jaygarcía Saturn, “Gyuki”
The one who fights with Luffy in the last chapters of the manga is San Jaygarcía Saturn, who happens to be a “Gyuki”, also called “Ushi-oni” (something like “Bull Demon”), a mythological creature that usually has the shape of a six-legged spider with the head of an ox.
Though he has proven capable of blowing heads off with a single glance, and the Gear 5′s attacks seem to have not affected him, Saturn was unable to take on Nika alone and had to call in his “friends,” so his power is unknown. Can the Gorosei cause less trouble for the Mugiwaras than a Yonkou like Kaido?
Saint Marcus Mars, “Itsumade”
The Itsumade is described in legends as a “scary bird” of colossal proportions, with a human face, a curved beak, teeth like saws, the body of a snake, and claws sharp as swords. Its name means “until when?” and comes from what the bird was always heard saying wherever it appeared, places where it arrived accompanied by a pandemic and black clouds.
Saint Topman Warcury, “Houki”
Houki is the creature with the least information. It is not a common name in Yokai bestiaries. However, because he has four tusks instead of a pair, many have associated Warcury with the two-headed boar known as Feng Xi in Chinese mythology.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, “Bakotsu”
A Bakotsu is a “Skeletal Horse”, the spirit of a horse that was burned alive, in this case in a hybrid centaur form. Many also associate him with the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but instead of a scythe, he carries an O Wazamono, one of the 12 swords of the highest degree, making Nusjuro a great rival to Zoro.
Saint Shepher Ju Peter, “Sandworm”
With Villeneuve’s “Dune” so fresh in our minds, it’s impossible not to think that Eiichiro Oda was influenced by the work of Frank Herbert and his Shai-Hulud, the giant sandworms.
Many have called him the least fearsome of the group because of his appearance, but his summoning circle number marks him as the leader of the Five Elders, which he may have proven by taking it upon himself to fight the Captain of the Straw Hat. He ate Luffy, who had to be rescued by Brogy and Dorry. How did he do that? By cutting off the head of Sandworm, whose regenerative power will surely be shown in the next chapter.
Oda has been talking for years about the Egghead Incident that will shake the world, and with the very long hiatus of ‘One Piece’ in April and May, everything points to one of those cliffhangers that keep us awake at night and climbing the walls during the day. Will the Vegapunk’s cameras show the world the true face of the world government, will the defeat of the Gorosei (or the Straw Hat) change everything and start the end of the series, and why do the Five Elders have such power and have not eaten any devil fruit? The questions pile up, and the only thing left to do is to be patient until the answers come.