The Five Elders, also known as Gorosei, are those who, apparently, sit at the top of the hierarchy of the Nobles in One Piece. Given that they are the leaders of basically everything, they possess tremendous power and hold almost everything in the palm of their hands.
Although their appearances have been limited, every time they do show up, they reveal something extremely significant to the story of the series. There isn't much that we know about the Five Elders, but Oda, being the crafty mangaka that he is, has revealed quite a bit of intriguing information about them. Here are 10 things that you probably didn't know about the Gorosei in One Piece.
10 Their Debut
The Five Elders are the highest known authority in One Piece, meaning their role in the series is pretty huge. One would assume that they appear right away in the story, however, that's certainly not the case. The Gorosei made their debut in the story back in Chapter 233 of the One Piece manga.
Coming over to the anime, the Gorosei appeared in Episode 151 of the series. Their first appearance was triggered by the Red-Hair Pirates, who were on their way to meet up with Whitebeard Pirates.
9 Their Rank Among The Celestial Dragons
For a long time, it was believed that the Gorosei were lower in authority than the average Celestial Dragon living in Mary Geoise. However, this turned out to be incorrect later on. During the Reverie arc of One Piece, it was all but confirmed that the average Celestial Dragons don't possess as high an authority as the Gorosei do.
This isn't really a shock since the Gorosei control the entire world and its affairs. They keep a tab on everyone so it makes sense that they're superior to the Tentryuubito in terms of power and authority.
8 Their Residence
Nearly every One Piece fan probably knows that the Celestial Dragons live on top of the Red Line at Mary Geoise. However, few know that the exact place of residence of the Five Elders is known as Pangaea Castle.
As the name suggests, this is a huge palace that fans have seen quite a few times in the series already. There are innumerable slaves there, more likely than not, as seen during the Reverie arc of the series.
7 Not The Highest Authority
The Gorosei were believed to the highest known authority in the world of One Piece for decades, until just recently, when it was revealed by Eiichiro Oda that they were, in fact, not the highest authority.
While the Five Elders may definitely be better than the average Celestial Dragons in terms of power and authority, they're still answerable to a higher power, known as Im-sama. Im was revealed just a few chapters before the beginning of the Wano Country arc of the anime. Who he is, exactly, is something that fans don't know yet.
6 Their Control
Since the Five Elders are the highest known authority in the One Piece world, it isn't really hard to imagine that they control everything. Since they are the biggest power in the World Government, the Gorosei are the ones who have absolute control over even the likes of the Navy.
Furthermore, they're the ones who once decided who to add pirates to their ranks to defend against other pirates, aka the Shichibukai system. It goes without saying that they're one of the biggest known threats to Luffy and the other Straw Hats, and in due time, they will become central to the story.
5 Their Special Weapon
The Gorosei may have complete freedom, but that always comes in with the task of maintaining the power balance throughout the world. Consequently, they can't travel from place to place to solve their 'conflicts' that they need to be resolved. For this purpose, they use the Cipher Pol, specifically, the Cipher Pol Aegis 0.
As explained by Oda, CP-0 works directly under the command of the World Nobles, and that means they're most obedient to the Gorosei themselves. At Dressrosa, we got firsthand experience of the Cipher Pol being mobilized by the Gorosei.
4 Their Names
The Gorosei have now featured in the story at different points in time, yet their names have never been revealed. It is possible that Oda is keeping their names a secret until the time when they become the sole focus of the anime.
It is also possible that the Gorosei simply hide their names to avoid any identity reveal, which is most likely related to the 100 year Void Century in One Piece. Either way, we'll find out in time.
3 Their Age
One of the biggest mysteries in the One Piece series is related to the age of the Gorosei. The fact that they're known as 'The Five Elders' seems to imply that they're very old. What's even more shocking is that they don't seem to age at all.
It is a widely believed theory that the Gorosei are actually immortal and have been alive right since the days of the Void Century. However, this is just a theory, albeit a popularly believed one. Whether it's true or not is something that we'll find out soon enough.
2 Their Fighting Capabilities
Just like everything else about them, the fighting capabilities of these five men haven't been revealed to us yet. Interestingly enough, the Gandhi-esque Gorosei member wields what appears to be the Shodai Kitetsu, one of the Saijo o Wazamono grade swords.
If true, the Gorosei will likely turn out to be some of the greatest fighters that we've seen in One Piece, which would make sense since they're the highest authority as well.
1 Their Knowledge
The Five Elders seem to have full knowledge of the events of the Void Century, along with everything else that has happened in the world of One Piece since then. This was proved when they were completely shocked by Professor Clover's findings on the Ancient Kingdom.
Furthermore, they seem to have carried out a Great Cleansing at some point in the past and are likely going to do it again very soon. Evidently, this is done to keep things under wraps, just as they intend most stuff to be.