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The official release of One Piece 1073 is scheduled for January 29, 2023. Until then, fans will have to settle for unofficial translations of leaks and raw scans. Admittedly, the latest installment of the series was a big hit. The chapter puts a considerable amount of focus on the Five Elders, revealing the name of one of them, as well as the fact that he is coming to Egghead together with Admiral Kizaru.
With the Five Elders being the highest authority in the One Piece world, just below the mysterious Im, this unexpected twist immediately sparked fans' speculation about their future involvement in the series.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to Chapter 1073 and reflects the writer's personal views.
The Five Elders vs the Rooftop Supernovas is a battle that may happen in One Piece's final arc
The Five Elders are the most prominent Celestial Dragon
The leader of the World Government is the cryptic Im, whose direct orders are executed by the Five Elders, a restricted group of individuals. As a facade for the public, they act as the greatest authority, while Im's existence is kept a secret.
The Five Elders aim to protect the balance in the One Piece world and maintain the public image of the World Government. They obey Im's orders regarding whichever "light" needs to be permanently erased from history.
These five individuals are Celestial Dragons, the aristocratic descendants of nineteen of the Twenty Kings who established what is now known as the World Government. However, the Five Elders possess a far higher degree of authority than the average Celestial Dragons.
All the Five Elders are older men of a similar age. Unlike the rest of their brethren, the Five Elders neither wear a full-body white suit nor do they have their heads encased in a glass case.
Given their enigmatic nature, the Five Elders have always been the subject of theories and conjectures from fans. Many readers assume that these five individuals are immortal or, at least, have an incredibly long lifespan that dates back to the Void Century.
However, the Five Elders don’t age. There is no visible difference between their current appearance and the Ohara flashback, which happened more than 20 years before the ongoing storyline.
The Rooftop Supernovas are the strongest rookie pirates
Among the Supernovas, rookie pirates who were awarded a bounty of over 100 million Berries before entering the New World, those who are part of the "Worst Generation" have special hype.
The Worst Generation is a group of twelve pirates whose actions shook the One Piece world. They includes the "Eleven Supernovas" and Marshall D. Teach, aka Blackbeard, who is considered to be a Worst Generation member but not a Supernova.
After the time skip, the Worst Generation Supernovas significantly increased their strength. However, a noticeable difference between them was depicted when the less powerful rookies willingly submitted to the Emperors, lacking both the guts and the actual power to challenge them.
Conversely, the strongest rookies never even considered submitting to the Emperors. Instead, they relentlessly fought them and their subordinates. These rising pirates, namely Luffy, Zoro, Law, Kid, and Killer, are on a completely different level from the others.
In fact, it was stated that Luffy, Zoro, and the others are the leaders of the new generation of pirates. One Piece's author, Eiichiro Oda, noticeably highlighted them in the exciting fight against Kaido and Big Mom - an event that fans nicknamed "Roof Piece". These seven mighty pirates challenged themselves to a fierce and fast-paced battle, which became more exciting with each new chapter. Unsurprisingly, this fight is considered to be one of the best moments in the entire Wano arc.
Despite being rivals, Luffy, Zoro, Law, Kid, and Killer were forced to cooperate against Kaido and Big Mom. As such, the five strongest rookies pushed aside their competitiveness in favor of teamwork. One Piece fans widely appreciated their interactions.
After a series of back-and-forth blows, Kaido and Big Mom launched a powerful combined attack that cornered the Supernovas. Zoro managed to block the Emperors' joint effort, protecting the others. However, he suffered grievous injuries in the process.
Successively, Kaido attacked Luffy, making him lose consciousness with a tremendous strike. To protect the life of his captain, who was unconscious, Zoro gathered his remaining energy and fought Kaido head-on.
In the ensuing clash, Zoro severely wounded Kaido, leaving him with a deep scar. However, he spent his last energy without taking him down. Luffy would later defeat Kaido in a heated battle, while Big Mom would somehow end up losing at the hands of Law and Kid.
Is One Piece 1073 hinting that the Five Elders are powerful warriors?
It is unknown how the Five Elders became the leaders of the World Government directly below Im, or how long they have held that position. Moreover, to this day, fans weren't even aware of these characters' names.
But One Piece 1073, the latest installment of the series, shocked fans by revealing the name of one of the Five Elders, the grey-haired man with dreadlocks. Wearing a hat and usually holding a walking cane, he also has a noticeable scar on the left side of his face.
The name of this individual was revealed to be Saint Jegarcia Saturn. Interestingly enough, he was shown chatting with Admiral Kizaru aboard one of the ships that are heading towards Egghead to stop the Strawhat Pirates and Dr Vegapunk from fleeing the island.
This unexpected appearance has given rise to several theories within the One Piece fandom, especially since "Saturn" recalls the names of the Ancient Weapons, i.e., Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus.
Moreover, the fact that Saint Jegarcia is heading to Egghead led many people to the assumption that he and his colleagues are all powerful warriors. One Piece mangaka Eiichiro Oda is yet to reveal if the Five Elders are fighters. However, according to some fans, he left this information ambiguous on purpose.
Not only is it unknown how strong they are, but it’s not even a given that they can fight. However, they don't seem to be the average old men. Their bodies are muscular and scarred. This may be Oda's way of hinting at them having at least some battle experience.
One of the Five Elders, a bald man who wears glasses and a white gi, owns a sword, which many fans believe to be the Shodai Kitetsu, one of the Supreme Grade blades. It would hardly be feasible for such a fine sword to be in the hands of an individual who is not a strong fighter in his own right.
With this cue already hinting at the Five Elders being top-tier fighters, the reveal of one of them heading to a potential battlefield, such as Egghead Island, seems to be a further confirmation of the theory being true.
Admittedly, the presence of an immensely powerful fighter such as Kizaru on Saint Jegarcia's side should ensure the latter's personal safety. However, it is important to note that this is still the first time in the series that a Celestial Dragon is willingly heading to a battlefield.
A potential battle that would emphasize One Piece's final arc
Going by the assumption that the Five Elders are mighty warriors, some fans have started speculating that someday they will fight against the five most powerful Supernovas of the Worst Generation, i.e., those who confronted Kaido and Big Mom on Onigashima’s Rooftop.
While this remains a complete conjecture regarding the potential development of the series, such an occurrence doesn't seem to be impossible. Luffy, Zoro, Law, Kid, and Killer are more determined than ever to conquer the Grand Line.
While they belong to different crews, i.e., Luffy and Zoro to the Strawhat Pirates, Law to the Heart Pirates, and Kid and Killer to the Kid Pirates, they have already joined their efforts against a common enemy once.
Undoubtedly, the World Government will not stay and watch their rise. This may lead to a fierce battle, where the Supernovas will be forced to cooperate against the Five Elders.
Final Thoughts
The unexpected reveal of the name of one of the Five Elders, Saint Jegarcia Saturn, as well as the emphasis on the fact that he is heading to Egghead alongside Kizaru, has undoubtedly heated the One Piece fandom. This jarring twist may even lead to several interesting developments. For instance, Saint Jegarcia Saturn’s name could indicate the names of the other Gorosei members.
A popular theory speculates that Saint Jegarcia Saturn's name is connected to the fact that the introductive line-up of the Five Elders has him depicted all the way to the right of the image. According to some fans, this is based on how Saturn is also one of the farther planets from the sun.
With Saturn sitting on the extreme right, fans speculated that his colleagues are named after Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury. While this is merely a theory, it ties well with the idea of the Five Elders being powerful warriors who will fight against Luffy and the other rising pirates.
It would be thrilling if the Five Elders were revealed to be individuals as strong as the Admirals, if not stronger than them. With Saint Jegarcia about to arrive on Egghead, the true colors of these five mysterious individuals will soon be disclosed.
