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Starting from where the previous chapter finished, One Piece 1083 featured the beginning of Sabo's report about the events that took place during the Reverie. Among the many intriguing cues included in the issue, readers are particularly curious about the Holy Knights.
First mentioned in One Piece 1054, it is now revealed that the Holy Knights are a group of major fighters under the direct employment of Im and the Five Elders. The identity, appearance, and abilities of the Holy Knights are yet to be disclosed, but fans have already started speculating about them as the final opponents of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to Chapter 1083.
One Piece 1083 teased the strength of Im's elite soldiers, the Holy Knights
A new group of powerful fighters
During the events of the latest Reverie, Saint Charlos underwent a failed assassination attempt by unknown assailants. Allegedly, the culprits managed to avoid punishment due to the interference of Saint Mjosgard. The Holy Knights intervened to settle the ensuing dispute between the two nobles.
One Piece 1083 revealed that the Holy Knights are more than just mediators. Upon learning what happened to the Lulusia Kingdom, eight countries refused to pay taxes to the World Government, expressing their open disdain for the incident, which ended in the annihilation of the island at the hands of Im's mysterious destructive power.
The World Government thus decided to send the Holy Knights to deal with these insurgent kingdoms. These individuals are hyped as a force to be reckoned with. Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, stated that once the Holy Knights make their move, that's when the real battle begins.
These intriguing new enemies are only shown in the form of darkened silhouettes, meaning that their identities, appearances, and abilities are still unknown. With their role as warriors tasked with performing punitive raids against any nation that decides to revolt against the World Government, the Holy Knights are implied to be fearsome.
By the way it looks, each warrior is sent to single-handedly take on one of the rebellious kingdoms. Granted, this is not an impossible feat for powerful One Piece characters. Even the Vinsmoke Family, with a team of its members and the employment of an army of clones, could perform the same deed.
Shockingly enough, the silhouette of one of the Holy Knights resembles that of "Red Hair" Shanks in every possible way, from his body, posture, and clothing. The enigmatic warrior even owns a sword that is incredibly similar to Shanks' Gryphon.
This has given rise to countless theories, like the speculation about "two Shanks", the pirate whom all readers know, and another one who is his twin brother in the Figarland Family, the Celestial Dragon kin, which apparently gave birth to the "Red Hair". This second Shanks would be among the Holy Knights.
The true strength of the World Government
Regardless of their enigmatic ties with some established major characters in the series, the Holy Knights are going to be real monsters. Even Dragon, one of the most hyped One Piece characters, emphasized their might as the true power of the World Government.
Going by pure speculation, the Holy Knights may or may not rank above the Marine Admirals, but they are most likely going to be revealed as significantly stronger than Lucci and Kaku, who, at the moment, are the most powerful known fighters under the direct employment of the World Government.
The Holy Knights may be the strongest soldiers in Im's service. Many theories assumed that this place was up to the Five Elders, but as of now, it's still unknown if they can even fight. However, their bodies are muscular and bear visible scars, which are usually a trademark feature of seasoned fighters.
With regards to Im's own power, this mysterious individual owns a tremendous ability or weapon that was used to completely destroy an entire island within seconds. Such devastating power far outstrips any feat displayed by even the strongest One Piece characters. Admittedly, the real might of the World Government is fearsome.
The Five Elders, who act as the true leaders as a facade for the public, are determined to prevent the world from learning the true history of the Void Century and the Ancient Kingdom. Likely, this is also to cover the atrocities that the World Government has committed and the tyranny that the organization has established since then.
The World Government wants to give people the illusion of democracy, but in truth, the most important decisions belong to Im, who chooses who needs to be extinguished and when to "cleanse". With the power that Im displayed, the World Government can clearly eliminate any opposition at any given moment.
Likely, the World Government doesn't just destroy Emperors and other outlaws, despite having the capabilities to do so, because otherwise people in the One Piece world would see their true colors. If Im wiped out all opposition, the illusion of democracy would shatter, meaning that people would see the World Government for what it really is: a tyrannical dictatorship that manipulates everything.
The well-known "balance of the Three Great Powers" between Marines, Warlords, and Emperors seems like a charade. The World Government deliberately holds back many of its cards, only putting on the table the Marines and some Cipher Pol agents. The bare minimum to make the scales even and carry on the facade of factions balanced in a deadlock.
This also explains why the Five Elders told Fleet Admiral Akainu that he was just their face. That's indeed what he is, as the real might of the World Government lies in Im, as well as in the Holy Knights and, possibly, in the Five Elders themselves. They just use the Marines as a facade to not expose their absolute and tyrannical power.
However, the "great cleansing" is coming. For this reason, the World Government is now acting violently by destroying entire countries, sending punitive raids to insurgent kingdoms, and tasking assassins to kill Dr. Vegapunk, their best scientist. In such a period, the actual powerhouses of the World Government need to make their move, and this may be the role of the Holy Knights.
The final war
Monkey D. Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hats, seeks freedom above everything. He is determined to find the One Piece and has another, still undisclosed, ambition that goes even beyond that. Having eaten the Mythical Zoan of Nika, he has become the physical reincarnation of Joy Boy, the legendary "Warrior of Liberation".
Luffy is bound to eventually clash with the World Government and overtake it, leading his crew to reveal all the mysteries of the One Piece world. Obviously, this can't happen without a fierce fight against the organization that has tried to hide those very secrets.
Before succumbing to his injuries in the Paramount War, Whitebeard declared that there will be a man who will find the truth and carry the burden of history, generating a great war, and that the World Government lives in fear of the day when that happens. This individual is certainly the second coming of Joy Boy, i.e., Monkey D. Luffy.
Why One Piece may feature a fight between the Holy Knights and the Straw Hat Pirates
Given their role in the ranks of the World Government, the Holy Knights may very well confront the Straw Hat Pirates during this tremendous war. As there are ten Straw Hats and nine Holy Knights, One Piece author Eiichiro Oda would likely have Luffy fight Im while the rest of the crew fights the strongest soldiers of the World Government.
It would be very disappointing if new powerful characters were introduced this late in the story only for them to be second-order fighters who get quickly beaten. After the massive hype generated around the Holy Knights, fans would never forgive such an underwhelming end.
To pose a serious challenge to someone like Zoro, an Advanced Conqueror's Haki user who aims to become the World's Strongest Swordsman and, at the time of the battle against the World Government may have already surpassed Mihawk, the Holy Knights need to be top-tier-level individuals.
This, however, could prove to be a problem for the opposite reason as well. Some members of the Straw Hat Pirates, namely Chopper, Nami, and Usopp, don't really seem ready to fight in 1v1 against Commander-level individuals, let alone stronger fighters. Even Franky, Nico Robin, and Brook still have a way to go before reaching that level.
Granted, the various members aren't bound to be equally powerful. Like among the Seven Warlords, the Eleven Supernovas, or the All Stars, the Sweet Commanders, and many other groups, there are stronger and weaker fighters with notable gaps in power; the same may very well be true for the Holy Knights.
The organization may include individuals strong enough to give a proper challenge even to Roronoa Zoro, and, simultaneously, minor fighters with whom the members of the Weak Trio can afford to contend. This wouldn't be unprecedented. Moreover, it would be a great idea to allow all the Straw Hat Pirates to shine, regardless of their individual strengths.
With the One Piece series nearing its end, the Straw Hats are about to enter the final and decisive part of their adventure, facing their greatest challenge. They will be forced to surpass their limits to prove themselves worthy of being a Yonko crew. There is no better way to do it than by overcoming the strongest soldiers of the World Government.
