One Piece: All known Celestial Dragon families as of chapter 1148

About 800 years before the present One Piece narration, twenty kingdoms joined forces in an alliance to defeat and overthrow the “Great Kingdom." The monarchs of those kingdoms – except for Nefertari D. Lili, queen of Arabasta – left their countries and went to live on top of the Red Line, in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. This event marked the establishment of what is now known as the World Government.

The Celestial Dragons, direct descendants of these royals, still reside in Mary Geoise, where they wallow in unbridled luxury. Their birthright elevates these nobles as gods among men, allowing them to treat others as inferior.

Most Celestial Dragons are spoiled weaklings who hide behind the privilege of commanding Marine Admirals and CP0 elites to suppress any opposition to their authority. However, some nobles are formidable, battle-hardened warriors.

The Five Elders, who oversee the World Government in direct service to the mysterious Imu-sama, are fearsome powerhouses. The Holy Knights, the law enforcers of the Holy Land, are also capable fighters.

Unlike most Celestial Dragons, who wear bubbles over their heads, Elders and Knights don normal attires. They also possess several unique esoteric abilities. As these nobles emerge as menacing villains, here are the Celestial Dragon families that One Piece has revealed so far.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1148.

Every Celestial Dragon family that has been revealed in One Piece, listed in alphabetical order

1) Donquixote Family

Doflamingo in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Before abdicating the position to become Celestial Dragons, the Donquixotes reigned over Dressrosa. This family produced notorious evildoers like Donquixote Doflamingo, but also some of the very few good-hearted Celestial Dragons, such as Mjosgard, Homing, and Rosinante. Unlike most of his fellow nobles, Homing was a humble and kind-hearted man who treated commoners with respect rather than disdain.

Repulsed by the corrupt privileges of his class, Homing left Mary Geoise with his wife and two sons, Doflamingo and Rosinante. One day, however, Doflamingo killed Homing, whom he blamed for stripping them of their divine status and luxurious lifestyle. In the years to come, Doflamingo would rise as a ruthless pirate, forming a fanatically loyal crew.

Doflamingo then murdered his younger brother, Rosinante, who was spying on him on behalf of the Marines. He also seized control of Dressrosa from the Riku Family, the country’s legitimate rulers after the Donquixotes abdicated, and became one of the Seven Warlords. He maintained rule over Dressrosa and the Warlord position for years, until his defeat at the hands of Monkey D. Luffy.

As for Donquixote Mjosgard, he initially embodied the typical arrogance of his kind, disregarding other people’s lives and keeping slaves. After being rescued by Otohime, however, Mjosgard had a change of heart, making him a rare example of redemption among the nobles.

Impacted by Otohime’s compassion, he deliberately risked his status and personal safety to protect Otohime’s daughter, Shirahoshi, from another Celestial Dragon, Saint Charlos.

2) Ethanbaron Family

Saint V. Nusjuro in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

The Ethanbaron Family remains largely shrouded in mystery, but its sole known member is a force to be reckoned with. Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, the Warrior God of Finance, stands among the Five Elders, and can easily be counted in the number of the absolute strongest One Piece characters. He is the only Elder who doesn’t wear a formal suit, instead donning a white samurai gi.

The Egghead Arc unveiled Nusjuro’s terrifying transformation into the Bakotsu, a demonic horse capable of regenerating any injury and moving at blazing speed. An exceptionally potent swordsman who wields the Shodai Kitetsu, one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades, and the mightiest weapon of the Kitetsu series, Nusjuro can bisect enormous structures with ease as well as unleash a formidable Haki aura.

Additionally, he can freeze anything he cuts through. Looking forward to seeing Nusjuro’s full powers, fans got a glimpse of them on Egghead, when he matched Roronoa Zoro. As Zoro attacked him with a powerful Haki-enhanced technique, Nusjuro flawlessly blocked the strike. The two swordsmen then engaged in a Haki clash, their power struggle generating massive sparks of black lightning as both were blown back.

3) Figarland Family

Saint Garling in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

The three known members of the Figarland Family are all powerhouses, cementing this household’s elite status. The patriarch, Saint Figarland Garling, has long been the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights. Garling has now been promoted to the Five Elders, chosen by Imu as the new Warrior God of Science and Defense to replace Saint Saturn.

A wicked man who considers non-nobles as inferior scum, Garling is ruthless enough to execute a fellow Celestial Dragon, Saint Donquixote Mjosgard, as punishment for siding with non-highborn people against a noble. In the past, Garling was famous for dominating the Celestial Dragons’ cruel human hunting tournaments. He is also said to have played a prominent role in the God Valley Incident.

Saint Shamrock in the One Piece manga (Image via Shueisha)

Figarland Garling has two sons, one of whom, Shamrock, is also part of the World Government’s upper echelons as the current leader of the Holy Knights. The other is Shanks, the person who inspired One Piece’s main character, Monkey D. Luffy, to begin his pirate adventure. Shanks is a charismatic, all-powerful individual known to be the captain of the Red Hair Pirates and one of the Four Emperors.

At first glance, Shanks and Shamrock are identical, distinguished only by Shamrock’s longer hair and Shanks’ scarred left eye and missing left arm. Their personalities, however, are as different as night and day. Shanks was raised by the Roger Pirates, and while he once returned to Mary Geoise, he chose to forsake his Celestial Dragon status to live like an ordinary person.

Shanks in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Humble and peaceful, Shanks dresses in a pirate’s simple garb, a far cry from the haughty and arrogant Shamrock, who flaunts a fancy uniform. Curiously, Shanks forged a friendship bond with Elbaph’s Giants, the very same island that Shamrock and his Holy Knights have now targeted.

Despite their differences, the Figarlands are united by one common trait, as all three share the same signature weapon, a large saber. Among them, Shamrock’s sword stands out for being uniquely enhanced by a Mythical Zoan Fruit that transforms its blade into a monstrous three-headed Cerberus capable of acting independently from the weapon itself.

4) Jaygarcia Family

Saint Saturn in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Little is known about the Jaygarcia Family, with Saint Saturn as its only confirmed representative. Saint Jaygarcia Saturn was the Warrior God of Science and Defense within the Five Elders before Imu-sama decided to kill him. Cruel and ruthless, Saturn viewed humans as insignificant insects, disposable at his whim.

Ironically, Saturn could transform into a demonic insect-like creature, the Gyuki, a grotesque horned spider with sharp-pointed limbs and the ability to unleash lethal poison. He could also dominate his opponents by subduing them with a force field generated by his eyes. Like the other Elders, Saturn was immortal and capable of regenerating all sorts of injuries.

Saturn’s heinous actions included infecting innocent victims with the incurable Sapphire Scales disease, coercing Bartholomew Kuma into servitude under the World Government in exchange for a chance to cure Jewelry Bonney’s illness, and ultimately stripping Kuma of his humanity by having him turned into a mindless cyborg implanted with a self-destruct mechanism.

Before summoning his fellow Elders on the island, Saturn led the World Government’s fleet tasked with besieging Egghead to eliminate Vegapunk and capture the Straw Hats. Considering Saint Saturn the responsible for the operation’s overall failure, Imu decided to strip the former of his immortality, condemning him to a gruesome death as his body was incinerated to ashes.

5) Manmayer Family

The Manmayer Family member (Image via Shueisha)

Bartholomew Kuma’s flashback of the God Valley Incident introduced the Manmayer Family. 38 years before the present One Piece narration, a member of this family – allegedly a young woman – was present in God Valley to participate in the human hunting tournament held on the island.

With shocking sadism and disregard for human life, this individual sought to outshine Figarland Garling in the savage contest, as if taking human lives could be a sport. That said, neither the name of this person nor any other information regarding the Manmayer Family has been uncovered to this day.

6) Mars Family

Saint Mars in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

The only known representative of the Mars Family is Saint Marcus Mars, one of the Five Elders. Mars, who holds the title of Warrior God of the Environment, can shapeshift into the Itsumade, an eerie bird-like creature with an enormous serpentine body. This transformation enables him to fire cataclysmic energy beams from his mouth.

He is also capable of regenerating from any injury, much like the other Elders. A powerful individual, Mars possesses Haki strong enough to strike fear into Jinbe, an experienced fighter and former Warlord. Mars has a semblance of humanity, evidenced by his remorse when ordering the annihilation of the Ohara scholars.

Yet, his regard for human life, including those loyal to the World Government, remains minimal. When Mars declared his intent to destroy the Egghead laboratory, Rob Lucci, defeated and incapacitated by Roronoa Zoro, urged the Elder to spare Kaku, his comrade who was still inside the facility. Mars responded coldly, remarking that he could not guarantee that as “insects” may be trampled unintentionally.

7) Nerona Family

Imu in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Within Mary Geoise’s Pangaea Castle lies the Empty Throne, a seat meant to remain unoccupied to stand as a symbol of equality between the kingdoms affiliated to the World Government. Yet, an enigmatic individual known as Imu-sama secretly sits on the Empty Throne as its ruler, reigning as the supreme leader of the organization, with authority even above that of the Five Elders.

When Imu-sama revealed themselves to Nefertari Cobra, the monarch of Arabasta wondered if the person before him was related to Saint Nerona Imu, a Celestial Dragon who led the Nerona Family about 800 years ago. The enigmatic tyrant refused to answer, instead unleashing a violent assault that left Sabo seriously injured and Cobra dead.

No member of the Nerona Family has ever been officially revealed in One Piece, but it’s known that this household was among the royal bloodlines that established the World Government. Upon hearing Sabo’s report of the events of the recent Levely, Emporio Ivankov theorized that the “Imu-sama” whom Sabo witnessed sitting on the Empty Throne is none other than Saint Nerona Imu.

According to Ivankov’s theory, Imu gained eternal life by forcing a previous user of the Ope-Ope Fruit to perform the Perennial Youth Operation on them, enthralling speculation that the story has yet to prove true or false.

8) Rimoshifu Family

Killingham in the One Piece manga (Image via Shueisha)

So far, the Rimoshifu Family is known only through Saint Killingham, one of the Holy Knights dispatched on Elbaph to bring the island under the World Government’s control. A clumsy individual with punctuality issues and sudden bouts of narcolepsy, Killingham has only been seen in his human-dragon hybrid as the user of the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Kirin.

This Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit allows Killingham to transform into a Qilin, a legendary deity from Chinese mythology, granting him the ability to induce sleep in others from a distance and materialize the content of their dreams into reality. The manifested dreams have a physical form and can range from objects to living beings, their power directly tied to the asleep target’s imagination.

9) Shepherd Family

Saint Ju Peter in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

The Shepherd Family is an illustrious Celestial Dragon lineage, boasting one of the Five Elders, Saint Ju Peter, and a member of the Holy Knights, Saint Sommers. Their exact familial connection remains unclear, as Ju Peter’s immortality and arrested aging process don’t indicate how old he is compared to the middle-aged Sommers. It seems plausible to assume that Sommers is either Ju Peter’s son, nephew, or younger brother.

Ju Peter is blessed with incredible resilience, as he can regenerate from any wound. He can also transform into the Sandworm, a gargantuan monster that burrows underground, devouring everything in his path to tunnel beneath the earth and suck targets into a vacuum. Among the Elders, he holds the position of Warrior God of Agriculture.

Saint Sommers in the One Piece manga (Image via Shueisha)

One of the Holy Knights sowing chaos in Elbaph alongside Gunko and Killingham, Sommers seems to be quite absent-minded, his first appearance in the series showing him in his underwear. That said, he is a sadistic man who delights in other people’s suffering, holding the twisted belief that love is about hurting one another.

Having consumed the Thorn-Thorn Fruit, Sommers can create and control thorny vines that he can wrap around himself or a target of his choosing. Anyone making physical contact with a person wrapped in these vines will be damaged by the thorns. Sommers can also render the thorns invisible to craft deadly traps or spread them across vast areas to dominate the battlefield ruthlessly.

10) Topman Family

Saint Warcury in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

The sole known representative of the Topman Family is Saint Topman Warcury, the Warrior God of Justice within the Five Elders. Just like his fellow Elders, Warcury is immortal and capable of regenerating any injury. He also possesses a demonic transformation, which allows him to turn into the Fengxi, a colossal boar with four fangs which can be turned into blades.

A man bold enough to scorn Fleet Admiral Akainu, Warcury stands unrivaled in durability, his body being tough enough to fully withstand a Haki-enhanced blow from Luffy who was using his Gear 5 transformation. In fact, Luffy injured his own hand in an attempt to hurt Warcury.

Considering that a weaker, pre-Gear 5 incarnation of Luffy could already damage Kaido, Warcury’s durability is nothing less than outstanding. On top of this exceptional defense, he also wields formidable Conqueror’s Haki, being able to push back Gear 5 Luffy and affect the entire Egghead – including the seas surrounding the island – with a Haoshoku blast.

11) Still unnamed families

Saint Charlos in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Under extraordinary circumstances – such as Vegapunk York’s deal with the Five Elders – a commoner can achieve Celestial Dragon status. Otherwise, these nobles typically inherit their authority and privileges solely by their birthright as descendants of the royal families who established the World Government.

One Piece has yet to reveal the specific surname of many of Mary Geoise’s Celestial Dragons. This includes Saint Rosward and his heirs, Saint Charlos and Saint Shalria, leaving their lineage unknown despite their relatively early introduction in the series.

Rosward, Charlos, and Shalria are archetypal Celestial Dragons, being greedy, cruel, and arrogant, yet absolutely weak and powerless without their privileged status as untouchable “gods”. They exploit this authority to own slaves and torment commoners with impunity. Charlos is particularly vile, a grown man acting like a spoiled child whose impulsiveness fuels his malevolence.

Saint Rosward in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Charlos treats slaves and commoners as disposable playthings to be used and discarded on a whim. His attempts to kill Hatchan and enslave Shirahoshi are evident examples of the World Government’s systemic corruption. Given his attitude, fans couldn’t help but enjoy the well-deserved beatings Saint Charlos suffered at the hands of Luffy in Sabaody Archipelago and Sai, Leo, and Saint Mjosgard at the Levely.

Other Celestial Dragons whose family surname remains undisclosed in One Piece are Saint Pluming, a noble who tried to kill his slave for moving too slow during the Revolutionary Army’s attack on Mary Geoise, and Saint Jalmack.

When a young Sabo – at the time just a kid – inadvertently crossed the path of Jalmack’s ship with his small boat, the noble obliterated the boat with a bazooka, supposedly killing Sabo in the process. Sabo only survived thanks to Monkey D. Dragon’s timely rescue, the incident underscoring the Celestial Dragons’ senseless brutality as Jalmack was willing to murder a child over a trivial inconvenience.