Five Elders

The Five Elders are a council of the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons that make up the head of state for the World Government. They essentially hold the greatest authority over the entirety of the world; the only exception being the mysterious sovereign Im whom they answer to.

Their influence over the World Government and its military is paramount and limitless, including command over the Marines, Cipher Pol, and even the Seven Warlords of the Sea prior to their abolishment, making them one of the main antagonistic groups of the series.

So far, none of their names have been revealed and it is unknown how they became the leaders of the World Government or how long they have been ruling it. They are almost always found in the Room of Authority in Pangaea Castle.

Appearances

Despite being Celestial Dragons, none of the Five Elders wore the full-body white suit that their lower-ranking brethren wear. Also, none of them wear the bubble or glass case that separates their air supply from other people over their heads. They are all rather tall, comparable in height to the over 10 feet tall Sakazuki. It would appear that none of them has physically changed in appearance over the course of twenty-two years (from the destruction of Ohara to current times).

Personalities

Their primary concerns are protecting an unstable world from the influence of piracy and maintaining the public image of the World Government, going to great lengths to keep their oppressive reputation a secret from the public. They have ordered the killing of an entire island of people to hide the discovery of the Void Century, they have hidden the fact that Gecko Moria was beaten by Monkey D. Luffy and later ordered his silent assassination to make it look like he died in the war for a better image, and they have kept the escape of Level 6 inmates of Impel Down a secret, a decision that even angered Sengoku, the then-fleet admiral of the Marines. They are extremists who will sacrifice a countless number of innocent people for the sake of maintaining the World Government's political power and authority and even turn a blind eye to political corruption such as the atrocities of the Warlords of the Sea Crocodile and Donquixote Doflamingo, and when it should ever be exposed, they will simply give the Marines credit through falsified propaganda.

Known Knowledge

The tall, thin one with the mustache (second from right) spoke with Professor Clover and ordered Spandine to kill him before the archaeologist could speak the Great Kingdom's name. They have shown to have at least basic knowledge of the occurrences of the Void Century, according to their shocked reactions to Professor Clover's statements.

They have shown a paranoid fear of someone learning the history of the Void Century, masking it as fear of the discovery of ancient weapons. They forbid its research and order the utter destruction of the entire country of Ohara, though given what is known of the Void Century, they may simply be using that as an excuse in order to prevent information they do not want leaked to the public from getting out.

Abilities and Powers

Known as the Highest Authority of the World Government (世界政府最高権力 Sekai Seifu Saikō Kenryoku?), the Five Elders are the rulers of the entire world with tremendous political power superior to their fellow World Nobles, second only to Im. They have complete control over all government affiliated organizations such as the police, the ten Cipher Pol units, and even the Marines as they are all completely subservient to their commands. Even the orders of the fleet admiral of the Marines can be vetoed by their decisions. They can declare a Buster Call attack on any island that they deem a threat and can pass that authority onto lower World Government ranking agents. They can revoke a Warlord of the Sea title, if they decide that he/she is not living up to their duties as a Warlord.