This would mean that the Five Elders lack the one weakness that plagues every devil fruit user no matter how powerful the fruit may be, which is the inability to swim. If so, the Five Elders may also be immune to the effects of sea prism stone, and defeating them may not be as easy as simply throwing them into the sea.

The Five Elders May Be Literal Devils

One Piece created by Eiichiro Oda, chapter 1110 “Starfall”

The inability to swim has been a crucial nerf to all devil fruit users and one of the most basic aspects of the power system since the very beginning. Even the strongest of devil fruits like the Nika Fruit still retain this weakness, which helps keep the power system somewhat grounded, especially as devil fruit powers begin to get more and more ridiculous. The fact that One Piece‘s world is covered in oceans further makes this simple liability rather crucial and would make the Five Elders even more invincible than they already seem to be.

Surely, if the Five Elders were in fact devil fruit users, the series would have simply introduced them with the names of their fruits, as is the norm. However, the latest chapter deliberately avoids doing so, which suggests there may still be some other secret to the Five Elders’ powers. One popular theory is that the Five Elders may have somehow fused with their devil fruits, becoming the demons that their fruits are modeled after themselves, similar to how the jailer beasts at Impel Down were taken over by their fruits. If true, this would mean there is a next stage for devil fruit users, one that even the most powerful ones such as Kaido or Luffy have yet to achieve.

Interestingly, there exist many myths and legends surrounding devil fruits in the world of One Piece, including rumors that devil fruits house devils or are the incarnations of devils. While Vegapunk recently provided a scientific explanation for how devil fruits work stating that they affect the so-called lineage factor, it is possible that one of these legends could be just as true as the legend of Sun God Nika. After all, if gods like Nika did exist, it isn’t much of a stretch that devils could have too.

The Five Elders Still Possess Many Secrets

Overall, it is certainly ironic that the five overseers of the world who possess such devilish powers have declared themselves “gods.” While it was clear from the start that the residents of the Holy Land were far from moral or good in any shape or form, the Five Elders’ true forms certainly represent the true ugly nature of the Celestial Dragons and the World Government while confirming Sun God Nika to be their pre-destined enemy.

Nonetheless, the latest chapter has only provided a small glimpse of what the Five Elders are capable of, and they likely still have many more cards up their sleeves. Though the Egghead Arc has finally revealed plenty of new information about them, the Five Elders remain the most enigmatic villains in One Piece and the truth about their powers could very well end up changing the way fans view devil fruits forever.

One Piece is available from Manga Plus and Viz Media.