Warning: Contains spoilers for chapter #1119 of One Piece.

Summary

• The Five Elders in One Piece can still swim despite being devil fruit s, making them nearly invincible.
• Imu may have granted the Five Elders immunity from the sea's curse on devil fruits, hinting at his control over the ocean.
• The Five Elders pose a formidable challenge for Luffy on his quest to become Pirate King, with more secrets yet to be unveiled.

One Piece has finally confirmed one of the biggest theories about the Five Elders, proving that they are missing one fundamental devil fruit weakness, and it makes them more terrifying than ever. The Egghead Arc of One Piece has at last unveiled the true terrifying power of the Five Elders. However, it seems there is much more to their transformations and abilities than meets the eye.

Chapter #1119 of One Piece confirms that the Five Elders are not weakened by the sea and can likely swim despite possessing devil fruit powers. In the chapter, Saint Warcury is seen leaping toward the water without a second of doubt, which means he and the rest of the Five Elders, by extension, must still possess the ability to swim.

This raises interesting questions about the nature of the Five Elders' devil fruits and whether their abilities stem from devil fruits at all, seeing as the names of their fruits were never revealed. The Five Elders' ability to swim may also be a hint about the source of this curse on devil fruit s, which may in turn another popular theory about Imu.

One Piece Confirms the Five Elders Still Have the Ability To Swim

Created by Eiichiro Oda Chapter #1119, "Emet"

The idea that the Five Elders may be able to swim first arose when the Five Elders revealed their monstrous transformations. Instead of revealing each Elder with the corresponding name of his devil fruit as the series usually does, One Piece introduced them with the names of monsters that they could transform into.

Safe to say, it was a peculiar decision that caught the attention of fans and in turn gave rise to curious theories that perhaps the Five Elders do not have devil fruits at all but are literally the mythical monsters that they can transform into. This would mean that the Five Elders would still retain the ability to swim, which as seen in the latest chapter has proven to be true, suggesting that there may be some truth to this theory after all.

The Five Elders may very well be the only beings in One Piece able to wield Mythical Zoan-like powers without sacrificing the ability to swim, which makes them all the more invincible. This means that unless Luffy finds a way to inflict damage on the Five Elders, he may never be able to beat them, even by tossing them into the sea.

Imu May Have Granted the Five Elders Immunity From the Sea's Curse on Devil Fruits

One Piece has been deliberately vague about the reason why devil fruits take away one's ability to swim, but one interesting explanation is that devil fruits are cursed by the sea. This brings to mind a popular theory about Imu having the power to control the sea. Imu has been speculated to be an umibozu, and even the originator of this mysterious curse on devil fruit s, which is ed by the World Government's plans to fully submerge the blue planet of One Piece.

If so, there may be a very simple explanation for why the Five Elders do not fear the sea, which is that they have intentionally been made immune to the curse by Imu. If Imu is indeed responsible for taking away devil fruit s' ability to swim, then perhaps he could even give it back just as easily. If Imu plans to continue ruling the ocean-covered world of One Piece, then it only makes sense that he would need the Five Elders to be able to do his bidding without the fear of accidentally drowning.

Overall, the Five Elders are all but shaping to be an insurmountable obstacle in Luffy's path that he will no doubt have to conquer before he can become the Pirate King. There is clearly much that One Piece has yet to reveal about the Five Elders who are certainly hiding many more secrets and surprises behind their unassuming elderly appearance.

One Piece is available from Manga Plus and Viz Media.