The Five Elders are the highest public authority of the World Government.
The decisions of the World Government come from these five Celestial Dragons, whose true ages are unknown.
Their daily task is to stay in Pangaea Castle, listen to reports, and bring matters they cannot handle to Imu for a final decision.
One could say they are the power directly below the throne.
But in truth, very few people have ever seen these five old men.
Most of the Marines and pirates present had only heard of them.
The Five Elders have received power from Imu, granting them true immortality, so they can spend centuries managing the World Government for her.
To those who do not know of Imu, these five are the top of the world.
So when the Five Elders said they would come to Marineford, Sengoku's first reaction was disbelief.
They did not consult him, arrogantly making their own decision without even giving a precise time.
Now, as Sengoku and Garp were briefly overpowered and Ace was nearly rescued, the Five Elders made their grand entrance.
It was hard not to think they had been watching the battle the whole time.
In a shadowy corner, Figarland Garling, Commander of the God's Knights, faded back into the darkness.
His main task was mostly done. He would only step in if these five failed to handle the Great Sinner.
The Five Elders' existence is public. The God's Knights' is not. He did not want that power exposed.
"The Five Elders..."
Sengoku steadied himself and looked up at Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, the Warrior God of Finance, who was now clashing with Naruto.
Garp's expression was far less guarded.
He looked at the Five Elders with open contempt, as if their status meant nothing to him.
In Garp's heart, there was no respect for them. He had even once fought against Jaygarcia Saturn.
"...Filthy bastards."
"Garp! Mind your language!"
Hearing this, Sengoku's face darkened and he shouted at his friend.
The Five Elders merely gave them a cold look, not bothering with the verbal insult.
"Sengoku. Garp. You have disappointed us. We thought the two of you would be enough for this sinner."
Saturn, the very one Garp had just cursed, spoke, his voice dripping with scorn for the two veterans.
Last time, Topman Warcury had fought this man. The power he showed was not as terrifying as the legendary Rocks.
His explosive techniques were troublesome, but only that.
Now with all five of them here, they believed Naruto's life was as good as over.
Perhaps Imu was too arrogant, or saw no need to tell them everything.
The Five Elders did not know the full details of what happened at Impel Down. They only knew the God's Knights' ambush had failed.
If they had seen Naruto withstand two [Mother Flames] and strike back at Imu across the sea, they would not be so calm.
Above them, Nusjuro showed no tension as his blade was blocked. He started to speak.
"Not bad swordsmanship, sin-"
Before he could finish, Naruto's fist smashed into his face.
The Conqueror's Haki-coated punch hit Nusjuro's cheek squarely, sending him flying back.
Nusjuro tumbled through the air and landed, wiping blood from his mouth before fixing Naruto with an icy stare.
"Eager for death? We shall grant it."
Black flame clouds erupted from his body, swallowing him whole.
A moment later, a creature with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a skeletal horse emerged from the flames.
The other four Elders transformed as well.
Warcury became the four-tusked boar, Fengxi, that Naruto had seen before. The others turned into horrifying forms: a flame-wreathed, sharp-toothed bird, a spider-legged creature with bull horns, and a giant sandworm as large as a tower.
Conqueror's Haki, mixed with the unique aura of Awakened Mythical Zoans, exploded outwards, washing over everyone on the battlefield.
"What are those things?!"
"Monsters!"
Not just the pirates, but even the Marines were seeing the Five Elders' true forms for the first time.
All five of the highest rulers were Mythical Zoan users, and their forms were all monstrous and cruel. Many felt instant revulsion.
It was lucky the broadcast was cut. The sight alone would have shaken the World Government's authority.
"Those... are the Five Elders?!"
Below, Doflamingo's jaw went slack, a cold sweat trickling down his temple.
It wasn't fear of their appearance, but the sudden, chilling memory that he had once tried to threaten these ancient monsters.
Beside him, Gecko Moria's greed was now completely naked.
'Fight! Fight!'
'Whoever dies is fine!'
'Just give me their bodies...'
Mihawk looked gravely at Nusjuro among the Elders.
'The Five Elders...'
He suddenly sensed something and turned.
There stood fellow Warlord, Bartholomew Kuma.
Kuma's usual blank expression was gone. Even knowing his mission for the revolution, seeing the Five Elders made his killing intent boil over.
But Vegapunk's modifications made it hard to express emotion. He could only tremble, cover his head, and breathe raggedly.
Seeing the Five Elders transform, Whitebeard grew anxious.
"That kid... can he handle it?"
He knew how tough those five were and wanted to shake off Akainu to help.
But Akainu, sensing this, changed tactics, harrying and dodging, determined to keep Whitebeard busy.
'Hmph. Even if I can't kill him, I'll make you watch him die.'
Akainu's goal was simple: Naruto's death. For that, he would ignore the three Emperors.
"You're a nuisance, Magma Brat!"
Another Conqueror's Haki slash missed as Akainu dodged away.
Without a direct clash, it was harder for Whitebeard to land a decisive hit.
At the center, Naruto was surrounded by five monsters.
"Ganging up? That's your style."
Naruto didn't look worried.
He had a good grasp of the enemy forces now. The only wild card was the one who controlled the Mother Flames.
"Against a sinner like you, fairness is irrelevant."
Marcus Mars, the flaming bird, laughed coldly and let out a cry. A bolt of black lightning shot from the sky toward Naruto.
At the same time, Warcury accelerated, spinning in mid-air, his sword-sharp tusks becoming a whirling blade-wheel.
Their ambush failed.
Screech-!
An equally powerful, but far more beautiful cry echoed across the battlefield.
"Great Blessing: Thunder Cry!"
"Hasshoken Secret Technique: Wolf Dance Flame!"
Two figures appeared in front of Naruto.
The cry and lightning of a golden Garuda met the black lightning in mid-air, causing it to detonate prematurely.
Claws wreathed in purgatory flames and lightning slammed into Warcury's spinning tusks.
Boom!!
Dust cleared. Giant birds faced each other in the sky. The boar and the flaming beast broke apart.
Sasuke, in his human-beast form, pulled back his hand. A cut on it burned with Calamity Flames, and his power began to surge.
Warcury glanced at his tusk, now half-severed by the strange fire, and narrowed his eyes.
Empowered by dark flames, the tusk rapidly fell off and regrew.
With Imu's power, they were immortal. A tusk was nothing.
"Looks like your numbers just dropped."
Though worried about Karin jumping into the fight, Naruto kept his tone mocking to draw their focus.
"So what? We still outnumber you."
As Nusjuro spoke, the giant sandworm that had burrowed underground erupted toward Naruto. At the same time, the horned spider-demon, Saturn, spewed a torrent of venom.
Naruto started to raise a hand, then stopped and smiled.
"You guys... really came through."
Whoosh-!
A cannonball the size of a house, moving impossibly fast, smashed into the sandworm's head, hurling it into Marineford's buildings.
Another figure was tossed through the air, righted himself, and threw a mighty punch.
Boom!!
The iron fist connected with Saturn's head, snapping one of his horns and cutting off his venom spray.
"It's five on five now, Five Elders."
Naruto leveled his sword, Mushoukou, its point aimed at Nusjuro's face.
Nusjuro squinted at the two new arrivals.
"Douglas Bullet... and Byrnndi World..."
"You've chosen to die."