One Piece has consistently introduced fans to some very powerful individuals, and recently, the Final Saga made the Five Elders into some of the main antagonists of the story.

The Five Elders are directly tied to Imu, the sovereign of the world and one of the main antagonists as well, and fans know that a confrontation with them is building up in the future as well. In the Egghead Island arc, fans got a proper glimpse of what the Five Elders are capable of, and how dangerous they are in the face of battle.

At the same time, fans also saw how frustrating fighting them can be, because these monsters absolutely cannot be damaged. However, One Piece chapter 1122 flipped the script completely and showcased to the fans that there is an ability that can counter the Elders, and that is Haki.

The Immortality Of The Elders And How Haki Counters It

Elders Can Regenerate Endlessly

Haki Negates Yokai Powers

The Five Elders have many powerful abilities up their sleeve. To begin with, they have incredibly overpowered Haki that has been compared to that of Shanks, one of the strongest characters in the entire story. At the same time, fans also know that they have strange Yokai based abilities. These or not Devil Fruit powers, from the looks of it. They are actual demonic creatures who also appear to be awakened somehow. The Five Elders being able to talk telepathically with each other and using demonic rituals, such as demonic summoning, among other things, is proof of the fact that their powers are different from normal devil fruits, and at the same time, are demonic in nature. This is why they have Yokai based names instead of having Devil Fruits that allow them to transform into the said creatures. The Five Elders are magnificent in terms of what they offer as villains. However, it would be disingenuous to say that just their transformations are unique and that they don’t offer something never done before in One Piece.

It’s no use! These guys cannot die! – Luffy

The true threat that the Elders bring comes in the form of immortality. They are extremely powerful and dangerous because they cannot die. It was clearly pointed out in the Egghead Island arc of One Piece that the Five Elders are practically immortal. Any damage they take is healed within a matter of seconds. Even if the Elders are reduced to bits, they simply regenerate within a few seconds and it’s almost as if they were never injured in the first place. It also directly ties to their stamina, which appears to be infinite, as things stand right now.

The Elders are monstrous and exhausting villains who cannot be defeated using normal means. In fact, even Luffy decided to run from them in the end because, while he was clearly able to overpower them, he was not actually able to deal any sustainable damage to them, and decided that fighting them was a waste of time and running was the better option instead.

How Only The Elites Can Fight Imu And The Elders

Imu and The Elders Cannot Be Seen By Just Anyone

The fact that Luffy and all the others on Egghead decided that fighting the Elders was not smart is proof of the fact that the Strawhats and other characters in One Piece have an even higher level to hit. If someone is to fight against the Five Elders and Imu, they need to get stronger and counter the Elders efficiently. The biggest weakness of theirs that fans saw in the previous chapter was Haki. Much to the surprise of fans, Luffy’s Haki was not able to deal any significant damage to the Elders. This is surprising, especially when Luffy is a user of all forms of advanced Haki. However, when Emet unleashed Joy Boy’s Haki in the previous chapter, he was able to negate the Yokai transformations of the Elders, as well as the summoning that Saturn caused.

He was also able to send the elders back to Marijoa, and they were actually seen reeling. At the same time, this Haki was transmitted back to Imu, which meant that even they were affected by this great power of Joyboy. In fact, Joy Boy’s Haki was so great that all the Marines around the island passed out, including the Vice Admirals, which was an absolute shocker for the fans to see. Furthermore, the Haki split his skies alone, which is something that usually requires two powerful Conqueror’s Haki users to accomplish. Clearly, Joy Boy’s Haki was the strongest that fans have seen in One Piece, far surpassing that of even the likes of Shanks or Roger, which was unfathomable at one point in time. Yet, it is the reality that Luffy has to achieve. If Luffy is to fight against the Elders and Imu, he has to work on his Haki significantly, which means that bigger power-ups are coming for him in the future.

Luffy’s Inability To Counter The Elders And His Haki Growth

Luffy Will Have To Surpass The Yonko To Fulfil The Will of D

It was clear for the fans to see in the Egghead Island arc that Luffy was unable to counter the regenerative abilities of the Elders. Even when Luffy utilized Haki, he was not able to do what Joy Boy accomplished with his Haki. This means that Luffy has to go through further growth in terms of Haki, and that could come in the Elbaf Arc. This is because Elbaf is going to be heavily focused on Shanks, who fans know to be an avid user of Haki, and easily among the best that has been shown in the story.

Emet, I’ll seal my strongest Haki inside of you! – Joy Boy

Shanks recently took down both Kid and Killer in a single swing of his sword. Of course, it still doesn’t compare to the Haki that Joy Boy wielded, however, it certainly is levels above that of Luffy, and Shanks could show him the way and teach him how to advance his Haki even further. Furthermore, fans also know that Shanks has not showcased the true level of his Haki yet. Even though fans, and even characters within the story, such as Dorry and Brogy, might believe that Joy Boy’s Haki was greater than anything ever seen, there could very well be similar Haki within Shanks that he has not unleashed yet.

Either way, fans know that Shanks is the perfect opponent for Luffy to train against when it comes to increasing the level of his Haki. The next time Luffy comes face-to-face with an Elder or perhaps Imu themselves, he will have to be ready, with his Haki being on the same level as that of Joy Boy. There might be other weaknesses that the Elders have, such as Motherflame, but, Luffy can only fight them but what he has, and what he does have is the power of Haki, which can be trained to an extreme over the course of the next arcs.