The World Government (Japanese: 世界政府, Hepburn: Sekai Seifu) is a fictional global empire that rules over the world of One Piece by Eiichiro Oda. The World Government is affiliated with over 170 nations from around the world[ch. 398] and is led by Nerona Imu. Its greatest enemies are pirates, such as the Straw Hats, and the Revolutionary Army, who unlike most pirates directly oppose the Government. Eight centuries after its foundation by a group of twenty kings known as the First 20 (最初の20人, Sekai Seifu),[ch. 497] their descendants, the Celestial Dragons, live luxurious lives and abuse their power.[ch. 498] The capital of the World Government is the Holy Land of Marijoa (マリージョア, Marījoa; Mary Geoise) and its governing headquarters is Pangaea Castle (パンゲア城, Pangea-jō) where there is an Empty Throne (虚の玉座, Kara no Gyokuza) said to symbolize that not a single person from any of the twenty families of Celestial Dragons can rule the world, but in actuality used by Imu.[ch. 396][ch. 763][ch. 907][ch. 908] The top leaders of the Government such as Imu, the Five Elders, the Holy Knights of God, and the commander-in-chief Kong reside and govern from Mary Geoise, which is also the jurisdiction of the Holy Knights of God,[ch. 1054] and the home of the Celestial Dragons. Every four years, the royals of nations that are members of the Government assemble in Pangaea Castle to host the Reverie (世界会議, Reverī; Levely).[ch. 906] The World Government initially controls two of the three types of great powers in One Piece: the Marines, described as the public face of the government, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea, allied privateers who hunt other pirates. The Government also includes other military forces such as the ten Cipher Pol intelligence agencies. Two years after the story begins, the Seven Warlords are abolished and replaced with clones made from their Bloodline Elements (血統因子, Kettō Inshi; Lineage Factor), as the World Government begins to more aggressively confront the strongest pirates known as the Four Emperors of the Sea as well as the Revolutionary Army.
Celestial Dragons The World Nobles (世界貴族, Sekai Kizoku), also known as the Celestial Dragons (天竜人, Tenryūbito; lit. "Heavenly Dragon Folk"), are a group of aristocratic elites that make up nineteen bloodlines residing in Marijoa[ch. 142] and are descendants of the First 20 with the exception of the Nefertari family. However, due to their connection to the World Government, they constantly abuse their power and despise the people below them (referring to them as "commoners") to the point of wearing enclosed helmets with supplied oxygen so as not to breathe the same air as them.[ch. 499]
First Twenty
St. Nerona Imu
St. Nerona Imu (ネロナ・イム聖, Nerona Imu Sei) is the King of the World and creator of the World Government.[ch. 1179] He is the secret, shadowy leader of the world who occupies the Empty Throne of Pangaea Castle at Mary Geoise; he was one of the monarchs in the First Twenty, choosing to embrace anonymity by withholding their surname. He is a devil-like man with pale hair, dark skin and horns, who wields a giant serpent spear called Nemesis.[ch. 1179] His existence is kept secret from the world and much within the Government that if anyone witnesses his existence, they are assassinated.[ch. 908][ch. 1085] Imu is shown to be extremely sadistic and cruel, casually destroying the kingdom of Lulusia solely due to their proximity to a weapon of mass destruction, as well as unsuccessfully forcing giant children to fall to their deaths to torment their families, amongst an unspecified but great amount of crimes against humanity.[ch. 1086] Imu holds an intense hatred towards those who bear the "Will of D", in addition to Joy Boy, an adversary whose defeat by Imu led to the spread of Poneglyphs among a series of failures.[ch. 1181][ch. 1188] Imu ate a Devil Fruit that is aptly named Devil's Fruit, which gives him the ability to transform into an enormous devil. In his devil form, Imu is immortal and can generate fire, generate an Abyss which allows instantaneous transportation from one place to another, heal others, create arrowhead-shaped appendages, and transform others into demons. Imu is able to wield both Conquerer's Haki and Observation Haki, and most likely can use Armament Haki.[ch. 1179] He can also create and shoot explosive orbs called Omen.[ch. 1180]
Nefertari D. Lili Nefertari D. Lili (ネフェルタリ・D・リリィ, Neferutari Dī Rirī) was the Queen of the Kingdom of Alabasta 800 years ago and one of the First Twenty monarchs who created the World Government. Alone out of the 20 founding families, she chose not to move to Mary Geoise but to return to Alabasta. However, she never returned home and her younger brother succeeded her as the ruler of Alabasta. Imu said Lili was responsible for spreading the Poneglyphs detailing the Void Century across the world.[ch. 1084][ch. 1085]
Named weapons 19 weapons were laid down around the Empty Throne to commemorate the vow that none of the kings would seek dominion over the others. They include:
Five Elders
The Five Elders (五老星, Gorōsei) are a council of older men who are the official highest authorities of the World Government, making them the leaders of the world,[ch. 233] and the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons.[ch. 907] Each of them are in charge of a political field in the Government. They all gather at the Hall of Power (権力の間, Kenryoku no Ma; Room of Authority) of Pangaea Castle, where they meet with those who have been granted an audience. The Elders are greatly concerned about protecting the unbalanced world from the influence of piracy and preserving the World Government's public image, even goes as far as covering up its tyrannical nature and reputation from the general public. They and the rest of the World Government even pay no mind to the atrocities against countries affiliated with them committed by two of the Seven Warlords of the Sea Crocodile and Donflamingo. While they are publicly the heads of the World Government, in reality, however, the only person they secretly answer to is Imu with extreme loyalty.[ch. 907] The Five Elders can make use of a magical transformation circle ability called Abyss. They all appear to have eaten Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits which allow them to transform into monstrous creatures originating from East Asian mythology and folklore.
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