One Piece: 6 Things You Need To Know About The Holy Knights of God

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One Piece has introduced several powerful enemy groups for Luffy and his crew to face, beyond just pirate crews like the Beasts Pirates and the Doflamingo Family. Groups like CP9 (now CP0) and the Five Elders pose significant threats, and now there’s a new one: the Holy Knights. Also called the God Knights, this formidable team represents the excessive pride and self-importance of the Red Line’s sacred land.

The Elbaph Arc in One Piece quickly revealed details about the God Knights – who they are, what they do, and how powerful they are. Fans now have a good understanding of how this team functions and what to anticipate from them. They combine things we’ve seen before, like Devil Fruit abilities and high-ranking positions, with some innovative fighting styles that could challenge even the most skilled Haki users.

The God Knights All Have the Depths and Abyssal Covenants

This Allows Them to Teleport Around or Summon Reinforcements

Recently, One Piece has been introducing fighting styles and powers that work alongside Devil Fruits. After such a long run, it was natural for the series to broaden its supernatural elements and introduce new abilities. The God Knights were a great way to showcase these, particularly through the four Covenants. While the Shallows Covenant simply forces obedience to Imu, the Depths and Abyssal Covenants grant their users incredible powers.

The most powerful members of the God Knights all possess the Depths Covenant, and usually also the Abyssal Covenant. These markings allow Knights like Shamrock, Gunko, and Sommers to instantly teleport anywhere in the world, eliminating the need for speedy ships. This highlights how quickly the God Knights need to respond to Imu’s orders and arrive at any mission location. Furthermore, these Covenants grant them immortality, making them incredibly difficult to defeat in battle. Only a select few fighters, like Scopper Gaban and Roronoa Zoro, have the power to overcome this immortality with their attacks.

The God Knights Typically Have Powerful Devil Fruits

Arrows, Thorns, and MMAs Have Defined the God Knights’ Fighting Style So Far

Image via Shonen Jump.

One of the most interesting things about the God Knights is how reliably they deliver on expectations – and still manage to surprise us. For years, fans have anticipated that any new, strong group will include characters with powerful Devil Fruits, and often with Haki as well. The God Knights fit this pattern, showcasing unique and previously unseen Devil Fruits. While their powers aren’t as outwardly spectacular as those seen with characters like Big Mom or Kaido, these fruits are still incredibly effective.

Gunko used her Arrow-Arrow Fruit to control the Straw Hat crew, forcing them to move wherever she aimed her arrows – a clever way to make their own strength work against them. She could even create an arrow-shaped bird to fly around Elbaph. St. Sommers, with the Thorn-Thorn Fruit, was useful in tense situations, creating invisible, sharp thorns to stop the God Knights’ opponents. And St. Killingham had the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, which allowed him to manifest people’s fears as powerful MMAs, capable of holding even giant warriors back.

The God Knights Have Exemplary Teamwork

Other Villain Groups Split Up to Fight the Straw Hats

Image via Shonen Jump.

Despite often having more members than the heroes, groups like Baroque Works and the Big Mom Pirates rarely use their numbers to overwhelm them. Instead, One Piece usually breaks down large battles into one-on-one fights. A good example is when Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy fought the top agents of Baroque Works during the Alabasta arc. This pattern continued even during the massive Onigashima raid, where most fights ended up being individual duels, likely because the Beasts Pirates didn’t work together very effectively as a team.

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Unlike some other groups, the God Knights prioritize teamwork above all else. While each member has unique abilities and a distinct personality, they fight incredibly well together. During the Elbaph Arc, Gunko and Sommers combined their powers to create a difficult situation, while Killingham used their fighting skills to keep opponents at bay. The God Knights are also flexible, swapping members as needed – for example, Sommers and Killingham took Shamrock’s place on the Elbaph mission.

The God Knights Allow Imu to Possess Them Anytime

Imu Appears in Anyone With the Right Covenants

The God Knights are completely devoted to Imu, and this includes letting Imu control their actions. While they usually just follow Imu’s commands and enforce their will, there are times when Imu takes things a step further. As fans of One Piece know, Imu can directly take over a God Knight’s body to fight battles personally, like when Imu controlled Gunko. We’ve also seen this happen before in a flashback to God Valley, where Imu took control of Jaygarcia Saturn.

Because both the God Knights and the Five Elders possess powerful abilities known as Covenants, they are likely targets for Imu to control. Imu clearly prefers individuals with great strength and influence, making the Admirals or Vice-Admirals less appealing. When controlled by Imu, an Elder or God Knight would essentially suppress their own powers and instead utilize abilities like Domi Reversi.

The God Knights Police the World Nobles

Only Someone Like a God Knight May Judge a Celestial Dragon

Image via Toei Animation.

We don’t often see this side of the God Knights in One Piece because the story currently focuses more on action and past events than on the politics of Marijoa. However, learning how they function within their own territory sheds light on their immense power. While One Piece has presented the World Nobles as all-powerful and above the law, that’s not entirely accurate. Although Admirals can’t command or judge the Celestial Dragons, the God Knights can.

The God Knights are responsible for keeping order among the world’s most powerful people in the Holy Land, a job no one else is considered reliable enough to handle. They can punish World Nobles, even with execution, for serious offenses – like if a Noble defends ordinary citizens. The highest-ranking commander of the God Knights has the authority to judge even the most influential Celestial Dragons, such as Figarland Garling.

The God Knights Have a Simple Command Structure

The Navy Has Far More Ranks

Image via Shonen Jump.

The Navy in One Piece has an incredibly large and complicated hierarchy, ranging from basic soldiers to high-ranking officers like Vice Admirals and Admirals – even including the Five Elders. In contrast, the God Knights are a much smaller organization that doesn’t require as many levels of rank or numerous Admirals.

The God Knights are a small, tightly-knit group, and their organization reflects that. With only eight core members, they don’t need a complex ranking system like the Navy. Instead, they’re led by a Supreme Commander – Figarland Garling – and a Commander directly below him, Shamrock. The remaining members are fully-fledged knights who follow the commands of both leaders and the will of Imu. There’s also a group of less prominent fighters called the Devoted Blades of God, who could potentially join the main team if they demonstrate enough skill and loyalty.

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2026-02-08 02:35