This article contains spoilers for the One Piece series.
In Elbaf, One Piece has had many lore reveals. Some pertain to the Void Century and the First World, while others have to do with legendary characters, such as Rocks and the God Valley Incident, which changed the One Piece world. Amidst all of this, Oda has properly introduced the Holy Knights, one of the biggest and most recent villain groups to join the One Piece series.
This group is aligned with the World Government and features some of the strongest characters ever seen in the series. While Oda has shown some very powerful members, Gunko, who was not a part of the Holy Knights during God Valley, has now been revealed to have been stronger than them for the most part.
The Holy Knights Are Among The Strongest Of The World Government
- They Possess Immortality and Infinite Regeneration
- They Also Have Powerful Devil Fruits
The Holy Knights are going to play a major role in One Piece’s final saga as one of the biggest assets of the World Government. They are made up of quite a few powerful individuals and enjoy some amazing abilities granted to them by Saint Imu Nerona. Similar to the Five Elders, the Holy Knights have been shown to have immortality and infinite regeneration. This means only someone with advanced Conqueror’s Haki can potentially take them down, and this is an ability not many possess. The most powerful member of this group is their former leader, now promoted to Gorosei, Saint Garling Figarland.
Garling is powerful, despite not seemingly having some of the perks the other members enjoy, such as immortality. This makes him all the more impressive. Other powerful members of the Holy Knights include Saint Sommers and Saint Killingham, among other unnamed characters.
Saint Gunko Wasn’t A Holy Knight During The God Valley Flashback
- Gunko is Far Stronger than The Average Holy Knight
- Possibly On The Level Of Shamrock And Garling
In the recent One Piece chapter, Gunko was revealed to be under the Holy Knights, and it’s unknown when she joined their ranks. What fans know is that she joined somewhere between the events of God Valley and Elbaf. Nevertheless, Gunko has always been quite powerful, even before joining the Holy Knights, and she actually possessed such strength that the Celestial Dragons were betting on her to win the 1v1 battles, even against Garling. Gunko was referred to as God’s Blade, suggesting a close connection with Imu, but the meaning of the term remains unknown.
Clearly, Gunko is very special. She has a special connection with Imu and is often by their side. And if not by Imu’s side, she is there to act as their vessel when the time comes. Gunko is the only known person who can channel Imu’s power, which goes to show how unique she is, and this is what makes her stronger than the Holy Knights, and even the Five Elders.
When I was a kid, I thought to myself: man I would love to draw a manga with the most hyped final stage! I wonder if I’m up to it! Now, we have only a tiny bit of Wano arc left, the preparations are almost done. Took me 25 years lol. That said, it’s fine if you start reading from this point on. Because from this point on…it’ll be… The ONE PIECE!! The mysteries of this world, I’ll be drawing all of them! It’ll be super interesting! Fasten your seatbelt! And please stay with me for a bit longer! — Eiichiro Oda, Author of One Piece, 2022
One Piece chapter 1161 will be out in two weeks. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. The official release date for One Piece Chapter 1161 is September 28, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.
