Oda is no longer just telling a pirate story. He’s cleverly weaving science, religion, and political intrigue to quietly bring the World Government to its end. Have you ever wondered why the five most powerful figures in the world are named after planets? A bold theory is emerging: the Five Elders (Gorosei) won’t fight Luffy to the death. Instead, they will realign themselves around the “Sun God” Nika.
The core of this theory isn’t about redemption or whitewashing characters. It’s about a “false center,” a stolen will, and a world forced to revolve around a mistaken god for 800 years.
Astronomical Symbolism: Imu as the False Earth, Nika as the True Sun
The World Government in One Piece operates exactly like the old geocentric model of the universe. For centuries, the Catholic Church insisted Earth was the center and everything revolved around it. That belief was not only scientifically wrong, it was a power play. When Galileo proved the Sun was actually the center, the entire system began to collapse.
Oda is perfectly recreating that history. The World Government acts as the center with the Five Elders as its rulers, but this is a lie. Imu sits on the Empty Throne, erased from history, ruling from the shadows. The “center” everyone believes in doesn’t actually exist.
In contrast, Luffy’s awakening as the Sun God Nika redefines everything. If Imu is the false center, then Luffy represents the heliocentric truth, freedom, natural movement, and life revolving around the Sun, not blind submission.
The Nature of the Planets: Born to Orbit the Sun
Look at the names of the Five Elders, they all come from planets in the Solar System. In the universe, planets don’t rule, they orbit. Their existence depends on balance around the Sun. By naming them this way, Oda seems to hint that the Five Elders were never meant to be gods or absolute rulers.
This also explains why their loyalty to Imu feels forced. Those with Conqueror’s Haki, like the Five Elders, rarely kneel willingly. Their submission must be the result of coercion, control, or a “mark” that erased their original selves.
Psychological Cracks: Betrayal Is Inevitable
Oda never reveals moral cracks without purpose. The hesitation of Elder Warcury before ordering the destruction of Lulusia is a priceless detail. They aren’t pure villains, they are stagnant, restrained, and hollowed by a millennia-old lie.
In the final battle, for the world to move forward, the planets must break free from the grip of the “false Earth” Imu and return to orbit the Sun Nika. This isn’t forgiveness for their crimes but a physical law: gravity is correcting itself.
If Oda stays true to these symbols, the Five Elders turning against Imu won’t be a shocking twist but the final correction of a universe that has been spinning off course since the Void Century.