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One Pieceis currently in the Elbaf arc and fans know already that Oda is going to dive deep into the biggest secrets of the story here.Given that this is the final saga of the story, it is no surprise to know that Oda is slowly revealing one big secret after another of the World Government here, and most recently, Oda touched up the powers of the Abyss, and the immorality that was first brought up in the Egghead arc ofOne Piece.
Fans know for a fact that the Holy Knights are all immortal, and at the same time, that the Elders hold the same powers. Yet, there is canonically one Holy Knight who isn’t immortal, and that is Saint Garling Figarland.
The Immortality Of The Holy Knights And The Five Elders
It was difficult to imagine Oda introducing a power that not even regular Haki can counter in One Piece, buthe has done just that with the Final Saga. In Egghead, fans got their first taste of immortality in One Piece, as Saint Saturn revealed how strong he truly was. Dealing damage to Saint Saturn wasn’t an issue at all. What bothered those fighting him was the fact that he held the power of immortality and simply couldn’t die, regenerating from everything thrown at him. Later on, the other Elders showed this power as well.
But there’s no point in fighting, these guys are immortal! — Luffy to the Giants
In the Elbaf arc, fans were shocked to know that the Elders weren’t the only ones in One Piece with the power of immortality. As was confirmed directly by Saul, all the Holy Knights hold immortality as well, which means that winning against them isn’t easy at all.
Being immortal simply means that one doesn’t age anymore, and at the same time, can regenerate infinitely from everything thrown at them. But, this is where things get interesting, as there is one character among their ranks who isn’t immortal just yet.
Garling Figarland Doesn’t Have Immortality
Garling Has Been Shown To Age Normally
So far,all the Holy Knights and Elders have shown immortalityinOne Piece. Fans also know through the Elders that once someone attains immortality, they stop growing old and their appearance remains the same. It is no surprise to know that Saturn was alive over 200 years ago inOne Piece. It is also not a surprise that Brook could recognize Gunko in Elbaf, as he was once a part of the army of a nation, long before he was even a pirate. Clearly, Brook saw Gunko long ago and recognizes her, most likely because she hasn’t aged even a bit.
Watch closely, children! — Garling to Shanks and Shamrock on God Valley
Yet, fans have seenGarling Figarland, the man who served the Holy Knights as their Supreme Commanderand is now a part of the Five Elders, and he doesn’t have immortality. Garling Figarland was young during God Valley, and he is quite old right now.
Garling’s True Role In One Piece
There are two reasons why Garling Figarland doesn’t have immortality. The first one is simply that he is so strong that he doesn’t need it. Garling might also hold the belief that allowing oneself to get hit only leads to the senses being dulled. Oda himself has teased him to hold special power, which means he will be very important as the story moves ahead.
More importantly, it is possible that Garling might actually be secretly aiming to dethrone Imu himself. This is based on the idea that Garling may be based on Yuri Gagarin, who, upon going to space, uttered the words:“I see no God up here.”
It is entirely possible thatOda is setting up Garling Figarlandto try and go against Imu, which is why he refused the mark as that would make Garling Imu’s personal slave.
One Piece chapter 1148 will be out soon, in a week’s time. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on May 11. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1148 is July 13, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free onManga Plus.
