World Government Founding

Lore & Background

The World Government was founded eight centuries ago by a group of twenty kings known as the First 20. Among them was St. Nerona Imu, the King of the World and creator of the World Government, who chose to embrace anonymity by withholding their surname. Imu is a devil-like man with pale hair, dark skin and horns, who wields a giant serpent spear called Nemesis. His existence is kept secret from the world and much within the Government; if anyone witnesses his existence, they are assassinated. Another founding monarch was Nefertari D. Lili, Queen of the Kingdom of Alabasta 800 years ago. 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. The Celestial Dragons, also known as the World Nobles, are a group of aristocratic elites that make up nineteen bloodlines residing in Marijoa and are descendants of the First 20 with the exception of the Nefertari family. 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.

In Their Own Story

The air atop Mary Geoise was thin, cold, and tasted of gold dust. Below, through a crack in the floorboards of a high tower, a young Celestial Dragon watched a fleet of Marine ships converge on a tiny island in the distance. A single cannon blast echoed from the sea, followed by a pillar of smoke that rose like a funeral shroud. Beside him, an elder noble sipped tea, his voice devoid of emotion as he noted the coordinates on a map. 'Another ripple in the ocean,' he murmured, turning back to the window. 'Let them burn. The world is quiet again.'

Reader's Guide

The World Government is led by Nerona Imu, who secretly occupies the Empty Throne of Pangaea Castle at Mary Geoise. 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. 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. 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. He can also create and shoot explosive orbs called Omen. 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, 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. 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, 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.

Did You Know?

• The World Government was founded eight centuries ago by a group of twenty kings known as the First 20.
• St. Nerona Imu, the King of the World and creator of the World Government, chose to embrace anonymity by withholding their surname.
• Nefertari D. Lili was the only one of the 20 founding monarchs who chose not to move to Mary Geoise but to return to Alabasta.
• Imu holds an intense hatred towards those who bear the 'Will of D', in addition to Joy Boy.
• The Celestial Dragons wear enclosed helmets with supplied oxygen so as not to breathe the same air as commoners.