The Gorosei have a traitor and One Piece has already foreshadowed who

One Piece chapter 1112 will be released on April 22, 2024, and the hype is over the roof. Fans expect the upcoming chapter to give more insight into the powers of the Five Elders and their relationship in general.

With the Egghead Island continuing its smooth sailing, fans are expecting a tradition to continue. That tradition is the reveal of a traitor in a group of five people, as seen in Corazon from the Doflamingo Pirates and Vimsmoke Sanji from the Germa 66 in One Piece. With the Gorosei also being five in quantity, who could be the traitor of these big guns?

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the One Piece manga series.

---

One Piece: Exploring the traitor among the Five Elders

The names of the Gorosei as revealed in the manga (Image via Toei Animation)

The Five Elders are one of the biggest authority holders in One Piece. They were introduced in episode 151, and since then, they have appeared only a few times until Saturn summoned them on the Egghead Island.

Since the appearance of the Gorosei, fans have always noticed that it has been comprised of five people: Jaygarcia Saturn, Shephard Ju Peter, Ethanbaron V. Nasujuro, Saint Topman Valkyrie, and Saint Marcus Mars.

There could be a tradition in the series involving a group of five people with a traitor. This has been showcased often in the series. For instance, the starting five members of the Donquixote Pirates included Corazon, who was later revealed to be the traitor and helped Law escape the Doflamingo's claw.

Moreover, Germa 66 comprises the five Vinsmoke siblings, out of whom Sanji was deserted from the family and branded as the traitor. So, it could be established that a group of five people could have a traitor in them. Now, which ones of the Gorosei could be the traitor?

The two possible ones are Saint Ju Peter and Saint Marcus Mars. The former filled the missing gap compared to when Doflamingo announced himself as the King of Dressrosa.

In the empty space where Corazon was supposed to be in Doflamingo's scene, Saint Ju Peter is present in Imu's picture. This could make him one of the primary suspects of being a traitor out of the Five Elders. On the other hand, Saint Marcus Mars was the only one who felt bad when the Five Elders ordered the Marine Corps to destroy the Island of Ohara.

Gan Fall (left) and Saint Mars (right) (Image via Toei Animation)

Being one of the Five Elders, it was strange for him to feel remorse about destroying an island for the benefit of the World Government. Moreover, his scene could be compared to when Gan Fall, the Knight of the Sky from the Skypiea arc, questioned himself. His pose was the same as that of Saint Marcus, indicating that Saint Marcus Mars could be a traitor.

But there could only be one traitor, as established by the past betrayals in the series, so which one of these could it be? For this purpose, let's look at the speculated inspirations behind the Five Elders and see what controversies their inspirations were surrounded by.

Saint Saturn as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Saint Saturn could be inspired by Karl Marx, a German communist philosopher who penned the term Marxism, which helped the masses in early times. However, he has also been speculated to be racist, which could be linked to the discrimination against the Fisherman tribe in the series.

Saint Mercury could be inspired by Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, a Russian leader who introduced democracy in Russia. However, he was speculated to be corrupt as the economic reforms he handled during his time led to economic instability. This could be linked to the vast difference of classes in the series between normal civilians and the Celestial Dragons.

Saint Nusjuro could be inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, the man behind India's independence. However, he had been speculated by some people to need regular medication. This could be related to the Energy Steroid that Hordy Johns used. This was the prized possession of the Fisherman Island, and the Five Elders could have had their eyes on it from the very start of the series.

Saint Ju Peter could be inspired by Abraham Lincoln, one of the most famous Presidents of America who abolished slavery. But it wasn't completely abolished and was conditioned in the 13th Amendment. This could be related to the slavery aspect of the series, a victim of which was Boa Hancock.

Saint Mars as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Lastly, Saint Mars could be inspired by Itagaki Taisuke, a Japanese politician who founded the country's first political party and introduced democracy, making him one of the most renowned politicians in the series. Strangely, there weren't any controversies or intrigue surrounding his character that could be compared to the One Piece universe.

This could indicate that Saint Marcus Mars could be the traitor out of the Five Elders. As mentioned, he was the only Gorosei who showed remorse when the Buster Call on Ohara was announced. Moreover, his relationship with Itagaki Taisuke could confirm him as the traitor who would betray Imu in the upcoming chapters.

---

Saint Mars and SWORD

SWORD as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

If Saint Mars is the traitor out of the Five Elders, could he be willing to go against Imu alone? Even though he is a Gorosei, he is weaker than the leader of the World Government, so which organization would a rebel like Saint Mars join as the Revolutionary Army would never accept a Celestial Dragon?

Fortunately, the Navy already has such an organization—SWORD. This organization comprises Marine officers who had resigned as Marine soldiers and pursued their own justice. This group could assist Saint Mars in taking down Imu.

---

Final thoughts

This theory does make a lot of sense, but it is advised to pay attention to everything it states. Most of the information is speculative, especially regarding the inspirations of the Five Elders.

Although it could be considered alright to consider such speculated knowledge just for the sake of theory, it is recommended that you take it with a grain of salt and not consider it a fact.

---