Eiichiro Oda's One Piece series is known for introducing us to a variety of amazing characters. The Five Elders are a group of five old men loyal to the World Government and its enigmatic leader; on the outside, they constitute the World Government, but they hide the truth from the world, which they do often, as keeping secrets is their specialty. They are keen observers of everything that happens in the world and recently had to react to Kaido and Big Mom's defeat in Wano. Knowing Luffy's influence and involvement, they wanted to hide the truth about what happened in Wano, but were unable to. Why? Read on to find out.

After the fall of Kaido and Big Mom, the Five Elders wanted to hide the truth

While Luffy fights, the Five Elders discuss the situation in Wano, pointing out that by then, Nico Robin will have already been captured and the possibility of someone dying given Kaido and Big Mom's involvement; finally, they talk about a certain Devil Fruit that is now a legend and that no one has seen for centuries and to which the World Government has given it a different name to erase it from history.

They then order CP0 to eliminate Straw Hat to prevent the consequences of his duel with Kaido. Upon learning that the Emperor eliminated the agent responsible, Warcury claims it was an error in judgment as they also angered Kaido. Saturn points out that eliminating the greatest concerns takes priority, while Nusjuro points out that the World Government already had the Gomu Gomu no Mi, but failed to reach them.

Mars comments that it's as if the fruit is running away from them, and Ju Peter claims that Zoan Fruits have their own will and, what's more, the one in question is named after a deity: in fact, it's the mythical Hito. Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.

He claims that the latter had a rubber body and fought against all logic, in addition to being considered "the warrior of liberation" who made people smile. Furthermore, awakening the fruit gives the user even more flexibility and freedom of movement, so much so that it was considered the weirdest in the world.

The sole surviving CP0 agent in Wano contacts the Five Elders and informs them of Kaido and Big Mom's defeat. After noticing Nika's appearance, Saturn declares that the fall of two emperors is a fact that cannot be concealed and that the news will spread quickly, instructing the others on how to act.

The CP0 agent confirms to them that Zunesha has left, so the five comment that the country's borders will remain closed and that, given the situation, someone intelligent will have changed plans, understanding that this way, the World Government will not be able to conquer the nation with an army.

Ju Peter wonders if they can at least capture Nico Robin, which the CP0 member is sure of, but interference disrupts the communication. When Luffy's new wanted poster is released, the Five Elders are furious because, contrary to their orders, it still contains the D in the name and includes a photo they didn't authorize.

The Marine they speak to claims that no such order came and that Guernica took the photo; the five then order its reprint because they cannot afford to let it circulate in its current state, and when the Navy fails to contact the press, they demand that the publication be stopped at all costs.

The Five Elders are afraid of Luffy, which is why they want to make him "just another pirate."

So, now we know what happened and how the Five Elders reacted to Luffy's success in Wano Country, and while they weren't able to hide the truth from the world, thanks to the "Big News" Morgans, the question of why they wanted to do so still remains. Luffy is just a pirate, while the Five Elders have the entire world government at their disposal, so why would they focus so much on one boy? The reason is: fear!

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The Five Elders fear Luffy because of what he represents and because he can become an extremely powerful symbol in the series. The "D" in his name shows that he is a natural enemy of the World Nobles and, with them, the World Government, while the fact that he has now "become" Nika can be a source of hope for the people oppressed by the World Government.

If Luffy becomes a beacon of hope, then the Five Elders will have a problem, because Luffy—as Nika and someone with the Will of God—will certainly convince people that he can defeat the World Government, and it stands to reason that the Five Elders wanted to keep this a secret. That's why they tried to stop the press and the wanted posters, but it was—thankfully—too late.

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