Summary
Mortality varies across theOne Piecenarrative. While many characters are regularly threatened with death in some form, others have managed tosurvive for over a century, with some still living in the present day. Due to a mixture of both magical powers and various species with longer lifespans than humans, longevity seems far more common in theOne Pieceuniverse.
Attimes, this lengthy lifespan can intersect with the plot, as some long-lived characters may have a level of direct involvement in the era known as the Void Century, a time period that theWorld Government has criminalized researchon, for reasons presently unknown to the audience. Regardless,these next characters fromOne Pieceare all over 100 years old.
7Dr. Kureha
The Doctor Of Sakura Kingdom
Kurehawas one of Tony Tony Chopper’s two mentors prior to his journey with theStraw Hat Pirates. Alongside Chopper’s surrogate father, Hiriluk, she was one of the last two private doctors on Drum Kingdom prior to its rechristening. Of the two, Kureha was the one who taught Chopper the trade, whereas Hiriluk was more akin to a mad scientist. Compared to Hiriluk, who is far more of a dreamer and optimist, Kureha is the pragmatist of the two, adhering rigidly to her healthcare regimens. Despite her strict side, she truly does care for Chopper, and has trouble saying goodbye once he joins Luffy’s crew.
As Kureha has thus far been shown to be an ordinary human, her longevity appears to be entirely attributed to her personal health practices. She despises any insinuation that she is “old” and tends to misunderstand people as asking about the secret of her extended youth. Despite showing signs of age, Kureha still appears to be in excellent health. She seems to take pride in her physical appearance, often wearing outfits that accentuate her slender figure and showcase her midriff, which is especially notable in the cold climate of Sakura Kingdom.
6Dorry And Brogy
The Blue Ogre And Red Ogre
Dorry and Brogy,the two present-day captains of theGiant Warrior Pirates, hail from the nation of Elbaf, which was known for its warlike giants before the late king Harald’s pacifist reforms. They are first encountered in Little Garden, where the Straw Hats travel as part of a greater journey to Alabasta. There, the giants were involved in a century-long duel to the death, arising from the question of which one was bigger. Despite this violent ritual, the two maintained a level of friendship and respect.
Unfortunately, they came afoul of Baroque Works, with Mr. 3 leading a charge to capture the pair in exchange for their massive bounties. Despite being physically far weaker, the organization’s usage of Devil Fruits allowed them to temporarily capture the ogre pair, leading to the Straw Hat Pirates needing to bail them out, despite most of them almost dying as well. The pair put their duel on hold and have been seen in Elbaf, among the handful of giants from the country who knew the Straw Hats beforehand.
Giants tend to age differently from humans, with Dorry and Brogy having both been fairly young in their late 50s when the duel began, analogous to humans in their 20s-30s. Now, at the age of 160, they appear to be close to middle age by human standards.
5Hatcha
Number Eight
Hatchawas one of a handful of test subjects inPunk Hazard, a purportedly failed experiment aimed at recreating ancient giants. These subjects were called the “Numbers” and were eventually integrated into the Yonko Pirates by Kaido.
Hatcha is one of the more humanoid-looking members of the Numbers, with his exact number being “eight.” He is also the only number with a known age, looking fairly young at 188, itself a likely reference to his designation as the eighth number. It seems as though his longevity is connected to the experiment, but the exact details are unknown.
4The Five Elders
Indeterminate Age
The Five Eldersare the public faces of the World Government. These Celestial Dragons are designated to various fields of leadership. In practice, they are little more than puppets for Imu. Nonetheless, these figures are thought to have some age and experience behind their many years of servitude, and they independently think of themselves as superior to ordinary humans.
The Five Elders (at the very least, their previous incarnation, which included Jaygarcia Saturn) are thought to have lived for over a century. Various pieces of evidence support this fact. One is that these men have not aged at all between their various appearances, with Saturn himself being confirmed to have been older than two centuries. Shepherd Ju Peter, who was designed to appear younger than his counterparts, has not shown signs of aging in at least 22 years.
Another piece of evidence is Ethanbaron V. Nusujuro’s katana, which, upon inspection, appears to be the Shodai Kitetsu. This sword is part of a series of cursed blades known as the Kitetsu, and is by far the oldest of the bunch. It is also notable that the Five Elders, alongside God’s Knights, derive a level of immortality from Imu. While their exact ages, as well as when exactly they acquired immortality, are unclear, there have been hints that their physical age does not reflect just how long they have lived. Further complicating things is the newest member, Figarland Garling, who has aged significantly in 38 years, making it unclear if the immortality of the others is tied to an arrested aging process.
3Jarul
Mountain Beard
Jarulwas formerly the co-captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates.During the seventh day of a twelve-day fast (per Elbaf tradition), tragedy struck when his co-captain, “Waterfall Beard” Jorul, was killed trying to stop the destruction of a fastingCharlotte Linlin, who was among the orphans raised on the island by Mother Carmel.This event was the initial incident that led to a species-wide hatred of Linlin, and more immediately, to Sheep’s House, the local orphanage, being relocated to what would later be known as Whole Cake Island. Jarul was later involved in the attempted restraint of Loki after he murdered King Harald, getting a sword lodged into his forehead for his troubles. This sword is said to be fatal if removed, as Jarul would die of blood loss in such an event.
Nonetheless, he has survived for over four centuries and is perhaps the oldest living giant at present. With a majestic flowing gray beard and other clear symbols of age, Jarul is elderly even by giant standards. While not nearly old enough to have existed during the Void Century, he is still something of an authoritative elder to his people, despite his own preferences differing from the recent reforms of Elbaf. However, with the recent forced conversion of most giant warriors into demons, whether Jarul will continue to live or not is unclear.
2Imu
Alive During The Void Century
This mysterious being is at the center of the World Government’s operation,Imu’sidentity is kept a secret for the sake of maintaining the illusion that the Government is not an autocracy. They appear to command the Five Elders directly, and were recently uncovered by the Revolutionary Army during their raid on Mary Geoise.
Emporio Ivankov suggested that Imu was, in fact, one of the First Twenty who fought Joy Boy during theVoid Century. This seems very possible due to the being’s knowledge of Joy Boy, Nefertari D. Lili, and other information that the Government outlawed the study of. Imu has ordered entire continents to be wiped off the map for the purpose of eliminating knowledge regarding the Void Century. They also seem to be connected to the apparent immortality shared by the likes of the Five Elders and God’s Knights, and notably revoking the supposed immortality of Jaygarcia Saturn once he failed in his mission.
Imu’s exact age is unclear, with other figures still alive possibly being even older, but they are old enough to have known Joy Boy and his Haki on a more personal level. Imu survived to the present day through unknown means, possibly tied to the Ope Ope no Mi, which can grant beings eternal youth at the cost of the user’s own life.
1Zunesha
Millenium-Old Elephant
Zuneshais a Naitaime-Norida elephant, whose long, double-jointed legs allow it to walk through oceans. They host Zou and the Mink Tribe on their back, and maintain a symbiotic relationship with them. Zunesha was a companion of Joy Boy in the past. Around 800 years ago, they committed a crime for which they were sentenced to walk the seas for eternity, and they were only allowed to act upon orders. Zunesha required permission from Kozuki Momonosuke to fight back against a fleet led by Jack of the Beasts Pirates, but was able to wipe it out once given the go-ahead.
Zunesha is, thus far, the eldest being with a known age who is alive in the series. They were already fairly old by human standards at the time of the Void Century. Their wrinkled, somewhat withered body shows signs of their physical age. It is unclear who was behind Zunesha’s sentencing and how or even if it contributed to the being’s longevity. Nonetheless, Zunesha is still walking with Zou atop its back to this very day.
