An Abyss is a type of magic circle (魔法陣, mahōjin?) ability utilized by the Five Elders and the God's Knights as part of their esoteric power set.[1][2] It appears to be linked to the demonic powers of Imu.[3]
Overview[]
The Abyss refers to a mysterious ability wielded by certain high-echelon members of the World Government, enabling them to traverse vast distances—or summon others to their own location—through the use of magic circles as conduits.
The precise mechanism underlying this power remains unknown. However, it is established that only individuals bearing a specific "mark" (マーク, māku?) are capable of traveling via an Abyss. The manner in which one acquires this mark is also still unclear, but its presence imposes a critical limitation: marked individuals cannot bring along those who are unmarked (such as abductees), and must instead resort to conventional means of transportation like ships.[2]
Those who are marked do not necessarily need to be conscious of, or prepared for, imminent travel via an Abyss. If summoned by another party, they may be transported without forewarning—either physically or mentally unready for the journey.[2]
Design[]
The Abyss' summoning circle consists of a thick outer ring with writing on it. Within the ring lies a secondary circle circumscribing a pentagram. The limbs of the pentagram are solidly filled, while the central pentagon remains blank. At the five cardinal points of the pentagram—aligned with its vertices that touch the edge of the inner circle—small, solid, triangular motifs are embedded in the outer ring’s design.
In the case of the Five Elders, each of their personal summoning circles bears further distinctions. Numerals are inscribed between the jags of each pentagram, corresponding to their specific Elder: "5" for Saturn,[1] "4" for Mars, "3" for Warcury, and "2" for Nusjuro.[4] By contrast, the magic circle employed in Mary Geoise, used collectively by multiple Elders, and the one used by the God's Knights, did not bear these identifying numbers.[5][6]
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Power[]
The Elders forcefully returned to where their circle was cast.
When activated, the circle emits black lightning, reminiscent of Haki, accompanied by eruptions of fiery energy. The summoned or traveling individual appears from within the circle as if emerging through a portal.[1] The transportation happens instantly, akin to teleportation, as Sommers and Killingham did not even realize they had been transported until realizing their new surroundings.[2] Saturn appears to be able to create multiple circles at once to summon others, as he conjured four to teleport his fellow Elders from Mary Geoise to Egghead.[7][4] During each teleportation, a corresponding circle is also activated at the point of origin, potentially suggesting a bidirectional or linked mechanism.[5]
There appears to be a limit to the technique’s range. Marcus Mars returned to his original location after being launched a great distance from the site to which he had been summoned. A powerful enough burst of Haki can also seemingly disrupt the summoning process, repelling those who traveled through the circle and sending them back to their original location.[8]
Users[]
Gunko summons a magic circle.
To date, the Abyss magic circles have been used by members of both the Five Elders and the God's Knights. While multiple individuals from both groups have been shown to be summonable via this method, only two have thus far demonstrated the ability to perform the summoning themselves: Jaygarcia Saturn, who possesses the capacity to transport both himself and others, and Gunko, who has been shown summoning others but not transporting herself. Whether additional members of either group are capable of initiating summons remains to be seen.
Those known to have been summoned through the Abyss include:
- Jaygarcia Saturn[1]
- Marcus Mars[4]
- Topman Warcury[4]
- Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro[4]
- Shepherd Ju Peter[4]
- Figarland Shamrock[6]
- Manmayer Gunko[6]
- Shepherd Sommers[2]
- Rimoshifu Killingham[2]
Trivia[]
The magic circle used by the people of Harahettania.
- A magic circle is another name for a sigil, a special symbol popular in occult rituals for the summoning of deities or demons.
- The concept of magic circles was also known to the people of Harahettania on Namakura Island, who attempted to use one in a ritual to summon Satan.[9]
- Several users of the Abyss, namely the Five Elders and Gunko, have also shown themselves to possess immortality. Whether there is a direct correlation between the two abilities is unknown to date.
- In the anime, the individual summoned or traveling through the Abyss emerges from within the circle as a dark liquid, rather than black flames or black smoke as in the manga.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 108 Chapter 1094 (p. 12-14) and Episode 1128, Saturn appears on Egghead through a Magic Circle.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 One Piece Manga — Vol. 112 Chapter 1140 (p. 12-17), The Abyss is named and its mechanics explained.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Chapter 1150 (p. 4-5, 10-15), Imu utilizes Abyss-like pentagrams with demonic powers.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 One Piece Manga — Vol. 109 Chapter 1110 (p. 4-7), Saturn summons the other Elders.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 109 Chapter 1110 (p. 3), The magic circle in Mary Geoise.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 One Piece Manga — Vol. 112 Chapter 1134 (p. 18-19), Shamrock and Gunko arrive on Elbaph.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 109 Chapter 1109 (p. 14-15), Saturn creates four magic circles.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 111 Chapter 1122, The Five Elders are sent back to Mary Geoise.
- ↑ One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 54 Chapter 524 and Episode 421.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 112 Chapter 1139 (p. 4).
External Links[]
- Magic circle – Wikipedia article on the concept of magic circles.
- Pentagram – Wikipedia article on pentagrams.