Immortality

Immortality
Statistics
Japanese Name:	不死身
Romanized Name:	Fujimi
First Appearance:	Chapter 1095; Episode 1129
User(s):	Five Elders; God's Knights; Demons

For the pirate from One Piece: World Seeker, see Immortal.

Immortality is a regenerative ability which renders a person impervious to being killed. It is a power Imu has bestowed on the Five Elders and the God's Knights, as well as those who are transformed into demons.

Overview

Gunko's immortality.

Possessors of this power gain an "immortal body" (不死の体, fushi no karada^?) capable of healing from any physical injury no matter how severe; users can survive even what could be instantly fatal attacks such as having their entire upper body blown apart, rendering them effectively undying. Similar to a majority of Devil Fruit powers, the regeneration extends to the user's clothes, completely repairing any damage; even bloodstains vanish in the process. So far, it has been shown to be used by the highest-ranking members of the World Government, such as Five Elders and the God's Knights, as well as demons.

Imu can grant immortality to an individual by making a contract with them in exchange for a portion of their lifespan. One method of doing this involves turning the individual into a demon via Domi Reversi by invoking a mark beneath them and then flipping them upside down inside the ground, completing the process. The individual gaining these powers apparently does not have to willingly accept these, as the process can be done to a person even without their consent. However, it appears that there are other methods of granting immortality besides this particular contract, as the Five Elders and God's Knights were not required to become demons.

The immortality grants the users a tremendous advantage in combat, allowing them to take on any enemy attack without fear of suffering any long-lasting damage, to the point that neither Saturn nor Gunko bothered to dodge potentially fatal incoming attacks. In addition, the lack of reaction to any damage being incurred by the "immortals" in question may indicate an insensibility to pain. The Five Elders were able to move around on Egghead while it was an inferno without being troubled by the flames or heat.

Saturn being stripped of his immortality.

The true limits of immortality is unknown. However, Imu apparently also has the ability to strip a person's immortality away, such as they did with Jaygarcia Saturn as punishment for failing to stop Monkey D. Luffy from escaping Egghead. The act of taking away the immortality causes a dark, flame-like substance to exude from the victim, who will rapidly wither away, ultimately leaving behind nothing but a skeleton. Likewise, former Roger Pirates member Scopper Gaban has some way of bypassing the immortality of the God's Knights, as evidenced when Shepherd Sommers' arm did not regenerate after Gaban severed it. Gaban suggests this is achieved through using Supreme King Haki. However, Gaban's method only negates the regeneration part, as Sommers still survived being bisected by the veteran pirate. Also, the negation is only temporary as Sommers could regenerate back to normal after some time, though he still felt great pain from the injuries.

Another limitation to immortality seems to be that any damage sustained prior to receiving the ability will not fully heal. This is seen with Brogy, who was granted immortality after his hand was severed from his arm. While he regained use of the hand upon becoming a demon, the section of his arm that was destroyed did not regenerate, leaving the hand to simply levitate as if it was still connected. Jaygarcia Saturn and Shepherd Ju Peter also have scars that did not heal despite their immortality, although it is unknown when these scars were inflicted.

Translation and Dub Issues

The term for this ability in Japanese is 不死身 (fujimi^?), which means "invulnerable" or "immortal" in the sense that one cannot be killed. This is in contrast to the term 不老 (furō^?), which means "eternal youth" or "immortal" in the sense that one does not age. The latter term is used when referring to the "Perennial Youth Operation" performed by the Ope Ope no Mi. However, this distinction is not always made in the official English translations, as VIZ Media has used the term "immortality" for both.

Trivia

• According to veteran pirates Dorry and Brogy, they have never heard of any race or power that would enable immortality. On the other hand, former Vice Admiral Saul was well aware that the God's Knights have this ability.
• In addition to immortality, the Five Elders and God's Knights also possess other unique powers, such as the Abyss. Whether these powers are linked or not has yet to be confirmed.
  • In addition, Jaygarcia Saturn has apparently lived for centuries, having retained the same elderly appearance for at least two-hundred years, and was reduced to a skeleton upon having his immortality stripped from him, though the details of any link between his longevity and immortality are still unknown.
• The regenerative powers are similar to that granted by the Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix.

External Links

• Immortality – Wikipedia article on the concept of immortality.