For the longest time, One Piece fans believed the Marines to be the only military force of the World Government. Due to that, the Fleet Admiral and Admirals were expected to be the major antagonists in the final war. However, the creator Eiichiro Oda introduced another special group of protectors of the Holy Land called the God’s Knights, who are shaping up to be the main villains of the ongoing Elbaf arc in the manga. If this new group of villains has caught your eye and you want to learn more about the God’s Knights members, then keep reading.
Editor’s Note: Last updated on December 3, 2025, to include the newly revealed members of the God’s Knights.
Spoilers Warning:
This article contains spoilers about the God’s Knights organization. Proceed with caution.
Who Are the God’s Knights (Holy Knights) in One Piece?
In the world of One Piece, the God’s Knights, aka the Holy Knights, are a group of guardians who are tasked to protect Mary Geoise, the Holy Land, and its inhabitants (Celestial Dragons) from grave dangers. They don’t come under the Marines and are instead managed by the top officials of the World Government, i.e., Imu and the Gorosei.
This powerful group was previously led by Supreme Commander, Figarland Garling. Garling has since become a part of the Gorosei, replacing Saint Saturn after his demise at the hands of Imu. His son, Figarland Shamrock, now acts as the captain of the Holy Knights.
We still haven’t learned about the origins of God’s knights yet in the story. However, since we saw them in action during the God Valley Incident, it is estimated that they have been active for a long time. At the time of writing, all the members of the Holy Knights are confirmed to be World Nobles, including the latest origin reveal of Gunko.
When Were God’s Knights First Mentioned in One Piece?
The God’s Knights were first mentioned by Tensei, the director of the Marine Bureau Investigation, when the group stepped in to take care of Saint Donquixote Mjosgard’s situation during the Reverie arc (one of the best One Piece arcs). They have the power to supervise the Celestial Dragons since we saw Garling execute Mjosgard in public.
Later, Oda teased a silhouette of the God’s Knights when Monkey D. Dragon stated that the real war would begin when the Holy Knights were dispatched. And true to the words, a few members of the Holy Knights infiltrated the homeland of the giants on a crucial mission in the Elbaf arc.
All Members of the God’s Knights (So Far)
As we are in the final saga of One Piece, the creator has begun to put the spotlight on the members of the Holy Knights. Here are all the God’s Knights members that have been revealed so far in One Piece:
1. Figarland Garling
- Position: Supreme Commander
Figarland Garling is the first God’s Knight member to be introduced in the story. Before his elder star promotion, he had the title of Supreme Commander of the God’s Knights. This means he had complete control of the group and led the knights in the past. We saw him leading his knight group and eventually killed Rocks D. Xebec during the God Valley incident.
It is currently unknown whether Garling remains the Supreme Commander, as his son appears to have taken over the position. However, he served as the chief of the Holy Knights for a very long time.
2. Figarland Shamrock
- Position: Commander/Captain
Next, we have Garling’s son, Shamrock, who has taken control of the knight squad after his father’s promotion to the Gorosei. He was revealed to be Shanks’ older twin brother and was undertaking a dangerous mission in Elbaf before he was called back to the Holy Land on Imu’s orders.
During his debut, we got to see the underworld powers of Shamrock as he unleashed a Cerberus using his sword. Although he has been ordered to return, he devised a strategy to abduct the Giant’s kids from Elbaf before leaving. Shamrock didn’t come back in the current timeline; however, he did appear as a baby and a young Holy Knight later on in the ongoing flashback.
3. Gunko
Before Shamrock’s reveal, it was Gunko who had the One Piece fans jumping out of their seats with the amazing powers of Aro Aro no Mi (Arrow-Arrow Fruit). She continues to remain a menacing figure with a versatile Devil Fruit power by her side.
Gunko was the only member of God’s Knights who didn’t hold a world noble title during her debut. However, Oda later revealed that Gunko’s origins are the Manmayer family. Still, the author hints at a connection between Gunko and Brook beyond music. So, Gunko could have been a commoner in the past and then ascended to godhood.
Currently, she has become a vessel for Imu, and the god is wreaking havoc in Elbaf by possessing her body. But a few signs point to Gunko becoming an ally of the Straw Hats in the future. We hope to see more of her powers and learn about her character soon.
4. Shepherd Sommers
As Shamrock needed backup for their mission, Gunko summoned St Sommers along with another new member recently introduced in the story. An interesting aspect of this character is that he hails from the House Shepherd, the same as Ju Peter, one of the Five Elders.
After this revelation, rumors began to surface online that Sommers could be Ju Peter’s son, as the Five Elders have been living around for a long time. He appears to be a jovial old man; however, he has the powers of the Thorn Thorn devil fruit, making him a Briar Man, as revealed in One Piece chapter 1143.
As the name implies, Sommers can conjure razor-sharp thorns capable of lacerating anyone who touches them. Currently, Sommers has wrapped the thorns around the sleeping kids, and it seems invisible as well. But Scopper Gaban effortlessly defeated Sommers in a 1v1 battle
5. Rimoshifu Killingham
Although Gunko was asked to summon a single God’s Knight member, Sommers was joined by Saint Killingham on Elbaf. That’s because Shamrock was asked to return to Mary Geoise due to an emergency.
Killingham appears in his dragon form with the trademark space suit of World Nobles during his debut. His form resembles that of Kirin, a popular yokai from Chinese folklore. He appears much more goofy than menacing, especially his head, which resembles Momonosuke in his dragon form.
Killingam is confirmed to be a mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user, as the fans predicted earlier. He ate the Dragon Dragon fruit, Model: Killin, a Mythical Zoan-type devil fruit. This is one of the most overpowered devil fruits we have seen, as Killingham can put his adversaries to sleep and also make their dreams come true.
It appears that only Killingham can wake up the people he has put to sleep, and the user confirmed that he can utilize his powers repeatedly at ease. This is a game-breaking devil fruit power, and we can’t wait to find out the destruction he is about to cause further in Elbaf.
6. Satchels Maffey
The revelation of the God Valley incident introduced us to more of the Holy Knights, and the one who grabbed our attention the most is Saint Satchels Maffey. Maffey turned out to be a significant knight as she was the character responsible for the split-up of the Figarland Twins. When Monkey D. Dragon was escaping with baby Shamrock and Shanks, Maffey interrupted and attacked him.
This resulted in Maffey just obtaining a baby Shamrock from Dragon, and baby Shanks climbed inside a treasure chest. Maffey appeared to be a swordswoman but also wielded the power to shoot laser beams out of their mouth like a Pacifista. The current status of Maffey remains unknown, so we have to wait and see if she is still working as a Holy Knight.
7. King Harald
Never in our wildest dreams did we think King Harald would become a part of the God’s Knights organization. Harald, in his relentless pursuit of making Elbaf a World Government-affiliated peaceful nation, accepted the offer to become a devoted God’s Blade. That’s the entry-level position in the God’s Knights organization for those who aren’t aware.
It is currently unknown if Harald was promoted to the upper ranks, as he was just revealed to be a God’s Blade. However, his death is approaching soon in the story, and he may not have climbed the ranks as we think.
8. Figarland Shanks
If someone were to suggest that Shanks worked with the World Government in the past, it would have been scoffed at immediately by the fandom. But it is now a reality as Shanks returned to his family in the Holy Land on a mission. After reaching out to his family, his father, Figarland Garling, made him a God’s Blade swiftly by branding him with the Abyss Mark.
However, Shanks didn’t come to rejoin his family to become a Celestial Dragon. He arrived here to gather intel about the World Government and possibly the Nika fruit. Thus, Shanks pretended to be an arrogant Celestial Dragon. In reality, he freed Fisher Tiger and assisted him in freeing the other slaves by providing weapons. Shanks remained a part of God’s Knights for a year, and he became a pirate once again, as we knew.
Unknown Members of Holy Knights
Apart from the familiar faces we have met, there were four other Holy Knights in the God Valley incident whose identities haven’t been revealed by Oda yet. As you can see in the image above, the woman standing alongside Garling, the unknown Manmayer family member, the character wearing a bison skull mask, and a giant Fish-man-esque character are yet to be officially introduced in the story. In the meantime, who is your favorite Holy Knights member? Let us know in the comments below.
