One Piece‘s Egghead arc saw the vile and corrupt World Government take considerable damage to its reputation, but Luffy’s father has hinted that the villains have yet to use their strongest fighters, who will have a significant role to play in the final arcs. During the latest arc, both the Straw Hat crew and the Revolutionary Army struck the organization that’s controlled the world for hundreds of years, where it counts, and the Revolutionary Leader seems to know what the World Government will do next.

In One Piece episode #1117, Sabo returns from Mary Geoise to the Revolutionary Army base. He met with Emporio Ivankov and Luffy’s father, Monkey D. Dragon, and they reviewed the current status of their campaign against the corrupt World Government. Dragon then warned that their enemy would likely not tolerate any form of hardship and said, “When they dispatch the Holy Knights, the real battle will start!” After the events of the Egghead arc, the Holy Knights seem like the next foes the Revolutionary Army and Luffy may face.

One Piece anime Episode 1117 shows Luffy's dad, Monkey D. Dragon, looking ominous while nine silhouettes of the the Holy Knights stand in the background.

The episode adapted chapter #1093 of Eiichiro Oda’s manga, which saw the official translation provide a less ominous warning from Dragon about the World Government’s mysterious force. Instead of teasing the Holy Knights’ overwhelming strength that will trigger One Piece‘s last saga’s most important battles, he used the words, “If they mobilize the Holy Knights, that’s where the fighting will begin!” which sounds less threatening when alluding to the location where the fighting will start.

One Of The Celestial Dragons’ Most Powerful Secrets Is About To Be Unleashed

One Piece is Written and Illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, Anime By Toei Animation

Sabo, Dragon, and Ivankov having a meeting
Slavery in One Piece A couple of Celestial Dragons walking around with a slave in chains. The people around them bow as they walk. One Piece Mary Geoise
One Piece Episode 1097 screecap depicting the Revolutionary Army against a red flag with their logo.

Sabo’s conversation and flashback scenes revealed a lot more details about the Revolutionary Army’s infiltration of the World Government’s HQ and Celestial Dragon’s home of Mary Geoise. Their clever plan successfully freed several of the world’s leaders’ slaves, destroyed resources like food reserves, and even attracted the ire of two Marine Admirals, Ryokugyu and Fujitora. Still, if the warning from Luffy’s father is true, the World Government hasn’t proven to take the threats seriously until they unleash The Holy Knights.

While the anime provided a better look at the nine Holy Knights than the manga did, the figures are still completely silhouetted for a more dramatic reveal in the near future. Without spoiling too much for anime-only watchers, the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights, an old man named Figarland Garling, makes his debut at the end of the Reverie flashback while providing a terrifying update to the brutal hierarchy of the sacred land of Mary Geoise.

a young roger wearing a straw hat with gear five luffy ion the background to the right and shanks to the left as seen in one piece's anime er wearing a straw hat with gear five luffy ion the background to the right and shanks to the left as seen in one piece's anime 3

Even with the showcases of incredible power from Shanks and Luffy, the end of One Piece’s Egghead arc revealed that their Haki skills are lacking.

1

The Holy Knights Will Be Mary Geoise’s Sword Of Retaliation

The Holy Knights Are First Mentioned In One Piece Chapter #1054

Dragon and the Celestial Dragons in One Piece

The Egghead arc introduced many new characters and explored fascinating plot lines, many of which some fans waited years to see. However, as the first arc in One Piece‘s final saga, it effectively narrowed down who the big players will be in the epic story’s final battles. It’s clear by Dragon’s warning that the World Government is saving the Holy Knights for a good reason, and One Piece fans will likely find out soon if their reputation precedes them when Imu and the Five Elders respond to the deserved violence brought upon them.