This post contains spoilers for One Piece.

Summary

Imu chooses members of the Gorosei based on their descent from families that united against the Great Kingdom. They must be capable fighters.
Gorosei members are former God's Knights with strong Devil Fruit abilities and likely use Conqueror's Haki. They are on Yonko level.
God's Knights, like the Gorosei, have powerful abilities and are known for their strength. Imu must be a formidable force.

The Gorosei, also known as the Five Elders, are a pentad of the most important people within the World Government. They serve under Imu, who assigns them different roles. The Gorosei obey Imu's every command and make sure they complete the assigned tasks expeditiously.

Since Imu's identity is a well-guarded secret, they cannot choose any random people to become the Gorosei. Therefore, Imu has to have a list of requirements that must be met before a person can be elected. While Oda has not explicitly disclosed the details, the author of One Piece has dropped a major hint as to how the Gorosei are chosen.

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By Suzail Ahmad

How Imu Chooses The Gorosei

One Piece - Five Elders Bowing Down To Im As He Sits On The Empty Throne-2

The main requirement for picking a member of the Gorosei is that they must have descended from one of the families that united against the Great Kingdom. If they have ties to any of those countries, it is improbable that they will betray the World Government, making them more trustworthy.

Another prerequisite is that the person must be an excellent fighter. All the members of the Gorosei are at least Yonko level, and one could even argue that they are a level above. Having a weakling with no fighting experience would mean that they would be unable to defend Imu in times of peril. An experienced fighter would also have an easier time carrying out Imu's orders. All the Gorosei are usually old, which indicates that Imu waits for them to gain enough experience and trust.

The God's Knights Are Promoted To The Position Of Gorosei

The Strongest Are Carefully Picked By Imu

The easiest way for a person to gain battle experience and trust would be to join the God's Knights. People who are a part of the God's Knights also share certain traits with the Gorosei, such as regeneration and the ability to use summoning circles. In the Egghead arc, Jaygarcia Saturn used a summoning circle to call for backup. In the Elbaf arc, Shamrock did something similar when he summoned Killingham and Sommers.

Another thing that points to the Gorosei being former members of the God's Knights is how Figarland Garling was elected to replace Saturn. Figarland Garling served the Celestial Dragons for decades, and he was even heralded as their champion. With time, Garling was promoted to the position of Supreme Commander. When Saturn failed to prevent Vegapunk's transmission, Imu somehow drained his life and made Garling the new Godhead of Science and Defense. This incident more or less confirms that the members of the God's Knights are promoted, and they become Godheads or the Gorosei.

How Strong Are The Gorosei And The God's Knights?

Saturn confronts Vegapunk and the Straw Hats - One Piece

The Gorosei and the God's Knights can regenerate
They have overpowered abilities

As previously mentioned, the Gorosei are on the same level as the Yonko. One could argue that they are stronger than the pirates, and they wouldn't be wrong. The Gorosei have overpowered Devil Fruit abilities, with which they can take on an entire fleet by themselves. Additionally, all the Gorosei can likely use Conqueror's Haki, and they seem to be extremely efficient at using it. On a side note, this means that Figarland Garling also has Conqueror's Haki to keep the theme going. When the Five Elders were on Egghead Island, there was total chaos.

You dare call me a human...? We are Gods!! —Gunko

Nobody was able to gain the upper hand against them, which is a big testament to their skills. It would be remiss not to mention that their main goal was to stop the broadcast, which is why they weren't fully focused on eliminating the people on the island. So, it is safe to say that things would have been a lot worse if the Gorosei were only concerned with eliminating all living beings. Also, the Straw Hats would not have survived if Emet had not used Joy Boy's Haki to send back four of the Gorosei.

The God's Knights are not that far off from the Gorosei. So far, the God's Knights have wreaked havoc in Elbaf without sustaining any damage. Like the Gorosei, they are armed with powerful Devil Fruits and the ability to regenerate and to summon others. With so many strong underlings, one can only imagine how Imu must be.

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