Pirates

**Pirates** (海賊, *Kaizoku*), are an occupation that are used throughout in the many worlds, and beyond. They are, broadly speaking, any professional criminals that operates wholly or partially on the world's seas, especially people conducting robbery by ship.

Acts of **piracy** can be committed on land, in the air, or near bodies of water including shores, typically at sea, and can also range from naval warfare and coastal raids. In most, if not all, cases they lead or belong to a group of like-minded criminals, known as a **crew**.

Though not the only existing type of criminal, pirates appear to comprise most of the world's significant bounty heads, and—with the possible exception of the Rebels—constitute the strongest opposition to the authority of the government and authorities.

"*On the Blue Sea below, there are a class of people called "pirates"... they are criminals who sail the seas in search of plunder. These people fly a black flag with a skull atop their ship's mast.*"

—Gan Fall, explaining the concept of pirates to Conis and Pagaya.

## Overview

In certain worldly places, perhaps the trait most universal to pirates, beside their sea-going activities and general defiance of the law, is the Jolly Roger: a skull-and-crossbones symbol meant for intimidation, usually flown on black ship flags and sails, which exists in countless variants among different pirates. Such symbol's overall connotations are strong enough that the Marines have been known to attack ships flying it on sight, even if those onboard are not identified with any particular bounty or crime.

The (stereo)typical pirate is greedy, violent, and ruthless, willing to hurt anyone and destroy anything to gain what they want—be it treasure, power, or even personal amusement. For this reason, it is not uncommon for civilians to fear and detest pirates on principle, even if they have never personally met any.

On the other hand, many law-abiding individuals and communities are known to romanticize pirates, or at least tolerate them if they keep themselves in check:

* Luffy's hometown Windmill Village served as a friendly harbor to the Red-Hair Pirates for over a year, strongly influencing Luffy's own childhood dream to become a pirate. The village continues to celebrate and publicize Luffy's every increase in bounty, with only its mayor ever objecting.
	+ The other Straw Hats' hometowns are also known to engage in the latter, even if (*e.g.* Cocoyashi Village) they have been victimized by pirates in the past.
* Water 7's shipyards are entirely willing to service pirates as long as their shipbuilding prices are met and no violence is threatened.
* Fish-Man Island freely welcomes pirates as tourists, despite the ongoing problem of pirates kidnapping merfolk and fish-men to sell as slaves.

Generally, the Marines do not pursue otherwise law-abiding people simply for aiding or associating with pirates, though exceptions can and have been made for particularly notorious cases. They do tend to discourage children from admiring pirates, and undercover Marine Rosinante Don Quixote even pretended to hate children to dissuade them from joining the Don Quixote Pirates.

While not all pirates enjoy having a bounty over their head a number of them take pride of the notoriety that comes with it even going as far to increase it by taking down others to gain **evil fame** (邪悪な名声, *Jaakuna meisei*).

While the majority of pirates are male humans, it is far from unknown for women (*e.g.* Alvida, Nami, Bonney Jewelry), fish-men and merfolk (*e.g.* Arlong, Capote, Hyouzou), giants (*e.g.* Dorry, Broggy, Wolf San Juan), Mink Tribe (*e.g.* Bepo), and even non-sapient animals (*e.g.* Richie, Momoo) to also sail under a Jolly Roger and attain comparable reputations.

### Crews

Virtually all pirates are part of some **Pirate Crew** (海賊団, *Kaizokudan*), comprising other pirates willing to operate under the same Jolly Roger. These are typically led by a single **Captain** (船長, *Senchō*), who makes (or at least has final authority on) all major actions taken by the crew and often possesses the highest combat ability and notoriety.

Other positions common to pirate crews include:

* **First Mates** or **Vice-Captains** (副船長, *Fuku Senchō*), who advises the captain, relays orders to the rest of the crew, and usually assumes authority in the captain's absence.
* **Combatants** (戦闘員, *Sentō-in*), who specialize in fighting—whether with swords, ballistics, or their own bodies—and, depending on the crew's size and focus, may have no other skills.
* **Navigators** (航海士, *Kōkaishi*), **Cooks** (料理人, *Ryōrinin*), **Doctors** (医者, *Isha*), **Shipwrights** (船大工, *Funadaiku*) and other logistical roles common to any sailing ship.
* **Musicians** (音楽家, *Ongakuka*), **Pets** (ペット, *Petto*), and other roles meant to entertain.
* **Apprentices** (見習い, *Minarai*), recruited at a young age, who may be used for anything from unpleasant chores to open combat. Though the position carries little authority or respect in itself, it can serve as a valuable training ground for pirates to build skills or notoriety on.

Usually, a pirate crew recruits new members at the sole discretion of the captain, who may set strict, objective standards (*e.g.* Black Demaro demanding only captains worth 70,000,000 berries and above in his crew, or Linlin Charlotte demanding marriage ties to her blood relations) or none at all besides personal fondness. Some captains may also force unwilling individuals to join their crew; the traditional pirate game known as the Davy Back Fight exists to promote this, though only the Foxy Pirates have actually been known to use it.

Pirate crews also tend to be named after the captain, whether directly (*e.g.* the Roger Pirates, the Krieg Pirates, the Barto Club) or through an epithet or personal motif (*e.g.* the Red-Hair Pirates, the Straw Hat Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates, the Heart Pirates). Crews that avert this are usually named after a common race or origin shared by all members (*e.g.* the Giant Warrior Pirates, the Kuja Pirates, the New Fish-Man Pirates).

### Ships

All but the newest (or poorest) of pirates sail on specialized ships that bear their corresponding Jolly Roger on the mainsail and/or flags; in most cases, the figurehead is also customized to reflect the captain's epithet or personal motif. Apart from this, a pirate ship may be of any size and equipped with any level of technology, depending on the skills and materials available to—and ambitions of—its crew.

(Of course, as criminals, very few pirates have qualms about stealing or hijacking new ships when needs arise. Don Krieg was particularly infamous for using civilian and Marine ships to facilitate his sneak attacks.)

### Territories

A sign of a pirate's threat is their ability to gain territory from a small island to a base over several villages. Often, to stay out of sight, they will keep their base hidden like the Kid and Fire Tank Pirates. As a difference in their power the Seven Warlords of the Sea held countrires while the Four Emperors have chains of islands under their control.

## Categories and Classes

"*You and I are not the same class of pirate...!*"

—Crocodile
While pirates operate in all of the world's known seas, different crews can vary sharply in power, scope, and notoriety. These disparities are often reflected by a crew's area of operation:

* Those in the Four Blues (East, West, North, South) are regarded as lesser—particularly the East. The World Government largely ignores them, leaving their apprehension to non-Headquarters Marines.
* **Rookies** (ルーキー, *Rūkī*), are those who successfully enter the Grand Line are commonly deemed and paid more serious attention by Marine Headquarters and older pirates, though not universally.
	+ **Super Rookies**, are rookie pirates with bounties surpassing 100,000,000 berries are deemed exceptional, and categorized as **Supernovas** (超新星, *Chōshinsei*). The most (in)famous of these are the eleven identified with the Worst Generation, though they are by no means the only ones.
* Those who establish significant reputations and power-bases, particularly after crossing the Grand Line's first half and entering the second half, may be deemed **Great Pirates** (大海賊, *Dai Kaizoku*). Thus far, only four individuals (Newgate Edward, Linlin Charlotte, Kaido, and Roger D. Gol) have been given this descriptor.

It should be noted that these designations are largely informal, with (at best) vague parameters. They stand in contrast to the more formalized categories and titles listed below.

### Seven Warlords

*Main article:* *Seven Warlords of the Sea*
The **Seven Warlords of the Sea** (王下七武海, *Ōka Shichibukai*; lit. "Royal Seven Martial Seas") are a selection of pirates legally allied with the World Government. While not employees or officials *per se*, they are allowed to pursue most pirate activities without threat of arrest (their bounties being completely frozen), along with a number of other privileges. In return, they are expected to further the World Government's interests, mainly by giving over a share of their plunder (and, implicitly, limiting their targets to other pirates).

Warlords are recruited somewhat arbitrarily, but always with a focus on power and notoriety; as such, they are widely feared (and/or reviled as "government dogs") by most other pirates. Nevertheless, they vary widely in abilities, methodologies, and personalities, some operating alone while others maintain full crews and are even acknowledged as legitimate sovereigns.

After the Warlords Crocodile and Doflamingo Don Quixote were both discovered to be directly undermining member kingdoms of the World Government (Alabasta and Dressrosa, respectively), the Council of Kings instated a complete abolition of the system, reverting all of the remaining Warlords to "common" pirates.

### Four Emperors

*Main article:* *Four Emperors*
The **Four Emperors** (四皇, *Yonkō*) are a widely recognized group of four New World veterans who rose to prominence after the execution of Roger D. Gol and are widely regarded as the strongest pirate captains in the world. Of the five known pirates to hold this title, three were formerly members of the infamous Rocks crew. There is a strong degree of overlap between the Four Emperors and those who are considered great pirates. As the strongest and most influential pirates in the world, a certain level of strength and prestige is needed to be recognized as an Emperor. The Four Emperors and their subordinates are considered one of the three great powers of the world, along with the Marines and (formerly) Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Pirates regarded as emperors are extremely powerful as combatants, captain notoriously strong (and often large) crews, and hold immense levels of influence over the goings on of the New World. Typically, emperors of the sea will hold territory; islands which they either have defacto rule over or are directly involved in the internal politics of. In addition to this it's not uncommon for pirates of this level to have other notable crews serving under their own as subordinates.

The title of **Fifth Emperor** (５番目の皇帝 *Gobanme no Kōtei*) was unofficially given to Monkey D. Luffy by Morgans of the *World Economy Newspaper* following he and his crew's escape from Big Mom's territory. It should be noted that this title was given based on highly embellished accounts of the Whole Cake Island incident, and as such is seemingly not recognized by the World Government or Marines yet. However, in the eye of the public Luffy is perceived as a figure standing adjacent to the Four Emperors.

Pirates considered emperors of the New World are known to have many extremely impressive feats under their belt. Red-Hair Shanks, the second most recent addition to the Four Emperors, is known to have regularly dueled against the greatest swordsman in the world prior to losing his arm. Newgate Edward was widely known as the late King of the Pirates' career-long rival. All pirates to be referred to as emperors hold *extremely* high bounties, all of which are in the *billions*.

The late Whitebeard previously held the second highest bounty of any pirate to have existed, while Kaido currently boasts the highest active pirate bounty (additionally, these two are regarded as the **Strongest Man in the World** and **Strongest Creature in the World** respectively.) When fully assembled, a pirate crew of this level may even be strong enough to stand a chance in a battle against the entire Marine force and Seven Warlords of the Sea, as demonstrated during the Summit War of Marineford.

### King of the Pirates

*Main article:* *King of the Pirates*
The **King of the Pirates** (海賊王, *Kaizoku-Ō*; "Pirate King"), is a title applied to the strongest pirate alive. Its latest—perhaps only—universally-acknowledged holder was Roger D. Gol, who inextricably linked it with the mythical treasure known as **One Piece**. Despite "King" usually being a masculine title, the title of King of the Pirates appears to be gender-neutral, as Big Mom seeks the title.

Before his death, Roger hid the One Piece in an unknown location—popularly believed to be Laugh Tale, the farthest-known island on the Grand Line. The frenzy over discovering and owning such a massive treasure sparked the "Great Age of Pirates". Whoever finds and claims the One Piece shall officially become the next King of the Pirates.

During the last portion of his life, "Whitebeard" was generally acknowledged as the man "closest" to being the next King of the Pirates, though he admitted to having no interest the title at all. One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Doflamingo Don Quixote, believed that had Whitebeard truly wanted to become the King of the Pirates, he would have already. Many people who had met Luffy, such as Vivi and Koby, believe that he will become the King of the Pirates; Kokoro also addressed Luffy as the King of the Pirates and Shakuyaku has stated that both she and Rayleigh Silvers were rooting for Luffy to achieve this goal.

The reasons for a person wanting to be the next King of the Pirates vary; individuals like Buggy, Moria Gecko and Blackbeard wish to acquire it for the power and influence the title would come with, while others like Luffy and Crocodile (prior to the event that caused him to let go of it) wish to become the next King of the Pirates simply as a personal dream. The Four Emperors are considered candidates for it because they are extremely powerful and are very close to it. Among them, Blackbeard, Big Mom and Kaido have shown interest.

Luffy, as well as Crocodile in his youth, seem to only want it for the adventures that are involved with locating the One Piece. The King of the Pirates is said to be the ruler of the sea; something that Luffy confirmed when asked about it by Eneru. But when talking to Rayleigh Silvers, Luffy said that the King of the Pirates is not the most powerful or wealthiest person in the world, but simply the person with the most freedom on the sea. After hearing this Rayleigh smiled to himself, possibly because Roger himself had also stated this being his primary value.

One thing is for certain; the journey to become the next King of the Pirates is very long and extremely dangerous. Even Mihawk claimed that such a goal is far more difficult than challenging him for the title of the "Greatest Swordsman in the World". After the death of Ace D. Portgas at the hands of Akainu, Luffy considered giving up his dream after seeing how powerless he was until he was reminded of those who believed in him by Jimbei.

### Space Pirates

*Main article:* *Space Pirates*
The **Space Pirates** (宇宙海賊, *Uchū Kaizoku*), are individuals who commit acts of piracy in space. This often involves performing raids on other spacecraft, attacking then boarding and plundering any valuable cargo that the ship may be carrying. Due to the nature of piracy, pirates would normally be wanted criminals. However several factions have made use of space pirates for their own purposes.

During the War of Independence, the Colony Federation, inspired by the Galactic Empire's imperial pirates, gave out Letters of Marque to space pirates, granting them a pardon and allowing them to operate legally as privateers instead of wanted criminals, in return for aiding their forces against the Stellar Alliance. The Letters of Marque remained renewable even after the war ended and both sides were absorbed by the Galactic Empire.

Around the time of the series, there are still pirate crews who are still operating under a Letter of Marque, passed down the captain's line. In peace time, with no enemy ships to raid, they co-operate with insurance companies which arrange jobs for them to maintain their licenses. These mainly consist of so-called 'raids' on cruise liners which are shows for the entertainment of the passengers. They may also be called upon to ship cargo, provide protection and perform certain sensitive tasks that factions can't publicaly do but must have done.

Many pirate crews with a Letter of Marque are content to just doing what is necessary to maintain them and are reluctant to venture past safe boundaries. Because of this, some think that they are no longer true pirates. The Imperial Fleet and Star system guards will set up training sections with privateers for combat simiulation. The Imperial Fleet even does this annually with many privateers. Regular non-privateer space pirates still exist, but are hunted as wanted criminals. Some of them have formed organizations, such as Pirate Guilds which operates in the frontier regions.

Although usually set with a plot and the privateers have to act accordingly, a recent annual training had been in a more free form and the setting is the privateers against the 5th Imperial's fleet 1st division fleet with the Hunter Killers, a section specialized for hunting and taking down pirates, complete annihilation of all privateers acting as pirates as the winning condition for the Imperial fleet, the privateers winning condition is escapement, with extra bonus for staying un-sunk for an extended period.

## Gallery

### Heroes

Capt. Jack Sparrow
(Captain)

### Allies

Ace D. Portgas
(2nd DC; Deceased)

### Villains

Davy Jones
(Captain; Unknown Status)

## Etymology

While the English word "pirate" is derived from the Latin *pirata* ("pirate, corsair, sea robber") and Greek πειρατής (*peiratēs*: "brigand"), the Japanese word for pirate—*Kaizoku*—comprises the kanji for "**sea/ocean**" (海,*Kai*) and "**thief/robber**" (賊, *Zoku*), in analogy to such terms as "**Bandits**" (盗賊, *Tōzoku*).

## External links

* Pirates *Wikipedia*
* Pirates *Assassin's Creed Wiki*
* Pirates *Mouretsu Pirates Wiki*
* Pirates *One Piece Wiki*
* Pirates *Skull & Bones Wiki*