Warlords

> ***" Don't panic. You seem to have forgotten something. The reason they chose us to be the Seven Warlords was for our strength!! " - Boa Hancock***
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## Warlords

Image of the Seven Warlords at one point in One Piece's story

## Stats

### Seen as

* Heinous Criminals (Marines)
* Dark 7 (Pirates)
* Governments "Prized Dogs" (Pirates and Revolutionaries)

## Connections

### Neutrals

* World Government
* Marines

### Enemies

* Pirates
* Revolutionary Army

## Who are the Seven Warlords?

The Seven Warlords of the Sea, or simply the Seven Warlords, or Shichibukai, are a selection of seven powerful and notorious pirates allied to the World Government. Though it seems farfetched, they are indeed legally allied with the World Government.

With this allegiance, they are allowed to pursue most pirate activities without threat of arrest, allowing their bounties being completely frozen, along with a number of other privileges. In return, they are expected to further the World Government's interests, which mostly means going after other unruly pirates for them.

Warlords are recruited somewhat arbitrarily, but always with a focus on power and notoriety; meaning, they are widely feared by most other pirates. They also vary widely in abilities, methodologies, and personalities, some operating alone while others maintain full crews and are even acknowledged as legitimate sovereigns.

## Specifics

The Seven Warlords of the Sea are seven uber powerful pirates who entered into the service of the World Government, whether forced or otherwise. The purpose of the Seven Warlords was to have these pirates deal with other pirates. They are also a great symbol of the government's strength, showing that the World Government can indeed reign in the most unruly of criminals. In return for their alliance with the World Government, every member's bounty was frozen, and they had significantly more leeway to commit crimes.

Although they worked for the World Government, the Seven Warlords themselves typically did not care about nor respect the Government, or even the other Warlords, and were often considered by the Marines to be no different from any other pirate. On the other hand, they were known at large as "government dogs" and despised by other pirates, but were still feared and respected for their infamous reputation and strength which they gained before, and even after they became Warlords.

The distribution of the Warlord title seems to be thrown out to one pirate after another, but is actually neatly given out to the next pirate in line behind the current. The person that decides this order is none other then the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Maurier D. Harlan. Though this may seem organized, pirates whom are notified that they are next in line often seek out the pirate in head of themselves to take their role themselves, so the Warlords (at least in the main Four Blues) switch constantly. Most members were already notorious pirates with high bounties, but even relatively unknown pirates could have been offered a position if they accomplish a feat to prove their strength. Though becoming a Warlord is indeed an offer, refusing to accept the invitation would cause the chosen pirate's bounty to rise even higher then what it once was.

## Benefits of Becoming a Warlord

In exchange for these services, the Seven Warlords were pardoned for their former actions and any existing bounties were rescinded.

The *Enemy Ship Capture Warrant* allowed Warlords to legally plunder other pirates and uncivilized lands, so long as they gave a portion of their loot to the Government.

As a Warlord you can also gain more benefits, such as:

* Possession of a treaty that acts as a restraining order for all ships that come near any island the Warlord so pleases(limit to one), but gets nullified after Warlord status is revoked
* Giving a Captain and their entire crew an official pardon, even getting previous statuses as slaves nullified, though permanent if not continuing piracy, will be subject to nullification as the Warlord status is revoked
* The ability to operate and manage awful organizations or projects with the government fully ignoring it, being brought to government attention when Warlord status is revoked
* The ability to enter facilities in marine bases that no other pirate would have been able to access, with the exception of returning whatever borrowed within the hour as well as restricting the harm of any marine on site, thereby removing your Warlord status
* When the Warlord title eventually does get revoked, pirates will have a 24 hour grace period(unless they have committed a crime to remove their status) of free reign before the Marines will follow after them

However, due to having the benefits of being a Warlord as well as the government choosing to ignore their actions, many members tended to abuse their privileges for their own personal gain, and though a majority of the Warlords abused the system for their own personal gain, there have been a few that joined for more benevolent reasons.

### Dismissal or Resignation

Even if they violate the law, the World Government and Marines may choose not to take any notice, that is not to say they wouldn't dismiss a Warlord for such actions. There have been several Warlords who have been dismissed from their positions for several reasons. Doing something to violate the treaty made with the World Government will swiftly enact the removal of the title and any benefits it should have given.

## Power level of the Warlords

In terms of power, the Seven Warlords of the Sea are truly a force to be reckoned with. In the canon universe, at least two of the Seven Warlords (Gecko Moria and Dracule Mihawk) are said to have been rivals of Yonko Kaidou and Shanks, respectively. This, in addition to the fact that losing a single member of the Seven Warlords can disrupt the balance of the world powers and cause distress to the World Government, indicates the extreme power each individual has. Because of their pact with the World Government, the Seven Warlords were considered the "Government's Prized Dogs" by other pirates. At the same time, they were also feared by them because all of the Warlords are insanely strong, each capable of destroying an average pirate crew on their own with no effort, with an example being ex-Warlord Ravage Alvaro, who has taken down many pirate crews by himself. They had such a fierce reputation that even other powerful and famous pirates were unnerved by them, another example being Dr. Faro, who seemed genuinely unnerved with the fact the crew was facing a Warlord, as he has seen how destructive one can be.

Each member had some ability or power, the majority of which are Devil Fruits, but not all Warlords are privy to this, as seen with Acheron, who made his way up the food chain with only his brute strength and love for combat alone. In relationship to each other, it is not entirely known how they compared in strength, shown when Ravage Alvaro said "...even I am the weakest amongst them..." after he sort of proved how much of a capable fighter he is(that is before Galvos D. Ironjaw stepped in and clobbered him).

Along with their impressive combat abilities, most members have shown to be highly intelligent, knowledgeable and crafty. More than a few of them have taken full advantage of the benefits they possess as Warlords to do things pirates would not be able to pull off while keeping the World Government and Marines from being able to do anything against them. Many of them have also proven to be very skilled manipulators, having fooled whole counties for years and even the World Government itself.

## Previous and Current Warlords

### Previous Standings

The first ex-Warlord that the crew has come across would have been Ravage Alvaro, whom housed the epithet, "The Dancer". Alvaro himself implied to the Silly Pirates that he was indeed the weakest warlord, and that the other Warlords are so far beyond him in strength. Out of character, Alvaro's encounter served to show the players the dramatic distance in power they held compared to the standing of the world they are in.

### Current Standings

The current standing of Warlords are mainly predestined by when the Warlord received the title, with the current standings being

1: “Winter Knight” Jack Frost (Previous Spot Holder: none)

2: “The Demon Amongst Men” Alexander Amon (Previous Spot Holder: none)

3: “Vice Grip” Acheron (Previous Spot Holder: none)

4: “Grey General” Lancaster Hecate (Previous Spot Holder: ???)

5: “Obelisk” Ebenezer (Previous Spot Holder: ???)

6: “Vermillion Prince” “Fire Eater” Blackburn V. Pluto (Previous Spot Holder: Ravage Alvaro)

7: “Wind Waker” Karasu D. Sora (Previous Spot Holder: Blackburn V. Pluto)

These standings may or may not be based on strength, the crew will find out once they either hear about the Warlord or engage in battle with them. It must be stated that the PC's may or may not know some of these names on this list, and that is okay. These names will appear throughout the campaign so keep your eyes and ears pealed as to when they are revealed throughout the story. These are mainly listed for the DM's own notes so he remembers who is who :)