Yonko

> ***" Although he's dead, his body doesn't collapse! And the way he mowed down enemies with wounds all over his body was certainly monstrous. The number of sword wounds he received in this war is indeed two hundred sixty-seven. The number of gun wounds: one hundred and fifty-two! And he was shot by a cannon forty-six times! Yet, on his proud back, or in his whole pirate life, there is no scar he got while running away! " - Narrator on Whitebeard's Death***
>
>

## Connections

### Enemies

* World Government
* Marines
* Other Pirates

## What are Pirates?

A pirate are, broadly speaking, any professional criminal that operates wholly or partially on the world's seas, especially people conducting robbery by ship. 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 Revolutionary Army—constitute the strongest opposition to the authority of the World Government and Marines.

## Specifics

In the world of One Piece, 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 flags at the top of the ships mast, as well as on the sails. The Jolly Roger has countless variants, every pirate group using their own unique design elements. The overall connotations of such a symbol is 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 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.

Pirate crews also tend to be named after the captain, whether directly or through an epithet or personal motif. The exceptions are usually named after a common race or origin shared by all members or else a deliberate communal theme.

## Bounties

As being a pirate is a serious crime in the eyes of the World Government, pirates are assigned bounties. The stronger the pirate is in combat, or the more serious the crimes they have committed, the higher their bounty will be. While not all pirates enjoy having a bounty on their head, a number of them take pride of the notoriety that comes with it, even going as far to try increasing it by taking down other notable combatants in order to gain evil fame.

## Positions

Virtually all pirates exist as part of a pirate crew, comprising of other pirates willing to operate under the same Jolly Roger. Inside a crew, everyone is responsible for certain duties, some of them related to the leadership of the crew, and others related to specific professions that are crucial to maintain the crew healthy.

Leadership positions:

* Captain, who makes (or at least has final authority on) all major actions taken by the crew. The Captain often possesses the highest combat ability and notoriety out of anyone in the crew.
	+ In some cases, a Captain can be called Admiral, due to having a large crew composed of several ships or subordinate crews.
* First Mate or Vice-Captain, who advises the captain, relays orders to the rest of the crew, and usually assumes authority in the captain's absence.
* Chief of Staff or Staff Officer, who provides a bridge in communication between those in charge and the rest of the crew.
* Officers, usually seen in a larger pirate crew, officers are a select few elite combatants who command the lower ranked members of the crew.
	+ In some crews, the officer position is further divided into regular officer and top officers. The top officers are stronger and hold authority over the lower ranked regular officers.

Other positions common to pirate crews include:

* Combatants, who specialize in fighting and, depending on the crew's size and focus, may or may not have other skills. Combatant types include:
	+ Swordsmen, who specialize in using swords for combat.
	+ Snipers, who specialize in using ranged weapons, such as firearms, a slingshot, or a bow and arrow.
	+ Martial Artists, who specialize in utilizing their own bodies for combat, using punches, kicks, and other melee attacks.
* Navigators, who are in charge of keeping their crew on course to their next destination.
* Cooks, whose purpose is to prepare meals to keep the crew fed.
* Doctors, whose purpose is to keep their crew mates healthy, treating illnesses with medicine and bandaging their wounds.
* Shipwrights, who are in charge of maintaining repairs of the crew's ship.
* Helmsmen, who steer their ships wheel in accordance with the guidelines of the navigator.
* Assassins, who are usually sent to neutralize a specific target for the crew's purposes.
* Musicians, who specialize in playing music to keep the crew entertained.
* Scholars, who act as knowledge keepers for the crew, providing an intellectual perspective and information that most, if not all, other members of the crew are uneducated in. Scholar types include:
	+ Archaeologists, who specialize in the historical study of lost cultures and ancient ruins.
	+ Scientists, who specialize in several areas, like engineering, chemistry, and biology, to help the crew with their creations and knowledge.

There are other positions on a pirate crew as well. They are less common and less obvious. Such positions include:

* Apprentices, 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.
* Pets, animals who usually serve as entertaining companions, but can also be combatants depending on their abilities.

## Categorical Positions

Though even being a pirate can scare the individual, there are many other types that can shake even the toughest crew of Pirates. Pirates who have never made it out of the Four Blues are commonly called Rookies amongst other Pirates or Marines. Rookie pirates with bounties surpassing 100,000,000 Berry are deemed exceptional, and categorized as Super Rookies or Supernovas. The most famous of these are the eleven identified with the Worst Generation, though they are by no means the only ones. Even after this "Worst Generation", there are many other names that Pirates can go by that shake the hardiest pirate's core:

### Seven Warlords(Shichibukai)

   The Seven Warlords of the Sea 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.

### Four Emperors(Yonko)

   The Four Emperors are a widely recognized group of four New World veterans who rose to prominence after the execution of Gol D. Roger and are widely regarded as the strongest pirate captains in the world. There is a strong degree of overlap between the Four Emperors and those who are considered Great Pirates, with the original four all being known as such. 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 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.

### Pirate King

   The Pirate King is a title applied to the strongest pirate alive. Its only acknowledged holder was Gol D. Roger, who inextricably linked it with the mythical treasure known as One Piece, with whoever finding and claiming the One Piece shall officially become the next Pirate King. The Pirate King is said to be the ruler of the sea; something that Luffy confirmed when asked about it by Eneru. But when talking to Silvers Rayleigh, Luffy said that the Pirate King 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