Marines

The **Marines** are the World Government's military sea force, tasked with law enforcement, international security, and military operations.

## **Duties**

The duty of the Marines is to maintain a law and order throughout the world and impose the will and might of the World Government. The main purpose of the Marines is bringing any criminal to justice, with a particular focus on capturing pirates. They use justice as their constituted policy to manage a world that is made almost entirely of ocean much easier. They are generally divided between those who support Moral Justice and those who support Absolute Justice, with the latter being the code of conduct for the Marines as a central doctrine.

Amongst their duties is awarding bounty hunters the bounties for the head of a criminal. They tolerate bounty hunters as a method of making their jobs easier, but are known to go out bounty hunting themselves. Apprehended criminals who are brought in alive are handed over to be made an example of. The Marines are left to ensure the transportation of these criminals to prison and/or to their execution.

Higher-ranked Marines (admirals and the fleet admiral) are expected to be on call to lead the Marine forces into war. This may take the form of apprehending many criminals at once, protecting the World Nobles, or calling a Buster Call to tackle a situation. Vice admirals are the ones who serve on the ships that the admirals call out, and are tasked with carrying out the admirals' orders exactly.

Some high-ranking Marines are also involved in infiltrating notorious and/or dangerous pirate crews. The goals for infiltration may vary, from attempting to stop the intake of recruits to monitoring their activities. Also, high-ranking Marines may even be involved in the apprehension of notorious pirates and/or other criminals, to the extent that even an admiral can be tasked to do the job, as seen when Admiral Fujitora was dispatched by Fleet Admiral Sakazuki to arrest Monkey D. Luffy and Trafalgar D. Water Law.

## **Rank System**

The system of military rank in place for the Marines is fairly straightforward, where each rank is clearly outlined. The Marines can be divided into two basic categories: Officers and Infantry. The officers hold a position of leadership while the infantry carry out the officiers orders. A Marine force will usually consist of one or two officers and multiple infantry soldiers.

Commanding Marines often work in pairs, with one superior officer and a second-in-command, or a subordinate who is of a lower rank. These partnerships may remain even during promotions, with both Marines advancing in rank together. In the pair, the higher ranked officer will give the orders to those under their command, while the other acts as an advisor or information gatherer while ensuring their partner's command is undertaken by the subordinates.

Higher ranking Marines are noticeably stronger than lower ranked ones; the admirals in particular are known as the world governments ultimate powerhouses. Officers and recruits stationed at Marine Headquarters are considered "Super-elites". All ranks present from "Lieutenant" above are usually trained here, exceptions being those in command of other Marine bases, which includes Axe-Hand Morgan and Nezumi.

It appears that higher ranked Marine Officers have the authority to poach subordinates from Marine Officers of a lower rank, as seen when Vice Admiral Garp transferred Koby and Helmeppo to his command from Commander Ripper.

The Ranks within the Marines from highest to lowest are as follows:

### **Commissioned Marine Officers**

* Fleet Admiral (元帥 *Gensui*)
* Admiral (大将 *Taishō*)
* Vice Admiral (中将 *Chūjō*)
* Rear Admiral (少将 *Shōshō*)
* Commodore (准将 *Junshō*)
* Captain (大佐 *Taisa*)
* Commander (中佐 *Chūsa*)
* Lieutenant Commander (少佐 *Shōsa*)
* Lieutenant (大尉 *Taii*)
* Lieutenant Junior Grade (中尉 *Chūi*)
* Ensign (少尉 *Shōi*)

### **Infantry and Sailor Division**

* Warrant Officer (准尉 *Juni*)
* Master Chief Petty Officer (曹長 *Sōchō*)
* Chief Petty Officer (軍曹 *Gunsō*)
* Petty Officer (伍長 *Gochō*)
* Seaman First Class (一等兵 *Ittōhei*)
* Seaman Apprentice (二等兵 *Nitōhei*)
* Seaman Recruit (三等兵 *Santōhei*) or Recruit (新兵 *Shinpei*)

### **Special Ranks**

* Inspector General (大目付 *Ōmetsuke*)
* Instructor (教官 *Kyōkan*)

## **Justice**

#### **Absolute Justice**

Absolute Justice (絶対的正義 *Zettai-Teki Seigi*) is a philosophy that many Marines follow.

Many Marines follow a strict motto of "Absolute Justice", when it comes to prosecuting those who violate the government's laws. It is a central tenet of Marine doctrine. Supporters of Absolute Justice believe that the eradication of all evil and illegal activities, even if this requires sacrificing innocent lives or engage in immoral acts, since the end justifies the means.

All individuals noted to have done illegal activities or criminal acts are reported to Marine Headquarters and issued bounties, based on the known information about their threat level - regardless of the circumstances. Anyone connected to criminals, no matter who they are, can be arrested even if they have not done anything and even people related to criminals are to be eliminated.

It is unknown why the World Government supports Absolute Justice as much as it does, nor where the ideals centered around it originate from. However, Vice-Admiral Onigumo best described it as willing to sacrifice anything to defeat what is defined as "evil", though it does ensure that the majority of the world is held under the World Government's dominion effectively giving them absolute control of the world.

Pirates have been especially singled out by the Marines as a major threat to order. They are considered criminals regardless of whether they have committed any crimes other than raising the Jolly Roger and any country caught harboring pirates can have further actions taken against them. Civilians, too, are targeted by the prohibition against piracy: persons known to have associated with pirates are barred from entering the Marines (though there are notable exceptions), and providing aid or comfort to pirates is a serious crime, especially if they are well-known bounty heads.

Supporters of Absolute Justice are Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, Vice-Admiral Onigumo, and all members of Cipher Pol, while former Fleet Admiral Sengoku is inspired by both Absolute Justice and other forms of Justice.

#### **Upheld Justice**

Aside from Absolute Justice, many high-ranking Marines have a personal "Upheld Justice" (掲げる正義 *Kakageru Seigi*) in the form of a motto. This sense of justice is often fundamentally tied to their character and reflects heavily in their actions. While some of these mottos are an interpretation of Absolute Justice, other are tied to independent and different sets of ideals; despite favoring Absolute Justice, the World Government allows Marines to follow their own personal interpretation of Justice, as long as it does not cause insubordination.
The following mottos of "Upheld Justice" have been introduced so far.

* Former Admiral Aokiji: **"Lazy Justice"** (だらけきった正義 *Darakekitta Seigi*). This can be seen reflected in his apathetic attitude and unwillingness to act.. His justice was formerly **"Burning Justice"** (燃え上がる正義 *Moeagaru Seigi*), but he came to change his views following the events of Ohara.
* Admiral Kizaru: **"Unclear Justice"** (どっちつかずの正義 *Dotchitsukazu no Seigi*). This can be seen in his carefree attitude and fickle priorities. For example, Kizaru is willing to question pirates in a casual manner while looking for Sentomaru, but immediately goes on the offensive against Basil Hawkins when he does not have the information Kizaru is looking for.
* Fleet Admiral Sakazuki: **"Thorough Justice"** (徹底的な正義 *Tetteitekina Seigi*). This is apparent in his decision to destroy the evacuation ship at Ohara based on the mere possibility that one of the archeologists may have snuck onboard. He believes that "evil" must be eradicated down to its roots.
* Vice Admiral Tsuru: **"Cleansing Justice"** (清らかなる正義 *Kiyorakanaru Seigi*). This fits Tsuru's Devil Fruit, the Woshu Woshu no Mi, which has the power to cleanse evil from the hearts of villains.
* Former Fleet Admiral Sengoku: **"Reigning Justice"'** (君臨する正義 *Kunrinsuru Seigi*). This justice is fitting for Sengoku's former position as the Fleet Admiral in command of the Marines, in which he was known as "The Resourceful General".
* Admiral Fujitora: **"Humane Justice"** (仁義ある正義 *Jingi aru Seigi*). This justice is fitting for Fujitora's moral ideals, caring for innocents and opposing corruption in the Government.
* Vice Admiral Prodi: **"Fine Tuned Justice"** (メリハリある正義 *Merihari aru Seigi*).