One Piece: Every Member Of The Shichibukai Warlords (& How They Joined)

One Piece’s Shichibukai are a group of powerful pirates aligned with the World Government. Here’s everyone who joined the Seven Warlords.

Warning: Contains manga spoilers for One Piece.

SUMMARY

 One Piece’s Shichibukai are powerful pirates controlled by the World Government to maintain balance in the seas.
 The Shichibukai system is controversial due to criminals becoming government agents, leading to high turnover rates.
 The Seven Warlords were dissolved in One Piece , affecting many key characters’ roles.

Also known as the Seven Warlords, One Piece‘s Shichibukai are a group of powerful pirates hand-picked by the World Government to turn legitimate. In exchange for operating freely, the Shichibukai must fight on the government’s behalf when called upon — usually to crush other strong pirates.

The Seven Warlords have provided many of One Piece‘s biggest villains, creating a ladder for Luffy to climb to become Pirate King. However, Luffy has since moved on to bigger fish (literally, as it turns out), and that’s lucky, as the Shichibukai have recently been disbanded in the One Piece anime.

Following the incidents on Alabasta and Dressrosa, Admiral Fujitora prompted the nations of the World Government to abolish the Seven Warlord system, rendering them regular outlaws once again.

One Piece is rife with powerful pirates, and many of them are members of the Seven Warlords, but who among the Warlords is the strongest?

11Crocodile Led the Crime Syndicate Baroque Works

Debuted in chapter #126 and episode #76

Crocodile is already a member of the Shichibukai’s list when One Piece begins, although information on his early pirating years is scarce. After joining the Warlords, Crocodile settled in the nation of Alabasta and founded a secret organization called Baroque Works, with the ultimate intention of seizing the desert kingdom for himself.

With the sand control powers of the Sand-Sand Fruit, the One Piece villain Crocodile created a drought across Alabasta and framed King Cobra in order to trigger a rebellion.

Though it is unlikely, there is a popular fan theory that Crocodile is actually Luffy’s mother in One Piece.

Crocodile hoped to swoop in as Alabasta’s hero, but the Straw Hats intervened, and Luffy defeated the Baroque head honcho. The Navy’s Captain Smoker witnessed the entire Alabasta incident, and Crocodile’s Shichibukai status was consequently revoked.

He was imprisoned until being freed by, ironically enough, Monkey D. Luffy. Although his old bounty was 81 million, Crocodile is undoubtedly worth more in the current timeline, as he continues to roam the seas and has begun hunting Marines as part of Cross Guild.

10Boa Hancock Protected Amazon Lily with Her Title

Debuted in chapter #516 and episode #409

The Empress Boa Hancock endured a tough upbringing, enslaved by nobles alongside her two sisters and forced to eat the Mero-Mero (Love-Love) Devil Fruit, which gave her power over impure hearts.

Hancock and the Gorgon sisters were eventually freed by Fisher Tiger and returned to One Piece‘s island of Amazon Lily. With her overwhelming strength and conqueror’s haki, Hancock rose to become the captain of her island’s Kuja Pirates — an all-women crew made up of Amazon Lily’s strongest tribe members.

Hancock has a large crush on Luffy, and though the feeling doesn’t appear to be mutual, the two are a very popular relationship among many One Piece fans.

To ensure her people’s safety, Hancock agreed to become a Warlord, despite hating the government for their role in her enslavement, but has continued to defy her employers by helping Monkey D. Luffy at any given opportunity.

Hancock remained in the World Government’s employ until the Shichibukai were disbanded. Like Crocodile, Hancock’s pre-Warlord bounty stood at 80 million, but the Empress has become exponentially stronger. Now that her relationship with the World Government is officially over, Hancock will likely join the fleet of her beloved Luffy.

9Jinbe Hoped to Further the Fishman Cause

Debuted in chapter #528 and episode #430

Much like Boa Hancock, Jinbe entered the Warlord system for the benefit of his kind. Fishmen are regularly subjugated and looked down upon in the One Piece world, and Jinbe sought to cure that injustice as part of Fisher Tiger’s Sun Pirates crew. After Tiger’s death, Jinbe assumed captaincy and continued his mentor’s morals, becoming a fearsome pirate with a bounty of 250 million. When he was personally invited to join the Shichibukai’s list, Jinbe agreed, believing he could use that power to improve relations between humans and Fishmen.

Unfortunately, that relationship turned sour when the World Government asked their Shichibukai to go to war against Whitebeard, and the Knight of the Sea staunchly refused. His decision resulted in imprisonment and expulsion from the Seven Warlords. Still, Luffy freed Jinbe and, after a long friendship, the Fishman finally joined the Straw Hats as their official helmsman. Jumping aboard with Luffy earned Jinbe an increased bounty of 430 million.

8Gecko Moria Led an Army of the Undead

Debuted in chapter #449 and episode #343

The main villain of the Thriller Bark arc, Gecko Moria is another pirate who joins the Shichibukai’s list some years before One Piece‘s story begins. Using his spooky Kage-Kage fruit, Moria steals shadows and corpses to create hybrid zombies, and these undead soldiers account for most of his crew. Uniquely, Gecko Moria’s Thriller Bark pirate ship is an entire island, from which he operated as a Shichibukai.

Despite losing to Monkey D. Luffy after attempting to capture the Straw Hat crew, Moria wasn’t immediately fired as a Warlord. Instead, a clandestine operation was put into motion to have Moria quietly assassinated during the Battle of Marineford. Although officially deceased, Moria escaped, and now appears to be associating with Blackbeard. His last known bounty stood at 320 million.

7Dracule Mihawk is the World’s Greatest Swordsman

Debuted in chapter #49 and episode #23

Mihawk is one of the very first Shichibukai to appear in One Piece, and remains one of the most mysterious. Hailed as the best swordsman in the world, Mihawk’s piracy days are largely untold. Fans know only that the World Government was impressed enough by Dracule’s skill with a blade to make him an offer into the Shichibukai. The SBS section of volume #108 also reveals that Mihawk chose to join the Warlords to avoid constantly being chased by Marines and to be able to live in peace.

Dracule Mihawk’s next career move fascinated fans when he and Crocodile formed Cross Guild and took up hunting Marines

Mihawk largely performed his duties without complaint, participating in the Summit War even though he didn’t necessarily agree with the reasoning. Despite his outward loyalty to the World Government, Mihawk does as he pleases, remaining friendly with a Yonko (Red Hair Shanks) and personally training the Straw Hats’ Roronoa Zoro. With little crew to speak of, Dracule Mihawk’s next career move fascinated fans when he and Crocodile formed Cross Guild and took up hunting Marines instead.

6Bartholomew Kuma was Forced into Becoming a Warlord

Debuted in chapter #233 and episode #151

Although Bartholomew Kuma joined the Shichibukai’s list, his true affiliation lay with the Revolutionary Army and Luffy’s father, Dragon. The full details of Kuma’s backstory have since been disclosed in the Egghead Arc which revealed Kuma was actually forced to join the Warlords and become a mindless cyborg in exchange for Vegapunk healing Bonney, Kuma’s daughter of a life-threatening illness.

Thus, Kuma was transformed into a cyborg by the government’s enigmatic Dr. Vegapunk. Those blueprints were later used to create an army of Pacifista and Seraphim which now serve as the marines’ main force instead of the Shichibukai. Meanwhile, the real Kuma is reduced to a slave of the Celestial Dragons. Kuma greatly aided Luffy’s cause by sending each crew member on a two-year training mission with his Paw-Paw fruit, and he even protected the Thousand Sunny while the crew was away.

Kuma is said to have taken the place of a previous unnamed Warlord who was defeated by Ace.

5Donquixote Doflamingo was a Former Celestial Dragon

Debuted in chapter #233 and episode #151

The final villainous Warlord Luffy faces in One Piece, Donquixote Doflamingo’s awakened Devil Fruit gives him incredible power, manipulating razor-sharp strings over huge distances.

Operating like a mafia organization, the Donquixote Pirates are a close-knit family who prioritizes loyalty more than the average seafaring cutthroat. Donquixoteused his heritage as a Celestial Dragon to blackmail his way into the Seven Warlords.

One Piece’s Gear Five may be much more powerful than it appears as Luffy’s latest move proves the Nika Fruit can even defy time and physics.

This meant he could smuggle synthesized Devil Fruits to Kaido and seize Dressrosa without being suspected. Only after Luffy defeated Doflamingo and the justice-minded Admiral Fujitora uncovered the truth was the Donquixote reign of terror put to an end.

Doflamingo’s privileges were removed, but the incident also resulted in Fujitora’s proposal to end the Shichibukai altogether. Before joining the Warlords, Doflamingo earned himself a hefty 340 million bounty.

4Edward Weevil is the Son of Two Ex-Rocks Pirates (Allegedly)

Debuted in chapter #802 and episode #751

Edward Weevil mysteriously appeared soon after the death of Whitebeard. With his mouthy, diminutive mother in tow, One Piece‘s Weevil was being touted as the illegitimate son of the legendary Whitebeard. While there’s definitely a resemblance in the facial hair department, Weevil’s sniveling nose and lack of intelligence are a far cry from Edward Newgate. Since their arrival, Weevil and his mother have set about systematically defeating Whitebeard’s remaining crew, so they alone might lay claim to his legacy and inheritance.

Chapter #1072 confirms that Miss Buckingham Stussy, Weevil’s mother, was also a former member of the legendary Rocks Pirates along with Whitebeard. She is even seen at God Valley with the other Rocks Pirates in chapter #1096 but Weevil’s parentage is yet to be confirmed.

This was enough to earn Weevil an impressive bounty of 480 million, and after capturing the attention of the World Government, this self-proclaimed Whitebeard Jr. was installed as a Shichibukai. The mother and son continue to chase down Whitebeard’s old followers, but can no longer count on the support of the Navy. His strength is impossible to deny, but whether or not Weevil truly is Whitebeard’s offspring remains to be seen.

3Buggy The Clown Continues to Fool the Navy

Debuted in chapter #9 and episode #4

Buggy The Clown is one of the first villains Monkey D. Luffy encounters in Netflix’s One Piece, and has since risen the ranks alongside Luffy, even becoming an Emperor of the Sea through a hilarious twist of fate. Despite the Bara Bara fruit allowing him to detach body parts at will, and a background serving under the Pirate King himself, Buggy is the butt of many a joke in One Piece – a relative weakling who hits lofty heights through luck and circumstance. By accident, Buggy ends up fighting alongside Luffy at Marineford, and his association with Gol D. Roger is revealed to the world.

This proves enough for Buggy to be offered a Shichibukai position once the dust settles, and he happily accepts the chance to live without fear of being captured by marines. After becoming a Warlord, Buggy set up a pirate mercenary service, allowing him to reap the rewards of others’ work. Naturally, Buggy is the unhappiest Warlord when the system is dismantled but somehow ends up becoming an Emperor of the Sea thanks to another hilarious misunderstanding.

2Blackbeard Poses an Ever-Growing Threat with His Schemes

Debuted in chapter #223 and episode #146

Marshall D. Teach has enjoyed a rapid rise in One Piece world. Originally a no-name member of Whitebeard’s crew, Teach coveted the rare Darkness Devil Fruit and killed a crewmate to obtain its power. From here, Teach established the Blackbeard Pirates and quickly became a prominent figure, bumping into Luffy several times during his journey through the Grand Line. Blackbeard defeated Portgas D. Ace and handed Luffy’s brother to the marines in exchange for placement within the Shichibukai’s list, but this was merely a ruse.

Blackbeard’s true intention was to exploit his position as a Warlord and raid the infamous underwater prison Impel Down to swell his ranks with powerful criminals. After picking out some fresh crewmates, Blackbeard announced his resignation from the Shichibukai in dramatic fashion, killing Whitebeard during the Battle of Marineford and usurping his former captain as one of the Four Emperors.

1Trafalgar Law Joined the Warlords to Take Revenge

Debuted in chapter #498 and episode #392

In one of Eiichiro Oda’s trademark tragic backstories, One Piece revealed Trafalgar Law as a former member of Doflamingo’s pirate crew, who subsequently found a father figure in Donquixote’s brother (and secret marine) Corazon.

After Corazon’s death, Law started his own Heart Pirates crew and achieved notoriety thanks to the powerful Ope-Ope fruit, which allows Law to surgically alter anything within his “room.”

Before the One Piece time skip, Law was considered one of the Supernova rookies along with Luffy, but during the intervening 2 years, he became a Warlord by sending the World Government the hearts of 100 pirates.

In truth, Law only joined the Shichibukai’s list as part of his grand plan to take down Doflamingo. Once the position’s usefulness was spent, he announced his resignation by forming an alliance with Luffy that still stands in the latest chapters of One Piece.