The most magnificently roguish and scheming scoundrels who sail the seas of One Piece.
He's grinning like that 'cause he knows he's already won.
Manga & Anime[]
- Gol D. Roger, better known as Gold Roger, was the mightiest of all pirates, known as the Pirate King who left his great treasure "One Piece" to be uncovered by ambitious seekers. Forming his crew with his lifelong friend Silvers Rayleigh, Roger led a number of daring raids and battles, uncovering countless hidden secrets and leaving information to benefit others in the future. Knowing his time was short, Roger turned himself in to the marines for execution, but ensured his unborn son would be saved by his old enemy Monkey D. Garp of the marines. At an execution designed to destroy pirates forever, Roger instead proclaimed the hunt for One Piece, starting the Golden Age of piracy and dying with a a gleeful grin.
- Buggy the Clown also qualifies, oddly enough. While not as personally powerful as the above examples, he made it across The Grand Line just fine prior to Impel Down. Once he got captured, he managed to conceal his Devil Fruit abilities while getting locked up in a supermax prison and thus avoided receiving Seastone restraints (and also managed to sneak in powerful explosives), used carefully worded lies and half-truths to talk a bunch of incredibly powerful and dangerous convicts into working for him, thereby gaining one of the strongest crews in the series, and post-Time Skip, it's shown he managed to talk his way into a cushy position as one of the Shichibukai, all while operating under the guise of Obfuscating Stupidity. He's essentially John Constantine in the form of a pirate clown!
- Dracule "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk is the World's Greatest Swordsman, a laidback yet lethal Warlord of the Sea who serves as Roronoa Zoro's greatest challenge. His sword skills practically unmatched and capable of decimating any opponent he faces, Mihawk introduces himself to the Straw Hats having annihilated Don Krieg's entire fleet singlehandedly before easily beating Zoro and regarding Luffy's attempts to attack him as mere annoyance. Later taking part in the Marineford conflict, Mihawk casually destroys waves of enemies with ease and puts Luffy on the run, with Mihawk barely breaking a sweat even as he swiftly defeats Buggy and faces Crocodile in combat. Mihawk personally trains Zoro over the course of two years out of respect for the man's tenacity, and Mihawk takes the news that he's been declared wanted by the government with a mere chuckle and an invitation to an army of terrified Marines to face him in combat.
- Bon Clay, AKA Mr. 2, is a friendly and eccentric crossdresser whose camp mannerisms belie a fierce warrior and cunning shapeshifter. Bon Clay earned his position in Crocodile's Baroques Work by using his Clone-Clone Fruit to physically change into anyone he touches and ignites a civil war in Alabasta by impersonating the innocent King Cobra. Becoming a fast friend of the Straw Hats despite being foes, Bon Clay disguises himself and his crew as the Straw Hats to distract the Marines and allow them to escape Alabasta. Arrested and thrown into Impel Down, he is freed during Luffy's break in and ambushes the perverted Vice Warden with a female form to take his own form to sneak further in to save a dying Luffy. Ultimately helping in the final mass breakout, Bon Clay stays behind to take on the form of Warden Magellan to ensure his friends' ship can escape and bids a tearful farewell to Luffy while embracing his final sacrifice.
- Daz Bonez, AKA Mr. 1, is one of the greatest assassins in the world, who has thrown in with Baroque Works to upheave Alabasta. Daz plays a key role in wreaking havoc across the kingdom while framing royalty for the crimes, leading to chaotic revolution that enables Crocodile to carry out his schemes. With his Devil Fruit of the Dice-Dice Fruit, Daz is able to fight opponents and keep them on their toes with his unique usage of his power, and he almost defeats Zoro himself in combat. Even when Zoro beats him, Daz praises his swordsmanship and concedes defeat. Daz quickly throws in with Crocodile once more when they are imprisoned, becoming top dogs of Impel Down and later staging a breakout. After risking his own life to shield Luffy from Mihawk, Daz continues to serve as Crocodile's efficient, competent right hand in their further exploits.
- Pictured above: Sir Crocodile, AKA Mr. 0. This guy manipulated an entire kingdom into a civil war between the king and his people while still presenting himself as a hero to the country. His entire slogan for his plan was, "The love for this kingdom will destroy it." He also added even more insult to the heroes about telling them about a bomb that would blow up the town square that was nearly impossible to stop because he had a backup in case his lackeys failed to set off the bomb. His plan was nearly flawless and would had succeeded if it was not for certain events. Even after his defeat, Crocodile took over his jail block and, when given a perfect chance to escape, chose to light up a cigar and stay put. He would later agree to an Enemy Mine to break out of The Alcatraz that is Impel Down solely for the chance to kill an old enemy (who, incidentally, everyone else wanted to help save).
- Crocodile's successor in the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Blackbeard, is perhaps even moreso. The current part of his Gambit Roulette slash Batman Gambit resulted the biggest battle/war in the history of it's world, and manipulated all sides involved effortlessly, and got exactly what he wanted from it: Whitebeard's extremly powerful Devil's Fruit, and 4 of the strongest prisoners of Level Six of Impel Down, which holds the worst criminals in history + the Head Jailer, a man equal to the Badass Warden. And he got away scot free, and because of the WG's pride, won't even be hunted down by them. All for his plan to become Pirate King.
- Rob Lucci is the leader of Cipher Pol's CP9 division. A brilliant fighter who infiltrated a hostage situation and killed every hostage to remove the pirates' leverage before killing the pirates themselves as a teenager, Lucci later goes undercover in Water 7 with his disguised team to recover the Blueprints of Pluton. Fooling all there by faking their deaths, Lucci later delivers a brutal beating to Luffy and escapes with Nico Robin in tow, later giving Luffy one of the most brutal and difficult fights he has had to that point.
- Kaku is a master swordsman and the most friendly member of CP9. Infiltrating Galley-La as a shipwright in order to optain the Blueprints to the superweapon Pluton, upon finding out the Blueprints are fake, Kaku measures Iceburg's pulse to confirm that Franky holds the real Blueprints, later using the Franky Family to discover his location. Upon gaining his Giraffe Devil Fruit, Kaku quickly adapts to every setback he makes, giving Zoro a fight that pushes the latter to his limits. After being defeated, Kaku takes it in good humor and willingly gives Zoro the key to Robin's shackles.
- Vice Admiral Jonathan of the G-8 "Navarone" facility is a rare semi-heroic example. The Straw Hat pirates just happen to fall directly into the impenetrable fortress at the same time that an inspector with an ulterior motive to have the place shut down pulls in. Rather than trying to deny the event, he takes time and makes observations about the crew, even when they show in front of his very face, turning their quirks to support a morale boost of the base's personnel and discredit the obstructive inspector. It's important to remember that His primary goal is to maintain the Marines' support of the facility, not the capture of the pirate crew, and even when things don't follow his voiced plan, he still comes out ahead.
- "Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma was once the beloved ruler of the Sorbet Kingdom until his defiance against the World Government led to his dethronement and subsequently joining Monkey D. Dragon in creating the Revolutionary Army to oppose them. Eventually arrested, Kuma volunteered to aid Dr. Vegapunk in creating the Pacifista Project by allowing himself to be turned into a cyborg in exchange for being named a Warlord of the Sea. Kuma unquestionably served the World Government while secretly feeding information to the Revolutionaries and came upon Dragon's son Luffy and his crew while on assignment. Brutally testing his crew's power and loyalty at Thriller Bark, Kuma would save their lives at the Sabaody Archipelago by cruelly separating them to the far corners of the world. Kuma intentionally sends them to the perfect places to grow far stronger and his last act of free will before full robotization is to ensure his body is ordered to protect their ship until the Straw Hats return strong enough to face the New World.
- Trafalgar D. Water Law is the Captain of the Heart pirates. Once a member of Donquixote Doflamingo's crew as a boy, Law was rescued by Doflamingo's little brother Corazon, who died to save him. Growing to a deadly "Surgeon," Law is one of the up and coming Supernovas bent on taking Doflamingo down. Saving Luffy's life for kicks, Law allies with the unscrupulous Caesar Clown after arranging to become a Warlord of the Sea to position himself closer to Doflamingo. Sabotaging his SMILE factory to enrage Doflamingo and bringing conflict to Dressrosa, Law intends to enrage the Emperor Kaido into rampaging to find and kill Doflamingo, before supporting Luffy and defeating Doflamingo's right hand Trebol himself. Later bringing the fight to the Grand Line, Law allies with Kid to face Big Mom herself, utilizing his powers to cancel out her own and finally defeat her with Eustass Kid.
- Eustass Kid is the Captain of the Kid pirates and a far more brutal counterpart to Luffy who has killed anyone who ever mocked his dream to be Pirate King. Allying with Luffy against the Pacifista, Kid later hits the Grand Line and begins to clash with the Four Emperors, even sinking Big Mom's ships and eluding their forces until he is bested by Kaido. Escaping with Luffy and allying with him and Trafalgar Law, Kid eventually clashes with Big Mom herself, working in tandem with Trafalgar Law to topple Big Mom from her throne and claim victory.
- "Red Flag" X Drake is the captain of the Drake Pirates, one of the Eleven Supernovas, and the undercover captain of the Marine Secret Special Unit SWORD. Initially pretending to be a former Marine Rear Admiral who turned to piracy, X Drake later infiltrates the Beast Pirates, the crew of Kaidou of the Four Emperors. Quickly rising through the ranks as one of Kaido's top warriors (while being willing to do brutal actions such as wiping out an entire town for rebelling, as well as attacking the Straw Hats for attempting to stop Yasuie's execution), Drake becomes one of the elite Tobiroppo before he is suspected by the Beast Pirates, all the while reporting to his subordinate Coby on all of the Beast Pirate's activities. When he is exposed and ambushed by Queen and Who's-Who for his treachery, Drake manages to quickly escape them before defecting to the side of the Straw Hats, having been encouraged by Coby's positive words about Luffy, and later aids the Straw Hats in both getting the Ice Oni Virus sample from Apoo and defending Chopper long enough for him to make a cure.
- "Massacre Soldier" Killer is the First Mate of Eustass "Captain" Kid, and despite his vicious name is an excellent advisor and trusted companion to his captain. During the Raid on Onigashima, Killer helps his captain defeat swathes of Kaido's men, while also figuring out the secret to Apoo's Devil Fruit and telling Luffy, Zoro, and Kid how to counter it, preventing Apoo from harming them. Killer also performs admirably on the rooftop, showing no issue working alongside the Straw Hats, managing to harm the mighty Kaido, and even helping in almost completely incapacitating Big Mom. When fighting Basil Hawkins, Killer realizes a weakness in Hawkin's powers in that his voodoo powers don't work if his target lacks the same body part that he does, such as Kid's missing left arm, and exploits it to defeat Hawkins and free Kid from Hawkins's control, allowing Kid to defeat Big Mom.
- Capone "Gang" Bege was a ruthless and sophisticated underworld kingpin until his constant dominance over his rivals led him to become a pirate out of boredom. Becoming a human castle with his Devil Fruit, Bege can hide entire armies and host secret meetings with his enemies none the wiser. Swearing featly to Pirate Emperor Big Mom, Bege secretly watches and learns her weaknesses to plot her assassination. Allying with the Straw Hats when they arrive to rescue Sanji, Bege provides security for Sanji's arranged wedding allowing Luffy to bust out of the cake to distract everyone while destroying a picture of Big Mom's mentor and causing her to go insane with grief. Nearly killing her with poison missiles, her screams suddenly destroy the weapons and Bege's preplanned escape route. With the plan failing, Bege quickly plots everyone's successful escape while later helping to subdue Big Mom and rescue his own kidnapped wife, Big Mom's daughter Chiffon, in the process. Which he does by tricking her captors (her own older brothers) into thinking he's surrendering to their demands (even as she tearfully but firmly asks him to not give himself up for her) and then blasting them into oblivion.
- Sengoku the Buddha is the most brilliant of the Marine Admirals. The top Fleet Admiral of Marineford, Sengoku leads the execution of Portgas D. Ace, revealing to the world that Ace is the son of Gol D. Roger, the former Pirate King. With the arrival of Ace's captain, Whitebeard, Sengoku reveals a major trap for Whitebeard, sapping the morale of his forces with a carefully planned lie, trapping the pirates and closing in Marine forces, turning a near loss into a total rout for the strongest man alive with his own cunning.
- Donquixote Rocinante is the younger brother of the wicked Doflamingo. Separated from his brother after their Dark and Troubled Past, Rocinante was taken in by said Fleet Admiral Sengoku and ate the Calm-Calm Fruit, which projects walls of silence. Infiltrating his brother's crew and using violence to scare off children who wished to join, Rocinante fed information back to the marines to try to stop Doflamingo. Knowing his brother's ambitions, Rocinante kidnapped his youngest recuit Trafalgar D. Water Law and brought him on a quest to cure his white lead disease, angrily burning down hospitals that refused to treat him. Realizing Doflamingo knew of his betrayal, Rocinante used intelligence he received to steal the Op-Op Fruit and feed it to Law, hiding the boy when his true allegiances were discovered and using the ensuing conversation to deliver vital information to the hidden Law. Mortally wounded by his brother, Rocinante dies smiling, content in the knowledge he'd saved Law and given him a chance for a true life.
- The above mentioned Donquixote Doflamingo is also a MB on his own right. He also made a gambit of taking over a country, and succeeded in a day and a night. He managed to keep power for a decade. His grip of the country was only shaken because of a single blunder by one of his subordinates, whose powers made everyone else forget about the very existence of the person who eventually led the resistance. Before that, he managed to position himself so well even his enemies (the World Government) were forced to cooperate. He also set himself up with one of the Yonko, Kaido, ensuring that anyone who went after him also risked the intervention of the Yonko. Even though he isn't as powerful as the admirals or the Yonko, he expertly maneuvered his way to the top. Only Luffy and Law are crazy enough/ have enough knowledge to hit him where it hurts.
- Charlotte Katakuri is the second son and strongest soldier of Charlotte "Big Mom" Linlin, one of the Four Emperors of Grand Line. A keen, analytical fighter, Katakuri is the strongest of his mother's Sweet Commanders who dedicates himself to protecting his family and ruthlessly dispatching threats. Going with the plan to catch and slaughter the Vinsmoke family, Katakuri proves a deadly threat to the Straw Hats, planning an ambush with his family before engaging Luffy himself. When his true nature and unsightly features are revealed, it is shown Katakuri adopted his stoic persona as a way to protect his siblings before he embraces Luffy as a truly Worthy Opponent, even wounding himself after one sister's treachery so their fight will be an even one.
- Kaido, "The King Of Beasts" is one of the Four Emperors, considered to be the strongest creature in the world. A soldier since childhood and former apprentice in the Rocks pirates, Kaido's will, strength and intellect have led him to carve out a pirate empire that led to him taking over Wano as his own weapons factory. Intending to raise his child Yamato as a new Shogun, Kaido manipulates the depraved Shogun Orochi with intent to dispose of him when his usefulness is complete and uses his links to Donquixote Doflamingo to create his own army with SMILE fruits. Respecting will and strength, Kaido kills those who dishonorably intervene in his fights with Worthy Opponents, clashing with Luffy for the most difficult fight of his career and grows to see Luffy as a true and worthy rival with all Wano County on the line.
- The unnamed commander of Cipher Police AIGIS 0 (CP0) is the enforcer of the will of the Five Elders and the World Nobles. Appearing first in the Dressrosa arc, the commander assists Doflamingo in setting his trap for Trafalgar Law by faking his resignation from the Seven Warlords, coolly making his exit before the fighting begins. At Wano, the commander attempts to negotiate a deal between the Elders and Shogun Orochi, refusing the Shogun's demands when they become far too weighted in his own favor, and later reports on the final battle to the Elders while calmly enjoying a game of Go with his men. Upon joining the battle himself, he defeats X Drake before surprising Luffy with a sneak attack, enabling Kaido to critically wound him. Ending up on the receiving end of Kaido's distaste for fighting dirty, the commander simply tips his hat to the Emperor before the end.
- King the Wildfire is Kaido's strongest, most loyal, and most intelligent subordinate. Born under the name Alber, King is one of the last Lunarians, a people marked for genocide by the World Government. Rescued by Kaido from a government experimentation lab, King pledges his life to his savior - believing him to be the prophesied successor to Joy Boy, an ancient messianic figure - and assists him in everything from his conquest of Wano to reining in the excesses of his two associates, Jack the Drought and Queen the Plague. King has also achieved full mastery of his Pteranodon Devil Fruit, keeping Roronoa Zoro on his toes at every turn while simultaneously having a friendly philosophical debate with him, and when overpowered at last calmly accepts his defeat.
- Kurozumi Kanjuro, of the Evening Shower, is the consummate actor and spy in the service of his relative, the wicked Shogun Kurozumi Orochi. When Kanjuro's parents were murdered in retaliation for the crime of other family members, Kanjuro joins Orochi in a plot to deliberately ruin and ultimately destroy Wano Country. Cozying up to Wano's prince Kozuki Oden as a bodyguard, Kanjuro uses his position to stealthily assist Orochi's coup with Oden and his family being none the wiser. Later flung twenty years into the future to protect Oden's son Momonosuke by the Devil Fruit of the boy's mother Toki, Kanjuro teams up with the Straw Hat Pirates and loyalist samurai to unseat Orochi, Kanjuro reveals himself when the battle is about to begin and kidnaps Momonosuke for his master. Kanjuro also wields the Brush-Brush Fruit, allowing him to create deadly works of art in battle, including a mocking caricature of Oden that defeats three of his fellow samurai, and finally an enormous fiery demon designed to take everyone present at the final battle, enemy or ally, down with him and Orochi.
- Lady Komurasaki, real name Hiyori Kozuki, is the most beautiful woman in Wano. An elegant courtesan who deceives men into selling everything they own, including their families, only to abandon them, it is revealed she did this to members of an arson ring for the sake of the people. Faking her own death with the help of retainer Denjiro, Hiyori later lures the tyrannical Orochi into a trap, revealing her true identity and managing to ensure the wicked Shogun's demise.
Films[]
- Film Z: "Black Arm" Zephyr, later going by the name Z, was formerly an Admiral, and later instructor, for the Marines. Growing disillusioned with the World Government after the pirate who slaughtered his crew became a Warlord, Z created the Neo Marines, a faction of former Marines with the goal of destroying the New World in order to end the Golden Age of piracy. Z launches an attack on a Marine base to steal the explosive Dyna Stones, evading Admiral Kizaru by detonating one, and begins destroying the Endpoints that seal magma within the New World. After defeating Luffy twice, Z patiently waits at the final Endpoint to have one final match with Luffy, praising Luffy for his courage. Upon being defeated, Z buys time for both his subordinates and the Straw Hats to escape the Marines, sacrificing his life while giving one final lesson to his former students.
- Gold: Carina is a brilliant thief and Nami's former partner in crime. Prior to the series, Carina manipulated a pirate crew that captured the two of them into making a deal for their lives, only to simultaneously steal all of Nami's treasure stash and providing Nami an opportunity to escape. Working on the luxurious cruise liner, the Grand Tesoro, Carina organizes a plan to take down Gild Tesoro with the Straw Hats. Faking a heist plan, Carina deceives Gild into thinking she betrayed the Straw Hats before having sea water rain on the ship, severely weakening Gild's powers. After Gild's defeat, Carina successfully manipulates all sides of the conflict to evacuate so that she can obtain her true goal, stealing the Grand Tesoro and all of its riches.
Video Games[]
- One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4:
- Charlotte Katakuri is Big Mom's son and loyal minion. An analytical fighter who is faithful to Big Mom but never unwilling to take initiative into his own hands, Katakuri shines once Big Mom's forces reach Wano. Recognizing the King of Beasts, Kaido, as the central threat, Katakuri chooses to aid Monkey D. Luffy and Eustass Kid in their escape from imprisonment by the tyrant. Playing the role of the Only Sane Man, Katakuri keeps Luffy and Kid from dying repeatedly, all while using his abilities to fight alongside them and ultimately restrain them from returning to battle. Swearing an oath to return and repay Luffy for his earlier loss, Katakuri then shows up in the nick of time to rescue Big Mom from a death at Kaido's hands, accepting his side's defeat and saving his mother from certain doom.
- Kaido is the tyrannical ruler of Wano and leader of the Animal Kingdom pirates. A strategic genius just as much as a warrior, Kaido beats down Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hats, using Luffy as a hostage to manipulate Big Mom into going to war against him. Waging a fearsome battle against the Big Mom pirates, including knocking Big Mom off the battlefield so he can face the escaped Monkey D. Luffy and Eustass Kid personally and hand them another defeat, Kaido thwarts the craven Teech's attempt on his life and even saving Big Mom to defeat her honorably himself, expressing outright disgust with his dishonor and cowardice, before smashing the mirror when she escapes. Kaido's sheer might and acumen forces all of Luffy's allies to attack him at once, only for Kaido to declare his boredom and advance to enact his actual plan of starting the greatest war the world has ever seen.
Netflix Live-Action Series[]
- Monkey D. Garp shows a more cunning side to him than his manga counterpart. Finding out that his grandson Luffy has became a pirate, Garp uses Captain Morgan's past corruption to strip him of his power and take control of his division to chase the Straw Hats through the East Blue. Garp tracks down the Straw Hats at every turn, even using Coby and Helmeppo's failure to arrest Luffy at The Gecko Islands as an opportunity to attack the Straw Hats' ship directly when they take off. Upon defeating Luffy at Conomi Islands, when Luffy refuses to give up on his dream, Garp lets him go, revealing all of his actions were to test Luffy's resolve. Garp later takes in Coby and Helmeppo as his disciples as a result of them following their own code and refusing to arrest Luffy for a crime he didn't commit.
- Dracule Mihawk is just as brilliant and charming as his original Manga counterpart. A brilliant tactician, Mihawk is introduced effortlessly defeating Don Krieg and his fleet and uses Krieg's own weapons to take out his crew. Mihawk is hired by Monkey D. Garp to hunt down his grandson and bring him in and tracks him to Baratie. Challenged by Roronoa Zoro to a duel, Mihawk keeps him on his toes and effortlessly matches him blow for blow before acknowledging him as a Worthy Opponent. Becoming intrigued by Monkey D. Luffy, Mihawk abandons his goal of catching him in favor of allowing him to rise and possibly become King of the Pirates just so that the world can become more interesting.