Key conclusions
- In the pirate adventure world of One Piece, there are many teams, some with many and some with only a few notable figures.
- A few crews in particular have one very prominent main figure as their captain, but have no exploration beyond that.
- Drake's pirates are a good example of a crew that could be improved in the future.
Pirate crews enter One Piece are, by the nature of the series, one of the most prominent groups in it. Even if the entire crew is not thoroughly explored, there are usually at least a few members besides the captain to give a better view of the crew.
However, this is not always the case. There are several crews in the series that only name one crew member, and otherwise tend to focus on individual members of each crew. This list will look at some crews that are mostly unknown and unnamed, with their captain usually being the only exception in this regard. Often, when the crew is unidentified, this is largely due to the already limited nature of the captain's importance.
6 Pirates on the air
Captain: Scratchmen Apoo
- Debut: Chapter 498 (manga), episode 392 (anime)
- The main ship: Stay with us
This crew was one of ten whose captain qualified for the worst generation, which signifies a certain level of crew prestige. They seem to come from the Grand Line, and many of them have clothing similar to that worn by the Manchus historically. Their captain is Scratchman Apu, the only long-armed in the Worst Generation. Like many of their Worst Generation counterparts, the On Air Pirates eventually found themselves at the mercy of an Emperor, namely Kaido of the Beast Pirates.
They ended up joining his team and ended up forming a fake alliance with the other Worst Generation teams, namely the Kid Pirates and the Hawkins Pirates, with the final team adding them to the Beast Pirates. Apu himself is shown to have no real loyalty to the Beast Pirates, mostly sticking to the team out of fear, and has little to no real loyalty to them.
5 Brownbeard Pirates
Captain: Chadros “Brownbeard” Higeliges
- Debut: Chapter 581 (manga), Chapter 490 (anime)
- The main ship: Charles Martel
This crew first became known to viewers shortly after the War on the Peak, where Whitebeard's death led to Brownbeard claiming Foodwalten, a territory formerly protected by Whitebeard, for his own. However, they were badly beaten by Basil Hawkins, captain of the Hawkins Pirates and one of the 12 pirates known as the Worst Generation.
After sneaking into Punk Hazard, Trafalgar D. Water Law used his powers to save their lives and turn them into centaurs. The crew subsequently served as subordinates to Caesar the Clown, holding him and Law in high regard. However, Brownbeard eventually realized that Caesar was using them. Unfortunately, the crew, with the exception of Brownbeard, were exposed to Shinakuni, a potentially deadly fossilizing gas. However, after Caesar the Clown is defeated, Smoker allows Brownbeard to free his teammates before they die, on the condition that he agrees to be arrested.
4 Fallen monk pirates
Captain: Uruz
- Debut: Chapter 498 (manga), episode 392 (anime)
- The main ship: Hanyomaru
This Worst Generation crew hails from the Sky Islands, although it is unclear which island they hail from. True to their name, Fallen Monk pirates tend to wear clothing that resembles the robes of religious devotees. One unidentified member even has a tonsure, a haircut associated with monks where the hair on the head is shaved. Their captain is the “Mad Monk” Uruzh, himself a mysterious entity about whom little is known except for the unnamed power of the Devil Fruit and a constant smile.
Despite the nicknames of Uruzh and his team, which mean deviation from Orthodoxy. They appear to be at least somewhat religious, as Uruz prayed for Kaido after witnessing his suicide attempt. They were able to defeat the Emperor's top team, as Charlotte Snake of the Big Mom Pirates was eventually demoted to cute commander due to their defeat against Uruz. However, they were forced to retreat after being defeated by Cracker, another sweet commander.
While it's unclear if the crew will develop more than they currently do, it's safe to assume that Uruj will at least become more developed in the story, as he's now the only member of the Worst Generation who hasn't crossed paths with Luffy.
3 Space pirates
Captain: Seamars
- Debut: Chapter 438 (Manga; Cover Story)
- The main ship: Unknown
Space pirates are a team of aliens that look like animals. Their known piracy generally consists of mining the moon. They are shown on the cover only, Enel's major space operationsserving as his effective antagonists. Earlier, the space pirates caused an explosion on the moon, killing one Dr. Tsukimi from shock-induced suffocation. His creation, four automatons, decided to go to the moon for revenge, but they were no match for the space pirates.
Enel manages to revive one of the four automatons, Spacey, who directs him to Simar, the pirate captain who defeated him. Enel scorns Seamars for defiling the Moon and easily defeats him with his Logia Devil Fruit, which prevents him from being hit by most attacks. Eventually Enel attacks the entire crew more decisively, effectively shutting down their lunar operations. Enel captured the Moon, the Fairy Wind of his people's legends, and his newly discovered automatons acted as subordinates.
2 Drake's Pirates
Captain: X Drake
- Debut: Chapter 498 (manga), episode 392 (anime)
- The main ship: Liberal Hind
The son of a marine turned pirate, X Drake himself went from his father's crew to the marines. His mentor was a former Admiral of the Sengoku fleet, and he eventually rose to the rank of Rear Admiral. Despitethis fact, he eventually returned to piracy, forming the Drake Pirates, which became one of the worst crews of the generation. His crew has a European aesthetic, tending to resemble swordsmen in design.
Drake's piracy was seen when he attempted to attack one of Kaido's favorite territories, in an apparently successful attempt to provoke him. Since then, Drake has worked his way up the Beasts Pirates chain of command, attaining the rank of Tobiroppo, the third highest rank in the crew. However, after the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance declared war on Kaido, Drake was eventually forced to flee the Beast Pirates after being accused of disloyalty.
It is revealed that Drake is actually the captain of SWORD, a black ops unit for officially discharged marines to conduct operations in secret on behalf of the World Government. His choice to side with Luffy was partly out of respect for Kobe, who is also a member of SWORD. It is not clear how to reconcile his piratical cunning with the existence of his crew. It's possible that they are members of SWORD as well, but since it wasn't explicitly stated, it's also possible that they don't know the truth. Drake has recently been seen recuperating in a naval hospital, adding to the confusion over whether he can continue to act as a pirate.
1 Most subordinate crews
Captain: Various
- Debut: varies by character, conceptually introduced around chapter 551 (manga) and episode 460 (anime)
- The main ship: Varies by character
Subordinate crews are those that serve under another crew. They are usually used by emperors to further strengthen their power and influence. Members are not technically part of the crew they serve in, maintaining their own chain of command. However, their exact relationship with the crew they serve in varies depending on which crew they command.
Subaltern crews were first shown in Marinford, where many of the Whitebeards participated in the war at the top. Here, in addition to Whitebeard's numerous division commanders and crewmates, a number of subordinate crews also take to the field. Whitebeard's subordinate captains include Little Oars Jr., Whitey Bay, AO, and Squard among others. Several sub-captains are confirmed to have been Whitebeard pirates themselves before forming their own crews.
The Peachbeard Pirates are the only known subordinate crew of the Blackbeard Pirates. They are shown to be strong enough to defeat the marines stationed in the Kingdom of Lulusia, but end up being beaten by four Revolutionary Army officers. It is stated that Blackbeard does not care for his subordinate crews.
Redhead pirates are notorious for having weak subordinate crews. Examples of these are the Bourgeois Pirates (led by Pururu), the Social Club (led by Fugar) and the Puddle Pirates (led by Geratini). Perhaps Shanks is trying to use his reputation to protect them, much like Whitebeard did. with their territories. However, this is only speculation.
It should be noted that not all subordinate crews fit into this category. The Sun Pirates and Fire Tank Pirates, despite previously serving under Big Mom, have few named members because they are more involved in the story. Also, all seven crews in Straw Hat's Grand Fleet have multiple named members for the same reason.
