Summary
Few pirates inOne Pieceare ever only a captain. With the notable exception of the series protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, every known Pirate Emperor orYonko, past and present, served under a reputable captain before striking out on their own. That being said, this dynamic can work in reverse as well.
Sometimes, an active pirate captain can be persuaded to step down from their position, often to work under an even more remarkable pirate, as their loyal subordinate. This topic will examine such pirates, focusing on their pasts as captains and the circumstances that made them give up their authority in the present.
1Alvida
Ex-Captain of the Alvida Pirates
Alvida was the earliest antagonist in the main story, with her iron mace frightening Koby, but being completely unremarkable to Luffy, who beat her with a single Gomu Gomu no Pistol. She was the captain of the Alvida Pirates, who were not particularly remarkable. She has since joined up withBuggy, another early enemy of Luffy’s, who confronted him at Loguetown. She noted her apparent infatuation with Luffy as a result of his initial violent act, which she claims “felt good,” but had no qualms about Buggy attempting to execute him.
In every appearance since her first, she has been in an apparent “alliance” with Buggy, even acting as captain when he was incarcerated, but none of her original crew has appeared. Additionally, in later incarnations of the crew, like Buggy’s Delivery, Alvida is treated as a subordinate to him in terms of rank. She is currently affiliated with Cross Guild, the most recent incarnation of Buggy’s crew.
2Buggy
Ex-Captain of the Buggy Pirates/ Buggy’s Delivery
Buggy was a former Roger Pirate and is currently an Emperor. That being said, his leadership in the marine-huntingCross Guildwas a mistake, adapted into a conspiracy by its true founders. When Crocodile came to collect on a debt he gave Buggy for forming Buggy’s Delivery, the pirate captain was apparently flat broke. As a result, Buggy instead offered to do promotional work for the Cross Guild, the new mercenary group Crocodile and Mihawk led. However, Buggy’s awestruck subordinates falsely treated him as the group leader.
Although initially enraged, Crocodile and Mihawk decided to spin this, instead making Buggy their patsy, in an attempt to divert focus from themselves as the leaders. Buggy is now effectively the leader in name only, but uses his fanfare in an attempt to instill genuine authority in his subordinates, who are unaware of his true strength and idolize him. His desire to obtain the One Piece was echoed with excited sentiment by his underlings, yet negatively received by his true superiors.
3Portgas D. Ace
Ex-Captain of the Spade Pirates
Portgas D. Acewas the son of Gol D. Roger, who had ambitions of being a pirate himself. He captained the Spade Pirates, but his authority ceased when he was defeated by Whitebeard, who restrained him and offered him a place on the crew. After much deliberation, Ace accepted, becoming Whitebeard’s “son.” In especially larger crews like the Whitebeard Pirates, former captains are still able to climb the ranks, potentially claiming back a bit of their lost authority.
Since his recruitment, Ace has been focused on serving Whitebeard, befriending many of his crewmates, and reaching the rank of Division Commander, allowing him authority over a portion of Whitebeard’s crew. Ace was a mighty pirate, having defeated the likes of Kaido’s Warlord subordinate, Hanafuda, and Doma, a notable captain who would become an affiliate of Whitebeard, albeit stopping short of joining the crew, instead maintaining a level of power as a Subordinate Captain. However, the betrayal of his subordinate, Marshall D. Teach, led Ace to confront him independently, resulting in a chain of events that led to both him and his captain dying in the Summit War.
4Brook
Ex-Captain of the Rumbar Pirates
Despite his immature demeanor,the 90-year-old Brook is a veteranin the pirate world. He was part of the musical Rumbar Pirates, which was led first by Yorki. Unfortunately, Yorki and a number of his crewmates contracted an incurable disease and ended up quarantining themselves before death to save the uninfected. Brook was appointed captain and continued traveling with the remaining Rumbar Pirates. Unfortunately, they all ended up dying after being attacked by a pirate crew with poisoned weapons. Brook, having eaten the Yomi Yomi no Mi, ended up resurrected after his untimely death at 38. Due to having a ship with a broken rudder, Brook spent many years alone.
However, he ended up being caught in Thriller Bark, with his shadow stolen by Gecko Moria. He tried to defeat Ryuma, the zombie who possessed his shadow, but ended up begging for mercy. Eventually, he came across the Straw Hat Pirates and ended up aiding them in their own fight against the Thriller Bark Pirates. After the fighting concluded, Brook requested to join Luffy’s crew, a proposal the captain accepted, having wanted a musician for the crew for a long time.
5Kibagaeru
This cross-eyed pirate was a recent recruit to the Foxy Pirates at the time of their Davy Back Fight against the Straw Hat Pirates. The Fanged Toad Pirates were effectively stripped of parts in their losses, with the crew’s unnamed doctor, shipwright, and navigator all being taken along with the Jolly Roger. Nonetheless, Kibagaeru and his crewmates initially seemed happy to have joined the Foxy Pirates.
However, a non-canonical filler arc has Kibagaeru kicking out Foxy after he lost the final Davy Back Fight, effectively calling for a mutiny. Alongside the likes of Porche and Hamburg, Foxy is forced to leave the crew and ends up relying on the might and goodwill of Luffy to be let back in. Ironically, Foxy, Porche, and Hamburg are now apparently the sole members of the Foxy Pirates, with it being possible Kibagaeru and others were lost in Davy Back Fights with stronger crews.
6Jean Bart
Ex-Captain of an Unnamed Crew
The hulking Jean Bart was a pirate captain of some renown before his enslavement. His former crew, or any relationship he had with them, is thus far unknown. He was part of Celestial Dragon Saint Rosward’s “pirate captain collection,” which also included Devil Dias, formerly of the Acumate Pirates. Bart was forced to walk on all fours, as slaves often are, and ended up being chained outside the auction house, where Rosward’s family went to potentially buy more slaves.
During a fight against the marines alongside Eustass Kid and Monkey D. Luffy, Trafalgar D. Water Law freed Jean Bart from captivity. Since then, Bart has sworn service to Law and integrated himself into theHeart Pirates. However, he, along with the majority of his crew, was sunk with their submarine, the Polar Tang, after an encounter with the Blackbeard Pirates. That said, their deaths have not yet been explicitly confirmed.
7Bellamy
Ex-Captain of the Bellamy Pirates
Bellamy and his friends were from the wealthy town of Notice. They were permitted to fly theDonquixote Pirates’Jolly Roger, as long as they did not dishonor it. Bellamy managed to succeed for a while, believing he and his crew could usher in a new age of piracy, after the age of dreams, where treasures were hoarded by the strongest pirates and supposed “dream treasures” like the One Piece and the Golden Bell of Shandoria held no significance. Yet this notion received pushback from pirates stronger than him, like Marshall D. Teach and Monkey D. Luffy, the latter of whom smashed him into the ground, rendering him unconscious. After his loss, he was punished by Doflamingo for disrespecting his flag. To redeem himself, he made a pilgrimage to Sky Island with his former crew and retrieved a golden pillar. It is remarked that a number of his crewmates did not survive this voyage.
Bellamy left his former crew to more directly serve Doflamingo. He had proven himself to be far stronger than he was before, but still ended up being knocked out by Elizabello II’s signature King Punch. Bellamy claims to have worshipped Doflamingo since his youth, and sought to join his “family,” the officers of his crew, whom he treats with a level of kindness and respect. However, Doflamingo himself had little regard for Bellamy and openly disrespected him for his weakness. After being beaten by Luffy once more, Bellamy learns his lesson and ends up retiring from piracy altogether to become an apprentice dyer. However, Bellamy also requests that Luffy give him a piece of his Vivre Card, so he can assist the pirate if needed.
8Jimbei
Ex-Captain of the Sun Pirates
Like Brook, Jimbei’s appointment to become captain was the result of the crew’s former captain, Fisher Tiger, passing. This immediately led the crew to split into three, with the Arlong Pirates and Macro Pirates breaking off. Jimbei made an effort to fulfill his captain’s legacy, even becoming a Warlord to allow his crewmates to be pardoned and return to Fish-Man Island. However, Jimbei ultimately refused to fight Whitebeard before the Summit War, instead voluntarily being incarcerated in Impel Down. It was during this time that he met Luffy, the younger brother of his friend, Ace, who had broken into the prison in the hopes of finding and rescuing his elder brother. Jimbei grew to have a positive impression of the young pirate during this time and developed a genuine rapport with him.
Jimbei later met the Straw Hat Pirates on Fish-Man Island, where they aided the Ryugu Kingdom in fighting Hody Jones, who captained the New Fish-Man Pirates. It was during this time that Luffy asked Jimbei if he wished to sail with his crew. Jimbei said he did, but that he had other obligations to fulfill first. Despite or perhaps even because the intended departure was amicable, Jimbei made an effort to free his former crewmates from their new captain, Big Mom, who roped them into an alliance by protecting Fish-Man Island as one of her territories, and facilitating an arranged marriage between her daughter, Charlotte Praline, and Aladine, the doctor of the Sun Pirates. Ultimately, Praline double-crossed her mother, as the Sun Pirates were involved in a fight with the Big Mom Pirates, and eventually escaped her territory. Additionally, the Straw Hats claimed Fish-Man Island in Big Mom’s absence. Jimbei insisted he would return to the Straw Hat Pirates as soon as possible, a promise he fulfilled in Wano. Jimbei has since traveled alongside the crew as a full-fledged member.
9Jewelry Bonney
Former Captain of the Bonney Pirates
Jewlery Bonney was a member of the Worst Generation, a number of notable “rookie” pirates, most of whom had nine-digit bounties upon entering the Sabaody Archipelago. She was originally the daughter of an unnamed Celestial Dragon and Ginny, his enslaved “wife” who was a revolutionary. Bonney was raised by Kuma, Ginny’s lover, who ended up being forcibly taken away from her and converted into a Pacifista. Alongside several men who knew Kuma and Ginny from childhood, a 10-year-old Bonney set sail as the captain of the Bonney Pirates, with the crew’s main motive being to find Kuma. Her Devil Fruit, the Toshi Toshi no Mi, allowed Bonney to manipulate her age along with others, which led the crew to gain a reputation for beating up children and the elderly. Bonney also used this power to avoid detection, such as when she reverted to her proper age to prevent Zoro from being killed by Charlos. The Bonney Pirates were eventually defeated by the Blackbeard Pirates and subsequently arrested by the Marines.
Only Bonney escaped arrest, and continued to look for Kuma on her own, before befriending the Straw Hat Pirates on Egghead. This technically means Bonney has effectively no authority as a captain anymore, despite being active as a pirate sometime after. Bonney eventually reunited with her father, with the pair potentially settling in Elbaf, but little has been said of her crewmates.
10At Least Five of the Beasts Pirates
X Drake, Scratchmen Apoo, Basil Hawkins, Sasaki, and Who’s Who
Although there are many remarkable former captains in the Beasts Pirates, including multiple members of the Worst Generation, and an ex-Cipher Pol 9 agent, their stories all mirror one another in terms of their demotion from captain. The respective crews encountered Kaido and effectively joined up with him, likely due to his incredible might. That said, there are certain wrinkles in the motives of various captains who were within the crew.
Basil Hawkins joined specifically out of fear, having been trapped by Scratchmen Apoo, who proposed an alliance while secretly having joined Kaido’s crew beforehand. X Drake’s pirate status is a ruse, having become one in his capacity as a member of the Black Ops marine unit, SWORD. With this in mind, certain dialogue now makes it seem as though he actively antagonized Kaido to eventually infiltrate his crew. Despite no longer being captains in their own right, most of these pirates are still given some level of respect within the crew. Drake, Sasaki, and Who’s Who made up half of the Flying Six, the third-highest rank one can attain in the Beasts Pirates.
