Summary
The Shichibukai, or Seven Warlords of the Sea, are a now defunct organization, previously affiliated with the World Government. The organization consisted of pirates dispatched against other pirates, who worked for the government in exchange for leniency towards their own criminal acts. It consisted of seven members at a time, twelve of whom are known at present.
Despite their previously shared affiliation, warlords themselves vary in terms of personality and goals. Some had more noble reasons for their choice of occupation, whilst others were undeniably selfish. Despite the organization itself being abolished (replaced with the Seraphim), the individuals who held the title remain important to the greater narrative. Here are the least to most moral members of the organization.
12Marshall D. Teach
Blackbeard
Marshall D. Teachis the only pirate who was a Shichibukai, Yonko, and a member of the Worst Generation. What distinguishes him from the pack is the extent of how selfish he is. Teach sailed with the Whitebeard Pirates for decades, only to backstab the crew once his coveted Devil Fruit was found. This was the first of many injustices he committed against his former crew, all for the sake of expanding his power.
His current crew is unsafe because of his selfish behavior. He has told them they are all allies of convenience, and has mistreated his own longtime crewmates in the present day. It is clear Teach does not care about anyone beyond what they’ve done for him recently. The World Government discovered this firsthand, as he backstabbed them to recruit from within their prison, allowing some of their most deadly criminals to walk free.
11Crocodile
Desert King
Crocodile is a jaded ex-Shichibukai, whose past dreams of piracy were tempered by disappointment and defeat. Nonetheless, he has managed to gain a foothold in terms of power. His past organization, Baroque Works, was an unsuccessful venture to take over the Kingdom of Alabasta. Crocodile used natural disasters, bombs, and more in an effort to put the kingdom under lock and key. Crocodile was thrown into Impel Down for his crimes, but freed by Monkey D. Luffy, who used Emporio Ivankov’s disconcerting secret about his past as a way to control him. He has since foundedCross Guild, launching a war against the marines.
Crocodile contributed to the Shichibukai’s dissolution. His preference for anonymity creates some distance between him and his subordinates, but his cruelty has limits compared to Teach. For example, Crocodile refrains from killing Whitebeard, his past enemy, in a weakened state. Teach, however, goes into overkill, despite Whitebeard being his former captain and benefactor.
10Donquixote Doflamingo
Heavenly Yaksha
Donquixote Doflamingo’s entitlement stems from his history as aCelestial Dragon. Since his deposition in his youth, he has become obsessed with regaining any power he can. At different times, he viewed both his father and brother as obstacles, and eventually killed them both. He took over Dressrosa, and used his subordinate, Sugar, to transform many in the kingdom into his slave toys. He was one of two Warlords who contributed to the dissolution of the Shichibukai, as his misconduct was a pretense to dismantle the system.
A minor caveat to his selfish evil is his kindness towards his higher-ranked subordinates. Those who have long pledged their service to him tend to have a cordial relationship with him, and he maintains positive relations with his most loyal underlings. That said, he is still cruel, especially toward his lower-ranked subordinates if they displease him. Even Vergo, one of Doflamingo’s top subordinates, ended up caught in the crossfire of his machinations, as Doflamingo’s activation of chemical gas in Punk Hazard led to his death.
9Buggy
The Star Clown
Buggy is a weakling whose power is minor compared to that of even his subordinates. Yet his relegation to joke status does little to conceal his lack of morality.
Depending on the adaptation, he has been shown either killing or attempting to kill a crewmate for insulting him by accident. He also has a selfish streak that extends to mistreatment towards even his former friend, Shanks. The only thing holding Buggy back from being as immoral as others is his utter lack of strength. He has been co-opted by Cross Guild as their fake leader, with Crocodile and Mihawk bullying him behind the scenes.
8Gecko Moria
Sole Survivor
Gecko Moria is an evil man who steals the shadows of others, with potentially fatal consequences. He is also a grave robber, using corpses to build up his own crew, the Thriller Bark Pirates. His villainy is tempered by a moderately sympathetic angle: the trauma of losing his crew against Kaido. He had many crewmates in the Gecko Pirates, but they all died at Kaido’s hands.
He concluded that he lost because his crew was alive, and has since devolved into an out-of-shape pirate who relies on his shadow and an army of zombies. Yet in spite of his laziness, he does still care for the few living crewmates he has. He was disgusted when Absalom was murdered by theBlackbeard Piratesfor his Devil Fruit, to the point of choosing incarceration over joining the crew. Nonetheless, his evil is more restrained by incompetence than morality.
7Edward Weevil
Whitebeard Jr.
Edward Weevil is the disputed son ofEdward “Whitebeard” Newgate, and is a ruthless individual with a childlike mind. His paternal heritage matters strongly to him, as he desired to take vengeance on Blackbeard and protect the Island of Sphinx to honor his alleged father. However, his mother, Miss Buckin, wishes to find the late captain’s “treasure,” which may not even exist.
To this end, Weevil has attacked ex-Whitebeard affiliates, leading to comparisons with his own father. However, he seems to lack the reputed generosity of Whitebeard, often taking cues from his mother, who enables his violent mannerisms. He was recently incarcerated for his role at Sphinx. Regardless of their own selfish impulses, Weevil and Buckin do appear to genuinely care for one another.
6Dracule Mihawk
Hawk Eyes
Mihawk had little ambition for power, but he is a ruthless character who hunted the government’s forces before they co-opted him. But in most shown instances, this is tied to a desire for a worthy opponent, rather than sadism for its own sake. His reputed kills include only those who are combat-ready, such as high-profile marines and pirates.
He has shown a level of kindness to figures like Perona andRoronoa Zoro, the latter of whom he even trained during the timeskip. His own dangerous nature is underscored by moderate restraint, as he fights for enjoyment rather than to harm. Upon his dismissal, he became a co-leader of Cross Guild, operating the organization in secret alongside Crocodile, while publicly acting as a subordinate.
5Hanafuda
King of the Lizards
Hanafuda was an obscure Shichibukai who was affiliated with Kaido. He was an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit collector, and is said to have collected the handful of Ancient Zoans that Kaido’s top crewmates used. However, he lost his Shichibukai rank upon suffering defeat at the hands of Portgas D. Ace, and was killed by an enemy pirate crew sometime after.
Kaido looked after Hanafuda’s children, Page One and Ulti, who served him and have since been seen alongside the ex-Yonko’s own child, Yamato. Aside from his ties to the ruthless Kaido, Hanafuda’s own morality as a pirate remains shrouded in mystery.
4Boa Hancock
Pirate Empress
Boa Hancock is the ruler of Amazon Lily, an island of women. Her Devil Fruit power allows her to petrify those who showcase attraction to her. She is also a misandrist, due to a tragic past as a slave for the Celestial Dragons. However, her mixture of strength, beauty, and authority leads her to often mistreat women on her island as well. She rationalizes her awful behavior with “pretty privilege.”
Despite her penchant for narcissism, there is a level at which she cares about the wellbeing of her subjects. Though she hates the World Government, she consented to serve them for the sole purpose of keeping them off Amazon Lily. She has also shown compassion towards Luffy, after he helped hide her past as a slave. This has evolved into a crush on him, which has led her to aid him, even antagonizing the government for his sake. Despite marked selfishness in her behavior, she has shown the capacity to care about and sympathize with others.
3Trafalgar D. Water Law
Surgeon of Death
Trafalgar D. Water Law is a ruthless pirate who is alleged to have literally stolen the hearts of several pirates during the Rocky Port Incident. He used this exploit to claim the role of Warlord, which he quickly forfeited for a recently concluded alliance with the Straw Hat Pirates. He is not above noble behavior, as he freed ex-slave Jean Bart, and saved Luffy’s life during the Summit War, but he has no real issue with getting his hands dirty either. After his loss to the Blackbeard Pirates, fans speculate his more ruthless side may surface, especially since most of his crew were sunk in the altercation.
