Summary
One Piecehas a fairly significant world outside what has been elaborated upon within the story. This is displayed through characters ororganizationsthat have little screen time or knowledge surrounding them within the main story, but an implied greater level of significance that may result in them becoming more relevant in the narrative later on.
While some groups are all but stated outright to return, others have less of a clear indication that they will automatically become relevant after their limited appearances thus far. Regardless of what the future holds for them, for the moment,these are all organizations the audience knows nothing about.
5Underworld Emperors
A Crime Lord Collective
The criminal underworld is a network of sorts through which many major characters in the series, from pirates to government agents, have contacts and dealings. Most pirates with ties to the underworld have actually played a fairly significant role in parts of the story. The most prominent example is perhaps Donquixote Doflamingo, who was previously considered the most influential man in the underworld before being incarcerated.
Yet one group whose collective significance is largely surpassed by their title is the supposed"Emperors" of the underworld. They were all shown at the party for Sanji and Pudding’s wedding, partially to establish how feared Big Mom is within the greater criminal underworld. These six criminals are considered prominent within the underworld’s structure, but only a third of them have any immediate significance to the actual story.Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure District, is an undercover agent of Cipher Pol Aigis Zero, a government-affiliated agency that works directly under the World Nobles. She is also revealed to be both a clone of Miss Buckingham Stussy and a deep-cover mole on behalf of Dr. Vegapunk.
“Big News” Morgansis the president of the sensationalist World Economy Newspaper, who is more concerned about selling papers than printing the exact truth. For reasons unknown, he is presently harboring both Nefetari Vivi and Wapol, after their escape from Imu, the true supreme ruler of the World Government. Lu Feld, a tycoon who runs an eponymous conglomerate, was also the financier for MADS.
Of decidedly less significance are the other three “emperors” who have little established about them beyond their initial presence. Drug Peclo, an undertaker; Giberson, a warehouseman; and Umit, a shipping magnate, are mostly unknown beyond their names, appearances, and ostensible occupations. While Umit’s business has been shown in the background of various events following his appearance, it remains unclear whether he, or any of the other emperors, will be elaborated upon further.
4Fallen Monk Pirates
Urouge’s Crew
TheWorst Generationwas a title bestowed upon 12 promising pirates, mostly those who entered the Sabaody Archipelago with 9-digit bounties prior to the Summit War. In the current narrative, 11 pirates have played a significant role in the ongoing story. Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro are the main characters and part of the Straw Hat Pirates. Others have appeared as either allies or enemies to the crew and have been able to hold their own. Yet the Worst Generation includes one pirate who, alongside his crew, has evaded the notice of Luffy and his peers: Urouge, captain of theFallen Monk Pirates. The crew appears to have a somewhat religious nature, incorporating religious iconography into their ship, attire, and titles. They also originate from the Sky Islands, unlike the other crews, which blue sea dwellers populate.
This mysterious crew is led by Urouge, the tallest and eldest member of the Worst Generation, who also has the lowest bounty. He is speculated to be from the now-destroyed Birka, as his longer wings resemble those of God’s Army (Enel’s faction) more than the Shandians or Skypieans. This may also be tied to how exactly he became a “fallen” monk, as he is now traveling below the place his homeland once was. That said, it seems the crew can travel between the Sky Islands and the Blue Seas. However, there is no hint at present as to the significance Urouge and the Fallen Monk Pirates will have in the story, beyond their simple inclusion within the Worst Generation.
3SWORD
The Black Ops Unit
SWORDis a collective of marines who have resigned “on paper” but still operate on behalf of the organization. They are allowed to disregard any orders that ordinary marines must follow, with the consequence of being disavowed when convenient. This means they can engage with pirates that other marines lack immediate clearance for, such as the Yonko, which certain members have been seen actively opposing. The organization is said to have something of an inter-service rivalry withCipher Pol Aigis Zero, as well as being unaware of their covert activities.
The two most prominent members are X Drake, who has been operating undercover as a pirate for the majority of the narrative, andKoby, a newer marine who has been steadily rising through the ranks for a few years. It is presently unclear how aware Drake’s crew is of his naval ties. Since the organization was revealed in the Wano Country arc, they have been seen embarking on one excursion as a collective: a skirmish against the Blackbeard Pirates in an attempt to retrieve Koby. On a conceptual level, an organization like this could accomplish a great deal within the story, for better or for worse. That said, little has been seen of them since Koby’s retrieval and subsequent recovery.
2Cross Guild
A Marine-Hunting Guild
Cross Guildis an offshoot of Buggy’s Delivery, a government-sanctioned mercenary unit. Due to the Shichibukai’s abolition, the organization rapidly fell out of favor, especially following Buggy’s loss of funds. However, when another former Shichibukai, Crocodile, came to collect a debt with which he would finance his own organization, he inadvertently absorbed Buggy’s Delivery into Cross Guild, whilst acting as its true leader, alongside fellow the ex-Shichibukai, Dracule Mihawk.
Cross Guild has enough resources to put bounties on marines, a distinction which has allowed Buggy to achieve the title of Yonko despite lacking the strength one would expect of someone with such status. While the organization has prominent members, and has successfully managed to kill at least one Vice Admiral, they have yet to make a major move within the narrative to cement themselves, though many have fixated on what they may do to establish such a foothold.Fans frequently cite Cross Guildas a potential enemy for SWORD, or an organization around which other former Shichibukai could coordinate, as they would naturally hold a grudge against the government.
1NEO MADS
A New Illegal Research Institute
MADS was an illegal research institutefinanced by Lu Feld. The organization consisted of many prominent scientists, including Dr. Vegapunk, Scien (who would later assume the codename “Queen”), Caesar Clown, and Vinsmoke Judge. Due to Vegapunk’s dominance as the most brilliant scientist, the other three notable names competed to become the second-best. With many brilliant minds and a solid base of funding, MADS would develop innovations across a variety of fields of study. They notably discovered the Lineage Factor, which could be utilized for cloning and genetic modification.
The organization was dismantled and largely co-opted by the Marines, but those associated with the Marines fell out of favor with them, largely due to their own desire to create and research subjects that the Marines were explicitly against. Reuniting after a skirmish with the Big Mom Pirates, Judge and Caesar decided to pool their resources to createNEO MADS, which would likely continue the work of the previous organization. Little more is known beyond its existence, itself a fact likely tied to its only being shown in Cover Story format.
