The Shichibukai (七武海 Shichibukai, literally meaning "Seven Military Seas"), the full title being Oka Shichibukai (王下七武海 Ōka Shichibukai, literally meaning "Royal Seven Military Seas"),
are seven (though this number fluctuates throughout the series)
powerful and well-known pirates who have allied themselves with the World Goverment.
The Shichibukai is an organization of seven pirates turned privateers
in the service of the World Government. Although they work for the
World Government, the Shichibukai do not care about or respect the
Government (excluding Bartholomew Kuma, who was transformed into their
puppet) or even other Shichibukai, and are often considered by the
Marines to be no different from any other pirate. On the other hand,
they are known as "government dogs" and are despised by other pirates,
but are still feared and respected for their infamous reputation and
strength before, and even after they become Shichibukai.
The Shichibukai seem to be a mixture of the more chaotic Yonko and the more orderly Marines. The majority of the Shichibukai are composed of New World veterans; those who have met the Yonko or even confronted them.
There is an enormous range in the bounties between the members
due to differences in circumstances under which they were recruited,
with Doflamingo, who has a former bounty of former 
340,000,000,
and Blackbeard, with no former bounty at all. It should be noted that
these are their former bounties, and doesn't represent the current
threat they could achieve as active pirates. Jinbe, for example, after
his resignation his bounty jumped to over 400,000,000. Another example is Sir Crocodile, who was imprisoned in Level 6 of Impel Down, while Luffy with a bounty of 300,000,000 at the time put him only at Level 5.
340,000,000,
and Blackbeard, with no former bounty at all. It should be noted that
these are their former bounties, and doesn't represent the current
threat they could achieve as active pirates. Jinbe, for example, after
his resignation his bounty jumped to over 400,000,000. Another example is Sir Crocodile, who was imprisoned in Level 6 of Impel Down, while Luffy with a bounty of 300,000,000 at the time put him only at Level 5.
The terms that the Shichibukai are on with each other is best
described as very unstable. They have very little (if any) respect for
each other and will for the most part not accept help from one another,
apparently from a firm sense of pride. During the battle meeting for the
Shichibukai where only two members are absent (Hancock and Jinbe), it
is even stated that the very notion of them working together as a team
is entirely unthinkable. However, Kuma and Doflamingo don't disregard
the notion of teaming up with another Shichibukai: Kuma offered Moriah
help defeating the Straw Hats and Doflamingo offered Crocodile a chance
to team up. Both offers were refused due to pride.
During Boa Hancock's visit at Impel Down's Level Six, Jinbe
stated that he didn't know much about her, possibly suggesting that only
some of the Shichibukai are familiar with each other or even have
personally met all the other members. Despite this, as of chapter 575,
all of the Shichibukai (including former) fought at the war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines.
Most of the Shichibukai have a jaded attitude of the world, as
their vast amounts of experience have disillusioned them. Crocodile and
Moriah both disregard Luffy's arrogant behavior, saying that he is too
inexperienced to know what the world is truly like; Mihawk behaved in a
similar fashion in his duel with Zoro, though he hopes that he'll be
successful. Doflamingo believes that there is no true justice in the
world, and that both the Marines and Pirates are foolish if they think
that they are upholding it. Hancock, through her horrid experience as a
slave, considers all men of the world to be scum, outside of Luffy, with
whom she is in love (and anyone who Luffy is on good terms with);
Rayleigh, who is her "benefactor"; and Fisher Tiger, who was responsible for freeing her from slavery.
A pirate may choose to join the Shichibukai if a space becomes vacant
(which means that at least one Shichibukai must resign or be expelled
from the group, the former being Jinbe's case and the latter being
Crocodile's case). However, in order for one to become a Shichibukai
once this position opens up, one must be able to show their strength
against other pirates
while choosing to pledge loyalty to the World Government (this
ironically encourages pirates to gain infamy to become a Shichibukai) by
making a pact with the Gorosei.
If the pirate in question can be used as intimidation, the position may
be offered to them, if no other pirate has accepted the position or
proven to be more of an asset to the World Government. As expected, most
members were already notorious pirates with high bounties, but even
relatively unknowns can be admitted if they accomplish a feat to prove
their strength. Blackbeard's victory over Portgas D. Ace is one example of this.
They do not offer open opposition to the rule of the World
Government, but are not guaranteed to follow its orders either. They are
only allowed to attack other pirates and must also pay the Government a
tenth of their loot,
though this rule is not usually followed at the very least. Each member
of the Shichibukai must also have strong intimidation skills and a
fearsome representation to put off others becoming a pirate and make
them fear them. In addition, given the dialogue between Bartholomew Kuma and the Gorosei,
it can be assumed that once someone becomes a member of the Shichibukai
they must be undefeated to maintain their position, or at least are not
allowed to have a widely known loss that affects their reputation.
Some of the members do various tasks for the government, such as
taking over new islands for the World Government (described as
"liberating") and guarding nations, but their ultimate purpose is to
keep other pirates in check. Most importantly, the Shichibukai serve to
help keep the balance of The Three Great Powers.
Theoretically, the Shichibukai are allies of the government, and
in war time would fight alongside the Marines. Still, many Marine
officers (for example Vice-Admiral Smoker, Admiral Kizaru and Fleet Admiral Sengoku)
dislike them and think of the Shichibukai as any other pirate. Several
high-ranking Marines expressed surprise that even two of the Shichibukai
actually bothered to show up when summoned for the meeting about
Crocodile's removal, and they were very shocked when a third arrived.
Tellingly, of the others besides Kuma that showed up, Doflamingo came
out of sheer boredom (passing the time before the meeting by nearly
forcing two marines to duel each other), and Mihawk came only to hear
about the pirates being discussed in the meeting. When they are not
under orders of the World Government, they have no commitment to aid the
efforts of the Marines.
Most of the Shichibukai appear to show general apathy towards the World
Government and in some cases even hostility. During the battle with
Whitebeard, Moriah stated he doesn't care who wins and Boa Hancock
openly attacked both Marines and pirates.
In exchange for these services, the Shichibukai are pardoned for their former actions and any existing bounties are rescinded.
As the Shichibukai are no longer outlaws, they can make money
through legitimate business, as well as bounty hunting. Some, however,
are content to simply float around the sea on their ships. The
government does not seem to mind, and the Shichibukai are granted a
great deal of autonomy in how they operate, at least thus far. Other
benefits include access to resources normally out of bounds to normal
citizens and pirates, such as the use of Kairoseki equipment.
Boa Hancock, in particular, has a treaty that acts as a restraining order for all ships that come near Amazon Lily. Jinbe and his entire crew were given a pardon for their captain, Fisher Tiger's attack against the World Nobles,
and their status as slaves nullified. Donquixote Doflamingo also
managed to operate the Human Auctioning House with the government fully
ignoring it before passing it to Disco.
Crocodile, abused the privilege of being no longer monitored so closely to build himself a large and powerful covert organization, and Blackbeard took advantage of the access the rank grants him to get into facilities that would otherwise have been unreachable to a pirate.
Even if they violate the law, the World Government and Marines may choose not to take any notice. Doflamingo used to own the Human Auctioning House before giving it to Disco.
Crocodile seemed to have gone unsupervised for an extremely long period
of time, as he had created a large, malevolent organization that the
World Government seemed to be completely unaware of. Because of the risk
involved with maintaining the three great powers, the Government
tolerates the illegal activities of any Shichibukai and attempts to
protect them if possible (or at least maintain their fame).
That is not to say they would not dismiss a Shichibukai for such
actions. There are several Shichibukai who have been dismissed from
their positions for several reasons. Crocodile's actions in Alabasta
left the World Government with few options other than his dismissal,
although in fact Luffy dealt with him (and his bounty was raised for
that).
Moriah's defeat was met with horror by the World Government as
they had only just replaced Crocodile's loss. Fearing what would happen
if another fell, the World Government attempted to cover up his defeat
by killing all of the survivors of Thriller Bark
before word got out. Even though Kuma (the one sent to deal with the
problem) chose to go against the command of the Gorosei, Moriah was able
to retain his status for a time, later answering the call to fight Whitebeard.
After the war, the government finally deemed Moriah to be too weak to
continue as a Shichibukai, and decided to strip him of his status and
eliminate him, under the cover-up of Moriah dying in the war so as to
preserve the Shichibukai's reputation of strength.
Jinbe has forfeited his position as Shichibukai for his refusal
to assist in the war against Whitebeard and was incarcerated in Level 6
of Impel Down. After Monkey D. Luffy helped him escape, he assisted the
young pirate in breaking free from Impel Down and traveling to
Marineford and sided with Whitebeard's faction during the battle
choosing to abdicate his position permanently and again became a willing
enemy of both the Marines and the World Government.
Blackbeard only wanted to be a Shichibukai so as to be able to reach Impel Down
in order to free Level 6 prisoners and create a stronger crew. As soon
as he achieved this goal, he was no longer interested, and resigned from
his Shichibukai title.
Dismissal from the Shichibukai holds not only one's loss of
title, but in cases also the breakdown of possible politics linked to
the Shichibukai. As Boa Hancock was warned, while she obeyed the World
Government, her peoples' treaty with the World Government would be
respected. However, if she did not heed the call of the World
Government, then the treaty with her home island of Amazon Lily would be made void. Smoker
has hinted that Hancock and her people will suffer repercussions for
helping Luffy during the war, however throughout the war events related
to her were often interpreted incorrectly by the Marines and others,
thus her status as a Shichibukai seems to not have been brought into
question.
The Shichibukai seem to have only limited knowledge of each other, such as Jinbe never meeting Hancock before her visit to Impel Down.
However, some others, such as Doflamingo and Crocodile, converse as
though they are familiar with each other. In fact, Doflamingo is
knowledgeable of Kuma's participation in the Pacifista program, yet does not know of his past relationship with the Revolutionaries.
During these interactions, most of them are hostile, such as Jinbe and
Crocodile snarling at each other over matters with Whitebeard. At times,
however, they might be benign, such as Kuma offering to help Moriah in
fighting against the Straw Hat Pirates, though the latter angrily refused.
The Shichibukai are a group of seven of the strongest pirates in the world and
one of the Three Great Powers, the others being the Yonko and the Marines.
In terms of power, the exact relationship between the
Shichibukai, Marine Headquarters and Yonko is unknown. However,
considering that these organizations are stated to be in balance and the
fact that the loss of Crocodile
threatened said balance, the most reasonable conclusion is that each
organization is approximately equivalent in strength. At least two of
the Shichibukai (Gekko Moriah and Dracule Mihawk) are said to have been rivals of Yonko members Kaido and Shanks, respectively. Bartholomew Kuma has also allowed himself to become part of the Pacifista project. The strength of at least one Shichibukai, Boa Hancock, has been acknowledged by Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself.
This, in addition to the fact that losing a single member of the
Shichibukai can throw off the balance of the world powers and cause
distress to the World Government, indicates the extreme power each
individual has. The strength of a Shichibukai is so great, that should
they be imprisoned for any reason, they would be sentenced to Level 6 of
Impel Down, the lowest and most secure level of the prison (as both Crocodile and Jinbe were sentenced).
Because of their deal with the World Government, the Shichibukai are considered "Government Dogs" by other pirates.
At the same time, they are also feared by them because all of the
Shichibukai are insanely strong, each capable of destroying an average
pirate crew on their own with no effort as seen with Mihawk and
Crocodile. They have such a fierce reputation that even other powerful
and famous pirates are unnerved by them as seen with the captain of the
Kid Pirates, Eustass Kid, actually seemed heavily disturbed when he witnessed the arrival of a Pacifista cyborg (mistaking it for the real Kuma)
on the Sabaody Archipelago, close to where his crew were, despite the
fact that his bounty was higher than Kuma's former bounty, demonstrating
how their strength is even greater than that implied by their frozen
bounties in the eyes of others.
Each member has some ability or power, the majority of which are
Devil Fruit. These abilities can often times vary depending on the
Shichibukai's theme. Some of their abilities appear to conflict with
each other: for example, Blackbeard's power involves drawing people to
him, while Kuma's involves rejecting people away from him; and
Doflamingo's power allows him to control the motion of other people to
his will, while Hancock immobilizes them by turning them into stone. In
the case of Crocodile and Jinbe, this opposition also extends to the
environment where their abilities reach their full zenith (i.e. being a
Fishman, Jinbe's fighting abilities are at their peak in the deep and
open sea, while Crocodile, having consumed the Suna Suna no Mi, favors the dry desert).
In relationship to each other, it is not entirely known how they
compare in strength. However, during the Whitebeard war several members
and former members fight each other and none manage to defeat or
significantly harm each other in any fight. Although while most appeared
evenly matched Moriah was outfought by Jinbe, and adding to his defeat
by Luffy, was deemed too weak to continue to be a Shichibukai and
Doflamingo was ordered to kill him along with a group of Pacifista.
For many years, Mihawk dueled his rival swordsman Red-Haired Shanks
in great battles that shook the Grand Line. Mihawk joined the ranks of
the Shichibukai at a currently unknown point in time.
Moriah and his rival, Kaido, also fought at some point and while
Moriah escaped with his life, his crew was no more. Moriah would also
join the ranks of the Shichibukai. Ten years ago, he set up an
organization called Thriller Bark recruiting Dr. Hogback into his ranks. While Thriller Bark sailed around in the Florian Triangle
they began to amass an army of zombies using Moriah's powers. While
fulfilling his duties of controlling pirates, they also took Marines and
civilian ships. However the World Government, though appearing to know
of his actions, allowed this to go on.
After acquiring his bounty of 250,000,000, Jinbe was recruited some eight years before the start of the series, following the death of Fisher Tiger and the breaking up of the Sun Pirates into smaller groups like the one Arlong led to the East Blue.
His recruitment was an attempt to strengthen the bonds between the
species, and it allowed the members of the Sun Pirates who did not want
to become pirates in the first place to return to Fishman Island, and
given a pardon for Tiger's attack on Mariejois.
250,000,000, Jinbe was recruited some eight years before the start of the series, following the death of Fisher Tiger and the breaking up of the Sun Pirates into smaller groups like the one Arlong led to the East Blue.
His recruitment was an attempt to strengthen the bonds between the
species, and it allowed the members of the Sun Pirates who did not want
to become pirates in the first place to return to Fishman Island, and
given a pardon for Tiger's attack on Mariejois.
Crocodile set up his Baroque Works organization four years prior, recruiting the criminal Nico Robin into his ranks. For the next four years, Crocodile would work to make the kingdom of Alabasta
view him as a hero while he secretly gained power to bring down the
royal family of Alabasta and take control of a weapon known as Pluton.
Sometime after escaping slavery, Boa Hancock went on a single pirate campaign so great that, combined with the existing fearsome reputation of the Kuja Pirates,
she was visited by the World Government with an offer. Hancock made a
treaty with the World Government that protected her people from them in
exchange for becoming a Shichibukai.
Two years ago, when Portgas D. Ace was gaining fame as the captain of the Spade Pirates, he was invited to join the Shichibukai, meaning there was an opening for him, but he refused.
Interest in the Rising Swordsman
The first Shichibukai to appear was Mihawk, having hunted down Don Krieg
and his men from the Grand Line. He followed Krieg in a small
coffin-like ship as he destroyed Krieg's entire armada. His excuse was
that they woke him up from a nap.
When he sliced up Krieg's last remaining ship, Zoro of the Straw Hat Pirates
challenged him his title of "World's Greatest Swordsman". He told
Mihawk he was the swordsman he was looking for in his travels. Mihawk
accepted his challenge, using a knife smaller than a pocket knife to
fight. Without any apparent effort, he was able to block and repel all
of Zoro's attacks and stabbed him in the chest.
Zoro realized the gap between their abilities and surrendered, asking
to be finished off properly. Mihawk honored him by drawing his sword
and with one slash, broke two of his swords and ended the fight. Mihawk
explained to Luffy he held back to leave the young swordsman injured but
alive so they can fight again some day. Mihawk told Zoro to become
strong and live, to one day surpass him.
After the Straw Hats raided the Human Auction House, Doflamingo told Disco,
a worker there, that he could have the organization as the future was
becoming much clearer; the Shichibukai were to fight against the Whitebeard Pirates. Kuma arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago while an attempt to bring the Straw Hats to justice for their actions was being made. He interfered with Kizaru's battle with them as they were about to be defeated and instead of Kizaru bringing them in, Kuma "wiped" out the crew one by one by sending them away to other islands, scattering the crew. He interrupts the battle between Rayleigh and Kizaru and whispers into his ear.
He revealed himself to be an officer of the Revolutionary Army,
who came to Sabaody Archipelago to save Luffy and his crew from being
killed. The Dark King questions Kuma's motives, who responds by saying
that he can choose whether to believe him or not. Kizaru demands to know
what he told Rayleigh but he refused and then left.
Luffy arrived at Amazon Lily a few days later. The Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock who was arriving home was stopped by the Marines demanding an answer to the call of the Whitebeard War. She turned the crew to stone with her Mero Mero no Mi. She told Vice Admiral Momonga
that she refuses to acknowledge the Marines demands and left for her
home. When she arrived home from her raids she was greeted with a large
celebration of her people welcoming their empress home. During her
bathing session, Luffy, having given the Kuja
warriors on the island the slip while they attempted to kill him, fell
into her bath. He witnessed something familiar on her back and she
attempted to turn him into stone. Luffy not phased by her a bit,
attempted to run away and got caught.
Afterwards Hancock held a public execution to punish him for
intruding on the sacred isle. She had her younger sisters fight him, but
they were defeated with Luffy covering the mark on Sandersonia's back
since they would rather die than let anyone see it. Hancock ordered her
audience to evacuate as she broke into tears of shame. Taken aback by
Luffy's surprising selflessness and hearing of him striking a World Noble,
Hancock divulged her painful past to him showing the slave mark on her
back. She befriended Luffy and even fell in love with him. Upon Luffy
learning of Ace's fate, he asked her to take him to Impel Down where he
was being held. She agreed, answering the call of the Shichibukai to
gather at Marineford. Before going to Marineford, she requested to pay a
visit to Impel Down and see Ace. She sneaked Luffy on board the Marine
ship venturing to Impel Down.
Jinbe
refused to aid the Marines against Whitebeard, who was a man he
respected and also friend of Ace. Because of this he was imprisoned in
Impel Down along with Ace and his status as a Shichibukai revoked until
he chose to cooperate. Meanwhile, the Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma,
Gecko Moriah, Blackbeard, Doflamingo, and Mihawk all met in at a dinner
apparently held at Mariejois. Meanwhile, Hancock and Luffy arrived at
Impel Down with Hancock sneaking Luffy in under her robe.
After Luffy snuck away, Hancock was taken to see Ace, yet also
encountered Jinbe in the same cell. Another cell in the same floor held
Crocodile, who was taunting both pirates for their defiance and to
reaffirm the power of the world. After delivering an enigmatic message
regarding Luffy's arrival, Hancock departed to make her way to the other
Shichibukai, hoping that Luffy will be safe from harm.
Luffy broke into Level 6 of Impel Down and freed both Crocodile
and Jinbe, both of who were imprisoned there, as they would be valuable
assets in his breakout of Impel Down and his attack against Marineford to save Ace. As they made it to Level 4, Blackbeard stole a Marine ship with his crew and infiltrated Impel Down for reasons of his own.
After a short battle with Luffy, Blackbeard and his crew were severely poisoned by the Devil Fruit ability of Impel Down's Chief Warden, Magellan.
At the same time, Crocodile and Jinbe left to Level 3 along with Luffy.
Crocodile and Jinbe made it outside of Impel Down, trying to take
control of a Marine ship.
They managed to conquer the battleship, and along with 239 other prisoners, they managed to enter the Gates of Justice and fled Impel Down, approaching Marineford. At the same time, Blackbeard and his crew were saved from poison, thanks to death row prisoner Shiliew, who was recruited into the crew in the process. 3 hours prior to the execution of Portgas D. Ace, only five of the Shichibukai were present: Bartholomew Kuma, Boa Hancock, Donquixote Doflamingo, Gekko Moriah and Dracule Mihawk.
Whitebeard Pirates vs. The Royal Shichibukai
After Sengoku revealed that Ace's father is none other than Pirate King Gol D. Roger,
the Whitebeard Pirates and their 43 New World pirate allies have
arrived. At the same time, the Gates of Justice opened, allowing Jinbe
and Crocodile to leave the Tarai currents and prepare to join the war,
along with their comrades.
Mihawk made the first move among the five Shichibukai by sending a massive slashing shock wave at the Moby Dick, Whitebeard's flagship, to test out their differences in abilities, but Jozu intercepted it with his diamond body.
When Oars Jr.
appeared, Moriah declared that he wanted his corpse, and Doflamingo
made a remark at how the battle was about to get interesting. The
Shichibukai then began their assault. With the combined efforts of Bartholomew Kuma, Donquixote Doflamingo and Gekko Moriah, Oars Jr. was wounded and collapsed.
During Oars Jr.'s rampage, some pirates were able to penetrate the lines of defense. Boa Hancock
defended herself from oncoming pirates by turning them into stone with
her Devil Fruit abilities and shattering them. She also managed to get
some of the Marines in the crossfire, which made them question whether
or not she was going to betray them. She simply stated that she does not
define herself as an ally of the World Government but she has agreed to
fighting along with them against the Whitebeard Pirates.
Luffy's arrival in Marineford prompts comments from the
Shichibukai with Moriah showing anger, Mihawk and Doflamingo showing
amusement, Kuma remaining silent, and Hancock blushing and being
relieved that Luffy managed to get out of Impel Down. Jinbe then
declares directly to Sengoku that he abdicates his position. Crocodile
attempts to kill Whitebeard, but is stopped by Luffy. Kuma also fired a
mouth laser at Luffy and Ivankov, but it is dodged. Moriah uses his
powers to raise an army of zombies and sends them after Luffy, but Jinbe
purifies the zombies with a blast of sea water. When Sengoku reveals
Luffy's heritage of being Dragon's son to the public, Moriah is shocked,
Mihawk and Jinbe are not surprised, Hancock remains blushing, Kuma
stays silent, and Doflamingo laughs.
Moriah and Jinbe proceed to fight, Moriah claiming he'll take Jinbe's
shadow and augmenting himself with shadows. Jinbe, however, evades
Moriah's attacks with ease and deals him a severe blow with Samegawara
Seiken. Hancock then attacks and threatens Commodore Smoker for pinning
Luffy to the ground and declares Luffy as her beloved. Meanwhile,
Ivankov deals with Kuma, though Doflamingo says it's useless to talk to
Kuma as the Kuma Ivankov knew is already dead.
Hancock proceeds to give Luffy the keys to Ace's handcuffs (which
she obtained through unknown means), and when he hugs her, she
collapses, mistaking the hug for marriage. She then attacks Smoker when
he goes after Luffy, breaking his jutte and effectively initiating a
battle between them, with Hancock not worrying about any of the
consequences. Meanwhile, as Luffy confronts Kuma along with Ivankov,
Doflamingo tells the story of Kuma being slowly modified into a
Pacifista by Dr. Vegapunk, until the final modification (of the head)
turned him into little more than a puppet of the World Government.
It is also revealed that the "Tyrant" Kuma hated the World
Government and only agreed to become a weaponized human under some sort
of deal; the first completed Pacifista Kuma is known as PX-0. Kuma then
proceeds to attack Luffy, Ivankov, and Ivankov's men and Ivankov decides
to pound Kuma's fear into him, using a dropkick and powerful winks to
temporarily knock Kuma to the ground. Ivankov then tells the others to
go on.
Meanwhile, Crocodile and Mr. 1 began making their way back to Whitebeard when Jozu
charges at Crocodile and slams into him with his diamond forearm.
Crocodile is launched back, but before Jozu can attack again, Doflamingo
stops his movement, suggesting to Crocodile that they team up. As Luffy
continues his charge to Ace, Mihawk appears and unsheathes his sword,
stating that he will not hold back against him. Right after that, Mihawk
attacks Luffy, stating that he was within "range." Luffy tries to
escape because he has no time to fight strong guys like him. Luffy
realizes he can't fight him, because if he gets close to him, Mihawk
will just cut him. Seeing he is unable to continue, Marco, commander of
Whitebeard Pirates 1st Division, tells Vista the Flower Sword, commander
of Whitebeard's 5th Division, to help him out. Vista, also a swordsman,
manages to hold Mihawk back, so Luffy breaks away.
As Whitebeard is stabbed by a deceived Squard,
Moriah and Doflamingo look excited, Jinbe looks shocked, and Mihawk
looks indifferent. Crocodile, shocked to see that Whitebeard got struck
so easily, wonders how Whitebeard could be so weak. Later, Crocodile
strikes down the executioners who tried to kill Ace, due to him being
unable to accept the smug looks in the Government's faces. This results
in Doflamingo getting jealous that Crocodile would choose Whitebeard and
the two clash.
When Luffy is injured by Aokiji, Hancock attempted to jump in to avenge him, but Marco struck first. Later, when Luffy is blocked by a Pacifista,
Hancock stood in between. As the Pacifista recognized her as a comrade,
it ceased its attack. However, when it told her to move, she broke its
head and proceeds to annihilate the rest, in order to prevent them from
giving Luffy chase. At the same time, Jinbe has decided to fight to the
death on behalf of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Mihawk attempted to attack Luffy again, but Mr. 1 intervened. Mihawk
easily defeated Mr. 1, who is then saved by Crocodile. Crocodile and
Mihawk clash with each other. Meanwhile, Boa Hancock crushed more
Pacifistas, causing Sentomaru to question her allegiance.
After Ace died, and Luffy suffered a mental breakdown, Hancock
stated that she was extremely worried. As Whitebeard kept suffering
damage, Doflamingo made a sudden claim that things keeps getting
interesting, as the Blackbeard Pirates returned to the battlefield, with
several legendary criminals from Impel Down as new recruits.
Blackbeard revealed his sole reason for wanting the title of
Shichibukai: to have access to Impel Down, which normal pirates find
impossible, in order to recruit powerful prisoners to increase his crew
strength exponentially. After this goal is achieved, he resigned from
his postion, having no further use for it, much to Sengoku's fury and
the terror of the Marines. Blackbeard is then attacked by Whitebeard,
but then retaliates with his crew and assaults Whitebeard with bullets
and blades, ultimately killing him.
After witnessing Whitebeard's death, all those still active in the war then witnessed Blackbeard then proceeds to absorb the Gura Gura no Mi's
power from his former captain's corpse, through unknown means hidden
under a black cloth. When Blackbeard emerges with his power of darkness
and earthquake, he announces worldwide that it is now his era, and
entered into combat against Sengoku and Monkey D. Garp.
Jinbe continues to carry an unconscious Luffy to safety, to which
results him being injured by Akainu, but is saved by Crocodile, and
then is seen being carried by Buggy to Trafalgar Law's submarine. When the Red Hair Pirates
arrived to end the war, Mihawk departed as he agreed to war against
Whitebeard, not his comrade Shanks. Hancock took over a Marine ship to
chase after the submarine, under the claim that she wanted Luffy's head.
Blackbeard and his crew left, as they got what they wanted.
