Key recommendations
- There are many crews in the pirate adventure world of One Piece, some with many and some with just a few prominent figures.
- A few crews in particular have a very prominent main figure as the captain, but have no exploration beyond that.
- The Drake Pirates are a good example of a crew that could be further developed in the future.
The pirates equip themselves One piece are, by the nature of the series, among the most prominent groups within it. Even if an entire crew is not fully explored, there are usually at least a few members identified outside of the captain to give a better look at the crew.
However, this is not always the case. There are a handful of series crews that only name one crew member and otherwise tend to focus on the individual members of each crew. This list will look at some crews that are largely unknown and unnamed, with their captain usually being the only exception to this. Often, if a crew is unidentified, this is largely due to the already limited nature of the captain's importance.
6 On Air Pirates
Captain: Scratchmen Apoo
- Debut: Chapter 498 (Manga), Episode 392 (Anime)
- The main ship: Stay tuned
This crew was one of ten whose captain qualified for the worst generation, which implies a certain level of prestige as a crew. They appear to be from the Grand Line, and many of them have outfits similar to those historically worn by the Manchu people. Their captain is Scratchmen Apoo, who has the distinction of being the only long arm of the worst generation. Like many of their Worst Generation crew, the On Air Pirates eventually found themselves at the mercy of an Emperor, namely Kaido of the Beasts Pirates.
As a result, they joined his crew and eventually brokered a fake alliance with other Worst Generation crews, namely the Kid Pirates and the Hawkins Pirates, with the final team adding them to the Beasts Pirates. Apoo himself is shown to have no loyalty to the Beasts Pirates, mostly sticking with the crew out of fear and no real loyalty to them.
5 Brownbeard Pirates
Captain: Chadros “Brownbeard” Higelyges
- Debut: Chapter 581 (Manga), Chapter 490 (Anime)
- The main ship: Charles Martel
This crew was introduced to viewers shortly after the Summit War, where Whitebeard's death prompted Brownbeard to claim Foodvalten, a territory formerly protected by Whitebeard, for his own. However, they were soundly beaten by Basil Hawkins, captain of the Hawkins Pirates and one of the 12 pirates known as the Worst Generation.
After they made their way to Punk Hazard, Trafalgar D. Water Law used his powers to save their lives and turn them into centaurs. The crew later served as Caesar Clown's underlings, holding him and Law in high regard. However, Brownbeard eventually realized Caesar was using them. Unfortunately, the crew, with the exception of Brownbeard, were exposed to Shinokuni, a potentially fatal petrifying gas. However, after Caesar Clown's defeat, Smoker allows Brownbeard to free his crewmates before he dies, as long as he accepts the arrest.
4 Fallen Monk Pirates
Captain: Urouge
- Debut: Chapter 498 (Manga), Episode 392 (Anime)
- The main ship: Hanjomaru
This Worst Generation crew hails from the Sky Islands, though it's not clear exactly which island they're from. True to their name, fallen monk pirates tend to wear robes reminiscent of religious devotees. An unidentified member even has a tonsure, a haircut associated with monks where the hair on top of the head is shaved. Their captain is the “Mad Monk” Urouge, himself a mysterious entity, of whom little else is known other than the power of a nameless Devil Fruit and an ever-present smile.
Despite the names of Urouge and his crew implying a departure from orthodoxy. They seem at least somewhat religiously inclined, as Urouge prayed for Kaido when she saw him trying to kill himself. They were able to defeat the Emperor's best masters, as Big Mom Pirates' Charlotte Snack ended up being demoted from her Sweet Commander rank due to her loss against Urouge. However, they were forced to retreat after losing to Cracker, another Sweet Commander.
While it's unclear if the crew will develop beyond the extent they currently have, one would assume that at least Urouge will become more developed within the story, as he is now the only member of the Worst Generation who hasn't crossed with Luffy.
3 Space pirates
Captain: Seamars
- Debut: Chapter 438 (Manga; Cover Story)
- The main ship: Unknown
Space pirates are an alien crew that tend to resemble animals in appearance. Their known piracy tends to consist of excavating the moon. They are only shown in the cover story, Enel's Great Space Operationsserving as effective antagonists. The Space Pirates previously caused an explosion on the moon, killing a Dr. Tsukimi from shock-induced suffocation. His creations, four automata, decided to travel 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 Seamars, the pirate captain who defeated him. Enel scorns Seamars for desecrating the moon and defeats him easily, with the Logia Devil Fruit preventing him from being hit by most attacks. Eventually, Enel attacks the entire crew more definitively, effectively ending operations on the Moon. Enel has taken over the moon, the fairies of his people's stories of legend, with his newly discovered automata acting as underlings.
2 The Drake Pirates
Captain: X Drake
- Debut: Chapter 498 (Manga), Episode 392 (Anime)
- The main ship: Liberal Hind
The son of a sailor turned pirate, X Drake himself defected from his father's crew to the Marines. He was mentored by the former admiral of the Sengoku fleet and eventually rose to the rank of rear admiral. Despite this, 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 effort to challenge him. Since then, Drake has worked his way up the chain of command in the Beasts Pirates, earning 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 defect from the Beast Pirates, being accused of disloyalty.
It is revealed that Drake is in reality the Captain of SWORD, a black ops unit for officially decommissioned Marines to conduct covert operations on behalf of the World Government. His choice to side with Luffy was partly out of respect for Koby, who is also a member of SWORD. It is not clear how he reconciles his cunning as a pirate with the existence of his crew. It's possible they're SWORD members too, but since it wasn't explicitly stated, it's just as possible they don't know the truth. Drake was most recently seen recovering in a marine hospital, further muddying the waters if he can continue to act like a pirate.
1 Most subordinate crews
Captain: Miscellaneous
- Debut: Varies by character, conceptually introduced around Chapter 551 (Manga) and Episode 460 (Anime)
- The main ship: Varies by character
Subordinate crews are those who serve under another crew. They are commonly used by emperors to consolidate their power and influence. Members are technically not part of the crew they serve under, maintaining their own chain of command. However, their exact relationship to the crew they serve under varies, depending on which crew is in charge.
Subordinate crews were first introduced in depth at Marineford, with many of Whitebeard's members taking part in the Summit War. 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. A handful of subordinate captains have been confirmed to have been Whitebeard pirates themselves before making their own crews.
The Peachbeard Pirates are the only known subordinate crew of the Blackbeard Pirates. They prove to be strong enough to defeat the marines stationed in the Kingdom of Lulusia, but are eventually taken down by four of the officers of the Revolutionary Army. It is stated that Blackbeard does not care about his subordinate crews.
Red haired pirates are known for having weak subordinate crews. Examples of this are the Bourgeois Pirates (led by Pururu), the Social Club (led by Fugar) and the Puddle Pirates (led by Gerotini). Shanks may try to use his reputation to protect them, just like Whitebeard did. with its territories. However, for now, this is pure speculation.
It should be noted that not all subordinate crews fall into this category. The Sun Pirates and Fire Tank Pirates, despite previously serving under Big Mom, have more named members because they were more relevant to the story. Additionally, all seven crews in the Straw Hat Grand Fleet have multiple named members, for exactly the same reason.
