One Piece pirates who worked for the world government

Key recommendations

• Some powerful characters were once government-affiliated pirates before turning to piracy.
• The Seven Warlords of the Sea, a government-sanctioned group, abused their power and caused chaos.
• The Warlord system was abolished, leading former members to potential new allegiances.

The World Government and its various branches in One piece it exists to control the world and, in theory, purge it of piracy. However, even with this stated goal, piracy remains popular around the world. Aside from emperors and various other powerful pirates with ambitions for control, sometimes the call comes from within the house.

These pirates had ties to the government and operated on its behalf for a time, some even concurrently with their careers in piracy. Here are various pirates who were once employed by the World Government.

5 Vergo

First Corazon

• Debut: Chapter 671 (Manga), Episode 597 (Anime)
• Devil Fruit: None

Vergo was an early subordinate of Donquixote Doflamingo, impressed by his conqueror's Haki, which he displayed at the age of 10. His early loyalty was rewarded with a high-ranking position in the crew, along with other longtime followers. Although Doflamingo himself was technically employed as a Warlord by the World Government, Vergo had been a mole for some time before then, keeping the sailors under control by enlisting in their ranks.

Having risen to the rank of Vice Admiral, Vergo's own place in the crew was technically vacant. In his place, a sailor mole, Rosinante, Doflamingo's long-lost younger brother, took the rank of Corazon. However, Vergo's intervention resulted in the discovery of Rosinante's treachery and eventual death.

Vergo would later make his way out after failing to kill a group of jailed outlaws and pirates, though it is unclear how well-known his crimes became, as Smoker wanted to spare his underlings the pain. He ended up dying at G5, in a room that Doflamingo remotely caused to explode. Despite this, he was pleased, with Doflamingo thanking him sincerely for his years of service.

4 who's who

One of Tobiroppo

• Chapter 977 (Manga), Episode 982 (Anime)
• Devil Fruit: Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Saber Tiger

Who's-Who is one of Kaido's most senior officers, falling only below the three All-Stars. Before the Beasts Pirates, he led a crew of his own. However, even this was preceded by a previous occupation, a member of Cipher Pol 9, a government-run agency. With this distinction, Who's-Who was trained as an assassin from a young age with an emphasis on the martial art of Rokushiki. He is also a Zoan user, as are several other members of the collective such as Rob Lucci, Kaku and Jabra.

Despite his power, a noted failure cost him the position, as he was responsible for guarding Gomu Gomu no Mi when the Red Hair Pirates stole it. This led to his imprisonment in Impel Down before he turned to piracy. Sometime after forming their own crew, they were absorbed into Kaido's, with Who's-Who eventually earning his current distinction as one of the six officers. He eventually lost in a duel with Jimbei. Due to the disarray of the Beasts Pirates after the presumed death of Kaido and the capture of several Star-Stars, Who's-Who's current position in the crew, as well as if he even exists, is unclear at this time.

3 Shiryu

One of the ten captains of the Titanic

• Debut: Chapter 538 (Manga), Episode 440 (Anime)
• Devil Fruit: Suke Suke no Mi

Shiryu was once the head jailer of Impel Down, a federal prison based in the sea. However, his excessive brutality was too much even for them and led to his sentencing to the secret sixth level, where prisoners whose terrible crimes are erased from the record wait to die. During the escape from Impel Down, Shiryu was dispatched despite still being scheduled for execution. However, a ray of salvation came to him, in the form of the Blackbeard Pirates. A government-affiliated crew numbering only 5, their captain, Marshall D. Teach, saw fit to increase their numbers by recruiting from the prison's worst criminals.

The crew suffered poisoning after being attacked by the fearsome director at the time, Magellan. Shiryu saves them all from death by providing the antidote to the guard's poison, becoming one of the five prisoners who join the crew during the escape. Although both Blackbeard and Shiryu sacrificed their ties to the government, they built their crew near Whitebeard's grave. Teach eventually became an emperor, taking the self-imposed rank of admiral, making nine of his ten Titanic captains his first crewmates.

2 Kuzan

The tenth captain of the Titanic

• Debut: Chapter 303 (Manga), Episode 225 (Anime)
• Devil Fruit: Hie Hie no Mi

Kuzan was a sailor who rose to the rank of admiral. He was notably a protégé of Luffy's grandfather, Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp. Despite their employment, the two had differing disdains for the World Government. Kuzan in particular became a devotee of Lazy Justice, believing it rarely worth enforcing, after the Ohara massacre. Garp's disdain was more directed towards the World Nobles, who were the reason he refused to become a full admiral despite being repeatedly offered the position. After the events at Marineford and Sengoku's retreat, Kuzan had a days-long duel with Sakazuki, better known as Akainu, to determine which of the pair would become Fleet Admiral, effectively in charge of the Marines.

The result was Akainu becoming Fleet Admiral, causing Kuzan to leave his position. He was eventually confirmed to be a member of the Blackbeard Pirates, later clarifying that he was actually one of their captains. Despite this, his exact loyalty to the crew is unclear, with even his fellow crew members deeply suspicious of his motive for joining. However, since they're all effective allies of convenience, they seem to be fine with him being on the crew for the time being.

Due to officially resigning from the navy and not seeming as immoral as his crewmates, people speculate that Kuzan is actually a member of SWORD, a black ops unit confirmed to have at least one other ex-marine who acts as a pirate for information gathering purposes. . However, due to Kuzan's stated disdain for the World Government and his unclear motives, this remains pure conjecture for now.

1 The Seven Lords of the Sea

Government sanctioned pirates

• Debut: Chapter 49 (Manga), Episode 23 (Anime)
• Devil Fruit: Varies, most pirates that hold this rank are Devil Fruit users, but a few of them don't seem to have one.

This list of pirates varies in the members, motivations, and exact nature of each crew. The now-defunct Warlord system led pirates to pledge allegiance to the government in exchange for leniency for certain actions. They were criticized by others as government dogs, but still tended to be more powerful than the average pirate.

A common denominator was an abuse of power, which led to the suffering of several kingdoms affiliated with the government. Crocodile and Doflamingo were both imprisoned for their crimes against said kingdoms, though the former escaped during an escape. Other pirates joined for relatively nobler reasons, such as Hancock, who wanted to keep the government away from Amazon Lily. She continued to disrespect the government, betraying them for Luffy during the Summit War. Despite maintaining her role after the fact, she made no secret of her hatred of the World Government.

Jimbei specifically joined in an effort to improve relations between Fishman and Human, but resigned due to his refusal to fight Whitebeard. Blackbeard only joined the organization to build his own crew, quitting as soon as that goal was accomplished. Law made a similar tactical maneuver, using his status to gain clearance for the naval bases, and eventually ditching him as soon as he aligned himself with Luffy.

The only member who seemed truly loyal to the government at any point was Bartholomew Kuma, who sacrificed his autonomy. However, after regaining it, he even took people like the five elders. Eventually, continued insubordination led to Issho calling for the system to be abolished, with the support of the rulers of the affected kingdoms. This move was successful, meaning that no overt pirates are currently employed by the government.

It's unclear where exactly certain pirates will be found, but a common speculation is the Cross Guild, a group of mercenaries founded by Crocodile and Mihawk, with their fellow former warlord Buggy acting as a figurehead. This organization actively targets sailors by placing bounties on their heads. With the government no longer sanctioning their activities, it's likely that at least a few former lords will find themselves with an ax to grind.

In their place, the seraphim were activated. Scheduled by Dr. Vegapunk, these hybrid-lunar pacifists are partially made with warlord DNA. They have proven to be able to take on emperors and their crews and are already being used on certain expeditions to deal with particularly difficult pirates.