One Piece Pirates who worked for the World Government

Key things

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

The World Government and its various branches in One piece they exist to rule the world and theoretically cleanse it of piracy. Yet even with this stated goal, piracy remains popular around the world. Aside from the emperor and various other powerful pirates with ambitions to rule, sometimes the call comes from inside the house.

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

5 Virgo

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 demonstrated at the age of 10. His early loyalty was rewarded with a high position in the garrison, along with other longtime adherents. Although Doflamingo himself was technically employed as a warrior by the World Government, Vergo had at some point previously been a mole who patrolled the Marines by enlisting in their ranks.

After rising to the rank of vice admiral, Vergo's own seat in the crew was technically vacant. In his place, a mole to the Marines, Rosinante, Doflamingo's long-lost younger brother, assumed the rank of Corazon. However, it was Vergo's intervention that resulted in the revelation of Rosinante's betrayal and ultimately death.

Vergo later ended up on the trip alone after failing to kill a group of trapped marines and pirates, though it is unclear how widely his crimes became known, as Smoker wished to spare his subordinates pain. He eventually died in G5, in a room that Doflamingo had remotely exploded. Satisfied despite this fact, Doflamingo thanked him sincerely for his years of dedicated 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 highest-ranking officers, falling only below three stars. Before the Beasts Pirates, he led his own crew. Yet even this was preceded by an earlier occupation, a member of Cipher Pol 9, a government agency. With this distinction, Who's-Who was trained as an assassin from a young age with an emphasis on the Rokushiki martial art. 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 significant failure cost him his position as he was in charge of guarding Gomu Gomu no Mi when it was stolen by the Red-Haired Pirates. This led to him being imprisoned in Impel Down before he turned to piracy. Sometime after he formed his own crew, they were absorbed by Kaida, and the who's-who eventually gained his current distinction as one of the six officers. He ended up losing in a duel with Jimbei. Due to the disarray of the Beast Pirates following the alleged death of Kaid and the capture of the various All-Stars, it is currently unclear who the current position of the crew is, and if it even exists.

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 located in the sea. However, his excessive brutality was too much for even them and resulted in his sentencing to the secret sixth level, where inmates whose heinous crimes are expunged await death. During the escape in Impel Down, Shiryu was dispatched despite still being slated for execution. However, a ray of salvation came to him, in the form of the Blackbeard Pirates. A government-affiliated crew of only 5 members, their captain, Marshall D. Teach, saw fit to bolster their numbers by recruiting the prison's most heinous criminals.

The crew suffered poisoning after being attacked by the terrifying then-oversighter Magellan. Shiryu saves them all from death by providing an antidote to the warden's poison and becomes one of five prisoners to join the crew during the escape. Although both Blackbeard and Shiryu sacrificed their ties to the government, they built their garrison from Whitebeard's grave. Eventually, Teach became emperor and assumed the self-appointed rank of admiral, and his original crewmates became nine of his ten Titanic captains.

2 Kuzan

The tenth captain of the Titanic

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

Kuzan was a marine who rose to the rank of admiral. He was particularly a protégé of Luffy's grandfather, Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp. Despite their occupations, the pair had varying disdains for the World Government. Kuzan became a notable supporter of Lazy Justice after the Ohara Massacre, believing it rarely deserved to be enacted. Garp's own disdain was more directed at 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 retirement, Kuzan had a days-long duel with Sakazuki, better known as Akainu, to determine which of the pair would become Fleet Admiral and effectively be in charge of the Marines.

As a result, Akainu became Admiral of the Fleet, causing Kuzan to vacate his position. He was eventually confirmed to be a member of the Blackbeard Pirates, with it later being clarified 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, his presence in the crew seems fine to them for now.

Since he formally resigned from the Marine Corps and didn't seem as immoral as his crewmates, people speculate that Kuzan is actually a member of SWORD, a black ops unit that has been confirmed to have at least one other ex-Marine who acts as a pirate for intelligence gathering purposes. . However, due to Kuzan's own stated disdain for world government and his unclear motives, this remains purely conjecture for now.

1 The Seven Warriors of the Sea

Ruled by sanctified pirates

• Debut: Chapter 49 (Manga), Episode 23 (Anime)
• Devil Fruit: Various, most pirates that have this rank are Devil Fruit users, but a few seem to not have it.

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 towards certain actions. Others decried them as government stooges, but they still tended to be more powerful than the average pirate.

The common denominator was abuse of power, which led to the suffering of several kingdoms associated with the government. Crocodile and Doflamingo were both imprisoned for their crimes against said kingdoms, though the former escaped during the escape. Other pirates joined for relatively nobler reasons, like Hancock, who wanted the government to stay out of the Amazon Lily. She began to disrespect the government further and betrayed them for Luffy during the Summit War. Despite maintaining her role afterwards, she made no secret of her hatred of the World Government.

Jimbei notably joined the effort to improve Fish-Man/Human relations, but resigned due to his refusal to fight Whitebeard. Blackbeard only joined the organization to build his own crew and left once that goal was accomplished. Law made a similar tactical maneuver, using his position to gain permission for the naval bases, and ultimately discarding him once he teamed up with Luffy.

The only member who seemed to be truly loyal to the government was Bartholomew Kuma, who sacrificed his autonomy. However, when he regained it, he even accepted the likes of the Five Elders. Continued disobedience eventually led to Issho calling for the system to be abolished with the support of the rulers of the affected kingdoms. This proposal succeeded, meaning that there are currently no apparent pirates employed by the government.

It's unclear exactly where certain pirates are found, but it's often speculated to be the Cross Guild, a mercenary group founded by Crocodile and Mihawk, with their ex-warrior Buggy acting as a puppet. This organization actively targets Marines by placing bounties on their heads. With the government no longer sanctioning their activities, it is likely that at least a few more former warlords will find themselves with the ax to grind.

The Seraphim were activated in their place. These lunar-hybrid pacifists programmed by Dr. By Vegapunk, they are partially made from the DNA of warlords. They have proven capable of overpowering the Emperor and their crews and are already being used on certain excursions to deal with particularly difficult pirates.