close
close

The interesting and tragic story of the pirates in One Piece, explained

A piece “Monkey D. Luffy” stars the young pirate Monkey D. Luffy, whose body took on the properties of rubber after eating a devil fruit. He now explores the open seas with his pirate crew, the Straw Hats, in search of the most revered treasure in the world and dreams of becoming the next Pirate King. A piece is full of action and adventure and the fantasy elements of the show also give it phenomenal world-building.




In the course of A pieceWith over 1,000 episodes and counting, the series has explored all areas of its vast world, going far beyond the scope of Luffy's adventures. One of the lesser known races in A piece are the Buccaneers. These almost extinct humanoids are known for their size and enormous strength. Because of their tragic past, they had to remain hidden during Luffy's adventures – and the young Straw Hat may soon discover that he has a connection to the race that will allow him to free them from their troubles.


Nico Robin

Related

Why the Five Elders are so interested in Nico Robin is explained

The Five Elders and the World Government tried to kill Nico Robin of the Straw Hat Pirates because she has a powerful ability.


Who are the pirates of One Piece?

The almost extinct race is not very well known in the show's mythology

A pieceThe Buccaneers are not as well known as some of the other races and tribes in the franchise, and many of their stories only come to light in the newer chapters of the manga series. Buccaneers are considered a humanoid race that is larger than humans but smaller than giants. They often look almost identical to humans and can easily be mistaken for a “large” human by an untrained eye.


In reality, Buccaneers have different blood than humans, and while they cannot be easily distinguished by appearance alone, a blood test can reveal a person's true lineage. The race carries the blood of giants, and so Buccaneers may even be a mixed race. Characters like Bartholomew Kuma, who have one Buccaneer and one human parent, are still referred to as Buccaneers, suggesting that even a drop of the race's blood could be enough for offspring to suffer the tragic fate the race is doomed to.

What is the fate of the Buccaneers?

The race remains hidden to avoid terrible persecution

An obedient Kuma is enslaved by the Celestial Dragons in One Piece.

Straw Hat Pirates and new One Piece logo

Related

Emet, the giant from space from One Piece, explains

Emet, the giant from space, may hold many secrets about One Piece's world government, Joy Boy's past, and the future of the Straw Hats.


The Buccaneers share a common fate with many others A piece Characters – they suffer directly under the World Government for dubious reasons that remain unclear. The villainous government claims that The pirates have committed a “great crime” against the entire world in the past and the only way for them to atone for it is to be forced into slavery to the world nobles or to be executed.

It is very difficult to trust the Five Elders and the rest of the World Government, making it very likely that the Privateers have never committed such heinous acts. Nevertheless, they have suffered under the government's claims, and the race is now on the brink of extinction.

The Lunarians and the Three-Eyed Tribe are further examples of A pieceThe Lunarian races, which are almost extinct, and the Lunarians in particular, have also been hunted by the World Government. It remains to be seen if there is a connection between the three races somewhere in the world. A pieceThe story that the government has covered up for centuries.


The Buccaneers may have a hidden strength

Dr. Vegapunk has hinted that there is something special about this race

Kuma blocks one of Luffy's punches with the Paw-Paw Fruit in One Piece

The pirates are known for their impressive physical strength, even as children. In Chapter 1.095 of the A piece Manga: Bartholomew Kuma's family is enslaved for being pirates, and the extent of their strength is shown. The pirates have incredibly sturdy bodies that can withstand massive damage.

The Buccaneers' strength and determination is one of the reasons why Kuma has been such a tough opponent for Luffy throughout the series. it seems that it is more than just brute strength that makes the Buccaneers so special.


In Chapter 1.104, the genius Doctor Vegapunk suggests that the Buccaneers have something other than just physical strength that sets them apart. This was likely a factor in why Kuma was able to continue operating and not perform a total shutdown even after the kill switch Vegapunk built into him was activated. The exact reason for Kuma's overdrive is still a mystery, but his Buccaneer blood may be part of the answer.

Bartholomew Kuma is the last surviving privateer

The evil pirate becomes a slave of the world nobles in the story of One Piece

Bartholomew Kuma in One Piece.

The most famous Buccaneer, known to fans of A piece will recognize is Bartholomew Kuma, the former member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea who was enslaved by the World Nobles. Kuma was a major antagonist during A pieces Thriller Bark and Sabadoy Archipelago arcs, although the character later became an ally of the Straw Hats during the Egghead arc of the Final Saga.


Kuma's mother was a human and his father Clapp was a pirate. After the death of Kuma's mother The Buccaneer family lived together in the Kingdom of Sorbet until they were captured and enslaved by the World Government in Mary Geoise. Kuma has always hated the World Government for enslaving him and the rest of his family.

Kuma's father was portrayed as devoted to his family even after the death of his wife, suggesting that the Privateers are not the cruel and evil race that the World Government portrays them to be. Clapp later died at the hands of one of the World Nobles who enslaved him, leaving Kuma as the last living Privateer alive in A piece's story.

The Buccaneers were cloned for nefarious purposes

Vegapunk's Pacifista units carry Kuma's pirate blood

The Pacifista prepares to fire in One Piece


Monkey D Garp and floating devil fruits

Related

The 15 strongest vice admirals in One Piece, ranking

While Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji are the characters who get the most spotlight, many other pirates (especially the Vice Admirals) are also powerful in their own ways.

Although Bartholomew Kuma may be the last surviving member of the Buccaneer race, the blood of the tribe lives on through artificial means. Dr. Vegapunk developed the Pacfisita as human weapons for the Marines, using Kuma as a prototype for the project. The Pacfisita are clones of Kuma that have been cybernetically enhanced, making them even stronger and more powerful than Kuma himself.

Of the Pacfisita, S-Bear is one of the elite Seraphim units cloned from Bartholomew Kuma. S-Bear is one of the antagonists in the Egghead Arc and resembles Kuma as a child, but also possesses traits of the Lunarian race, suggesting that the World Government has a sinister connection behind their hunt for the privateers and Lunarians.


S-Bear and the other Seraphim and Pacifista units are artificial creations and they are absolutely loyal to those who exercise authority over them. Despite having the incredible power of the Buccaneers, they do not appear to have free will and obey orders as a typical enslaved Buccaneer would have to. With the Buccaneers on the brink of extinction, the World Government appears to have cruelly cloned them to keep the powerful race enslaved and obeying their orders, proving that A pieceThe evil government will do just about anything to maintain its power over the world.

Luffy has a remarkable connection to the Buccaneers

The Buccaneers have incredible faith in the sun god Nika


Custom image of Akainu standing in front of marine ships in One Piece

Related

Why some One Piece fans still defend this problematic character

Fleet Admiral Sakazuki (Akainu) is one of the Navy's most polarizing figures due to his extreme views on absolute justice, but they are effective.

A pieceThe manga made a notable connection between Monkey D. Luffy and the Buccaneer race when he investigated Bartholomew Kuma's past in chapter 1,095. The Buccaneers believe in the legend of the sun god Nika and have passed down the story of Nika for many generations. The race worships Nika as a divine figure who brings joy and freedom to the world. The World Government's intense hatred for Nika may be one of the reasons why they want to enslave the entire Buccaneer race.

Even Kuma's father, Clapp, often told his son stories from Nika, where the sun god appeared in the people's folklore as a slave liberator. Clapp enjoyed sharing the legend of Nika with Kuma, and it is very likely that A pieceIn “'s Final Saga”, Luffy takes on the role of liberator of the pirates, with the true powers of his devil fruit recently revealed, granting him the powers of the mythical sun god.


The Buccaneers have suffered unnecessarily under the World Government, just like many other characters throughout A pieces history. Since Kuma is the last known surviving member of the race, it is unlikely that Luffy can lead the Buccaneers back to prosperity – but it seems very likely that A pieceIn the story, he is chosen to take on the role of the sun god Nika and free her. Since many of the pirates live in secret and are almost identical to large humans, it is quite possible that there are other pirates out there, and if Luffy overthrows the World Government, they may no longer have to live in constant fear.


You may also like...