One Piece: How All The Current Emperors In The Series Gained Their Title

Summary

Luffy earned emperor status through key victories, liberation of territories, and alliances with strong pirates.
Blackbeard’s rise was marked by betrayals, strategic plays, obtaining powerful devil fruits, and seizing key opportunities.
Shanks earned emperor status through respect, controlled dominance, and influence among powerful figures in the pirate world.

In the world of One Piece, being a Sea Emperor isn’t solely about brute strength; rather, it involves influence, prestige, and the terror you instill on the sea. Essentially, the title of Sea Emperor is not something that can be easily claimed; instead, it must be either earned through your deeds or forcibly bestowed upon you due to the impact of your actions.

In the One Piece series, each emperor ascended to power via unique methods – some through strength, cunning, or an unexpected break – reflecting the unpredictable and perilous nature of the Grand Line. Their journey to attain the emperor’s status offers a captivating insight into what it entails to dominate the seas.

The Straw Hat Captain

Monkey D. Luffy’s Path To Emperor Title

Luffy’s voyage across the Grand Line has been tough and challenging, but it’s clear he wouldn’t have made such a remarkable journey without his Straw Hat comrades by his side. Even before their adventure in Wano, Luffy was already proving himself to be no ordinary pirate among the common crew. At Enies Lobby, he bravely set fire to the World Government’s flag and publicly declared war against them to save Nico Robin. Later, at Marineford, he courageously fought his way into what became history’s largest battle, standing tall against the Marines to try and rescue Ace. These significant moments caught the world’s attention, showing that Luffy was more than just a newcomer with big dreams.

Furthermore, the victories Luffy achieved in the New World solidified his status as one of the most powerful pirates, earning him the moniker of Sea Emperor. The overthrow of Donquixote Doflamingo in Dressrosa signaled the beginning of his significant influence as a liberator on the seas. Luffy’s liberation of Dressrosa caused a political upheaval because Doflamingo was a prominent underworld figure, a Warlord, and had connections to one of the sea emperors, Kaido. By defeating Doflamingo; he effectively weakened their alliance.

Luffy ruined Kaido’s artificial devil fruit supply (SMILEs).
The Straw Hat captain also earned a high bounty, making him a top-tier pirate in the New World.
Most importantly, he gained the loyalty of the Grand Fleet, a collection of over 5,000 pirates who swore allegiance to him.

Additionally, on Whole Cake Island, Luffy accomplished something no pirate had ever attempted. He boldly ventured into Big Mom’s domain, retrieved Sanji, and successfully escaped. Although he didn’t directly defeat her, he incapacitated two of her Sweet Commanders – Katakuri and Cracker – during their confrontation. However, it was Luffy’s significant contribution in Wano country, vanquishing Kaido, the strongest man globally, who was also an emperor, that ultimately elevated him to the position of an emperor. In Wano;

Here I have rephrased the original text to make it more natural and easy to read. The main idea remains intact: Luffy’s actions on Whole Cake Island and in Wano country led to his becoming an emperor.

Luffy unlocks Gear 5 by awakening his devil fruit, which is revealed to be the Mythical Zoan Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and a fruit the World Government sought after.
He also defeated Kaido in a one-on-one fight, something the world thought was impossible.
The Straw Hat captain also freed Wano, a country that had been under Kaido’s control for decades.
With the Grand Fleet under Luffy’s control, he also gained control over Wano as a territory to protect the Island.

Following the events of Wano, the power dynamics had undergone such a profound change that the World Government found it impossible to overlook this shift. Luffy’s bounty was increased to an astonishing 3 billion berries, and he was bestowed with the title ‘Emperor.’ This recognition came in light of his accomplishments which included having a territory, commanding a vast fleet, possessing a legendary Devil Fruit, and dismantling two of the most formidable pirate crews in history – the Beast Pirates and Big Mom Pirates.

Blackbeard (Marshall D. Teach)

Blackbeard’s Path To Emperor Title

One of the most coldly calculated and merciless power grabs in the One Piece series is Blackbeard’s ascension to an emperor-like status. Unlike Luffy, who rose through sheer determination and principles, Blackbeard climbed the ranks by betraying allies, playing the system, and making moves that no other pirate had the audacity to try.

The Betrayal Of The Whitebeard Pirates

Prior to gaining fame, Blackbeard was merely a comrade within the ranks of the Whitebeard Pirates. He chose to remain inconspicuous, biding his time for the perfect moment to ascend. That moment arrived when he found the Yami Yami no Mi, the most powerful Logia fruit known. In seizing this discovery, Blackbeard committed an act of treachery by killing Thatch, a fellow Whitebeard Pirate, in order to claim the Yami Yami no Mi. This betrayal violated the pirate’s code, causing him to depart from the crew. Consequently, Ace pursued him with a thirst for vengeance.

Blackbeard Turned Over Ace To The Marines To Become A Warlord

Blackbeard realized it was premature for him to confront Whitebeard or the emperors, so he chose a strategic approach instead. To establish himself as a legitimate pirate and amass power quickly, he aimed to become a warlord by defeating a threat to the World Government. Given that Portgas D. Ace was growing into a significant danger for the World Government, being the son of the Pirate King, Roger, he made an ideal target. By overpowering Ace and handing him over to the government, Blackbeard triggered the Battle of Marineford. Subsequently, his warlord status paved the way for him to infiltrate Impel Down, where he enlisted some of the strongest inmates to join his crew.

Blackbeard Stole Whitebeard’s Devil Fruit

During the Battle of Marineford, Blackbeard bided his time, taking advantage of everyone else’s attention being on the war. While Whitebeard was in a weakened state, Blackbeard and his crew launched a bold assault, seizing Whitebeard’s Gura Gura no Mi. This made Blackbeard the first person ever to possess two Devil Fruits. With Whitebeard’s downfall, Blackbeard rose to prominence as one of the most powerful figures on the sea. Given his actions, the world was compelled to recognize him as one of the Four Emperors.

Buggy the Clown

The Clown’s Path To Emperor Title

In the world of “One Piece,” Buggy is known as the most fortunate pirate still sailing. Despite serving as a pirate for many years, he couldn’t outmatch Luffy during their encounter in East Blue. However, his lack of physical prowess was more than compensated by his charm and appeal. Remarkably, even though he didn’t achieve significant feats with the Roger Pirates, simply being part of that legendary crew lends him an air of authority.

Buggy’s Role In The Marineford War

Furthermore, it’s essential not to underestimate Buggy’s significance in the series given his survival experiences such as traversing the Grand Line, escaping Impel Down prison, and participating in the battle at Marineford. These events have led some lesser pirates to regard him as an almost mythical figure. While Buggy’s rise to seemingly unquantifiable power started at Marineford, it wasn’t due to any deliberate actions on his part. Despite joining the war by chance and primarily to save himself, Buggy’s actions during this time have made people perceive him as a major player in the world.

He got broadcast worldwide, and the world saw him standing alongside Whitebeard’s crew and Luffy.
Buggy also acted like a boss in front of the prisoners freed at Impel Down, convincing them that he was a legendary figure and making them sing his praises.
Buggy has always been a good liar, and he lied his way through the chaos at Marineford, making it look like he was pulling the string when he was just trying not to die.

The Cross Guild Mix-up

After the elimination of the Warlord system, Crocodile and Mihawk established the Cross Gang, a group known for putting bounties on Marines. At the beginning of this organization, some of Buggy’s impulsive followers made a blunder. Upon seeing Crocodile, Mihawk, and their captain together, they incorrectly assumed that Buggy was the leader of the Cross Gang. Before anyone could clarify the situation, they had already started producing Cross Gang posters, featuring Buggy prominently.

As a fervent fan, I can rephrase that in this way: It turned out that the World Government had obtained the posters, leading them to suspect that Buggy had somehow managed to bring Mihawk and Crocodile under his command. Consequently, everyone assumed that Buggy was the real mastermind behind Cross Guild. For Crocodile and Mihawk, if the world perceived Buggy as the leader, it would mean less scrutiny for them. With Cross Guild growing into a significant menace to the Marines, and the World Government thinking that Buggy was in charge, they officially bestowed upon him the title of Emperor of the Sea.

Shanks

Red Haired Shanks Path To Emperor Title

The enigma surrounding Shanks’ imperial status arises from the vastness of his hidden past. Nevertheless, Shanks constructed his empire on respect and tactical dominance, which earned him a fearsome reputation and deep-rooted respect within the pirate realm. Akin to Buggy, Shanks was part of the Roger Pirates, a distinction that marked him out, but his true voyage commenced after Roger disbanded his crew. He amassed a powerful, devoted crew, including Benn Beckman, Lucky Roux, and Yasopp – all renowned combatants.

If there had been any question about Shanks being a significant force in the world, his appearance at Marineford put those doubts to rest. Simply by showing up, he ended the war single-handedly. Even Blackbeard, who had recently obtained Whitebeard’s power and was at his most formidable, opted to withdraw instead of engaging him in battle. He even convinced Sengoku to call off the Marines, a request that Sengoku granted. This demonstrated that Shanks wielded a powerful influence that transcended raw power. Not only was he respected by the most influential figures worldwide, but his level of influence, coupled with his already legendary reputation and territorial control in places like Elbaf, solidified his place among the Four Emperors. Thus, Shanks’ ascension to Yonko status wasn’t due to luck or deception like Buggy or Blackbeard; it was because of respect, influence, and knowing when to act. Since Shanks constructed his empire off-screen, he is the most enigmatic and politically influential Yonko, which might make him the most dangerous among them all.

2025-01-24 19:25