The 3 Great Powers, Explained

The world of One Piece is filled with many different players and organizations that compete for as much control as possible. This leads to some factions being far more powerful than others and rampant conflict that reverberates throughout the seas. However, there is a certain balance that keeps the status quo in check, which is the reason behind the relative peace and stable nature of everything.

This stability is a product of the balance created by the 3 Great Powers; the most powerful and influential factions in the world of One Piece. These entities are the most important in the series and have many underlings who work for them to achieve whatever their ultimate goals or ambitions may be. So, in this article, let’s go over the 3 Great Powers and see why they’re so influential.

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What Are The 3 Great Powers?

And What Makes Them So Strong?

The 3 Great Powers are essentially the strongest ‘factions’ in all of One Piece and, while they largely differ on issues, the power struggle between them has created a balance that prevents any one of them from achieving total global control. However, even though there are 3 of these Great Powers, two of them had an alliance that allowed them to compete on more of a level playing field with the third.

These military organizations are the World Government, which has the power of the entire Navy and its various branches at its disposal, the 4 Emperors, who all have their own fleets and many pirates loyal to them, and the Warlords of the Sea, who are also incredibly powerful and have their own underlings. The Warlords were allied with the World Government to compete against the Emperors but, after the Reverie, they were disbanded.

The World Government

The Greatest Military Power In The World

The World Government is a coalition of 170 countries that have banded together in order to form an organization that controls most of the world. It was originally formed by 20 Ancient Kingdoms, 19 of whom left their home islands to live at the top of the Red Line in the Sacred Land of Marijoa. As a government, this organization is responsible for maintaining law and order across the globe, with their main enemies being the Emperors of the Sea, who are the strongest and most influential pirates in the world that seek to go against their rule.

Although it shows itself as an egalitarian and lawful organization that works for the betterment of the world, it is deeply corrupt since its foundations are built upon slavery and prejudice. The descendants of the first 19 Kingdoms, now known as the Celestial Dragons, run the World Government to push their rules and agendas, viewing everyone else as subhuman undesirables. While it seems good, the World Government is oppressive.

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The Seven Warlords Of The Sea

Pirates Aligned With The World Government

The Seven Warlords of the Sea, or Shichibukai, are some of the most powerful pirates in the entire world of One Piece. Despite pirates being the mortal enemies of the World Government, these are those who have allied themselves with it, so the crimes they’ve committed in the past or any they will commit in the future will be absolved, essentially granting them immunity to do anything they desire. This helps the World Government since these incredibly powerful characters, in turn, help fight its enemies.

The chief enemies of the World Government who rival it in strength are the Emperors of the Sea, who each control vast land and fleets of pirates loyal to them. So, when the World Government wants to fight against them, they employ the Shichibukai to help, as was seen during Marineford when a few of them helped against the Whitebeard Pirates. However, after the Reverie, the Warlord system was abandoned.

The Four Emperors Of The Sea

The Strongest Pirates in the World

The Emperors of the Sea are the most powerful pirates in the world, both in terms of their individual strength as well as their influence. Typically, they reside in the New World and have a lot of territory under their control and vast fleets that overshadow most else, making them the primary antagonists to the World Government. These characters are legends whose names are known across the globe, with their exploits and ambition being so great that they are each the strongest users of Conqueror’s Haki in the world.

Often, newer pirate crews that make their way into the New World ally themselves with any of the Emperors as a part of their Grand Fleets to guarantee safety for themselves. Though they can’t be stated to be allies with one another, they’re traditionally not enemies either, as they’ve been shown to form alliances with to achieve a common goal. There are traditionally 4 Emperors at one time, with the current positions being filled by Luffy, Shanks, Blackbeard, and Buggy following the defeats of Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom.

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

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One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates’ ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Creator

Eiichiro Oda