This article contains slight spoilers for One Piece’s Egghead Arc.
Summary
- One Piece Bounties reflect threat level, including both power and knowledge.
- Inaccuracies in the Bounty System stem from bribery, misidentification, and economic inflation.
- Mistakes in bounties contribute to the corrupt nature of the Navy and reveal insight into One Piece’s economy.
The One Piece Bounty System has always been one of the most interesting aspects of the series. Acting as an in-universe explanation for power levels, the bounty system provides a nice and flavorful way to explain the strength and danger of various characters throughout the world of One Piece.
However, since the Bounty System is controlled by the Navy in One Piece, there are bound to be a few inconsistencies that may arise. Whether due to incompetence, or intentionally trying to limit the notoriety of a pirate, the Bounty System of One Piece has actually been inaccurate multiple times in the past. Although this may seem like a simple revelation, the reasons for the inconsistencies in the Bounty System provide a unique look at how the World Government and Navy operate in One Piece.
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One Piece Bounties Are A Measure Of A Character’s Threat Level
This Can Be Both Raw Power Or Important Knowledge
In One Piece, the Bounty System is a list of rewards to reward the capture of the enemies of the Navy and the World Government. The value of these rewards is directly proportional to the amount of threat a character poses to the current order of the world and One Piece’s World Government. Due to this, most of the time, the One Piece bounty amounts are directly proportional to the strength of a character, making the system a sort of power level indicator.
Did mine go up this time? – Chopper before seeing his bounty of 1,000 Berries
However, with the reward being based on the direct threat level to the World Government, One Piece’s Bounty System isn’t entirely based on strength. Weaker characters, like Robin as a child, have been given ridiculously high bounties due to possessing hidden knowledge. Still, this is another valid means of using the Bounty System, as knowledge is as dangerous as physical power in many cases, especially in One Piece.
This System Has Been Inaccurate Due To Incompetency And Corruption
Some Bounties Are Far Lower Than They Should Be
- Arlong’s Bounty Was Kept Low Through Bribes
- Bepo And Chopper Had Low Bounties As Mistakes
More interestingly, there are multiple cases where the Bounty System has entirely failed. Firstly, Navy officials have been bribed in the past, in order to keep a specific bounty low. Specifically, the Fishman Pirate, Arlong, paid Nezumi in the past, in order to keep his bounty low, allowing him to continue his operation in secret. Other characters, such as the former Warlords, Doflamingo and Crocodile, have joined the Warlords to pause their bounty, achieving a similar effect.
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Additionally, at times, the Bounty System also relies on accurately identifying and assessing an individual in the first place. Characters like Bepo and Chopper, despite being very strong members of their respective crews, are considered to be simple pets and are given incredibly low bounties proportional to their strength. In a similar case, some characters, like the One Piece chef, Sanji, have at one point in the series avoided being photographed, having difficulty identifying drawings as their bounty posters. This even leads to the character Duval being mistaken for Sanji, inspiring multiple people to attack him to claim his bounty.
Inaccurate Bounties Reveal Something About One Piece’s Economy
Dorry And Brogy’s Bounty Was Effected By Economic Inflation
Finally, in a very interesting case, Dorry and Brogy, the former captains of the Giant Pirates, had inaccurate bounties due to the inflation of One Piece’s Berry. While their bounty in the past was only 100 million Berries, after they became active again, their bounty was adjusted both for their actions during One Piece’s Egghead Arc and for inflation. Due to this, despite being figures that should have bounties in the billions, during Little Garden, fans believed that the giants only had bounties in the hundreds of millions.
Prices would have changed a great deal in the last 100 years. – Robin discussing Dorry and Brogy’s new bounty
These instances are just a few of the many ways the Bounty System of the Navy in One Piece has been wrong so far. While some of these are genuine mistakes, others show the corrupt nature of the Navy and World Government overall. Additionally, the idea that economic inflation exists in the One Piece universe is an interesting contribution to the world and was brought about through the mistakes of the Bounty System. In the end, while the Bounty System has led fans astray in the past, these inconsistencies help the entire system feel more genuine and add more to the overall world-building of One Piece.
