Honor and piracy are often not considered synonymous, as the latter is a crime, one especially prevalent in the One Piece universe. That said, there are some pirates who view the job as a noble profession.
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Despite having previously been united under the banner of the government, these pirates all have their own agendas.
This does not necessarily mean they won’t commit the criminal acts associated with the job, but it does mean they tend to use their authority and influence towards a positive effort. Whereas some pirates use their influence to attempt to become kings or moguls, these pirates have ambitions that often come with fewer negative consequences and are generally less underhanded in method than their counterparts.
7
Gol D. Roger
Influential Kindness
- Current Crew: Roger Pirates (Upon passing; currently deceased)
Little is known of the exact heroic deeds of Gol D. Roger, yet for all of his detractors, those who personally knew the man often spoke of his kind, earnest nature, which directly mirrors Monkey D. Luffy. He is also thought to be an influence on Shanks, another pirate with a more heroic bend. Roger notably displayed a level of genuine diplomacy with his rival, Edward Newgate, even though one of their exchanges ended in the latter losing Oden to the former, one of his top crewmates.
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Nonetheless, Roger seems to have been the relative pioneer of a style of piracy that was performed not for wealth or power, but for the sake of adventure and flouting any rules or regulations various governments imposed. Yet for all the positive claims, Roger still does have detractors. His son, Ace, dislikes his father, largely due to the level of stigma he receives for their relation. That said, Roger anticipated this possibility, and entrusted his son to Monkey D. Garp, hoping his rival’s custody would prevent such matters. Squad, one of Whitebeard’s subordinate captains, maintains a grudge against Roger due to him wiping out his entire crew. That said, the context of this action is unknown.
6
Shanks
A Dragon No Longer
- Current Crew: Red Hair Pirates
Shanks is introduced as the standard for honorable pirates. He is the primary influence of Monkey D. Luffy, who he sacrificed an arm to save the life of. He was willing to protect Foosha Village from bandits, showing a humanitarian side to piracy, often unseen otherwise. He has laid his banner over many a territory, with the purpose of protecting it. Additionally, he has weaker subordinate crews, possibly for the purpose of protecting them as well.
A more ruthless side of him has emerged in recent times, one willing to act violently to protect affiliated territories. Yet even this can be read as an extension of his dedication to protecting territories, rather than a purely aggressive act. In one case, Shanks let off Bartolomeo, one of Luffy’s affiliates, relatively easily for his transgression of terrorizing his territory, giving him fake poison for his captain as a test of loyalty. Yet when Bartolomeo drank the poison, Shanks seemed content to let him off. Unfortunately, Yasopp shot the crew’s ship in a fell swoop, seemingly against his captain’s will, perhaps implying an even more ruthless side than seen previously.
5
Mont Blanc Cricket
More Explorer Than Pirate
- Current Crew: Saruyama Alliance
Cricket was the descendant of Mont Blanc Noland, a man immortalized as a liar through a children’s fable. Noland had found a city of gold on Jaya, yet it disappeared when he returned with the king of Lvneel, leading to Noland’s execution. This is a common element in the actual events that transpired, as well as the popular fairy tale, yet the latter fudges the context significantly. The geography of Jaya was altered due to an event called the Knock Up Stream, a minute-long pressurized blast of water which was powerful enough to blast the fabled city and its inhabitants upward. Yet the tragedy of Noland’s “lie” led the Mont Blanc family to become heavily stigmatized.
Cricket became a pirate captain, but was abandoned by his crew after deciding to settle in Jaya, to confront the supposed lie of Noland. In their place, a pair of pirate captains, who were fans of the story, formed the Saruyama Alliance to help Cricket with this goal. Cricket views the two captains as his sons, and says they helped cure him of his loneliness. They had come across some gold, proving the possibility of its existence. They eventually befriended the Straw Hat Pirates, who vindicated their suspicions after ringing the fabled golden bell. This led Cricket and his crew to take up a new goal; discovering Nakrowa, the fabled island of dreams. Although boasting an eight-figure bounty, most dishonorable deeds of Cricket’s have been left off-screen. His objectives instead tended to focus on discovery, and even the “treasure” he acquired was a means to this end, rather than a profit incentive.
4
Edward “Whitebeard” Newgate
Father and Protector
- Current Crew: Whitebeard Pirates (Upon passing; currently deceased)
Edward Newgate, better known as Whitebeard, was an orphan who grew up on the poverty-ridden, law-absent, island of Sphinx. While considered one of the most dangerous threats to the government for a while, he lacked the ambitions such a title may imply. Perhaps due to both being disillusioned with his past as a member of the Rocks Pirates and deprived of familial relations in his youth, his own crew was to operate more like a family.
In addition to giving many territories his flag, a signifier of their protection under him, he was also concerned with his island of origin. A lot of his earnings went to Sphinx, which led to unsubstantiated rumors of the island hosting a treasure of his. His love was clearly reciprocated by his children, as many became subordinate captains in his crew, even after leaving the nest.
3
Fisher Tiger
A Radical Hero
- Current Crew: Sun Pirates (Upon passing; currently deceased)
Fisher Tiger is a figure of renown among fish-men, especially those who turned to piracy. Formerly an explorer, he became a slave somewhere in his travels. Despite managing to escape back to Fish-Man Island, he launched an attack on Mary Geoise, and freed many slaves in the area. This gained him the respect of his peers such as Jimbei and Arlong, and even certain humans. Notably, Boa Hancock, a figure noted for her legendary misandry, itself a reaction to her time as a slave, concedes a deep respect due to Tiger freeing her and her sisters, in addition to many other humans.
Tiger formed the Sun Pirates, a crew consisting of fish-men and merfolk. His crewmates included future Straw Hat Pirate Jimbei, and future members of the Arlong Pirates and Macro Pirates, both of whom would splinter from the group after his death. Tiger and his crewmates sport a modified brand of the “hoof of the dragon”, a symbol signifying ownership by World Nobles or Celestial Dragons, as they alternatively referred to. Rather than a dragon’s palm, this symbol is the Jolly Roger of the Sun Pirates. It is designed in such a way that it is impossible to distinguish ex-slaves from those who were never enslaved within the crew, serving as a symbol of solidarity between the two groups.
Tiger was against fish-man supremacy, believing vengeance against humans would incite further anger, and urging his more violent crewmates not to harm humans. He was instead a fish-man separatist, professing bigotry against humans, but maintaining sympathy towards those who were at the mercy of World Nobles, as he had been. He rebranded Koala, a former human slave, with his crew’s Jolly Roger and made an effort to transport her back home.
Unfortunately, this noble act was not paid for in kind, as Koala’s family betrayed Tiger to the marines in exchange for her continued emancipation. Tiger died unable to love humans, refusing the life-saving blood transfusion from one on this basis. Despite his prejudice, Tiger was compassionate to a fault, and risked his life on multiple occasions to improve those of others. His efforts did not go unnoticed, as even after his passing, individuals like Jimbei and Koala, the latter of whom joined the Revolutionary Army, would continue to dedicate themselves to justice.
2
Jimbei
Tiger’s Successor
- Current Crew: Straw Hat Pirates
Jimbei can be considered one of two pirates who attempted to directly shoulder Tiger’s will after his passing. His counterpart, Arlong, inherited his captain’s dislike of humans, but pivoted towards a more fish-men-supremacist bend, with the ultimate goal of them dominating land, rather than peacefully settling past disputes. Jimbei, on the other hand, inherited Tiger’s desire for peace, through more integrated means. Jimbei became a Shichibukai, ironically to pardon his imprisoned crewmates such as Arlong, and even befriended or collaborated with many powerful human pirates. He even lost the position out of an obligation for humans, as he refused to fight Whitebeard as a Shichibukai.
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While Fisher Tiger fell into piracy after enslavement, Jimbei has always seemingly taken to it as a means to an end, never using it to enrich himself, but always attempting in one way or another to benefit his species, and the entirety of Fish-Man Island. After Luffy claimed protection of said territory, Jimbei slowly made the effort to untangle his affairs so he could join the latter’s crew. He has since become a full-fledged member of the Straw Hat Pirates.
1
Monkey D. Luffy
Honorable To A Fault
- Current Crew: Straw Hat Pirates
Luffy is kind and heroic, but awfully gullible, tending to disbelieve how underhanded certain folks can be, provided they are kind to him. He notably fought against his own crewmate, Roronoa Zoro, who had spent the longest amount of time with him, because he believed the hospitality of Baroque Works at Whiskey Peak was a genuine kind effort rather than a long con. Foolishness aside, he does put in a genuine serious effort to be kind to others, and is even somewhat courteous with his enemies.
He notably does not kill a single foe, although this is not out of morality, but rather a belief that dying is too good for them, per Oda’s statements. Nonetheless, Luffy’s own efforts to preserve justice as an extension of his “freedom”-based philosophy, makes him a provably honorable character. His gullibility and willingness to give even the most undeserving people the benefit of the doubt hints at an innately honorable nature.