Summary
In the world ofOne Piece, pirateshave been navigating the seas for many years before Gol D. Roger’s dying speechkick-started a whole new golden age of piracy, and they even managed to found some infamous crews in the process.
Furthermore, most of the prominent pirate crews inOne Piecehave been active for a good number of years, which allowed them to make a huge impact on the world. The only question is: which crews have been active for the longest time? The following list will answer that question, and it will include both crews that have already been disbanded and ones that are still active in the manga to this day.
10Golden Lion Pirates
Active For: 10 Years (More In Non-Canon Material)
When the infamous Rocks Pirates were disbanded thirty-three years in the past, many of its members went off and established their own crews. One of these was theGolden Lion Pirates, with the dangerous “Golden Lion” Shiki fulfilling the role of captain.
Over the course of ten years, the Golden Lion Pirates amassed a lot of crew members and became a large fleet. This caught the attention of Gol D. Roger, who eventually put an end to their reign of terror in the Battle of Edd War. What’s especially interesting about Shiki’s crew is that they remained active for a few more yearsin non-canon material, most notably inOne Piece Film: Strong World.
9Donquixote Pirates
Active For: 16 Years
The powerful Warlord of the Sea, Donquixote Doflamingo, wouldn’t have had a successful career in piracy if it wasn’t for the strong crew that backed him up for more than a decade. Sixteen years in the past, he joined forces with his partners in crime and gathered more members to form theDonquixote Pirates, which were named after him.
The Donquixote Pirates worked as both a family and a criminal organization and, for more than fifteen years, they worked as quite an effective and dangerous pirate crew,to the point that they were of great importance when Doflamingo took over the throne of Dressrosa. However, they were ultimately disbanded after they were defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates and their allies.
8Thriller Bark Pirates
Active For: 21 Years
When Gecko Moria lost his original crew at the hands of Kaido, he decided that he was going to establish a new pirate crew that was going to be mostly made up of disposable comrades. That’s why he created theThriller Bark Pirates,and most of its members were zombies created with Moria’s devil fruit, except for Perona, Absalom, and Hogback.
For twenty-one years, they became a ruthless and powerful crew, which allowed Gecko Moria to become a Warlord of the Sea. Even though they were later defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates, it is currently unknown if they are fully disbanded, since Perona remains loyal to her captain who, in turn, is trying to find all of its members who were scattered throughout the globe.
7Red Hair Pirates
Active For: 22 Years
After Gol D. Roger’s execution, a new age of piracy immediately began. But one of the Pirate King’s former crewmates and protégés, Shanks, began gathering powerful allies to form his own crew that would make Roger proud. This led to the founding of theRed Hair Piratestwenty-two years in the past and, surprisingly enough, they are still active to this day.
They quickly became one of the most powerful and infamous pirate crews, to the point that Shanks eventually became one of the Four Emperors. Their frequent stops at Foosha Village thirteen years ago influenced Monkey D. Luffy to become a pirate himself and form his crew. Curiously enough, the Red Hair Pirates have been active for so long that Luffy is now one of the new Four Emperors, right alongside Shanks.
6Buggy Pirates
Active For: 24 Years
While Shanks waited a few years to recruit his crew, his former crewmate and friend, Buggy the Clown, didn’t wait much after the execution of their captain. Twenty-four years ago, he created theBuggy Pirates, but he decided to conceal his identity as a former member of the Roger Pirates to lie low and hide from the World Government.
The Buggy Pirates managed to thrive for twenty-four years by pillaging villages of the peaceful East Blue Sea, and they only became the center of attention after their captain was heavily featured in the War of Marineford. After the time skip, the Buggy Pirates established Buggy’s Delivery, and they were later integrated into the Cross Guild organization.
5Roger Pirates
Active For: 27 Years
Most people, both in theOne Pieceworld and in the real world, are completely unaware of the fact that the legendaryRoger Pirateswere active for quite a long time.Their journey began fifty-two years in the past when a young Gol D. Roger met Silvers Rayleigh. They both set sail for the Grand Line and slowly, but surely, amassed a huge crew of strong pirates.
The Roger Pirates explored almost the entire ocean, until they eventually reached Laugh Tale twenty-five years ago, where they would find the treasure known as One Piece. This was an amazing crew that completely changed the world, and even though they were disbanded shortly after this incredible discovery, their influence can still be felt to this day.
4Whitebeard Pirates
Active For: 31 Years
After the death of his previous captain, Rocks D. Xebec, Edward Newgate moved on and formed his pirate crew: theWhitebeard Pirates. His main goal was to create a new crew that would act differently from the hostile Rocks Pirates: a group of honorable pirates who would act as a family.
He managed to accomplish his goal and, over time, the Whitebeard Pirates became one of the most respected and feared crews in the world, thanks to its multiple divisions - and their respective commanders - that were scattered throughout the world, which led to Whitebeard himself becoming one of the Four Emperors.They were so large and powerful that they even declared war on the World Governmentafter the capture of Portgas D. Ace. Lastly, this mighty crew didn’t disappear after the War of Marineford, even though their captain died in combat, but they were unfortunately disbanded later, after their crushing defeat by the hands of the Blackbeard Pirates in the Payback War.
3Beasts Pirates
Active For: 33 Years
Kaido was yet another former member of the Rocks Pirates who created a new pirate crew after they were disbanded, but he went in an entirely different direction than Whitebeard. TheBeasts Pirateswere ruthless and dangerous, and they were the main reason their captain could take over Wano with an iron fist. Furthermore, he also became one of the Four Emperors.
Over many years, Kaido and the Beasts Pirates ruled over Wano, created factories that polluted the environment, and starved the poorer inhabitants of the country. However, this crew is no longer active since Kaido was defeated by the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance and most of its prominent members were arrested and jailed in the Udon Prisoner Mine.
2Big Mom Pirates
Just like Kaido and Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin – better known as Big Mom – also founded her crew after the death of Rocks D. Xebec. However, she had an advantage in comparison to her crewmates, since she had been working as a pirate alongside Streusen ever since she was a little kid. She eventually founded theBig Mom Pirates, which was mostly made up of both the Homies she created with her Devil Fruit and her numerous children.
This crew was active for over thirty-three years, and it eventually became so big that they took control of a nation known as Totto Land. Even though Big Mom was defeated alongside Kaido during the Raid on Onigashima, unlike the Beasts Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates are still active to this day. This is because most of her children took over for her,with Charlotte Katakuri most likely replacing his mother as the captain.
1Kuja Pirates
Active For: More Than 42 Years
TheKuja Piratesare derived from Amazon Lily’s Kuja Tribe, and it’s one of the oldest crews that are still active to this day. The reason they were able to pull this off is because this is a generational pirate crew that changes members - and even captains - every couple of years. It is not currently confirmed when this crew was founded, but it is known they have been around for more than forty-two years since that’s when Shakuyaku worked as their captain.
The current captain of the Kuja Pirates is the “Pirate Empress” Boa Hancock,who has managed to recruit a crew of female pirates so fearless that they are still active after many obstacles, like her involvement in the War of Marineford, the abolition of the Warlords of the Sea system, and the attack on Amazon Lily by both the Blackbeard Pirates and the Seraphim. If the Kuja Pirates keep their generational method of recruitment, it is most likely that they’ll stick around for many years to come.
