Summary
There are many reasons a pirate can become dissatisfied with the crew they choose to sail with. One result of this occurrence is said pirate exiting from their crew. The circumstances for this vary, and can have about as much to do with the pirate as they can their crew. Sometimes, it is a relatively sudden course of action, others, it is a gradually made decision that surrounding circumstances tend to make even easier. To qualify for this list, a pirate will need to exit a crew that persists or is still active in some form after their departure. Here are some pirates who departed from their still-active crews.
5Kozuki Oden
Admired Roger and His Goals
The free-spirited Daimyo of Kuri was a charismatic man who was able to fashion battle-ready disciples out of the motley crew he found in Wano Country. Considering Kozuki Oden’s nature, it is unsurprising even the borders of Wano were unable to truly contain him. After their pirate ship docked at Wano, Oden wished to join theWhitebeard Pirates. Although Whitebeard was apprehensive due to the Daimyo’s inexperience as a subordinate, Oden proved his dedication by holding onto their ship with a chain for nearly three days. He stopped the test to rescue a woman named Hiyori, who had time traveled into the present from a distant past, and had been captured by human traffickers.
After rescuing Hiyori, who would eventually become his wife, Oden and some of his retainers sailed with the crew. Oden notably spent a couple of years with the crew. He was notably involved when it first split into divisions due to its size, with Oden becoming the second of, at the time, five division commanders. Both his children were born at sea during his time with the crew. Despite the time he spent with them, Oden eventually encountered theRoger Piratesduring a lengthy fight with the Whitebeard Pirates, and became impressed with Roger’s goal of reaching the fabled final island, Laugh Tale. With Whitebeard’s reluctant blessing, Oden left the crew with his family and two of his retainers stowing onboard.
Although most of his own companions had to return to Wano due to an illness Hiyori picked up, Oden sailed with the crew until they reached Laugh Tale, and disbanded shortly after. He eventually returned to Wano in an ill-fated effort to become the country’s shogun, with the ultimate goal of opening its borders. Although Oden left the Whitebeard Pirates, his retainer, Izou, remained as a longtime member. The pirate would not return to Wano until many years later, when he sided with many of Oden’s retainers to wrestle back control of Wano for his former master’s family.
4Arlong
Disapproved of New Leadership
Arlong was a fish-man pirate who was deeply bigoted towards humans. His own “crew”, the Arlong Pirates, notably espoused anti-human sentiment on Fish-Man Island. After the formation of theSun Pirates, his crew was effectively absorbed into the greater coalition, in part due to Arlong’s admiration of the captain, Fisher Tiger. Tiger was a conflicted being, who, as a slave, had experienced the evils of humanity firsthand. His crew emphasized fish-man solidarity, and he himself had a hatred towards humans. Nonetheless, he viewed this hatred as enough of a flaw to wish that it wouldn’t be taught to fish-man children.
He met his end attempting to ferry a human slave back home, after her parents called the marines on Tiger, in an attempt at gaining clemency for harboring an escaped slave. Tiger ultimately passed, refusing a human blood transfusion that would’ve kept him alive due to his own hatred for humans. In his place, Jimbei became captain, and through connections with pirates and the government alike, attempted to improve fish-man and human relations.
This death resulted in a schism, as Arlong and several other crewmates left to form the Arlong Pirates. This is especially ironic seeing as its new captain, Jimbei’s, status as Warlord was what granted Arlong a pardon after he was apprehended by marines. Although Arlong had a respect for Tiger, he did not care much about his desire not to spread hatred towards humans. Additionally, Macro and two of his crewmates left the Sun Pirates to form the Macro Pirates, a crew that profiteered from slavery.
Ultimately, Jimbei himself left the Sun Pirates, as he was deeply impressed with Monkey D. Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. Nonetheless, Jimbei remained loyal to his former crew, and did his best to ensure they would be safe before departing.
3Blackbeard
Left After Breaking “The One Rule” to Achieve His Goal
Marshall D. Teach is a fearsome pirate, who has one of the highest bounties, and is considered one of the biggest threats to the World Government at present, gaining “Emperor” status. Within the Blackbeard Pirates, he has granted himself the rank of “Admiral” due to each major crewmate acting as a “Captain” for a portion of his crew. Nonetheless, he was once a complete unknown, despite a lengthy history in the world of piracy.
As a boy, Teach wanted a specific Devil Fruit, the Yami Yami no Mi, which could neutralize all other Devil Fruit powers. He asked Edward Newgate, better known as Whitebeard, if he could join his crew, the Whitebeard Pirates, and the captain accepted. This was a long con, with the intent of improving his odds when it came to finding the Devil Fruit. Teach spent much of his youth onboard, and was qualified enough for Division Commander, with his refusal being what kept him from the position. However, another commander by the name of Thatch, found the fruit he sailed with the crew for almost 20 years to find. Teach killed Thatch and took the fruit for his own.
Teach subsequently left the crew, as he broke their “one rule” of not killing subordinates. With his new power, he steadily formed a crew of his own, taking the moniker “Blackbeard.” TheBlackbeard Pirateshave since usurped the Whitebeard Pirates, with Teach more directly taking his captain’s own Devil Fruit powers (somehow being able to use them at the same time as his own), and territories, which he had knowledge of, with his own time spent in the crew. The final nail in the coffin was the Payback War, where the Blackbeard Pirates defeated the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates.
2Charlotte Chiffon
Defector by Marriage
Sometimes a pirate is fundamentally unsatisfied with their crew, and only stay, because they feel they can’t feasibly do anything else. Such was the case with Charlotte Chiffon, one of Big Mom’s many daughters. Her twin sister, Lola, was to participate in a political marriage withPrince Loki of Elbaf, to smooth historically fraught relations with the giants. Lola ultimately abandoned the effort, and set sail as an independent pirate. Chiffon was put in place of her sister, but the giants could tell the difference and relations got even worse as a result. This led to Chiffon being abused by her mother, and developing a serious hatred of her.
Chiffon knew her mother would be angry if she left the island, and was definitely powerful enough to kill her if she tried. Salvation came in the unlikely form of another political marriage, this time one where she was the genuine bride to be. Chiffon was wed to Capone Bege, a member of the Worst Generation who failed to take theBig Mom Pirateshead on. The pair had a child by the name of Pez, and appear to genuinely care for one another. Bege’s own crew, the Fire Tank Pirates, resigned themselves to subordinate status, biding their time until an opportune event for an assassination presented itself. Chiffon was in support of this plan, saying Lola, Bege, and Pez were the only family she needed.
Although the attempt was botched, due to the murder weapons literally being destroyed by Big Mom’s screams, Chiffon cemented her defection, and left alongside her husband and his crew. She eventually reunited with her sister and their long-lost father, participating in Lola’s wedding to Bege’s subordinate, Gotti.
1Speed
Kibi Dango-Induced Defection
Speed was a member of theBeasts Pirates, the crew that cemented Shogun Kurozumi Orochi’s control of Wano. She was considered powerful enough to eat a SMILE (Artificial Zoan Devil Fruit), and gained a centaur-like body, as a result. Speed at first seemed deeply dedicated to the Beasts Pirates, acting as one of the crew’s many officers.
Nonetheless, her defection was sealed by the product of a mysterious Devil Fruit belonging to an 8-year-old girl. The Kibi Kibi no Mi, eaten by Tama, allowed her to tame animals by feeding them millet dumplings (Kibi Dango) pinched from her face. Since SMILE users are part-animal, they are also capable of becoming subservient. After feeding Speed a dumpling, the pirate immediately defected, laser-focused on protecting Tama, even at great personal risk to herself.
As the dumplings became distributed, eventually most if not all the gifters (SMILE users) defected. Despite this, none appeared to have the great rapport Tama did with Speed. Sadly, the dumpling’s influence does not last forever, and after some time, the animals and gifters must decide their actions for themselves once more. Tama asked Speed to stay with her as a mother, even after the dumpling’s influence wore off. Speed appeared to accept, although at the time of writing, she has yet to appear in the recent Wano-focused cover stories.
