In a typical One Piece world, Pirates are the bad guys, while the world government and the Marines are there to protect the citizens from the bad Pirates. The world government seems to be a systemized entity with different ranks and operations. But they have the advantage of the numbers over the Pirates. So we will look at the world government powers and how their system is organized in One Piece anime and manga.
Usually, a Pirate would not want to have an encounter with the marines or the world government since Piratates have bounties for these reasons. In other words, if an individual captures a Pirate with a bounty on his head, they will be rewarded the same amount. So the world government is like the Police of the One Piece world that seeks to rid the world of the Pirates that seem to be the bad guys.
The true motive of the world government is yet to be revealed in the anime. But now, it looks like what we see is just a front because the world government works with the Marines to keep the world in Peace by battling Pirates. In the series, the world government has ruled the world for over 800 years since the alliance of 20 different Kingdoms founded it. Since then, the world government has gained influence all over the world, and their confrontation with the Pirates still continues to date.
On the other hand, we have the revolutionary army that is the direct opposite of the world government. They are not really Pirates as they have no interest in the ordinary Pirates matters like finding the One Piece. Instead, they want true justice and believe that the world government is corrupted and enslaves people.
Also Read: Top 10 Best Things That Ever Happened In One Piece
The World Government Headquarters
Where is the world government located exactly? Well, when One Piece started, we knew about the Marines, and then we later knew of their headquarters. In fact, from the beginning, it looked like the Marines were the highest authority in the world. Then we got to know about the world government and the nobles. Then when things escalated, we got to know about other higher-ups like Im, The Five Elders, and then the Commander in Chief of the world government.
Back then, we used to know only about the Marines. And the world government is like a separate entity, but in fact, it is within one system with the Marines just that the World government rules over the Marines at the body of higher authority. The world government seems to approve of absolute justice, and its headquarters is based in the holy land of Mary Geoise.
With Im ruling them, his orders are carried out by the Five Elders, and they are agents with the highest authority in the outside world. They also depend on the Marines, and they use them to keep the Four Emperors of the Yonkou and other enemies in check so that they don’t receive direct opposition.
At a glance, they seem to maintain international order to benefit all and make the world a safer place. They use the Marines to pursue Pirates and criminals who endanger the lives of the innocent. The reality of the world government powers, though, seems to be different as its operations and tendencies are based on corruption. They also hide their true motives and ignore the rights of the people, with most individuals using justice to further their own aims.
World Government Powers Hierarchy
For now, we know that there is an empty throne that was once said not to be occupied by anyone to represent the independence of the kingdoms that have founded the world government. But as things progressed, new information came to light, and we say someone occupied the empty throne. It was at this point that we started to see the true colors of the world government and that everything is not as it seems. The power Hierarchy of the world Government powers currently stands as follows:
Im: The Ruler of The Empty Throne
At the very top, there is a mysterious individual known as Im or Imu. So in cases where you were wondering who is the most powerful individual in the world government, then Imu is the one who holds all the strings. He has the highest sovereignty within the world government, and even the five elders bow down to him. His existence, for now, is kept a secret from the outside world and even within the world government powers. So far, we have seen him interacting with the five elders only. So it’s safe to assume that very few people know about his existence.
He is the most mysterious person in the anime, and his eyes appear to be strange, with red irises and thin circles surrounding the pupils. He also wears a crown along with a long robe which resembles the royal attire of that worn by kings. He seems to be keeping tabs on the outside world as he knows and has taken an interest in Luffy, Teach, Shirahoshi and Vivi. He also keeps wanted posters of all four of them, and his true intentions remain the most mysterious thing in the entire anime.
The Five Elders
Who are the five elders in One Piece, really? Well, that still remains a mystery as well. But we have seen them bowing down to Im, and in terms of the World Government powers hierarchy, they are second only to Im. They answer directly to him, and they could execute any mission that Im would give them. We saw this on their last encounter with Im, where they asked him which light he wanted them to eliminate this time so they would go and extinguish it right away.
This shows that they have worked with him for a while and have carried out missions like that before. So this would make you wonder who are the five elders and how powerful they are. There used to be theories and questions about the five elders being the strongest in the world government powers. But that originated before we knew more about Im. But for now, we know that there is someone who at least holds higher authority than them.
From their conversation, they seem to operate as an entity. So whatever mission they might be given, one might think that they will work as a team rather than individually. The Five Elder was introduced as the council of the highest-ranking celestial dragons making up the head of state for the world government and its ruling. They have command over the Marines and the CP0 agents. At this point, we have not heard any of their names, and it still remains a mystery how they came into power or how long they have been at it.
World Government Commander in Chief: Kong
Next in the power hierarchy of the world government is the Commander in chief and such individuals usually have a history within the Marines. The current Commander in chief of the world government is Kong, who was the previous Fleet Admiral of the Marines during the times of the battle in the Edd war that took place 27 years ago.
Things changed a bit after Gol D. Roger was executed, and Sengoku succeded him as the Fleet Admiral while he became the Commander in chief of the World Government. Similarly to most of the higher-ups in the world government. Very little information is known about Kong. In fact, every other person that ranks higher than him is still unknown even though we have seen their appearance.
So as Kong is the next in line, then the only thing we know about him is his name and that he was once a fleet admiral. In his appearance, he has a muscular body and is broadly chested with a stitched scar under his left eye. His attire consists of a dark sleeveless shirt adorned with medals. He also wears epaulets similar to those worn by Admirals and fleet admirals, showing his relationship with the Marines.
The world government commander in chief has power over the Marines and the authority over the world government espionage agents. So if you wondered who controls the CP0 agents, then it is the Chief Commander. This means that he is the one who gives them missions on what to do, as we saw when the CP0 agents were ordered to capture Robin in wano, and later, the focus shifted to eliminating Luffy no matter what it would take.
The Dark Side of The World Government
To understand better the dark sides of the world government, we should first look at who runs the world government in One Piece. Everyone knows that the world government is ruled by Im and his identity is still unknown. Then since we have seen most of their actions and that they have no good intentions for the general public, this makes one wonder what is the world government hiding in One Piece?
Let’s have a look at some of the things that are hidden from the public by the world government even though we know that slavery was abolished and the world government would not allow such publicly. The world government hides the fact that they still allow slavery in secret within the underworld. This is because of the celestial dragon’s influence and privileges as one of the founders of the world government.
In some cases, the world government agents would even buy slaves to train, so they become soldiers or agents to bolster the ranks of the Marines and CP0 agents. They used these methods to conduct transactions with slave traders and get entry into difficult places like Elbaf so they could get access to the giant’s race. If you were also wondering if the world government is the villain in one Piece, then you got it right. So this would also explain the presence of the revolutionary army.
World Government Can Eliminate Even Innocent People
Now that we know that there are a lot of things that the world government is hiding. We also found out the world government is even willing to eliminate innocent people and their own allies just to prevent the possibility of negotiating with criminals to accommodate their demands. They use this method in the name of true justice, as we saw when 13 years old Rob Lucci massacred 500 captive soldiers because he deemed them weak and, when negotiating the demands of the pirate captain, demanded to be crowned king in exchange for their lives.
One of the vice admirals, Onigumo, also ordered the destruction of one of the Marines’ warships trying to kill a notorious criminal who was fighting onboard the ship, and this resulted in the death of 1 000 soldiers unnecessarily, and everyone who questioned the order was also executed.
One of the incidents that show the corruption and the cruelty of the world government was the Ohara incident, when vice-admiral Sakazuki blew up a ship that was carrying Ohara civilians in an attempt to kill an archaeologist who could have been hiding in the ship. After this, none of the government of Marines agents were punished for this.
One of the prison chiefs in Tequila wolf also revealed that nations that refuse to pledge loyalty to the world government are conquered, and their people are turned into slaves who construct infrastructure. We saw this when Judge noted that the world government would revoke their right to attend the Lively when they found out about their alliance with the Big Mom pirates.
Also Read: All Conquerors Haki Users In One Piece
The Marines
The Marines are the world government’s military force, and they uphold the enforcement of the world government’s law, international security, and other military operations. They are available all over the world, and they have built branch offices with their assets far more dangerous located on the Grand Line. Along with the Four Emperors and the SSG, they are the three great powers in the world.
Their main duty is to maintain law and order in the world, and they impose the will and the might of the world government. They also bring criminals to justice and are responsible for capturing pirates using justice as their constituted policy. They are also divided in views between those who support moral justice and those who support absolute justice. Higher ranking marines like the admirals and fleet admirals are always on call to lead the forces into war and make buster calls.
They can also be tasked with infiltrating notorious and dangerous pirate crews with varying goals like trying to stop the intake of recruits and monitoring other activities. They might even be involved in the apprehension of notorious pirates, just like we saw when Fujitora was dispatched by Sakazuki to arrest Luffy and Law back in Dressrossa.
Fleet Admiral
The military ranking of the Marines is simple, and each rank is outlined clearly. They can be divided into two basic categories: Officers and Infantry. The officers hold positions of leadership while the infantry carries out their orders. A Marine force would usually have one or two officers with multiple infantry soldiers.
The Fleet Admiral sits as the highest Marine rank and is the Commander of the entire organization. He is one rank above the admiral, and he only answers to the Five Elders and the Commander in Chief of the world government. Together with the three admirals, they are the only ones legally allowed to initiate a Buster Call and also grant the world government agents and lower-ranking marines the right to do so. This also applies to the revocation of the Warlord of the sea title even though it has been abolished.
The fleet admiral can be identified by wearing a white suit, even though some individuals can add their stylings. Their coat has pure gold epaulets with white cuffs, and both Sengoku and Sakazuki wore it like this, but in the anime, Akainu’s cuffs appeared in red. Sakazuki is the current Fleet Admiral, and he is also known as Akainu. The other known person who came before him was Kong and Sengoku.
Admiral
Moving on to the next lower rank in the Marines, we have the admiral. They are the second-highest rank, and at the moment, there are only three admirals, and their number should always be three. With this position, they are crowned as the world government’s greatest powers in the outside world. We should also keep in mind that in the outside world, the five elders and Im remained unknown. So as far as things go, the world government goes as high as the Fleet Admiral according to the general public.
Each of the Admirals has deadly combat abilities, and they have the authority to issue a buster call along with the Fleet Admiral. They would usually wear a justice coat with golden epaulets and cuffs that correspond to the color of their alias, and the exception shown so far was Sengoku, who wore red epaulets and his standard golden cuffs. The attire of the admiral will also match the color of their alias, as we have seen this through several marines.
The current admirals are Borsalino, Issho, and Ryokugyu, also known as Admiral Greenbul. Other characters who have been admirals in the past include Sengoku, Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Zephyr, even though he is a non-canon character.
Vice Admiral
Looking at the third-highest rank in the Marines, we have the vice admirals who can have varying duties and authority. We saw thins when John Gant was seen to have special authority, and he was the first in the entire Marine headquarters to receive the report of the Buster Call and could also evidently command other vice admirals to dispatch. There are always at least five vice admirals who would be usually sent with a Buster Call fleet.
Their general attire is a Marine coat with epaulets, a suit, and a tie worn underneath. The only vice admiral who appeared wearing a different attire was John Gant, mostly because of the special permission that he was once granted. Most vice admirals wear standard blue epaulets, and we have seen Garp wearing black and red while Tsuru, on the other hand, wore purple and gold.
The vice admirals are the Marine’s strongest combat force outside the admirals, and most of them are swordsmen, as they have been shown using Rokushiki. Some of the Giants who were shown to be marines were also vice admirals showing their immense strength. One common attribute amongst the vice admirals is that they all know about Haki, and they can use at least one type of Haki. At this point, only Garp, Vergo, and Smoker have been shown to use it clearly.
Also Read: One Piece Reveals Gol D. Roger’s Devil Fruit Status!
Rear Admiral
As the fourth highest rank in the Marines, they are the lowest of the admiral ranks, and they have the least authority, but they still keep command of their lower-ranking marines. They are still powerful fighters despite being of the lowest admiral rank, and in some cases, they have enough caliber to be given the responsibility and authority assigned directly to marine headquarters, just as we saw with Hina’s case.
This is as far down in terms of powerful individuals that the world government goes. But there are still ranks lower than this one which includes Commodore, Captain, Commander, Lieutenant Commander, and Lieutenant. And then we also have the infantry and silver division, and all they do is take the orders from the commissioned marine officers.
The True Side of The World Government
At a glance, the world government seems like a good organization that puts the lives of the innocent first and would always act to protect them. But in reality, they can be described as totalitarian, and to an absolute extent, they will always take massive efforts and ensure that they remain in power. This would even go beyond appropriating or eliminating any source of power that could be seen as greater than their own.
Before the Seven Warlords of the sea were abolished, they were given legal sanction to conquer nations that were seen as uncivilized, and the world government would just invade these nations using their own military powers. Such oppression is also extended to nations that affiliate, such as the world nobles, demand a standard excessive tax known as the heavenly tribute to join and maintain access to services and resources that they would use to protect civilians from crime and poverty.
Most nations that are affiliated can not afford the tribute, and this has led to famine, starvation, and death for innocent citizens. As they have failed to provide the standard offerings, they would receive severe punishment such as capital punishment imposed on civilians and the withdrawal of resources that the world government provides for them.
How The World Government Powers Appears in The Outside World
The average One Piece citizen knows from publicly available general knowledge that the world government powers are led by the five elders. But in reality, the five elders answer to a sovereign entity known as Im, and his existence is kept a secret, and it is not even known within the world government itself.
The Marines, on the other hand, are the government’s official military branch and are led by a Fleet Admiral. Then the Cipher Phol is a third party and acts as their secret Police who operate through sabotage, reconnaissance, espionage, spying, and assassination. The interservice communications are strained herein as the five elders have stated that the Marines have no jurisdiction to interfere in the Cipher Phol operations.
They also have the sanction to eliminate marine soldiers who have become liabilities to their covert missions, and the government’s most prominent enemies are the Pirates and the Revolutionary army. Impel down currently serves as the world government’s most impenetrable and maximum security prison.
The Commander in chief is responsible for overseeing both the Marines and the Cipher Phol, at least officially and in ranks. He is directly below the five elders. The Commander in chief also carried the authority over the seven warlords before they were disbanded and replaced by the SSG unit. More mysteries are yet to be revealed about the world government and its powers, especially Im, The Five Elders, and their Commander in chief. Besides these guys, we know everything about the rest of the world’s government powers, so only a few individuals remain a mystery.
Also Read: One Piece Anime Flaunts Luffy Vs Kaido! Gum-Gum no Red Roc!
