One Piece: 7 Strongest Marines Who Would Have Been Better As Pirates

Marines are the enforcers of justice in One Piece, and they are responsible for ensuring pirates and other criminals don’t run amok. Without them, the entire One Piece world would fall into disarray.

However, not all Marines employ similar methods, and many have their own ideas about what justice really is, inspiring them to deal with criminals differently. For this reason, many Marines would have been a better fit if they were actually pirates.

7

Monkey D. Garp

Image via Toei Animation

Monkey D. Garp is the Hero of the Marines. He participated in the God Valley Incident, where he fought against the demonic version of Rocks D. Xebec. The pirate was turned into a fearsome creature against his will and was ordered by Imu to annihilate every single person on the island.

Garp teamed up with Roger, his greatest rival, and stopped Xebec’s rampage. This incident made it clear that Garp did not blindly follow orders. In fact, Garp stopped accepting promotions after he became a vice admiral. He rejected being an Admiral or a Fleet Admiral, as he didn’t want to become a pawn of the Celestial Dragons. Given his personality, he would have been better off as a pirate.

6

Smoker

Image via Toei Animation

Smoker is a vice admiral who, like many high-ranking Marines, has a strong sense of justice. At the beginning of the series, he was stationed in Loguetown and tasked with stopping pirates from entering the Grand Line, and as many readers would agree, he did an outstanding job. Part of the reason why he was so successful was his Moku Moku no Mi, a Logia-type Devil Fruit that enabled him to transform into smoke. After the time skip, Smoker mastered Haki as well.

As previously stated, Smoker has already decided on what kind of justice he wants. He is among the few Marines who despise the higher-ups because they try to cover up the truth. Smoker also cares about his underlings, as evidenced by his sacrifice in Punk Hazard.

5

Sengoku

Image via Toei Animation

Sengoku is the former Fleet Admiral of the Marines. He took charge of the organization sometime before the current timeline, and under his leadership, the Marines reached new heights. In fact, they emerged victorious in the Paramount War and managed to execute Portgas D. Ace. Aside from being extremely intelligent, Sengoku is also insanely strong. He can use all three types of Haki and, on top of that, he has a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit.

Despite serving loyally, Sengoku has always restricted himself because of Kong and likely the Five Elders. He has already proven several times that he is not evil, nor does he value success over everything else.

4

Koby

Image via Toei Animation

At the time of his debut, Koby came off as a nobody who would become irrelevant as the story went on. However, he has proven everyone wrong. Ever since Koby began training under Garp, his life has changed for the better. The legendary Marine taught him everything he knew about Haki. Furthermore, he put Koby through rigorous physical training.

Currently, Koby is one of the brightest prospects within the Marines. He has already secured the rank of Captain, and he will definitely get more promotions. However, Koby despises the way Marines function. He doesn’t want innocent lives to be thrown away for a trivial cause. Since he doesn’t agree with how the organization functions, it would be better for him to become a pirate.

3

Kuzan

Image via Toei Animation

Kuzan, better known as Aokiji, served as a Marine Admiral, meaning he was one of their strongest soldiers. He was trained by Garp, which is how he learned to use Haki and improved his physical abilities as well. On top of this, Kuzan also possesses the Hie Hie no Mi, which allows him to freeze anything at will.

The process is instantaneous, which makes escape nearly impossible. Kuzan has always been against Absolute Justice, which is why he decided to leave the Marines and live a life on his own terms. Currently, Kuzan is a member of the Blackbeard Pirates.

2

Fujitora

Image via Toei Animation

Fujitora joined the Marines via the World Military Draft. He had a big responsibility on his shoulders as he had to fill the void created by Sakazuki and Kuzan. However, in just a short span, Fujitora managed to make the position his own.

Fujitora possesses the Zushi Zushi no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that enables him to manipulate gravity. This means he can either increase or decrease gravitational forces over an area. Fujitora can increase the gravity to prevent an opponent from moving and then finish them off in style. Despite having so much strength, Fujitora is compassionate. He will break rules to help innocent people. Considering how Marines always bend to Imu’s will, Fujitora would be better off as a pirate.

1

Jaguar D. Saul

Image via Toei Animation

Jaguar D. Saul is one of the two Marines in One Piece who have D in their name, so it’s hardly surprising that he rebelled against the World Government’s decision to wipe Ohara from existence. He even helped Robin to escape from Ohara and sacrificed himself in the process. There’s no doubt that Saul would have made an excellent pirate. It’s also worth remembering that Saul is a giant, so he possesses incredible physical strength. Additionally, he knows how to use at least two types of Haki.

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

Writers

Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda

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  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

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  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)