The Three Great Powers

The Three Great Powers are the three most powerful forces in the fictional world of the anime and manga series One Piece, created by Eiichiro Oda. They are listed below.

The three groups

Yonkou

The Yonkou. The Four Emperors, four of the strongest pirates in the world, "rule" in the "New World" Section of the Grand Line. Only two of them are known at the moment. They are Red-Haired Shanks, and Whitebeard. Currently, they have met, against the herculean efforts of the Navy and World Government to prevent such a meeting. (see Yonkou for details)

Shichibukai

The Shichibukai are 7 (currently 6) extremely powerful former pirates. They are protected by the Navy and used to intimidate other pirates, as well as to take care of those that had become a problem.

Aspirants for post:

• Blackbeard

Navy

The Navy - the second most powerful organization on Earth, and under the power of the Five Elder Stars of the World Government. Their structure is the most ordered of all the Three Great Powers. They are the force that is supposed to secure order and peace, yet sometimes mis-uses its status for its own goals and benefits.

It can be deployed as a peacekeeping force, as in fighting off pirates, who plunder and destroy; they can also be extremely destructive, when it initiates and uses the Buster Call, a genocidal attack, in which the whole populace and even the whole territory maybe totally annihilated, mostly only to secure the demise of a handfull of people, and those who are innocent (the scholars of Ohara for one ). The reason of killing the innocents is to ensure that no potential threat will ever sprout to threaten the world (or them) ever again. In terms of delivering justice, the Marines/Navy strictly follows this code of honor.

The World Government

Although not a Great Power in itself, the World Government controls the Navy (to which it is closely tied) and has also an indirect influence on the Shichibukai. Through a Navy overseer that have direct relationship with the World Government, it also has influence on Cipher Pol. Its leaders are the Five Elder Stars, the Gorosei.

Cipher Pol

Controlled by the Navy and employed by the World Government, Cipher Pol is a group of 8 publicly known and 1 secret task force (CP9), which has been seen doing "investigations" for the World Government (during the Ohara "incident"; see Buster Call). CP9 is also seen to have been delegated special status and authority, as it can surpass the wishes of the 5 required Vice-Admirals. Its leader (when the one is assigned the Golden Den Den Mushi by an admiral) can order the beginning of the Buster Call. (see Cipher Pol for details ).

• Note: CP9 is now more or less defunct-defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates .

Roles

The Three Great Powers shape and model the world. While the Shichibukai do not seem to have any other great interest then their own gain or personal matters, the Navy has interest in a lot more, using their power to control countries and working under the surveillance of the World Government. The Yonkou are a group of pirates quite different from the Shichibukai - they are arguably the four most powerful pirates, closest to obtaining One Piece.

Normally, (before Sir Crocodile fell) the Three Great Powers hold each other in check, but recent events, together with the fatal defeat of the Navy's most destructive and ruthless means of action, the Buster Call, had shifted the balance of power away from the Navy and the World Government and so indirectly, from the Shichibukai.