Summary
TheWorst Generationis a name given to several pirates who were largely unaffiliated otherwise. Most of the group is the eleven super rookies who attained bounties of over 100,000,000 belly before arriving at Sabaody. The twelfth member of the group is Marshall D. Teach, a pirate with no bounty who earned the title for his capture of the infamous Portgas D. Ace.
Despite their shared classification, it is important to know that these pirates couldn’t be more different in terms of long-term goals, and despite their alliances, they are rarely allies in the long term. This topic will showcase how the morals of these pirates measure up to one another.
12Marshall D. Teach
The Worst Of The Worst Generation
Marshall D. Teach, or Blackbeard, as he is commonly known, is perhaps the least moral pirate within the series. Any pretense of ethics goes out the window when one considers the scope of what he will achieve to fulfill his still somewhat obscured ambitions. His first foray into piracy was joining the Whitebeard Pirates as a boy, merely because he believed they were likely to come across a Devil Fruit he wanted. He was right, but even after decades spent with the crew, he refused to let anything get in the way of his long-term goal. He murdered Thatch, the commander of the crew who actually found the Devil Fruit, and fled, breaking Whitebeard’s “one rule” of not killing crewmates.
From there, he formed a crew and, after capturing Ace, joined the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a title bestowed upon government-supported pirates. He used this role to enter Impel Down, a seasteading prison, and break out its worst criminals. He accomplished this by going down the prison’s secret sixth floor, where criminals whose crimes necessitated being erased from history are kept. There, he made many of them fight to the death and took the survivors onboard. During the Summit War, he led the assassination of Whitebeard, the man who protected him and saw him as a son for many years. He then stole the captain’s Devil Fruit powers for his own. Teach then took Whitebeard’s place in the Four Emperors and many of the territories he had protected.
Teach goes above and beyond in terms of immorality. He notably identified his crew as allies of convenience, rather than any pretense of true friendship, a soundbite he used to convince ex-marine admiral Kuzan to join. He has upheld it and has been shown physically abusing his crewmates, namely Doc Q and Stronger, since ascending the ranks. Teach has also approved several assassinations of largely unknown Devil Fruit users in a concentrated effort to gain their powers.
11Eustass Kid
A Truly Brutal Pirate
Despite occasionally making common cause with Luffy, Kid is arguably more immoral than even some of his enemies in the Worst Generation. Like Luffy, Kid is an opponent of anyone who wants to control him. He wants to find the One Piece, and, unlike Blackbeard, seems to genuinely care about his crew. Unlike Luffy, he has actively created a ton of collateral damage in his effort to prove this action. Kid is quick to anger, and his response to it usually seems to be death or injury. Kid’s mass civilian casualties netted him an especially high bounty and earned him his place in the Worst Generation.
Kid’s recent undoingwas brought about by Shanks anticipating the damage his attack would do to Elbaf. This resulted in him knocking Kid out as Dorry and Broggy destroyed his ship, noting that Kid drew first blood. Kid is notably disdainful towards the World Government and World Nobles, but his platitudes fall short when one considers his history of violent behavior. Save for his recent attempted skirmish in Elbaf, Kid’s more questionable actions have largely been kept offscreen, but the personality traits he displays go hand-in-hand with the reckless, destructive behavior he is known for.
10Killer
Massacre Soldier
Kid’s crewmate, Killer, is notably one of two pirates in the Worst Generation not to be a captain. He earned this status, as his captain did, through the mass destruction he caused in his early pirate career. He is no less willing to murder, even acting as an assassin for Wano’s shogun, Kurozumi Orochi. He was abandoned by the shogun after he failed his task of murdering a little girl named Toko, though not for lack of trying.
Killer wasoffered a defective SMILE, which he ate to save his crew, giving up even his ability to swim. All in all, most of Kid’s morals, positive and negative, are reflected in Killer. The only slight difference is that Killer attempts to rein Kid in on occasion, and is slightly less susceptible to carnage as a result, even if only for tactical reasons.
9Scratchmen Apoo
Conniving Opportunist
Apoo notably hoodwinked the Kid Pirates and the Hawkins Pirates into joining an alliance to defeat Kaido, which the captains reluctantly signed on for. He parlayed this into an effort to have both crews be forcibly absorbed into the Beasts Pirates, with jail in Wano Country being the only other option. Although less overtly cruel than many other Worst Generation Pirates, the extent to which Apoo will both quickly adopt the morals of crueler pirates, and double-cross his purported allies to force them into unwinnable situations shows he is a schemer.
To his credit, Apoo himself is not shown to actively relish cruelty for its own sake, but the extent to which he will aid others who do, in an underhanded manner, showcases how flexible any morals of his own may actually be. He was notably involved in the Beasts Pirates longer than most of his Worst Generation contemporaries.
8Basil Hawkins
Card-Carrying Cruelty
To some pirates, immorality is second nature. With Hawkins, it’s more like third or fourth. He presents himself as a pragmatist, but what actions he takes at any point are dictated by how beneficial his cards tell him they are. He notably joined the Beasts Pirates because he saw no other option that would result in his survival.
His Devil Fruit allows him to transfer his pain onto others, up to and including death. He is not above taking hostages and will threaten people with the deaths of their allies. While not actively bloodthirsty, he will make use of certain allies, such as the pleasures of theBeasts Pirates, as dummies to take damage in his place. He displays a measure of honor, specifically honoring his word when ultimatums are met and tends to avoid confrontation if he can, but his abject ruthlessness in the face of it shows it to be a tactical decision. His survival of the fittest mentality is not necessarily moral, but does encourage him to limit destruction he seems not to actively want to cause otherwise.
7Capone Bege
Not A Good Fella
Capone Bege is a gangster who took to the seas in search of a challenge. Although he won’t say no to treasure, his true joy lies in destabilizing rival organizations. He specifically enjoys assassinating leaders of organizations and then watching them crumble from within. Like most stereotypical mafioso characters, Bege is cruel but composed. He is a traitorous character, notably worming his way out of alliances with the likes of Big Mom with a failed assassination attempt. He tends to target and exploit the vulnerabilities of his enemies. He came up with the idea of destroying Big Mom’s photo of Mother Carmel, an orphanage owner who looked after her, to assassinate her. He also faked his surrender in an attempt to get a cheap shot onCharlotte Oven.
Nonetheless, he is not as aggressive or overtly cruel as certain counterparts and will show restraint in his attacks as he deems necessary. Notably, Jimbei mentioned he rarely went further than the leaders of the organizations he targeted in his mafia days unless they retaliated directly against him. He is said to honor his deals and tends to be respectful to his allies and enemies alike if they show themselves worthy of it. He is also shown to be affectionate toward his wife and child, and to a lesser extent, his crew members, even if he may hurt them on occasion if he deems them deserving of it. He is not above betrayal, violence, and petty trickery, but he has a code of his own that keeps him from going completely off the rails.
6X Drake
Double Agent
X Drake is technically not a pirate, but rather, an undercover marine playing the role of one to collect intelligence. In reality, Drake is the captain of SWORD, an organization of marines who voluntarily resigned “on paper” to conduct operations without directly dragging the government into them. His ultimate agenda is presently unclear, but he is shown to attack both pirates and those representing the World Government as it suits him.
He was a member of the Beasts Pirates, making it as high as the Flying Six, arguably distinguishing him as one of Kaido’s nine highest-ranked officers, with only the captain and his three All-Stars above him. He didn’t get to the position by doing nothing, as he is said to have destroyed Amigasa Village in Wano under orders from Kaido. This action highlights a darker side to Drake, as one who seems to follow a philosophy that the end justifies the means when accomplishing his goals. Even so, what those ultimate goals are may color Drake differently as the story progresses.
5Trafalgar D. Water Law
A Pirate With A Heart And Then Some
Law was an ally of Luffy who traveled with theStraw Hat Piratesto achieve mutually held goals. After Kaido’s defeat in Wano, he severed ties with the crew, and ventured out with his own crew, ending up defeated by Blackbeard, with nearly all of his crewmates seemingly dead. Law is not above using his Devil Fruit to threaten lives, as he can easily part a person from their heart and crush it in his palm. Like Drake, he is pragmatic in his actions and will do somewhat heinous ones to achieve further goals.
He notably delivered the hearts of a hundred pirates to the World Government, to become a warlord, itself a pretense to gain clearance into government-protected territories. The exact context behind this is not known, except for the fact that it was tied to the infamous Rocky Port Incident, which Blackbeard used to take over the surrounding area. Law has his good moments too, as he saved the life of Luffy shortly after the Summit War, and is not shown to be relentlessly cruel. But a potentially new, more ruthless side of him may surface with most of his crew being presumed deceased.
4Urouge
A Blank Slate
It is currently nearly impossible to get a good read on Urouge. For all the audience knows, he could be crueler than Blackbeard. That being said, of what little has been shown, there is no indication given that he is sadistic or even willing to commit heinous acts for any sort of greater cause. Like Luffy, he tends to smile quite often, except in the most dire of times.
On the contrary, Urouge was shown sincerely praying for Kaido when he witnessed him attempt suicide, despite seemingly not being aligned with him or his crew. He was also notably involved in some sort of skirmish against the Big Mom Pirates, as his successful fight against Charlotte Snack resulted in him being demoted from his sweet commander position.
Urouge’s actions when he does become properly integrated into the story may radically shift perceptions of his morality. But for the moment, he has done nothing even remotely heinous.
3Jewelry Bonney
Appropriately Childish
Bonney was at first presented as a young woman who was a deeply unpleasant individual who tended to hoard food, cause a ruckus, and generally acted like an inconsiderate brat. Despite this fact, she is shown to have a kind side to herself as well. Bonney notably saved Zoro’s life from Saint Charlos, who would have likely put him to death, had he retaliated against the noble for shooting at him beforehand. It is noteworthy that had her plan failed in any way, she too would likely have been at risk of being captured or killed.
More recent developments have reconciled her odd mixture of selfish behavior and surprising moral fiber; she is merely a 12-year-old child. Her Devil Fruit at first made it difficult to determine her actual age. Most appearances presented her as an immature yet grown woman by default, but this was merely another disguise. She is now confirmed to be not only the sole female member of the Worst Generation but also its youngest by a good few years. The more aggressive and violent facets of her behavior have their edges sanded off by the fact that they are not genuine threats from a ruthless killer, but the tantrums of a child with a tragic past. Her murderous hatred for Vegapunk is quelled once she discovers the painful truths about her adoptive father, Kuma’s past.
While excusing her scruples is one thing, it is also worth noting that Bonney shows an awareness of the corruption of the world beyond what one may expect of someone her age. Her willingness to protect Zoro and rescue her father shows a strong sense of justice. She is also willing to fight against the likes of the Five Elders, some of the most powerful and authoritative villains in the series, alongside Luffy.
