I’m talking about bounties, of course. After all, what else could make a character even prouder than knowing that their head is worth millions/billions of Belly? Bounties are the measure of a pirate’s infamy. Depending on how “evil” their actions are, or how much of a threat they are to the World Government, the value of their bounty rises. And while it isn’t exactly an accurate indicator of one’s strength (e.g. God Usopp & Chopper), it’s still a great measuring device when it comes to spotting the greatest outlaws ever. So on that note, we’ve curated a ranking of the characters who have accumulated the highest bounties in One Piece — all of whom are notoriously infamous in the eyes of the World Government.
20. Trafalgar Law
Bounty: ฿500,000,000 First up, we have Trafalgar Law — one of the strongest members of the Twelve Supernova that spearheaded the “Worst Generation”. Law was present in many huge events, such as the Marineford War and (more notably) the upheaval in Dressrosa. His role in Dressrosa made his bounty skyrocket to where it is now, which is very much well-deserved. After all, the so-called “Surgeon of Death” is one of the most dangerous pirates out there – especially because of his insanely overpowered Devil Fruit Ability.
19. Izou
Bounty: ฿510,000,000 It should be to no one’s surprise that Izou is here. He is, after all, part of the most feared pirate crew after the end of Gol D. Roger’s reign as the Pirate King. Izou was the 16th Division commander of Whitebeard’s fleet before his captain’s eventual demise. He also resided in Wano, and was one of Kozuki Oden’s retainers. And due to his involvement in the Marineford War, his bounty rose just like most of the characters on this list. He’s selfless, dutiful, and kind — especially to Kozuki Oden whom he idolizes, and remains loyal to even decades after his death. Naturally, Oden’s death at the hands of Kaidou made him vow vengeance.
18. Chinjao
Bounty: ฿542,000,000 There’s just no getting around this: As far as One Piece characters go, this guy is one of the weirdest in terms of looks. And that’s no small feat considering just how bizarre Oda’s character designs can get. Despite his strange appearance, however, Chin Jao’s bounty is one of the most well-deserved in the series. After all, this drill-headed old man used to be the leader of the Chinjao Family — one of the most feared pirates who considers piracy as a family business. Due to his feud with Garp (the guy who once deformed his magnificent head), Chinjao also antagonized Luffy for a while until they finally came to an unlikely understanding.
17. Who’s Who
Bounty: ฿546,000,000 Unlike Chin Jao whose character design was just straight-up weird, Who’s Who is instead one of the coolest to look at. He comes into this list complete with an awesome mask, an impeccable fashion sense, and a swagger that’s somewhat reminiscent of Doflamingo’s. Right off the bat, he’s both rude and disrespectful – not only to his opponents but also towards his superiors. He answers to no one — not even towards King, Queen, and the other All-Stars because of his inherent ambition to become an All-Star himself. Despite his flaws, his bounty is this high for a reason. And a huge part of that reason is his past involvement with the CP9 organization that he rightfully abandoned after receiving unfair treatment.
16. Little Oars Jr.
Bounty: ฿550,000,000 Oxymorons will always be fun to play with. Even though he’s indeed named Little Oars Jr., this absolute unit of a giant shouldn’t even be remotely related to the word “little” at all. But true to his name is his connection to Oars — his ancestor who he closely resembles physically, although that’s about where their similarities end. Unlike his ancestor, Little Oars Jr. has been shown as a kind and gentle soul despite his size, and has even cultivated an unbreakable bond with Ace. That’s why it’s to no one’s surprise that he showed up in the Marineford War to try and save his dear friend. Sadly, we all know what happened to Ace after that… Although it’s still uncertain whether Little Oars Jr. himself survived the ordeal or not.
15. Portgas D. Ace
Bounty: ฿550,000,000 Tied with Little Oars Jr. at ฿550,000,000 is the man behind the most catastrophic and thrilling war between pirates and the Marines ever depicted in the series. Prior to his capture and the events leading to his death at the Marineford War, Ace has racked up quite an impressive bounty for himself. Not only is he the biological son of the legendary Pirate King Gol D. Roger, but he also served as Whitebeard’s 2nd Division Commander. Combine this with his extensive rap sheet, and it’s not that hard to see why the Marines wanted him executed so badly. So much so that they even made the event public, knowing that they’ll be able to force other big-name pirates (e.g. Whitebeard) to take action.
14. Sabo
Bounty: ฿602,000,000 Right after Ace, we have Sabo who’s his friend — scratch that — his sworn brother alongside Luffy. And even though it’s still unclear whether or not Ace knew Sabo was still alive, he should be proud, since his sworn brother has achieved quite a lot for himself – just like he did. Sabo has climbed his way to being the second-in-command of the revolutionaries (hence his high bounty) and is among Monkey D. Dragon’s most trusted allies. From this, it’s pretty obvious that Ace and Sabo were both destined to do great things along with Luffy (who you’ll see further down this list). Though I do hope the news about his supposed death is nothing but a rumor at this point. For Luffy’s sake.
13. Charlotte Siblings
Bounty (AVERAGE): ฿829,800,000 This single entry contains several high-tier pirates who serve under Big Mom’s banner. They’re Charlotte Katakuri, Charlotte Smoothie, Charlotte Cracker, Charlotte Perospero, and Charlotte Snack — all of whom are Big Mom’s sons and daughters. Despite being united by their family name, they’re all unique in their own right. Perospero is the eldest, although Cracker, Smoothie, and Katakuri all share the authority of being Big Mom’s second-in-command. Snack also used to be one of the so-called “Four Sweet Commanders”, but unfortunately for him, Linlin doesn’t take too kindly to losers. Despite that, all five of them are still universally feared even by the strongest pirates and marines — especially Katakuri, who’s the strongest of them all.
12. Jack
Bounty: ฿1,000,000,000 Getting into the big leagues here, we have Jack, who’s one of the few characters in the series to accumulate over a billion bellies worth of bounty on their heads. Jack — whose name is very obviously based on one of the classic face cards — is a physically imposing fish-man that towers over many men, despite not being a giant. He currently serves under Kaido as one of the All-stars, and will most likely play a huge role in the Wano Arc as one of the main villains. And considering he has survived pretty tough encounters against the likes of Fujitora and Ashura Doji, I’m pretty interested in seeing how he’ll fare against the Strawhats. Particularly against Luffy himself.
11. Queen
Bounty: ฿1,320,000,000 Much like Jack, Queen is one of the All-Stars and among Kaido’s most trusted underlings. He is also a very big and burly man, who’s a bit on the fatter side rather than muscular. Don’t tell him I said that though… Aside from being Kaido’s top lieutenants, he’s also the ruler of Udon (for now anyway) and is the pirate crew’s most adept researcher. He’s surprisingly smart for his size, and is a former member of MADS (a disbanded research group) along with the likes of Vinsmoke Judge, Dr. Vegapunk, and Caesar Clown. Not that’s quite the brainy company!
10. Marco
Bounty: ฿1,374,000,000 Here we have Marco, who’s the 1st Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates and Edward’s right-hand man. Aptly named “The Phoenix”, he is arguably the coolest Zoan-type Devil Fruit User next to Kaidou. Furthermore, he’s also the only character in the show as of yet who has both Paramecia and Logia-type elements mixed in with his Devil Fruit powers. The versatility and awesomeness of his Devil Fruit aside, Marco is not just strong in battle. He’s also a level-headed captain who cares a lot about his crew members. In fact, he’s so loyal to his crew that he once charged selflessly towards Marineford’s execution platform all by himself. And he did it all to save Ace, despite him knowing full well that his own life was on the line.
9. King
Bounty: ฿1,390,000,000 King is a tall, dark, and menacing All-Star. Then again, who among them isn’t? But true to his name, King is the strongest All-Star, whose strength is second only to Kaidou himself. Obviously this is by no means a small feat if we factor in just how strong the other All-Stars already are. The only thing that made King follow Kaidou is his respect for Kaidou’s overwhelming strength. Barring his captain, he answers to absolutely no one. Not even to other Emperors, as we’ve seen with how disrespectfully he interacted with Big Mom.
8. Monkey D. Luffy
Bounty: ฿1,500,000,000 Finally, we’ve gotten to the protagonist of the series! It might’ve been a long journey for our favorite MC here, but as of now, Luffy has accumulated enough bounty on his head to shock the entire world. Well that, and for the entire world to declare him as “The Fifth Emperor” – which I’m not gonna lie, is pretty darn cool and long overdue. After all, if there’s one pirate who deserves the seat, it’s Monkey D. Luffy. Regardless of how he usually acts and looks, his outrageous feats truly do precede him. The debacle at Enies Lobby, the escape at Impel Down, the Marineford War — heck, you can even name all of the notable events in the series and Luffy is most likely present. Much like his father, Luffy is always ready to antagonize the World Government and evil pirates. This more or less explains his absurdly growing bounty throughout the years. It’s probably in his blood!
7. Marshall D. Teach
Bounty: ฿2,247,600,000 Speaking of blood… very few villains in the series have spilled more of it than Blackbeard — the titular main antagonist of the show. He’s one of the most hated anime villains, and coincidentally also one of the most overpowered. Upon acquiring Yami Yami no Mi (which by the way he stole from his own captain), Blackbeard began his reign of terror by collecting the baddest crew members out there. Despite being a powerful and prideful man, Marshall is not above using dirty tactics to win. He’s incredibly cunning, deceitful, and manipulative — but it’s hard to argue that these disgusting qualities aren’t what made him an Emperor in the first place.
6. Shanks
Bounty: ฿4,048,900,000 Blackbeard might’ve obtained his spot as an Emperor through unscrupulous means, but not this man. Shanks was the newest addition to the Yonko before Blackbeard usurped Whitebeard’s place. He is also the most badass among them— next to Whitebeard himself, in my opinion. After all, not only was he ballsy enough to confront Whitebeard and his crew all by himself, but he’s also the main reason why the Marineford War ceased entirely. In addition to these mind-blowing feats, Shanks also played the role of a father figure to Luffy, who then looked up to him for a long time. No wonder Luffy turned out so great.
5. Charlotte Linlin
Bounty: ฿4,388,000,000 Aptly nicknamed “Big Mom”, it should be to no one’s surprise that this absolute CHONKER of a woman’s bounty is this high. After all, she was the mastermind behind a lot of schemes that drew tons of ire from the World Government — most of which are just cases of her doing whatever the hell she liked. Also, she’s one of the Four Emperors, and has since allied with Kaidou after their legendary duel in Onigashima. Just from this, we can already see just why she and Kaidou (and their crew members) became highly wanted criminals. Understandably, the World Government knows and fears the potential havoc their alliance is capable of — hence their outrageous bounties.
4. Kaidou
Bounty: ฿4,611,100,000 On the topic of one of the biggest Pirate Alliances of all time, we have the strongest Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit User — Kaidou. Just based on his title of the “World’s Strongest Creature” alone, many fans argue that his bounty being this high is highly justified. Adding this to the fact that he has also made an alliance with Big Mom only reinforces the legitimacy of his bounty in my eyes. In fact, I actually think that his bounty (along with Linlin’s) should be raised higher, since two Emperors teaming up cannot be good for anyone. And if I were in the World Government’s boots, I would be hoping and praying that Luffy would come out of Wano as the victor. Then again, that might just be replacing an already humongous problem with an even bigger one at this point.
3. Edward Newgate
Bounty: ฿5,046,000,000 Whitebeard. Ever since his first few appearances in the anime (and even the manga), he has drawn comparisons with the Pirate King himself. Hell, some fans even theorize that he’s stronger than Roger! And to be honest, it’s not really surprising that people see it that way, given the nature of Whitebeard’s downright broken Devil Fruit Ability. I mean, his bounty alone is a testament to how terrified the Marines are of this man! And after seeing what Whitebeard was truly capable of in the Marineford War, I wholeheartedly agree with their assessment. Personally, I don’t doubt that not even the full force of the Marines could’ve stopped Edward if he decided to conquer the seas in his youth.
2. Gol D. Roger
Bounty: ฿5,564,800,000 As it stands, this man is the one and only Pirate King in the history of One Piece. Need I say more? I mean, just the legends about Roger and his crew are about as awe-inspiring and grandiose as they come! Not for the Marines though. As if putting the highest confirmed bounty on Roger’s head isn’t enough to show just how much they hated this guy, they also tried to go as far as to try and extinguish his entire bloodline. That alone tells you how much of a nuisance Roger was to the World Government… Which for me is always a plus. I frickin’ hate those tyrannical and corrupt snobs.
1. Monkey D. Dragon
Bounty: ??? Someone who shares my opinion about the World Government is none other than Luffy’s father, and the “World’s Most Wanted Criminal” himself — Monkey D. Dragon. Sure I added him in as somewhat of a “surprise entry”, but I’m certain that his bounty being outrageously high (once it’s revealed) won’t be surprising at all. I mean, it’s right there on his title! One does not simply get called as the most wanted man by the World Government for nothing, after all. Even Eiichiro Oda himself once sat down in an interview and told us that this guy’s bounty would be “mind-blowing”. To which I (and a lot of One Piece fans) say, “Where’s the bounty at, Oda?”
