Harsh Realities Of Being A One Piece Emperor
One of the greatest achievements a pirate can make in One Piece is becoming an Emperor. If the World Government itself perceives one as a danger, that demonstrates a substantial level of personal and political power. Naturally, this makes it simpler to recruit a crew and broaden one’s current reach.
However, such recognition comes with a number of obvious drawbacks. Emperors are given more attention, which puts them under more scrutiny and makes it harder for them to accomplish their objectives. Because of the harsh reality of the situation, it could even be simpler to pursue Laugh Tale as a regular pirate.
10/10
Most Emperors Can’t Swim
Almost all Emperors utilise Devil Fruits to boost their strength artificially. Though it pays rewards when battling against formidable foes, it also meant that nearly none of them can swim.
Big Mom suffered the most from this as she came dangerously close to drowning many times. King pushed her into the water when her pirates first tried to breach Wano, and Kid would have drowned her at Onigashima if not for Prometheus’ intervention. However, an Emperor’s blatant use of their Devil Fruit power exposes a serious flaw.
9/10
The Emperors Are Almost Always Betrayed From Within
Given the scale of an Emperor’s entourage, they always draw individuals who are either power-hungry or otherwise unreliable. When Blackbeard betrayed Whitebeard, killed Thatch, and took the Dark-Dark fruit, this was first significantly seen.
It was also often shown in the New World, including when Tama used her power to convert a large number of S.M.I.L.E. users when Pudding betrayed Big Mom to the Straw Hats. In both cases, the crew of the Emperors turned on one another, making what should have been an insurmountable force much easier to overcome.
8/10
The Emperors Usually Lose To Luffy
Despite being by far the underdog, Luffy always outwits or even overcomes the Emperors he encounters. This originally appeared in Whole Cake Island when Big Mom’s tea party was ruined and she was publicly shamed.
Even though Luffy battled Kaido for a while, he was ultimately victorious because to the enigmatic power of Gear Five. Without even using a single special move, he even vanquished Buggy in Orange Town. No Emperor has yet shown the ability to eliminate Luffy before being removed from power. It indicates that their overthrow will happen soon.
7/10
The Emperors Are Irrelevant For Most Of The Series
Over three hundred episodes into the series, Thriller Bark was the first to establish the idea of “Emperors.” Big Mom and Kaido were unimportant for the most of the series since it took another 500 episodes until Whole Cake Island began.
Even worse off are seasoned Emperors like Shanks and Blackbeard. Despite being introduced rather early in the anime, they have only made a few notable contributions. Other than a few appearances to let fans know they still exist, their effect may be summed up as a series of cameos.
6/10
Most Emperor Groups Are Infiltrated By Marines
Despite its shortcomings, the World Government excels in infiltrating Emperor crews and regions. Lead Performer X-Drake was really a member of SWORD, and Big Mom’s tea party was infiltrated by a covert spy. However, Aokiji’s enlistment with the Blackbeard Pirates is the most significant incident of infiltration.
His newfound allegiances appear completely out of character given his existing demeanour, even if they haven’t been formally confirmed. Aokiji probably came up with his own plan to save the planet from the wickedest pirates on the high seas after failing to defeat Akainu.
5/10
Most Emperors Need To Manage Their Territory
Territory is often thought of as a requirement for becoming an Emperor. With locales like Onigashima and Whole Cake Island being so advanced, their leaders more closely resemble bureaucrats than pirates. The majority have their own base of operations.
Even Blackbeard had to protect his home island from Gecko Moria’s assaults despite his constant pursuit of Laugh Tale since failing to do so would have damaged his reputation. Being an Emperor greatly complicates one’s life and makes one more responsible for the territory they conquer.
4/10
Emperor Backstories Are Lacking
Emperors often have very vague and unclear histories. The sole exception was Big Mom’s, since it explained her hunger, dream, and distaste towards giants. However, with just a few flashbacks to provide fans context on their beginnings, characters like Blackbeard, Whitebeard, and particularly Shanks are virtually entirely enigmas.
It’s hard to see the Emperors as interesting people rather than unstoppable juggernauts, given how badly drawn they are. Since he is the major character of the whole narrative, Luffy is the only Emperor with anything like a background.
3/10
The Emperors Constantly Struggle To Protect Their Reputations
The Emperors fear losing their good name because they see it as their greatest asset. Even while doing so ran the danger of worsening the harm done to Whole Cake Island, it was one of Big Mom’s primary motivations for chasing Luffy into Wano.
While Whitebeard was truly worried about Ace, he also didn’t want to give his crew the impression that his family was disposable if there was enough danger. This forced him to assault Marineford, which was so terrible that he and Ace both perished as a result.
2/10
The Emperors Have The Highest Bounties In The Series
The Emperors get the greatest rewards in the whole series because of their danger to the World Government. Each of them is worth more than a few billion berries, and many of their first mates are also quite expensive.
As a consequence, even those who have no personal stake in the Emperors’ replacement in the pirate domain are motivated to overthrow them. Emperors must always be on watch against opportunistic attacks, therefore they cannot ever let their guard down. While some pirates may boast about their plunder, the price of an Emperor should worry them.
1/10
Many Emperors Don’t Aggressively Pursue Laugh Tale
Many of the Emperors are too preoccupied to pursue Laugh Tale because of the aforementioned obligations. Even while Big Mom was interested in recovering Roger’s wealth, her animosity at Luffy entirely diverted her attention from her objective. Since Marineford, Shanks has been mostly MIA, and Kaido is too preoccupied with a glorious death to give a damn.
Only Blackbeard and Luffy are truly intent on becoming Pirate Kings, and they are both going about it in very different ways. Since Mock Town, their rivalry has intensified and might result in the series’ final fight.
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