Marines (One Piece)

The Marines is an organization that features in One Piece.

History

High ranking Marine officials.

The Marines (Japanese: 海軍, Hepburn: Kaigun) was the military force that served the World Government and the dominant naval power in the world. For centuries, they had existed as a stronghold and watchpost of justice. Over 100 years ago, they issued bounties on the Giant Warrior Pirates, Dorry and Brogy. In that time, the Marines captured the other members of the crew after they dispersed, and prepared to execute them. However, the execution was staged in coordination with the underworld dealer Carmel, who appeared during the execution to spare the giants' lives. This move allowed Carmel to establish an orphanage in the powerful giant country of Elbaf, where she secretly sold children of all races to be enlisted by the Marines and Cipher Pol. Within 37 years, John Giant became the first giant ever to enlist in the Marines thanks to Carmel, and he would be joined by several more over the years. The Marines' partnership with Carmel was ended when she died 62 years ago. Ten years later, Oimo and Kashii of the Giant Warrior Pirates were captured by the Marines and tricked into working on Enies Lobby under the impression that Dorry and Brogy were imprisoned. Fifty-six years ago, Monkey D. Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru joined the Marines and gained high rankings and renown during their careers. Garp became known as the 'Hero of the Marines' 38 years ago due to the God Valley Incident where he and the pirate Gol D. Roger joined forces to defeat the dangerous pirate Rocks D. Xebec and his crew the Rocks Pirates. In the next two decades, Garp would pursue and corner Roger frequently as the latter ultimately became Pirate King. Around 27 years ago, Garp and Sengoku attempted to stop a clash between Roger and Shiki. Three years later, Roger turned himself in to the World Government and was set to be executed. Shiki attacked Marineford in retaliation, but was defeated by Garp and Sengoku and imprisoned in Impel Down. However, Shiki managed to escape from Impel Down two years later.

The Marines stationed under Captain Morgan at Shells Town imprisoned Roronoa Zoro after he attacked Morgan's son Helmeppo; they planned to execute him later. Days afterward, they worked to erect a statue of Morgan, but the statue was broken when Monkey D. Luffy came flying in. Luffy captured Helmeppo and went to free Zoro as the Marines chased after him. Luffy blocked their bullets as Zoro was freed, and the two battled the Marines, defeating Morgan in the process. Later, Luffy staged a fight in order to distance himself from Koby so that the latter could join the Marines. The Marines took Koby in and ordered the Straw Hats to leave, but thanked them for defeating their abusive captain.

Later on, the Marine named Fullbody came to Baratie to eat but got in a fight with the chefs and was left badly beaten.

Commodore Pudding Pudding attempted to free the people of Cocoyasi Village from their captivity to the fish-man Arlong, but was killed by Arlong and his crew. Captain Nezumi took bribes from Arlong to prevent Marine investigation. After Arlong was defeated, Nezumi attempted to take the credit and Arlong's money, but was beaten up by the Straw Hat Pirates. Enraged, he ensured that Luffy was given a bounty of 30,000,000 Beli.

Captain Smoker was stationed on Loguetown, where he successfully captured all pirates stepping foot in there. His petty officer Tashigi encountered Zoro while shopping for swords. Later, as the Buggy and Alvida Alliance failed to publicly execute Luffy, Smoker and his men raced to capture the pirates. Smoker trapped the Buggy Pirates and succeeded in chasing and pinning down Luffy. Meanwhile, Tashigi angrily confronted Zoro, but was quickly defeated by him. Smoker was forced to free Luffy when a man named Dragon suddenly arrived, and the Straw Hats were able to escape Loguetown.

Smoker confronted Luffy again on the coast of Arabasta, but was stopped by Luffy's brother Ace, and the two fought to a stalemate. Smoker later confronted the Straw Hats again at Rainbase, but they were led into Crocodile's seastone cage. They were eventually freed by Sanji, and Smoker decided to not arrest Luffy. Smoker and his men apprehended Crocodile upon his defeat. He later heard that he was the one to receive credit for Crocodile's defeat, to his anger. When the Straw Hats set off from Arabasta, they were confronted by Hina and her troops. However, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei arrived and held off the Marines long enough for the pirates to escape.

Overview

In appearance, the Marines were a military organization that operated on behalf of the World Government.

It was shown that they followed a strict motto of Absolute Justice (絶対正義 Zettai Seigi), when it comes to prosecuting those who violate the government's laws. It is a central tenet of Naval doctrine, to the point where the word "Justice" (正義 Seigi) is emblazoned on the uniform coats of all commissioned officers. Pirates have been especially singled out by the Navy as a major threat to order. They are considered criminals regardless of whether they have committed any crimes other than raising the Jolly Roger. Civilians, too, are targeted by the prohibition against piracy: persons known to have associated with pirates are barred from entering the Navy (there are notable exceptions), and providing aid or comfort to pirates is a serious crime, especially if they are well-known bounty heads.

While the Marines wishes to maintain law and order by apprehending criminals, the techniques that it (or at least some of its members) uses can often be no better than the pirates they seek to wipe out, trampling the rights or needs of civilians in order to pursue its own ends. They are also shown to willingly sacrifice the lives of other Marines in attempts to pursue their justice, often sacrificing large numbers for the sake of one or two criminals. Still, despite firm stature on justice, the Marines are not immune to corruption. More than once, officers of the Marines and operatives of the World Government have been shown to be no better, and at times even worse, than the pirates they are supposed to fight against. Usually, these officials are more interested in their own position and power rather than the Marines' doctrine, although some will go as far as to have their own definitions of "justice". An example of this is Commodore Smoker's sense of justice or Aokiji's "Lazy Justice". Further complicating the issue is the Buster Call, which can be likened to a scorched earth policy. With a Buster Call in effect, not only are its intended targets and all innocent caught in between wiped out, but all traces of the land that the targets are on is also destroyed. Although the Buster Call is very delicate and only the four highest ranking officers of the Marine are authorized to launch one, this shows how far the Navy is willing to go for what they consider to be "justice"; they have no hesitance at wiping an entire civilization off the map, or even their own installations (ie, Enies Lobby). There have been exceptions, such as the CP9 could use one Buster Call under Aokiji. Because of the World Government's view of "Absolute Justice", this disgusted several Marines has shown a need for taking their own "moral" codes of Justice. Some were killed because of it and is pictured as "insubordination." Due to these Marines opposing "Absolute Justice", they either befriend pirates, tend to aid them or let them go due to the fact they see their own as more of a threat than the pirates themselves. Examples of these individuals include Smoker, Aokiji, Saulo, Koby, and to an extent Garp.

The system of military rank in place for the One Piece Marine is fairly straightforward, where each rank is clearly delineated. This too is a source of confusion among English-speaking fans, because Japanese terms for military rank equate to different English words, depending on what kind of military force they refer to. This has led to fan-translations that mix naval terms with those from other armed forces, as well as fierce debate as to which terms are the "right" ones to use. Generally speaking, the ranks of commissioned officers seem to best fit the Marine model, as these officers are typically in command positions in bases and on ships. On the other hand, non-commissioned officers appear to be a hybrid of traditional sailors and infantry soldiers, being essentially part-marines. But since they are members of the Marines, ranks given here will also conform to the Marine model. Officers and recruits present at the Marine Headquarters are considered "Super-elites". The Headquarters and standard Base ranks are about three ranks apart. All ranks present from "Lieutenant" above are usually trained here, exceptions being those in command of other Naval bases which includes Axe-Hand Morgan and Nezumi

Commissioned naval ranks included:

• Fleet Admiral (元帥 Gensui)
  • Head of the Marines
• Admiral (大将 Taishō)
  • Governors-General of the Navy; only three such positions
• Vice-Admiral (中将 Chūjō)
• Rear Admiral (少将 Shōshō)
• Commodore (准将 Junshō)
• Captain (大佐 Taisa)
• Commander (中佐 Chūsa)
• Lieutenant-Commander (少佐 Shōsa)
• Lieutenant (大尉 Taii)
  • Lowest rank seen in command of a vessel
• Lieutenant Junior Grade (中尉 Chūi)
• Ensign (少尉 Shōi)

In the infantry and sailor division, ranks included:

• Warrant Officer (准尉 Jun'i)
• Master Chief Petty Officer (曹長 Sōchō)
• Chief Petty Officer (軍曹 Gunsō)
• Petty Officer (伍長 Gochō)
• Seaman (一等兵 Ittōhei)
• Seaman Apprentice
• Seaman Recruit (三等兵 Santōhei)
• Chore Boy (雑用 Zatsuyō)

There was no formal uniform system of rank but the following was noted:

• Upon first entering the Marine, new recruits are given the standard uniform, consisting of a white short-sleeved shirt emblazoned with the Naval emblem, a simplified seagull with "MARINE" underneath it, on the back; a blue neckerchief; dark blue trousers; and a baseball cap with "MARINE" across the front. All officers at the rank of Seaman (一等兵 Ittōhei) and below wear this. The quasi-rank of "Chore Boy" adds the kanji 雑 Zatsu ("various" or "odds and ends") to the sleeves, and to the Naval emblem on the back.
• Once an officer has reached the rank of Petty Officer (伍長 Gochō), he or she can choose from a number of different uniforms, including his or her personal clothes. Only those who really want to appear "sailor-like" will stay with a more traditional uniform.
• Sailors at the rank of Warrant Officer (准尉 Jun'i) and above are allowed to wear the coat with "Justice" (正義 Seigi) on the back. This coat tends to be worn like a cape, draped over the shoulders with the arms not in the sleeves, the exception being Tashigi.
• For the rank of Lieutenant-Commander and above, a suit worn underneath the "Justice" coat is the preferred attire.

Known departments within the Marines included:

• Science Unit :
• Giant Squad :
• SWORD :
• Bureau of Investigation :
• Communication Department :
• Photography Department :

The Buster Call (バスターコール Basutā Kōru) is a military action, that is performed only under special circumstances. The Buster Call can only be initiated by those who have a Golden Den Den Mushi; the Fleet Admiral and the three admirals or anyone entrusted with one. When one of those legally entrusted with a Golden Den Den Mushi presses its button, a signal is sent to the Silver Den Den Mushi in the Naval Headquarters, where the island to be attacked is acknowledged, whether it be a typical island or a government headquarters. After the signal is received, five Vice Admirals and a fleet of ten battleships nearest to the location of the caller are scrambled to that island. Additionally, all Marines sent to the acknowledged island are ordered to kill all those on the island, even government officials or escaping citizens. The general public is kept in the dark about a Buster Call, as the World Government uses propaganda to demonize the destroyed target(s), and make its annihilation a praiseworthy feat of the World Government.

In terms of equipment, the Marines were known to make use of the following technology:

• Den Den Mushi (電伝虫でんでんむし, Transponder Snail, Radio Snail) :
• Billower Bike :

Members

• Sakazuki :
• Borsalino :
• Kuzan :
• Sengoku :
• Monkey D. Garp :
• Hina :
• Smoker :
• Tashigi :
• Morgan :
• Nezumi :
• Jango :
• Isuka :
• Bell-mère :

Notes

• The Marines were created by Eiichiro Oda where they featured in the setting of the One Piece universe.

In other media

Television

• In One Piece, the Marines appeared in the setting of the anime television series adaptation. During the Warship Island arc, an anime original character named Nelson Royale was introduced who commanded the 8th Branch and held the rank of Teitoku (提督) with him seeking the Sennenryu that would grant him eternal youth. For this task, he hired the mercenary Eric who possessed the Sickle-Sickle Devil Fruit and its inherent abilities where he was tasked with finding the Dragon's Nest for him. However, Eric would betray Nelson and seek the claim the Dragon's Nest for himself but both were defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates.

Appearances

• One Piece:

External Links

• One-Piece Wiki Entry

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