The Four Emperors, also known as Yonko, are considered the most powerful pirate captains of the One Piece franchise. They have a strong territory and influence over other pirate crews, and the World Government considers them the Three Great Powers.
The four powerful pirates of One Piece were introduced first by Luffy’s grandfather, Monkey D. Garp, during the Enies Lobby arc. They were so notorious that even the World Government feared the meeting between two Yonkos, which former fleet admiral Sengoku first mentioned during the Sengoku arc.
The supremacy of the four emperors ruled over the Grand Line as they created dominance on a broader scale. Indeed, they are the most fearsome pirates that the World Government picks. Seven pirates have managed to join the Four Emperors, with Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido being the former.
The current One Piece four emperors bounty easily exceeds ฿14 billion berries combined. Let’s examine the four Yonko after the Wano arc and their individual bounties.
1. Shanks (Bounty: ฿4.0489 billion berries)
Shanks, also known as Red-Haired Shanks, is the captain of Red Hair Pirates. He is one of the four original emperors who rule over the Grand Line. He is the only Yonko in the series who doesn’t seem to have eaten any devil fruit.
The World Government noticed that he had the most balanced crew among the four emperors. His crew members include notorious pirates like Benn Beckman, Lucky Roux, Yassop, and Rockstar.
Before his affiliation with Red Hair Pirates, Shanks was a member of Roger Pirates, where his late captain, Gol D. Roger, was a pirate king. He and Buggy were the pirate apprentices in the Roger Pirates.
Due to Shanks being a fearsome pirate, the World Government has assigned him the bounty of ฿4.0489 billion berries.
2. Blackbeard (Bounty: ฿3.966 billion berries)
Blackbeard, aka Marshall D. Teach, is the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates. Unlike other characters in One Piece, he has eaten two devil fruits: Yami Yami no Mi, a Logia-type devil fruit, and Gura Gura no Mi, a paramecia-type devil fruit.
After the sad demise of Whitebeard during the Marineford Arc, he received the Emperor title from the World Government. During the time skip arc, he defeated the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates, taking most of Whitebeard’s territory.
Blackbeard Pirates have the most unbalanced and infamous members: Shiryu, Vasco Shot, Catarina Devon, and Sanjuan Wolf. For some reason, even former Marine Admiral Kuzan has affiliated himself with the Blackbeard Pirates as an ally.
He started his pirate journey as a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. After killing fellow pirate Thatch and stealing Yami Yami no Mi, he formed his own crew. Before becoming an emperor, he was a Warlord, replacing Crocodile for capturing Portgas D. Ace.
Blackbeard is the wanted man with a bounty of ฿3.966 billion berries.
3. Luffy (Bounty: ฿3 billion berries)
Monkey D. Luffy, or Straw Hat Luffy, is the protagonist of the One Piece series. He is the captain of the Strawhat Pirates and aims to become the Pirate King. He has a Paramecia Devil Fruit, Gomu Gomu no Mi, later revealed to be a mythical zone devil fruit, Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.
In the live-action adaptation of Netflix’s One Piece, Mexican actor Inaki Godoy has been playing the role of Luffy. He is joined by Russian actress Lera Abova as Nico Robin. The live-action adaptation of One Piece is currently on its second season, filled with a star-studded cast and characters.
Luffy’s crew members include Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook, and Jinbe. They have a combined bounty of ฿8.806 billion and a thousand berries. At the end of Dressrosa Arc, they gained a Straw Hat Grand Fleet consisting of 5,640 people.
Following the Whole Cake Island Arc events, Big News Morgan exaggerated the reports claiming Luffy had defeated the former Yonko Big Mom. He was dubbed the fifth Emperor of the sea. During the post-Wano arc, he officially obtained the title.
After defeating the former Emperor Kaido, the World Government assigned him a bounty of ฿3 billion berries.
4. Buggy (Bounty: ฿3.189 billion berries)
Buggy, or Buggy the Star Clown, is the captain of the Buggy Pirates. He has a Paramecia Devil Fruit, Bara Bara no Mi.
Before becoming a Yonko, he was a member of the Seven Warlords. He was considered the fourth Warlord after the downfall of the previous Yonkos, Kaido and Big Mom. Despite having a strong Devil Fruit, his lazy and stupid nature made him a weak pirate. Nonetheless, he is a member of Cross Guild, where Crocodile is the leader, and Mihawk is a member.
Prior to being captain of the Buggy Pirates, he and Shanks were pirate apprentices in the Roger Pirates. The two didn’t go to Laugh Tale due to Shanks remaining behind to care for Buggy as he became sick on the final island.
As one of the four Emperors, Buggy’s current bounty is ฿3.189 billion berries.
