One Piece stars Monkey D. Luffy, a young pirate whose body gained the properties of rubber after eating a Devil Fruit. He now explores the open seas with his pirate crew, the Straw Hats, in search of the world’s most revered treasure, and he dreams of becoming the next Pirate King. One Piece is full of action and adventure, and the show’s fantasy elements have also given it phenomenal world-building.

Over the course of One Piece‘s 1,000 episodes and counting, the series has explored all areas of its vast world, going well beyond just the scope of Luffy’s adventures. One of the lesser known races in One Piece is the Buccaneers, and these nearly-extinct humanoids are known for their large size and immense strength. Their tragic history has kept them in hiding during Luffy’s adventures — and the young Straw Hat may soon end up discovering he has a connection to the race that allows him to free them from their troubles.

Who Are One Piece’s Buccaneers?

The Nearly-Extinct Race isn’t Very Well Known in The Show’s Mythos

One Piece’s Buccaneers aren’t as well-known as some of the other races and tribes in the franchise, and a lot of the lore behind them has only been coming to light in more recent chapters of the manga series. Buccaneers are considered to be a humanoid race, taller than humans but smaller than giants. They often appear nearly identical to humans, and may just be mistaken for a “large-sized” human by someone with an untrained eye.

In reality, the Buccaneers have different blood from humans, so even though they cannot be easily distinguished on appearance alone, a blood test can reveal a person’s true lineage. The race carries the blood of the giants, and so the Buccaneers may even be a mixed-race. Characters like Bartholomew Kuma, who have one buccaneer parent and one human parent, are still referred to as Buccaneers, suggesting that even a drop of the race’s blood may be enough for the offspring to suffer the tragic fate the race has been doomed to.

What is the Fate of the Buccaneers?

The Race Stays Hidden to Avoid Terrible Persecution

The Buccaneers share a common fate with many other One Piece characters — they suffer directly at the hands of the World Government for dubious reasons that remain unclear. The villainous government claims that the Buccaneers have committed a “great crime” against the entire world in the past, and the only way for them to atone for this is to be forced into slavery for the World Nobles or put to death.

It’s very difficult to trust the Five Elders and the rest of the World Government, making it very likely that the Buccaneers never committed such heinous acts. Nonetheless, they have suffered as a result of the government’s claims, and the race is now very close to extinction.

The Lunarians and the Three-Eyed Tribe are other examples of One Piece’s races who are nearly-extinct, and the Lunarians in particular have also been hunted by the World Government. It remains to be seen if there may be a connection between the three races hidden somewhere in One Piece’s history that the government has been covering up for centuries.

The Buccaneers May Have a Hidden Strength

Dr. Vegapunk Has Hinted That There is Something Special Within the Race

The Buccaneer race is known for its impressive physical strength, even as children. In Ch. 1,095 of the One Piece manga, Bartholomew Kuma’s family is enslaved for being Buccaneers, and the extent of their strength is shown. The Buccaneers have incredibly durable bodies, capable of withstanding massive damage.

The strength and resolve of the Buccaneers is one of the reasons why Kuma has been such a tough opponent for Luffy to take on in battle throughout the series. However, it appears that there may be more than just raw strength that makes the Buccaneers so special.

In Ch. 1,104, the genius Doctor Vegapunk implies that the Buccaneers have something other than just physical strength that sets them apart. This was likely a factor in why Kuma was able to continue acting and did not make a total shutdown, even after the kill-switch Vegapunk implemented in him was activated. The exact reason for Kuma’s override is still a mystery, but his Buccaneer blood may be a part of the answer.

Bartholomew Kuma is the Last Surviving Buccaneer

The Vicious Pirate is Enslaved to the World Nobles in One Piece’s Story

The most familiar Buccaneer that fans of One Piece will recognize is Bartholomew Kuma, the former member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea who has been enslaved by the World Nobles. Kuma was a major antagonist during One Piece’s Thriller Bark and Sabadoy Archipelago arcs, though the character has later gone on to be an ally to the Straw Hats during the Egghead Arc of the Final Saga.

Kuma’s mother was a human and his father, Clapp, was a Buccaneer. After the death of Kuma’s mother, the family of Buccaneers lived together in the Sorbet Kingdom until they were captured and enslaved by the World Government in Mary Geoise. Kuma has always hated the World Government for enslaving him and the rest of his family.

Kuma’s father was shown as being dedicated to his family even after his wife’s death, which hints that the Buccaneers are not the cruel and wicked race that the World Government paints them as. Clapp later died at the hands of one of the World Nobles who enslaved him, leaving Kuma the last living Buccaneer that has been identified in One Piece’s story.

The Buccaneers Have Been Cloned for Nefarious Purposes

Vegapunk’s Pacifista Units Carry Kuma’s Buccaneer Blood

Although Bartholomew Kuma may be the last surviving member of the Buccaneer race, the blood of the tribe lives on through artificial means. Dr. Vegapunk developed the Pacfisita as human weapons for the Marines, using Kuma as the prototype for the project. The Pacfisita are clones of Kuma that are cybernetically enhanced, making them even stronger and more powerful than Kuma himself.

Of the Pacfisita, S-Bear is one of the elite Seraphim units cloned from Bartholomew Kuma. S-Bear serves as one of the antagonists in the Egghead Arc, and he resembles Kuma as a child while also possessing traits from the Lunarian race, indicating that the World Government does have some sinister connection behind their hunting of the Buccaneers and Lunarians.

S-Bear and the other Seraphim and Pacifista units are artificial creations, and they are entirely loyal to those who have authority over them. While they have the incredible power of the Buccaneers, they seem to lack free will, obeying commands like a typical enslaved Buccaneer would be forced to. With the Buccaneers nearing extinction, the World Government appears to have cruelly cloned them as a means to keep the powerful race enslaved to do their bidding, proving that One Piece’s evil government will do just about anything to maintain its power over the world.

Luffy Has a Striking Connection to the Buccaneers

The Buccaneers Have Incredible Faith in the Sun God Nika

One Piece’s manga made a striking connection between Monkey D. Luffy and the Buccaneer race when exploring Bartholomew Kuma’s past in Ch. 1,095. The Buccaneers believe in the legend of the Sun God Nika and have passed the story of Nika down for many generations. The race reveres Nika as a divine figure who brings joy and freedom to the world. The World Government’s intense hatred for Nika may be one of the reasons they seek to enslave the entire race of Buccaneers.

Even Kuma’s father, Clapp, would often tell his son stories of Nika, where the Sun God was a slave liberator in the race’s folklore. Clapp enjoyed sharing the legend of Nika with Kuma, and it’s very likely that One Piece’s Final Saga will explore Luffy taking on the role of liberator for the Buccaneers, with the true powers of his Devil Fruit recently being revealed and granting him the powers of the mythical Sun God.

The Buccaneers have suffered unnecessarily at the hands of the World Government, just like many other characters throughout One Piece’s story. With Kuma being the last known surviving member of the race, it may be unlikely that Luffy can bring the Buccaneers back to prosperity — but it seems highly probable that One Piece’s story is setting him up to assume the role of the Sun God Nika and liberate them. With many of the Buccaneers living in hiding and being almost identical to large-sized humans, it’s entirely possible there are other Buccaneers out there, and once Luffy overthrows the World Government, they may no longer have to live in constant fear any longer.