5 – SHANKS & BENN BECKMAN (RED HAIR PIRATES)
The Red Hair Pirates are an infamous and powerful pirate crew ruling in the New World, led by their captain, Red-Haired Shanks, who is one of the Yonko.
The Red Hair Pirates are the main influences of both Luffy (Shanks inspired Luffy) and Usopp (wants to become a brave warrior of the sea like his father Yasopp) journeys.
Benn Beckman is the first mate of the crew and the right-hand man of Shanks. He appears to be a lot less fun-loving and a lot more relaxed than the other members of the crew are, acting as the level-headed member. He seems amazed at the actions of his captain, such as panicking when Luffy was taken or getting even more drunk while already hungover when Mihawk brought news of Luffy’s new bounty. He is one of the three members of the crew who always appear with Shanks.
4 – MONKEY D. LUFFY & RORONOA ZORO (STRAW HAT PIRATES)
Monkey D. Luffy is the founder and captain of the increasingly infamous and powerful Straw Hat Pirates.
The first crew mate to join the Straw Hat Pirates was Zoro, a bounty hunter who decided to serve under Luffy as a pirate after he saved his life from a dishonorable death at the hands of a corrupt Marine, but vowed if Luffy ever got in the way of his ambition, he will kill him. Later in the series, they have developed a very close bond which is underlined by their tremendous amount of trust and respect for one another, to the point where Zoro is willing to die for Luffy’s dream to become Pirate King and sacrifice his own dream of becoming the world’s greatest swordsman.
3 – EUSTASS KID & KILLER (KID PIRATES)
The Kid Pirates are an infamous and notable rookie pirate crew introduced during the Sabaody Archipelago Arc led by Eustass Kid.
Both Kid and his first crew mate Killer grew up together, so they share a close bond that goes back to childhood. Kid refers to Killer as his partner and is aware that the latter is sensitive about his own strange laugh, which is why, despite being unaware about Killer having eaten a defective SMILE, he knew something was wrong with his subordinate. This was enough for Kid to attempt a reckless rescue of his friend, which led to his second capture from the Beasts Pirates after managing to escape the first time.
Killer usually acts as the voice of reason for his captain, making sure Kid stays focused and does not lose sight of his goals due to impulsiveness.
We often celebrate Zoro and his dedication, support and loyalty to Luffy but Killer definitely doesn’t get enough credit for being all those things to Kid. It was due to Kid’s life being in danger that Killer ate a defective SMILE fruit and became a subordinate of Kurozumi Orochi. He was also willing to die in the fight against Hawkins in order to save his Captain. He is the ultimate First Mate.
2 – EDWARD NEWGATE “WHITEBEARD” & MARCO THE PHOENIX (WHITEBEARD PIRATES)
The Whitebeard Pirates were formerly one of the strongest pirate crews in the world, as their late captain, Whitebeard, was the only pirate to have ever been a match for the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, in a fight.
Whitebeard considered every single member of his crew, as well as his subordinate crews, his “sons”. His strong love for his crew and subordinate crews traced all the way back to before he even had a crew, when he stated that the one thing he wanted more than anything was a family.
Marco had a very strong bond with Whitebeard. So strong was their bond, it seemed very similar to a captain and first mate relationship, much like the one of Gol D. Roger and Silvers Rayleigh. This can be indicated by Marco’s position as 1st division commander. Also, during the Battle of Marineford, Marco stood at Whitebeard’s side almost the entire time in the early stages of the battle. Marco was also the first and only crewmate who rushed to Whitebeard’s aid, after Whitebeard was stabbed by Squard and during his battle with Akainu. Later, Marco attempted to assist his captain in fighting Blackbeard, but was ultimately ordered to stand down. Marco, along with his crewmates, considered Whitebeard their “father” much in the same way the great pirate considered them his “children”.
1 – GOL D. ROGER & SILVERS RAYLEIGH (ROGER PIRATES)
The Roger Pirates were the pirate crew of the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and were the only crew to ever reach Laugh Tale, the end of the New World in the Grand Line.
Silvers Rayleigh, also known as the “Dark King”, is the former first mate of the crew, known as the “Right Hand of the Pirate King”.
Rayleigh had an incredibly close relationship with Roger, to the point where he was called ‘partner’ by the Pirate King. After the man gave himself to the Marines, Rayleigh was unable to bring himself to directly witness the execution of his closest friend. He toasted a drink to the man with both tears and laughter as the blades passed, and downed a glass as his first act in the Great Age of Piracy, the Age of Dreams.
