Everything One Piece fans know about Seraphims

Set on Egghead Island, the new arc of One Piece is exciting. With the reveal of Dr. Vegapunk's identity, the comeback of Lucci and Kaku, as well as the involvement of prominent figures such as Blackbeard, Rayleigh, Kizaru, and Garp, the narrative cues aren't lacking.

The Egghead arc also introduced One Piece fans to new fearsome characters, namely the Seraphims. As such, this article will delve deeper to discuss everything that is known about the Seraphims within the franchise.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1072 and reflects the writer's personal views.

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Seraphims are One Piece's strongest cyborgs

A basic overwiew regarding the Seraphims

S-Hawk, S-Snake, and S-Shark have been introduced in the recent chapters of One Piece (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, One Piece)

Seraphims are cyborgs built based on the Lineage Factor of former members of the Seven Warlords, whose childhood versions they resemble. These living weapons are further empowered by the peculiar powers of the Lunarian Tribe.

Seraphims were developed by the Marines' SSG (Special Science Group), an eponymous team and project led by Dr. Vegapunk, the greatest scientist in the One Piece world.

During the latest Levely, it was decided to abolish the Seven Warlords of the Sea, who were previously the allies of the Marines among the Three Great Powers. As such, Vegapunk created an upgraded version of the old Pacifista cyborgs.

Like the old Pacifistas, built on the image of Bartholomew Kuma, the Seraphims are cyborgs that closely mirror the looks of former Warlords, albeit in their childish appearance. However, Seraphims possess special enhancements, which make them far more powerful than Pacifistas.

To this day, four Seraphims have been revealed, each based on a former member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea:

• S-Hawk is based on Dracule Mihawk, the World's Strongest Swordsman.
• S-Snake is based on Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress of Amazon Lily.
• S-Bear is based on Bartholomew Kuma, a former revolutionary.
• S-Shark is based on Jinbe, a master of Fishmen Karate.

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Seraphims are incredibly strong hybrids between Warlords and Lunarians

Seraphims combine the peculiar abilities of the former Warlords with the rare powers of the Lunarian race (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, One Piece)

Aside from their resemblance to the former Warlords, another distinct feature of Seraphims is their Lunarian-like biology, featuring brown skin, white hair, black wings, and a flame burning on their backs. Except for S-Bear, who lacks irises and pupils, most Seraphims have star-shaped pupils.

Seraphims are clones who combine the signature powers of the Warlords with the special abilities of the Lunarian race. They are children, but they undergo an accelerated growth process. Additionally, Seraphims' bodies feature a substance called Green Blood, which can be instilled with the Lineage Factor, i.e., the genetic blueprint of an individual. A person's Lineage Factor could potentially transmit memories of the skills learned from the said individual.

Through the Lineage Factor of a certain Paramecia-user, a Seraphim can emulate the Devil Fruit abilities of the said user. S-Bear can use the powers of Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit, while S-Snake can use the powers of Boa Hancock's Love-Love Fruit.

While Jinbe doesn't possess a Devil Fruit power, his Seraphim S-Shark can use the powers of Swim-Swim Fruit. Using the liquified ground modified through his replicated Devil Fruit, S-Shark can also perform Fishman Karate, similar to Jinbe.

All Seraphims, like the original Pacifistas, can use a partial replica of the Glint-Glint Fruit created by Vegapunk. This allows them to use devastating fire lasers. As of now, S-Hawk, the Seraphim based on Mihawk, is the only one who hasn't been shown using a replicated Devil Fruit power.

However, S-Hawk has displayed incredibly powerful swordsmanship, wielding a sword that (albeit not being a Black Blade) somehow resembles Mihawk's Yoru. One of S-Hawk's slashes was enough to split Amazon Lily's biggest mountain in half.

Even Blackbeard, one of the Four Emperors and a remarkably resilient individual, was forced to cover himself in Armament Haki to withstand S-Hawk's attack without getting damaged. Due to their bodies being enhanced with Lunarian traits, Seraphims possess incredible durability. Furthermore, they can trade some of their impressive toughness in exchange for boosting their speed.

Lunarians were people native to the Red Line. Their tribe has now disappeared under circumstances that are yet to be revealed. Interestingly enough, the World Government rewards anyone who gives information about the whereabouts of a Lunarian survivor with an enormous sum of 150 million berries.

To this day, Alber is the only known survivor of the Lunarian race. Initially held captive by the World Government, he was recruited by Kaido, who made him his second-in-command and assigned him the name "King" to emphasize his fearsome fighting capabilities.

As such, Alber became King, i.e., Kaido's right-hand man and his strongest and most loyal subordinate. Several years later, he was brutally defeated by Zoro, who also maimed his body. Mutilated and weakened after the beating, King was brutalized by Admiral Ryokugyu. His current state remains unknown in One Piece.

Owing to the innate Lunarian ability to create and manipulate fire, King was able to infuse his limbs with flames, enhancing his punches, kicks, and slashes. He could also unleash powerful fire blasts with massive range.

King's flames were akin to magma, which in the One Piece world is stronger than normal fire. This skill granted him the moniker of "Wildfire." To this day, it is unknown if Lunarian fire is inherently comparable to magma or if King was the only member of his race who could conjure such a powerful flame.

Lunarians were famous for their incredible resistance, which allowed them to survive in any situation and environment. Using the flame burning on their backs, they could endure immensely powerful attacks without receiving any injury. This earned the Lunarians a reputation for being a race of gods.

King's Lunarian body enabled him to withstand devastating attacks without shedding a single drop of blood. In fact, he was able to come out unscathed from Zoro's attacks, which were strong enough to cut Kaido's tough dragon scales and wound the Emperor in the process.

To successfully hurt King, Zoro needed to unleash the outstanding power of Advanced Conqueror's Haki, an asset that Kaido described as the ability of the strongest One Piece characters.

King's Lunarian capabilities were incredible. Possessing the same traits as Kaido's right-hand man, Seraphims should be able to replicate his feats. However, they are children who still have to grow, so they might need some time to reach King's level. Admittedly, they are already very powerful.

Owing to their Lunarian powers, S-Snake and S-Hawk have been able to come out unscathed after the siege of Amazon Lily, an island full of Armament Haki users. The two Seraphims could successfully tank Blackbeard's attacks, although the Emperor likely didn't use his strongest moves on that issue.

S-Shark was able to endure a direct hit from Sanji's Diable Jambe without sustaining any damage. The cyborg immediately continued to fight after being struck. S-Shark's resilience was only threatened by Franky's Radical Beam, but only because the cyborg had not been tested against lasers yet.

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Seraphims' role within One Piece's narration

S-Snake, the Seraphim based on Boa Hancock (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, One Piece)

Seraphims first appeared in One Piece chapter 1059, during a flashback regarding the siege of Amazon Lily, where both Blackbeard and a group of Marines tried, with different intents, to capture Boa Hancock and the Kuja.

S-Hawk and S-Snake backed up the Marines, helping them corner the Kuja. With the sudden arrival of the Blackbeard Pirates, S-Hawk took action against the intruders. By the end of the battle, they retreated. It was noted that they didn't suffer any damage.

Since their introduction, Seraphims have been shown executing their duties in a robotic manner, depending on the direct orders they receive. They attack without restraint, not stopping their charge even if it potentially endangers bystanding allies.

Seraphims are programmed only to obey direct orders from (in this specific hierarchical order) the Five Elders, Dr Vegapunk, and Sentomaru. Anyone else, CP0 agents included, has to be in possession of an "authority chip" to command them.

CP0 agents, who arrived on Egghead Island tasked with the mission of killing Dr Vegapunk, were in a dire situation when S-Snake and S-Hawk were deployed against them as the scientist's defensive countermeasures.

Moreover, Sentomaru overrode their command over S-Bear and had the cyborg turn against them. Lucci, though, suddenly attacked Sentomaru, grievously injuring him. As a result, CP0 quickly obtained full command over the Seraphims.

Interestingly enough, despite being artificial creations, Seraphims have a biological nature, which allows them to express themselves through speech. However, the level of their personal feelings and reasoning is yet to be fully revealed.

Regardless, if Seraphims have a biological nature, they should be able to age, becoming stronger as they mature. Due to the many impressive powers they are equipped with, as well as their ability to improve themselves further, Vegapunk declared the Seraphims to be "the strongest form of humanity."

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Final Thoughts

It's highly feasible that Vegapunk has created a Seraphim clone for each former Warlord (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, One Piece)

At the moment, only four Seraphims have been revealed, but it's likely that Vegapunk created a cyborg for each of the former members of the Seven Warlords.

To this day, it can be said that the World Government won their bet. Seraphims are comparable in strength to most Warlords due to the combination of their signature abilities and the outstanding powers of the Lunarian race.

Moreover, while Warlords are often considered unreliable due to their tendency at looking after their own interests, Seraphims are dependable, given their nature as cyborgs, i.e., living weapons.

Seraphims generated massive interest among One Piece fans, which is why readers would be interested in seeing a 1v1 fight between a Seraphim and a Warlord. Hopefully, One Piece author Eiichiro Oda will be able to fulfill the narrative potential of his new creation.