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The latest One Piece issues have been, according to fans, some of the most exciting since the Onigashima Raid reached its conclusion months ago. Within the last two chapters, fans not only saw the end of the Wano arc but were given a wealth of information regarding the series’ newest group, the Cross Guild.
The Cross Guild was formed by One Piece fan-favorites Sir Crocodile, Dracule Mihawk, and Buggy the Clown, all of whom are identified as the group’s leaders (albeit with varying ranks). However, since their impressive introduction, which certainly put their power on display, fans are curious about where the organization finds itself in the series’ power structure.
Follow along as this article breaks down exactly where the group could sit in the contemporary One Piece power structure.
One Piece’s Cross Guild could be a replacement for Shichibukai on the side of lawlessness rather than allying with World Government
Where the Cross Guild is ranked
The group's history is one of the most significant factors to consider when discussing where the Cross Guild sits in the contemporary One Piece power structure. Both as an organization and when discussing its members, there are some impressive accolades and feats to go over.
Firstly, all three of the group's leaders were former Shichibukai, albeit with varying tenure lengths and exact timing of when they were in said roles. While the Yonko has undoubtedly stolen the spotlight in post-time-skip One Piece, the Shichibukai were, and still are, forces to be reckoned with even after losing their titles.
There's also the fact that the man identified as their leader, Buggy the Clown, has also become one of the four Yonko following the vacancy opened by Wano's events. Despite being incorrectly pegged as the group's leader (with Mihawk and Crocodile truly running the show), he received a Yonko title, lending more power and credibility to the Cross Guild.
On a similar note, Buggy used his former Shichibukai status to found and grow Buggy’s Delivery, a pirate mercenary company that saw great success early on. While this success was prevalent for quite some time, it faltered with the departure of Hajrudin and the other Giants after they defected to the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.
Nevertheless, the Cross Guild is built upon the foundation that is Buggy’s Delivery, giving the group even more credibility and respect due to their history. Similarly, Crocodile brings with him the expertise of having formerly run Baroque Works, a criminal syndicate he created to destabilize and conquer Alabasta.
While Mihawk doesn’t bring a similar level of underworld expertise with him, he does bring a storied past of combatting Marines, and doing so in a deadly efficient manner. It’s revealed during his Cross Guild reintroduction that his former epithet was “Marine Hunter,” alongside a massive bounty that is valued higher than even that of Buggy's.
With all of this in mind and the Cross Guild's new bounty system for Marines, the group is a force to be reckoned with. Its being established by three former Shichibukai primarily suggests that the group will see similar levels of strength to the Shichibukai group. However, there would be one key difference between each group's roles.
Whereas the Shichibukai were meant to be a balancing force in favor of the World Government, the Cross Guild will serve as a balancing force in favor of piracy and lawlessness. The organization's roots as a mercenary company, combined with criminal syndicate leadership and the new Marine bounty system, all indicate such a role to be played.
Therefore, in a way, fans can merely view them as the replacement for the Shichibukai in the Three Great Powers. However, whereas the balance between the original three groups is what maintained the World Government’s version of world peace, the balance of the new Three Great Powers will likely create an idyllic world for pirates and criminals.
Furthermore, the Cross Guild will likely only act in its own interests, aiding whichever pirate group is willing to give them the most enticing deal. This allows them to be opposing forces to the series’ heroes, the Straw Hats, while also maintaining a layer of separation from the antagonistic levels the World Government, Marines, and their allies reach.
However, this is only speculation, and any given One Piece chapter could completely debunk this theory regarding their role and position in the series' power structure. Contemporarily, however, all signs point to the revival of One Piece’s Three Great Powers in a new, criminally-oriented focus.
Be sure to keep up with all One Piece anime, manga, film, and live-action news as the year of the series’ 25th anniversary progresses.
