One Piece has gone through yet another transfer of power in The New World, with two Emperors being toppled by the combined forces of the Straw Hat alliance during a vicious battle in Wano Country. Of course, with Luffy, Blackbeard, and Shanks occupying three of the spots, there needs to be one more Emperor to balance the power, and who better to fill that role than Buggy the Clown and his new Cross Guild?
Now, with One Piece reaching a conclusion and Cross Guild set as one of the primary factions in the race to the final island of Laugh Tale, how will the alliance of former Warlords grow, and who could join them?
Buggy the Clown
- Public Figurehead of Cross Guild, Emperor of the Sea
- Bounty: 3.198 Billion Berries
- Ability: Chop-Chop Fruit and a lot of luck.
- Contributes a small pirate army and his Buggy Pirates.
Buggy has been around in the series longer than most of the Straw Hat crew, making his debut all the way back in One Piece’s Orange Town arc as he menaced the town with his band of Circus performers. While Luffy was able to dispatch him after a somewhat tough fight, Buggy pulled himself back together (literally) and chased his new enemy into the Grand Line, Unfortunately, it wouldn’t take long for him to end up stuck in the Navy’s infamous underwater prison, Impel Down.
If creator Eichiro Oda has proved one thing, it’s that Buggy is tenacious and will use any situation to his advantage. After breaking out of Impel Down alongside Luffy and the other prisoners heading for the battle at Marineford, he gained infamy and was offered a Seven Warlords position, joining others like DonQuixote Doflamingo and the swordsman Hawkeye Mihawk. While they would lose the Warlord title after the practice was demolished by the Reverie, Albasta’s would-be dictator Crocodile and Hawkeye decided to team up. While the Navy mounts an all-out assault on Buggy and his mercenary business, Crocodile happens by and saves him at the last minute, with Buggy offering his resources in return for protection.
As usual, Buggy fails upward into the position of Emperor as he, Crocodile, and Mihawk form One Piece’s newest fighting power, Cross Guild. Buggy’s men, blinded by adoration for him, assume he’s the leader and draw the poster’s with their beloved captain front and center. Naturally, Croc and Mihawk decide to beat the hell out of Buggy before deciding to use this to their advantage, using the clown as a distraction for their activities. Buggy, being the pushover he really is, rolls with this so they don’t kill him.
Sir Crocodile
- Former Member of Seven Warlords
- Bounty: 1.965 Billion Berries
- Powers: Sand-Sand Fruit, Haki (Unconfirmed)
- Also brings former Baroque Works members Daz Bones and Mr. 3.
Croc was the first major, overarching bad guy of One Piece and is still a fan favorite now as a member of Cross Guild. Crocodile acts as one of the Chief Officers, taking a partnership role with Mihawk while Buggy takes the brunt of the Navy’s anger. While he was last seen during the Marineford arc, Crocodile has been a busy man since doing time in Impel Down.
After Marineford Crocodile managed to escape the Navy and settle into the New World, laying low for a while instead of seeking out new opportunities. One thing he did, however, was lend Buggy the money to start Buggy’s Delivery, the mercenary service that helped Buggy maintain his status as one of the Seven Warlords. It was this loan that would eventually set Cross Guild in motion, with Crocodile intending to collect after hearing about the Seven Warlords’ dissolution after Doflamingo was defeated.
Knowing pirates were all fair game for the government, Crocodile tracked down Dracule Mihawk, proposing the Cross Guild and intending to start it from scratch with the money Buggy owed him. Obviously, Buggy didn’t have the money and instead gave the two ships and crews to save his own life.
Crocodile brings a savvy businessman quality to the Cross Guild, knowing how to operate a large network of mercenaries and killers just as he did with Baroque Works, but now with the foresight to make someone else the public face of leadership instead of himself, avoiding the secrecy of Baroque Works while still pulling strings in the background.
Dracule “Hawkeye” Mihawk
- Former Seven Warlords, Chief Officer of Cross Guild
- Bounty: 3.95 Billion Berries
- Master Swordsman, Haki user.
- Followed by Perona, Gecko Moria’s former subordinate.
The World’s Greatest Swordsman was a dangerous pirate before joining the Seven Warlords, originally hunting down Marines for sport during his early days. While it certainly contributed to that massive bounty, the World Government eventually offered him amnesty as a Warlord, leading to Mihawk seeking out other powerful adversaries to fight.
While he seems to have no interest in obtaining the One Piece, Mihawk seems mostly bored and desires a decent fight. Shanks was once his equal in swordsmanship, but since losing his arm to save Luffy they’ve stopped fighting, with the two still sharing stories and information on mostly friendly terms. While Mihawk does seem to be above most other fights, he has made exceptions for Zolo as the young Pirate Hunter strives to defeat him.
Mihawk is still the most mysterious member of Cross Guild though, with the least amount of time devoted to him in both the manga and anime. While his intentions are still not completely clear, he’s willing to go along for the journey to Laugh Tale despite agreeing with Crocodile that being a pirate is more of a business than anything. Even though he teams with Crocodile to deter attacks against them, he wouldn’t be past dropping Cross Guild at any time and betraying his former allies to meet his goal, whatever it may be.
Who Else Could Join Cross Guild?
These are just the main three leaders of One Piece’s Cross Guild, with more likely to join before everyone collides in a clash to determine the fate of not just the New World, but the Grand Line and beyond. Fans speculate that former Warlords will join up over time, with Gecko Moria’s whereabouts still unknown and Doflamingo still locked up in Impel Down though it may be difficult bringing everyone to the same place.
Will the combined power of the three former Warlords be enough to reach Laugh Tale? That remains to be seen, but they’ll at least put up one hell of a fight to get there, with each bringing their own brand of danger and chaos to the race. One thing is for sure, One Piece’s explosive final battle will no doubt involve the new Cross Guild in some way.
