The de facto leader of the shadowy Cipher Pol 0, Rob Lucci is an enigmatic figure in the One Piece story. A killer with no remorse or qualms about who he murders, Lucci is a monster of the highest order. So how did the strange, dangerous Rob Lucci come to be, and why is he so devoted to the Gorosei?
Fair warning, this article contains spoilers for One Piece through chapter 1090. The manga is available online through Mangaplus and Viz. Catch up, or proceed with caution!
Who is Rob Lucci?
The stone-cold leader of Cipher Pol 9 during ground operations, Rob Lucci is one of the deadliest enemies the Straw Hats face. He’s a killer, trained in espionage and the deadly Six Powers from his time as a child. Lucci was born to be bloodthirsty, and he proves it time and time again while going further than necessary in battles against Luffy.
Despite how murderous he is, Lucci is also a skilled shipwright thanks to his time undercover at Galley-La Company. He’s a savant of sorts, picking up knowledge and talents everywhere and honing them to his best abilities. Rob Lucci by far is someone who appears as a gentleman, but is truly an emotionless, bloodthirsty monster underneath. He even has a pet pigeon named Hattori that rides on his shoulder and Lucci makes him talk with ventriloquism!
How Did Rob Lucci Join Cipher Pol?
He was born a weapon, raised from childhood as a perfect assassin for the World Government. In his childhood he took out an entire pirate crew that was holding an island hostage, doing what dozens before him had failed at. Lucci takes the World Government’s sigil as a brand on his back, and it eternally reminds him of who his masters truly are. That said, Rob Lucci is benefitting just as much from his role with Cipher Pol 9 and CP0 as the Gorosei are though, because it allows him to do what he loves most.
A killer through and through, Lucci takes delight in his job as an assassin for Cipher Pol. Priding himself on his clean work, Lucci, though a man of few words, always gets the job done when he’s given a target. Except in the case of Nico Robin, of course, but it’s not like he didn’t give his all in the fight against Straw Hat Luffy.
Does Rob Lucci Have Powers?
Deadly in more than one way, Rob Lucci is a master of the Six Powers art used by members of the Navy and Cipher Pol. This includes the Finger Gun, Iron Body, and Shave abilities among others. Not only that, Lucci is a master of all Six Powers, which allows him to use the ultimate secret art of the Six Gun. It’s a deadly ability, and very few are able to use it effectively in battle due to its difficulty.
While his Six Powers mastery is great as is, Lucci benefits from his Devil Fruit ability even more. He ate the Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Leopard, which allows him to take on the usual Zoan transformations. His hybrid form is incredibly dangerous, changing Lucci into a hulking leopard man with claws and fangs that shred skin like confetti paper. In the Egghead Island arc, he Awakens his Devil Fruit as well, giving way to an even leaner and meaner hybrid beast form.
Enies Lobby
Rob Lucci is first introduced as one of the Galley-La Shipwrights of Water 7. He works under Iceberg as one of his dockhands, in charge of one of the various arts involved in shipbuilding. Turns out this is just deep, deep cover for the espionage experts. Rob Lucci and other Cipher Pol 9 members are infiltrating Galley-La to steal the Pluton plans from Iceberg. It’s dastardly, and they almost pull it off along with assassinating Iceberg, but he doesn’t have the plans.
Instead, they capture Franky and Nico Robin, bringing them to the Gates of Justice at Enies Lobby. They plan on bringing them in for execution, and Lucci is their escort while Spandam takes all the credit for it. Everything comes crashing down thanks to Luffy and the other Straw Hats though, as Lucci is defeated in a vicious battle. Despite his Devil Fruit and Six Powers mastery, he’s brought down by Luffy’s Gear Third attacks along with the rest of Enies Lobby.
Reverie
To many fans’ surprise, Lucci and CP9 came back with a promotion and new fashion in the Reverie arc. They were there as special protection to the Celestial Dragons during the Reverie, also serving as guards during the meetings. They’re still bastards though, as Saint Charlos sees Shirahoshi the mermaid princess, demanding Lucci take her as a slave.
The asshole complies, saying he can’t turn down a god’s command, but stops by order of Saint Donquixote Myosgard. Lucci backs off, but is still there in the background of the Reverie, an ever-present guardian of the Gorosei’s interests.
Egghead Island
The Straw Hats’ arrival on Egghead Island really was a streak of bad timing one thing after another. They get there to find Jewelry Bonney in trouble. Even worse, one of Vegapunk’s clones is a traitor, and Cipher Pol Aegis 0 wants Vegapunk dead. They’re in an awkward position when York turns the Seraphim loose on them. Rob Lucci unveils his Devil Fruit Awakening against a Gear Fifth-powered Luffy, too! Even that isn’t enough for him to pull out the win against the ridiculous power.
Even worse is when the Seraphim attack, Lucci finds himself teaming up with the Straw Hats just to survive. Now they’re in the upper sphere of Egghead Island with the Navy on all sides. Lucci, though cooperative, doesn’t seem to be going along with everyone else. Something is up, and he’s feeding information to the Gorosei. More curious, he’s expressing interest in the Void Century, which could make him a potential target for assassination himself.
Wherever Lucci goes in the final saga of One Piece, there’s bound to be something interesting happening. He’s been a mystery since his introduction in Water 7, and prevails as a fan-favorite villain to this day. Despite his status as an enemy, it’s entirely possible Rob Lucci could align with the Straw Hats. Only time will tell as One Piece continues its final saga!
