One of the newest Naval forces to form in the New World, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet is the fighting force under Luffy. Formed after the Dressrosan Revolution, these ten individuals, each with great power themselves, pledged themselves to the Straw Hat cause. Who are these strange people though, and why do they follow Luffy so faithfully?
This article contains spoilers for One Piece. Catch up through Viz or MangaPlus before reading further!
How Big is the Straw Hat Grand Fleet?
Massive, to put it bluntly. The Straw Hat Grand Fleet is one of the largest pirate alliances on the Grand Line, consisting of over five thousand members as of this time. Though they don’t all stay in the same place or path, each of the seven crews that make up the Fleet fly the Straw Hat flag. It signifies their bond as pirates under Luffy, and that they’ll be there to help each other whenever needed.
Each of the main representatives for the crews is incredibly strong on their own. These are made up of either the captains, or general representatives like Ideo, who leads an alliance of four from the Dressrosan Revolution. Meanwhile, others like the Yonta Maria Fleet carry the bulk of the Fleet, providing most of the ships and manpower. For clarification, crew size will be listed including the captain, for ease of keeping count.
Straw Hat Pirates
- Captain: Monkey D Luffy
- Crew Size: 10
Can’t have a fleet without someone to find it, and when Luffy takes down Doflamingo, he’s just the guy to get behind. Everyone he frees from the Dressrosa Coliseum pledges to follow him, even though Luffy would rather them do anything else than look to him as a leader. Still, he tells them to fly the Straw Hat Flag wherever they may need him, and he’ll do his best to get there as soon as possible. Everyone exchanges Vivre Cards, and now each of the Fleet Captains has a direct line to see if Luffy is in trouble.
Barto Club
- Captain: Bartolomeo the Cannibal
- Crew Size: 56
Luffy’s group of number-one fans jump at the chance to join his fleet, almost orchestrating the whole thing themselves. It’s their greatest dream come true, and they make it a quick mission to bring out as much sake as possible. This all stems back to Bartolomeo himself, a former mob boss in Loguetown who witnesses Luffy’s luck firsthand at the beginning of his journey. When they witness his near-death experience in the Loguetown square, right where Gold Roger was executed, it inspires Barto to take up piracy.
He does it in grand fashion too, creating a ship in the same style as Going Merry, but with Luffy instead of the goat at the helm. It’s terrifying, but hilariously adorable in a way. They’re fiercely loyal to Luffy, and take no chances when it comes to proving their worth to him. Barto even has all the Straw Hat Pirates wanted posters hanging up in the Captain’s quarters of his ship, the Going Merry. Lately, Barto has been making himself a nuisance in the eyes of Red Hair Shanks, burning his flags and replacing them with Luffy’s in his territory.
Beautiful Pirates
- Captain: Cavendish
- Crew Size: 75
Probably one of the most unexpected to join, Cavendish is the opposite of how vain he looks. He’s incredibly caring for others, making sure that the Straw Hats can accomplish their mission despite the risk to him. It’s more impressive because he manages to keep Hakuba, the demon living inside him, at bay the entire time. Cavendish proves to be a steadfast ally, and in return for saving him, he joins under Luffy’s flag.
The Beautiful Pirates are one of the larger single-ship crews out of the Straw Hat Fleet. They also come with horses like Durandel! Cavendish is one of the less chaotic of Luffy’s Fleet, but that doesn’t mean he’s not willing to make a scene whenever he needs to. Lately, he’s been seen doing good deeds for various beautiful women throughout the New World.
Happosui Navy
- Captain: Don Sai
- Crew Size: 1000
One of two massive fleets to join the Straw Hats, the Happosui are actually a full country’s Navy. Originally led by Don Chinjao, they now fall under the leadership of his son Don Sai. This also brings in the added power of Baby Five, the former Donquixote Family enforcer he marries after the arc. She’s an equally strong fighter to him, and her Arms-Arms Fruit allows her to create any ridiculous weapon she wants.
The Happosui Navy has the bonus of being invited to the Reverie, since Sai is the ruler of the country. This lets them meet up with some other Straw Hat allies in the process. It’s great seeing the Riku family again as well as Vivi and Shirahoshi. Sai almost has their Revery recognition revoked thanks to his unwillingness to stand by while Shirahoshi was being taken. It’s only thanks to the early intervention of Donquixote Myosgard that he and the Tontatta Pirates don’t end up as major criminals in Marijoa.
Yonta Maria Fleet
- Captain: Orlumbus
- Crew Size: 4300
Orlumbus is a famed explorer across every ocean, but especially in the New World. He has over 4300 sailors at his command, with over a hundred ships between them all, and some to spare for others. It’s this fleet that he pledges to the service of Straw Hat Luffy, despite not being the one allowed to make that decision. It doesn’t matter though, because he follows Luffy faithfully after he’s saved from Dressrosa.
Now Orlumbus continues his exploration, but flies the Straw Hat Flag proudly as he goes. Wherever his ships sail, he tries to do good for the people he meets, all because of the kindness that the Straw Hat Pirates gave him. Orlumbus by far seems to be the gentlest and kindest of the fleet, and his brief cover stories give a picture of an honorable man doing what he can to make the world better.
Ideo Pirates
- Captain: Ideo
- Crew Size: 4
Originally started as an alliance but later became the Ideo Pirates after a brief squabble over the captain. Ideo, the longarm boxer, leads the group which consists of Longleg Blue Gilley and brothers Abdullah and Jeet. They’re all formidable fighters, and were infamous throughout the New World for their incredible power in martial arts. Abdulla and Jeet are also just strange, as one has the Jacket-Jacket Fruit which allows his brother to wear him, having the strength of two men. Yeah, not sure what they were going for there, but it was definitely absurd.
Tontatta Pirates
- Captain: Leo
- Crew Size: 200
The fearless little people of Usoland, and temporary guards during the Reverie for the Riku family.. These little ones are actually more loyal to Usopp than Luffy, as they look at him as a literal God. Despite that, they still pledge their loyalty to the Straw Hats. Leo is their fearless leader, both in battle and leaving Usoland after he earns a bounty during the Dressrosan Revolution. The little fighter is one of the fiercest, doing anything to help even if it puts him in danger.
Tontatta Pirates were recently seen atop the Red Line, protecting the Riku Family during their passage to the Reverie. They’re incredibly close with the Happosui Navy since both are Straw Hat Fleet members, and also friendly with nearly everyone else they meet. Leo won’t hesitate to get into trouble though, and he’s ready to make a run at Saint Charlos just like Luffy did two years before.
New Giant Warrior Pirates
- Captain: Hajrudin
- Crew Size: 5
Hajrudin was a Giant Pirates, led by Dorry and Broggey who the Straw Hats meet in Little Garden. He’s been out on his feet as a mercenary since the two captains began their huge falling out. Recently he’s working for Buggy’s Delivery Service before his time in Dressrosa. He’s one of the best in the company, constantly delivering on mercenary contracts thanks to his huge size and power.
Despite the return of Dorry and Broggy from Little Garden, Hajrudin is continuing on with the New Giant Warrior Pirates. They may only have five members, but Hajrudin has some of the strongest giants from Elbaph today at his back. Giants have a notorious sense of pride and loyalty to others. He’ll absolutely set the tone for how far others are willing to go for the Straw Hat Pirates.
King Elizabello II
While he’s not a pirate captain by any sense of the word, King Elizabello is also loyal to Luffy. He’s the king of the country Prodence, a long-held alliance with the Dressrosan Riku Dynasty. Elizabello is also one of the strongest on the land, with a punch that can easily demolish buildings. It’s one of the few things that saves the Straw Hats, and helps them take down the Donquixote Family.
While Elizabello II and Riku Doldo are allies to the Straw Hats, being kings doesn’t allow them to be public. They still champion on the cause though, and strive to make peaceful solutions to problems across the world.
The Straw Hat Fleet is likely to grow in the coming arcs, with more and more hearing about Luffy’s accomplishments. There’s no way some previous pirates and characters won’t come back and take up the Straw Hat Flag before everything is said and done. More and more powerful warriors are flocking to the Emperors, and Luffy is about to see a huge swell in the numbers he commands.
