One Piece: How does the bounty system work?

Bounties have always been a hypeworthy part of the One Piece series.

The World Government wants a lawful society where everybody follows orders. Of course, that isn't going to be easy with criminals lying around. On behalf of the government, the Marines have issued bounty posters for anybody causing trouble. Higher bounties typically indicate a massive amount of strength.

This is a source of pride for many pirates in the One Piece series. Luffy and his fellow crewmates love displaying these posters in their own sleeping quarters. The bounty system is a great way to hype up One Piece characters.

Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.

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How do bounties work in the One Piece series? Here's a definitive answer

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The World Government issues them for potential threats

Bounties provide a financial inventive in capturing certain criminals. Posters will indicate whether or not a person should be "Dead or Alive." Bounty hunters will be paid in bellies, the main currency of the One Piece world.

According to Aokiji, bounties are meant to reflect someone's threat level. This often refers to a person's combat skills, but that's not the only factor. The following criminal activities can also result in a bounty:

• Go up against the World Government (e.g. Monkey D. Luffy)
• Attempting to learn about the Void Century (Nico Robin)
• Causing civilian casualties (Eustass Kid)
• Severe property damage (Edward Newgate, ala Whitebeard)
• Inspiring criminal actions (Monkey D. Dragon and the Revolutionary Army)
• Association with a prominent criminal (anybody in the Roger Pirates)

Bounties can also be increased if further action has been taken. Luffy started off with a measly bounty of 30,000,000 bellies. By the time he arrived in Wano Country, he now had a bounty of 1,500,000,000 bellies. Luffy has caused so much trouble for the World Government over the years.

It's unknown where the bounties are supposed to be claimed. What is known is that pirates are excluded from this reward system.

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New World pirates has a much higher bounty average

The Grand Line is what divides two major sections of the world. In terms of bounty average, Paradise criminals have a significantly lower value than New World pirates. Here's an example of relatively low bounties in Paradise:

• Buggy the Clown: 15,000,000
• Don Krieg: 17,000,000
• Arlong: 20,000,000

Compare this with the following New World pirates:

• Caesar Clown: 300,000,000
• Charlotte Katakuri: 1,057,000,000
• Kaido: 4,611,100,000

A bounty slightly over 100,000,000 is also nothing in the New World. For example, Caribou had a bounty of 210,000,000 bellies. However, during Fishman Island, he was easily defeated by Pekoms of the Big Mom Pirates.

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How are bounty pictures taken?

All bounty posters need a picture for indentification purposes. The Marines used to hire a photographer known as Attach, who supplied them with images of various criminals. These pictures would be used for official bounty posters in the One Piece series.

Attach can apparently sneak anywhere, considering he took pictures of Kaido and Big Mom. However, the photographer was prone to making several mistakes, such as forgetting to remove the lens cap for Sanji's photo.

The Marines eventually dismissed Attach during the timeskip. He proceeded to work for the World Economic Journal. It's currently unknown who will take the bounty pictures for the Marines now.

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Bounties aren't always accurate measures of strength

One Piece bounties are generally reliable in protraying a person's strength. However, there are a few exceptions where that isn't the case.

For example, back in Sabaody Archipelago, Eustass Kid only had the highest bounty among the Worst Generation, simply because he causes a lot of damage. Luffy defeating Gecko Moria in Thriller Bark was also covered up, which meant his bounty measurements weren't accurate.

Bounties also depend on the government's knowledge of the criminal in question. One Piece fans already know that Chopper is a crucial member of the Straw Hats. Unfortunately, because he is mistaken as a cute pet, he was given a pathetic bounty of 50 bellies.

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