[One Piece] Don Krieg Was the Most “Pirate-Like” Pirate — What Early One Piece Had That We Lost
Arlong
Don Krieg (2018/06) — Was He Actually the Last Real Pirate in One Piece?
One Piece is full of monsters, gods, and superpowers now. But was it always this way — and should it have been? Japanese fans are re-examining Don Krieg and asking what “pirate” really meant back then.
Fighting on the Sea — A Forgotten Element
1: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 The fact that they actually fought on the sea was a big plus.
2: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 There really aren’t many sea battles in this manga, even now that I think about it.
3: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 >>2 Most pirate crews are basically done if the captain or officers fall into the sea…
6: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 >>2 Anyone above a certain strength just destroys the ship and ends the fight, so there’s probably an unspoken rule. Krieg using poison gas meant he ignored all that.
29: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 >>2 Even now people casually walk in the air, swim, or fly, so there’s zero sense of tension anymore.
4: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 “MH5” is the one poison gas move name I still clearly remember.
Don Krieg: “Poison Gas Bomb!!!” “M.H.5!!!”
What Makes a “Real” Pirate?
7: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 If you rely on Devil Fruits, are you even a proper pirate? Pirates should fight on the sea.
8: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 Luffy charging in while spears were raining down and punching through a spiked cloak was badass.
Luffy: “Bullet!!!!”
Power Scaling and Survival Feats
12: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 Marineford was fine since it was on frozen ocean.
13: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 He even had an invincible guy among his subordinates.
Krieg Pirates Second Unit Commander “Iron Wall” Pearl
Pearl: “Ha—ha—ha—ha—ha!!! Iron Wall!!!!” “Which means I’m invincible!!!!!”
15: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 Crossed the Calm Belt with all 50 ships intact ↓ Survived six full days in the Grand Line with all 50 ships ↓ Met Mihawk, lost 49 ships and had the flagship wrecked — yet still crossed the Calm Belt again with around 100 crew alive The Calm Belt couldn’t even be navigated by Nami, who’s said to be a top-class navigator…
Krieg Pirates / Chief Combat Commander Gin: “By just one man… (Mihawk)” “Our fleet of 50 ships was completely wiped out…!!!!”
Mihawk’s Interest and Implied Threat
16: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 A pirate crew strong enough to reach the New World without relying on Devil Fruits or Haki — the ideal pirate.
17: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 Mihawk chasing him for almost a full week and even crossing the Grand Line just to do it means he sensed something dangerous about Krieg.
Dirty Tactics and Old-School Combat
19: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 Nobody uses terrain advantages in fights anymore like they used to back then.
22: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 Which poison gas was stronger — Caesar’s or Krieg’s?
Changing Tone and Legacy Characters
23: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 Arlong became kind of a pitiful character once his past got dug up later.
Arlong: “Kill me!!!” Jinbe: “……..” Arlong: “If you can’t do it… then I’m free……….” Jinbe: “……..” Arlong: “I am the rage of the Fish-Men!!!!” Jinbe: “Don’t get cocky!!!!!” THUD!!
25: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 I hate Arlong’s “tragic past” backstory.
26: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 This is how pirates are supposed to be.
Arlong: “Greetings, you worthless humans!!!!!!!!” “From this very moment!!!!!! This village—no, this entire island—belongs to us!!!!!!!”
28: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/14 Exactly. Kid feels pirate-like too, which is why he’s a great character.
Eustass Kid: “It’s starting!!!!” “A new era that nobody’s ever seen!!!!”
“Die or live!!! If you don’t even have that kind of resolve!!!!” “Then don’t you dare come to this sea!!!!!”
Japanese fans don’t praise Don Krieg because he was strong. They respect him because he fought dirty, used the sea itself as a battlefield, and ignored the unspoken “rules” that later One Piece quietly adopted. In hindsight, that made him feel more like a real pirate than many stronger characters.
👉 What “Pirate-Like” Actually Means
To these fans, being pirate-like isn’t about power levels or flashy abilities. It’s about risk, environment, underhanded tactics, and survival. Don Krieg represents an era when the sea was still dangerous — and victory wasn’t clean.
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