Ancient Pirates

Formed by Skullface, the persona overtaking Rokai, this band came together a little more than two years ahead of the game's story, raised for the sole purpose of pursuing treasure seekers after the Ancient Gold. Throughout Set Sail Pirate Crew! they turn up again and again as antagonists.

Their banner echoes the captain's own face, capturing the patch worn over one eye along with an outline of both his headwear and his hair. Four bones jut from its corners in the customary way, though the lower-right one gives way to his hooked hand instead. Cabaji unsettlingly reports that every member is a pirate who drowned, and Skullface labels them entranced, a hint that they have been mesmerized into serving him.

Skullface unleashes the crew to block the recovery of the six Ancient Fragments. On discovering that the Straw Hats had collected five, they struck at sea and succeeded in scattering both the crew and the pieces they carried. Attention then shifted to the Set Sail Pirates, who chased the very same relics.

Twice Skullface tried and failed to warn the young crew off, so he mounted an open raid that still could not overcome them. Exploiting the fight on the Conomi Islands, where the Set Sail crew traded blows with Arlong's pirates, he snatched Nami away, though Rokai quietly set her down safe on Crescent Island by morning. One last attempt near Loguetown collapsed into total ruin, and Skullface permanently lost his hold over Rokai's body.

Beyond Skullface, twelve named followers fill out the crew, always presented three at a time: Todes, Denosen, Ida, Noa, Nomachi, Renji, Unto, Zutta, Shell, Izokku, Reshika, and Mira. Read in sequence, their names spell out a phrase describing combat that takes place between Orange Town and the settlement of Shells Town. The crew rides the Kuroki Shi, a South Blue vessel carried over from Rokai's former days that propels itself with side paddles even when there is no wind.