Firearm

Firearms launch projectiles by igniting a charge of powder, prized both for their stopping power and for being simpler to wield, carry, and conceal than most close-range weapons. Across the world they trail only swords in popularity, and those who specialize in them are called Gunmen, with the most talented often doubling as snipers. The standard model at the world's current technology level is the flintlock, a single barrel narrowing into a wooden grip and rigged with a flashpan, serpent, frizzen, and trigger that work together to spark the powder. Unlike their real-world ancestors, One Piece flintlocks can fire semi-automatically like modern pistols.

Flintlocks usually fire round shot, solid metal balls that easily break flesh and bone and can kill outright if they strike a vital organ, though advanced models also use pointed or explosive rounds. These advantages are not absolute, since armor, Devil Fruit powers, or sharp reflexes can all turn them aside, and like any projectile weapon they hold limited ammunition and reload slowly. The basic design branches into many forms: pistols are the smallest and most common; revolvers feed from an external rotating cylinder for sturdier, stronger shots; rifles offer long-barreled accuracy at range; bazookas launch heavy explosive missiles at large or armored targets; and gatling guns rake out hundreds of rounds a minute. Larger artillery, including cannons, mortars, tanks, and even Eustass Kid's electromagnetic railgun, extends the same principle into heavy warfare.

Named weapons abound, such as Mr. 5's Flintlock .44 Caliber 6 Shot Revolver, Van Augur's long-range rifle Senriku, Wyper's Burn Bazooka, and Mr. 4's living gun Lassoo. Countless characters favor firearms, from Yasopp and Van Augur as crack snipers to Don Krieg, whose armor hides a dozen built-in barrels, and Franky, whose cyborg body integrates pistols, bazookas, and rockets. World Nobles carry gold-plated flintlocks, while figures like Arlong, Bege, and Hody Jones have used guns for execution. Because of the controversy around guns in the United States, the 4Kids dub heavily censored these weapons, recoloring some into toys, swapping others for slingshots, and removing those tied to significant violence. Creator Eiichiro Oda's lifelong love of Westerns runs throughout, beginning with his gunslinger-led debut work Wanted!.