What is SWORD in One Piece?

One Piece is no stranger to secret groups. There is the group of mad scientists aptly named MADS, as well as the World Government’s very own special operatives — the Cipher Pol. In recent episodes of the anime, another secret group from the Marines sneaks into the spotlight — SWORD.

After surrendering himself to Blackbeard, Captain Koby of the Marines is held captive on Fullalead Island. The Emperor plans to use him as a bargaining chip with the World Government to finally have Fullalead acknowledged as its own nation. However, Koby’s comrades aren’t just going to sit and wait for Blackbeard to do his bidding. The other members of SWORD, along with Vice Admiral Garp, blast into the island and try to get Koby out. So, what exactly is SWORD?

What is SWORD?

SWORD’s existence was first revealed in the Wano Country Arc when Rear Admiral X Drake introduced himself as the captain of the group. The organization operates with a high degree of autonomy, and its members are given the liberty to do their bidding without prior commands from the higher-ups. Even so, they remain members of the Marines. They can station themselves in Marine outposts, as well as get promoted into higher ranks.

Ex-admiral Kuzan further explains to Blackbeard that members of SWORD are Marines but also not Marines. They are officers who have submitted their resignations and returned their identification codes. As such, they are granted freedom. They can even engage with an Emperor’s crew without receiving a go signal from the Fleet Admiral or Five Elders, like what the group is doing in Fullalead. Similarly, they can opt to ignore the higher-ups’ commands should they wish to.

In exchange, the Marines shoulder no responsibility for SWORD’s actions. It can easily cut any member should it be the most convenient option for the organization. Since SWORD still carries the Marines’ name, the Marines also get the credit for the group’s good deeds; just as how Koby’s hero epithet improves its image.

Who are the members of SWORD?

Thanks to the group’s mission to save Koby from peril, we are introduced to a few of its members. Given the group’s secretive nature, there are possibly other members unknown to us yet, but here are the few that we are aware of.

At the helm of the group is X Drake. He is also the captain of Drake Pirates, which he formed as part of his undercover pirate activities. One of Drake’s biggest accomplishments is infiltrating Kaido’s Animal Kingdom Pirates. He has eaten the Ancient Zoan Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Allosaurus, allowing him to turn into a bipedal dinosaur.

Two other familiar faces that became SWORD members are Koby and Helmeppo. The two, who started as snotty brats at the beginning of the series, have become exponentially stronger under Garp’s tutelage. That is especially true for Koby, who has not only mastered all Six Powers but gained mastery over Color of Observation and Color of Armament Haki. His feats as a Marine soldier ultimately earn him the title of hero.

Following behind is Helmeppo. While his achievements are not as high as Koby’s, he has done well redeeming himself. He officially becomes Koby’s best friend and is one of the key characters in assembling Koby’s rescue party. Helmeppo has also risen to the rank of lieutenant commander through his own merits.

Koby’s rescue mission introduces three other members of SWORD: Prince Grus, Kujaku, and Hibari. Prince Grus is a rear admiral, just like X Drake. He is stationed at G-14 and has high respect for Drake’s authority as captain. Even so, Prince is far from weak, having defeated Fire Tank Pirates’ Gotti, who had a 90,000,000 bounty and falsely arrested Charlotte Lola. Having eaten the Glorp-Glorp Fruit, Prince Grus has turned into a clay human, and he can create clay puppets which he commands remotely. Furthermore, he can use his Devil Fruit ability to turn clay into whatever shape is convenient for him.

Kujaku is another rear admiral member of SWORD. She is also Vice Admiral Tsuru’s granddaughter, though her own brilliance shouldn’t be overshadowed by that fact. Kujaku consumed the Whip-Whip Fruit. She can make anyone and anything hit by her whip to follow her commands. During the mission, she is shown to make entire buildings move by lashing at them.

The last known member of SWORD is Commander Hibari. She is a close associate of Koby, and her infatuation with the latter is hard to miss. Alongside Helmeppo, she sought and even begged the other members to aid Koby. Unlike the other two, Hibari is yet to consume a Devil Fruit. Instead, she relies on her marksmanship to defeat her foes. She also utilizes Dr. Vegapunk’s Flower Bullets to render her enemies’ firearms useless.