To get this out of the way, power systems are useless. As stated by Akira Toriyama and his contemporaries, a power system isn't reliable way to gauge a character's genuine strength and potential. With that being said, One Piece sure does have an interesting one. For the pirate and criminal filled world, bounties are a sort of pseudo power system that not only considers a character's perceived strength but their previous actions, potential danger, and reputation. A lot goes into gauging a bounty but the general consensus is this: If the World Government or someone perceives a person as a threat, they will give them a proportional bounty to that threat.

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That's why the series can give a tortuous yet relatively unknown Fishman like Arlong a 20,000,000 Belly bounty yet give Nico Robin, when she was just a young girl, a 79,000,000 Belly bounty for being able to read forbidden texts that are both dangerous...and a little incriminating. Bounties in this case are not only a testament to strength but also of engagement with the world, as each bounty is earned with a story. And while there really are too many bounties to count, with recent developments in the story, this list will be running down the top last known bounties in the series.

21 Edward Weevil - 480,000,000 Beli

Edward Weevel as one of the Seven Warlords in One Piece.

Starting off this list is a bounty already primed to change with recent developments within the Seven Warlord system. And as fans await to see what becomes of that development, the highest known bounty of the Warlords as of late will still go to one of its freshest faces (figuratively speaking) Edward Weevil.

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While its unknown how he exactly got his bounty, he's surely proven his strength as a hunter of the remaining member of the Whitebeard pirates, bringing claim to his name (presumably) as Whitebeard's real son along side (presumably) Whitebeard's real wife.

20 "Surgeon of Death" D. Water Law - 500,000,000 Beli

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Here's a character whose bounty is less shrouded in mystery. Trafalgar Law has become a central character as of late, having allied himself with the Straw Hats to not only take down Donquixote Doflamingo but also conspire against one of the Four Emperors, Kaido.

Law already had a massive bounty pre-timeskip but earned his new one after something called "the Rock Port Incident" as well as his leaving of the Seven Warlords and conspiracy against Doflamingo.

18 Don Chinjao - 542,000,000 Beli

Don Chinjao scaring off against Monkey D. Luffy for the Mera Mera no Mi in One Piece's Dressrosa arc.

An old relic on this list, Don Chinjao is part of an earlier era of pirates and criminals, leading a long running criminal family that is now being passed on to his son Sai.

Chinjao himself used to be known for his sharp, pinhead with which he would use to pierce his enemies. That pin, however, would eventually be punched dull by Monkey D. Garp. Chinjao would later earn his new bounty after assisting with the revolution on Dressrosa.

17 Portgas D. Ace - 550,000,000 Beli

portgas d. ace vs blackbeard

Sadly, this list comes to one of its now defunct bounties and not for a good reason. "Firefist" Ace was the beloved, adopted brother of Luffy who would start out his pirate career as captain of the Spade Pirates, only to be defeated and later assimilated into the Whitebeard Pirates.

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There, he became Whitebeard's second captain, quickly becoming one of its strongest and most key members as well as the leading person on the hunt for their traitor, Blackbeard.

16 Lil' Oars, Jr. - 550,000,000 Beli

Oars jr intimidating stare in One Piece

It's not exactly known how Lil' Oars, Jr. received his bounty; but just by looking at him, it's easy to guess. The descendant of the "Continent Puller" Oars, Lil' Oars, Jr. is a terrifying, demonic giant not only capable of similar feats to his ancestor but is also large enough to overshadow most giants.

Captain of the Little Pirates, he was involved in the Whitebeard Pirates operation to save Ace. Unfortunately however, he would quickly be defeated by the Seven Warlords, not leaving much known about him after the events of the war.

15 Charlotte Snack - 600,000,000 Beli

Beginning this list's long line of Charlotte Family entries, Charlotte Snack is this list's least known entry. While he didn't receive much screen time in either the manga or anime, Snack should be acknowledged for his strength given his Sweet Commander status, though he would later lose that title as a result of his loss against "Mad Monk" Urouge.

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After that, he would make small appearances during the Whole Cake Island Arc though he wouldn't contribute anything substantial.

14 Sabo - 602,000,000 Beli

Sabo In Dressrosa

As opposed to Ace, Sabo's bounty on this list is a fond entry, as it is both a sign of his success and life (as far as fans currently know). Like Ace, Sabo is the adopted brother of Luffy who would later become lost in an accident that would takeaway his memory but would put him under the hands of the Revolutionary Army, where he would earn the title of Chief of Staff.

Though it would take him a while to get back his memory, Sabo would supposedly be a part of various revolutionary exploits before later joining Luffy in the fight on Dressrosa.

13 Charlotte Perospero - 700,000,000 Beli

Charlotte Perospero in One Piece with his tongue out

Charlotte Perospero is the first son and child of the Charlotte Family. He know not only shows signs of being both a captain and advisor under Big Mom.

But throughout the Whole Cake Island Arc, Perospero shows his bounty's worth through his resilience and strength. He survived an explosion at the hands of Pedro and constantly sent dangerous obstacles and attacks against the Straw Hats with his Candy Candy fruit.

12 "Thousand Arms" Charlotte Cracker - 860,000,000 Beli

Charlotte Cracker has one of the most interesting reputations on this list for someone of his bounty. With his Bis Bis fruit, he is able to create and control biscuit soldiers that are not only endlessly made with his power but also near impregnable thanks to his reinforcement with Haki.

Due to his use of these fake soldiers, the Marines have never actually seen his face, a testament to his soldiers skills and his mystery. What kind of buries him as a character though is his weak weakness in that he can't handle any kind of pain, making beating him seem less special.

11 Charlotte Smoothie - 932,000,000 Beli

Charlotte Smoothie is a Charlotte Family member that readers really wanted more out of by the end of the Whole Cake Island arc. Not only is she a Sweet Commander, but she is a member of the long leg tribe and a user of the Juice Juice fruit, a Devil Fruit allowing her to squeeze and juice anything.

It would be really interesting to see soon how all these elements work together to have earned her this bounty.

10 Jack the Drought - 1,000,000,000 Beli

Jack the Drought One Piece

Jack is a major character within recent years who has not only displayed his massive power but has also gained a strong following in the One Piece community. Earning a title as one of Kaido's Disasters, Jack is an Emperor Commander capable of transforming into a mammoth, using that power as of late to destroy the Mink village and take on its leaders and army.

He also uses sickles as weapons and has a unit of Animal Kingdom pirates to back him up. On top of all of this, it also turns out he's a Fishman, so fans are really excited to see how he does in future action.

9 Charlotte Katakuri - 1,057,000,000 Beli

Charlotte Katakuri is a recent heartthrob within the community as of late. Not only does his character and backstory garner him a ton of fan support, his power and skills as a commander make him an absolute threat within the series.

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Being the main vanguard of the Charlotte Family, Katakuri has earned his bounty with his relentless nature and overwhelming strength, using his exceptional Observation Haki and mochi (of all things!) to quickly take down his enemies.

8 Queen the Plague - 1,320,000,000 Beli

Queen the Plague, the second commander of One Piece's Beast Pirates

Fans have been disappointed with Queen's showing as of late; but as the series reveals more about him as it goes on, there may be something there to how threatening he is. Queen the Plague is the ruler of Udon as well as the mad inventor of a variety of disease based weapons, hence his moniker "The Plague."

His Devil Fruit is the Dragon Dragon Fruit, Model Brachiosaurus, which not only turns him into a massive dinosaur but whose hardened cranium allows Queen to use headbutt based attacks.

7 "Straw Hat" Monkey D. Luffy - 1,500,000,000 Beli

One Piece's Luffy Conquerors Haki

Possibly the most beloved and expected entry on this list, Luffy's bounty has the least amount of mystery on this list, as fans everywhere have seen each exploit, fight, and gear that has allowed Luffy to become one of the most wanted pirates around.

He's defeated Arlong, freed countries of both Crocodile's and Doflamingo's rule, taken on each of the World Government's major bases, and amassed a huge following in doing all of the above. Out of anyone on this list, Luffy is the most primed to climb higher on this list.

6 "Blackbeard" Marshall D. Teach - 2,247,600,000 Beli

An entry here that some may be surprised to be relatively low given the guy's "main antagonist" status, Blackbeard is a fine example of someone climbing their way up through the series. Starting off as a near nameless member of the Whitebeard Pirates, Blackbeard would earn his bounty and status via his murder of Thatch, the destruction of countless kingdoms, his conspiracy to invade and free prisoners of Impel Down, his murder of Whitebeard, his ongoing hunt for strong Devil Fruit users, and even his successful attack on the Revolutionary Army.

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With his Darkness Darkness Fruit and crew of some the world's worst criminals, Blackbeard will surely rise up this list soon.

5 "Red-Haired" Shanks - 4,048,900,000 Beli

Shanks smiling

In all honesty, it's not entirely known how Shanks got his bounty, if he even deserves it at all. The man is mostly shown to sleep and party with his crew and, if not that, talking and negotiating with world leaders like Whitebeard or the Five Elder Stars. It doesn't really seem like Shanks is a Wanted man but given his strength, crew, and relationships with seemingly everyone, it will be interesting to see how such a nice guy got his bounty.

4 "Big Mom" Charlotte Linlin - 4,388,000,000 Beli

Charlotte Linlin One Piece

Big Mom is a lesser mystery. Since childhood, Charlotte Linlin has done monstrous things, either on purpose or an accident, as her unnatural strength, size, and appetite has taken down giants, destroyed kingdoms, and lead an entire tirade across the world for sweets.

As an Emperor, Big Mom now leads a worldwide operation to take over countries, enlist new species to her own kingdom, and steal resources from the world to feed her appetite. On top of that, she has a crew and family comprised of dozens of insanely strong fighters of a variety of species. On top of all of this, it's just unfair to say that she can also steal people's souls.

3 "King of Beasts" Kaido, 4,611,100,000 Beli

Kaido

Kaido, for all intents and purposes, is the most wanted pirate of the current generation. He was the leader in invading and usurping the powers of Wano and apparently a constant thorn at people's sides, as he would constantly challenge everyone, using his Dragon Dragon fruit and apparent inability to die to create constant havoc.

Within the current arc, he's amassed a giant, mutant army of fake Devil Fruit users and stockpiled a variety of weapons to unleash on the world in massive fervor; and with his newfound alliance with Big Mom, may actually get away with it.

2 Edward "Whitebeard" Newgate - 5,046,000,000 Beli

Whitebeard Smiling While Fighting In Marineford

Fully entering the defunct territory of this list, Whitebeard is an entry that we were all sad and somehow terrified to see go. There's no better example of how Whitebeard got his bounty than how he died.

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This massive, elderly man cracked the air itself, created tsunamis, took on an entire army of Marines, fought off all three admirals, was shot and stabbed hundreds of times, and had his stomach and half his face melted off. Whitebeard was more than a successor to Roger as he was the ruler of the blossoming era of pirates.