One Piece: The Water 7 Saga is a Masterclass in Villains

Throughout the massively epic journey of the Straw Hat Pirates, One Piece has introduced some of the best villains in anime history. Ranging from the hilarious, to heart-wrenching, to one of the most evil, but best-written, characters in fiction – Doffy – One Piece villains will always be one of the best parts of the series. Without the villains, Luffy’s journey to become the King of the Pirates would have been a far more boring adventure to watch.

One saga specifically shows just how great villains in One Piece can be, creating some of the best villains in the series, without taking 100s of episodes worth of build-up to accomplish it. One Piece’s Water 7 Saga, specifically during the Water 7 and Enies Lobby Arcs, introduces CP9, an extremely well-crafted group of villains. Overall, between the two aforementioned arcs, the creation and development of CP9 feels like a masterclass in villains.

CP9 is a Terrifying Group of Villains in One Piece

Ruthless, Cruel, Efficient

The Water 7 Arc of One Piece begins with the Straw Hat crew heading to the island of shipwrights to fix the Going Merry. Here, the newest member of the crew, Robin, is revealed to have a mysterious connection to a group, which is later revealed to be the secret government agency, CP9. Later, Robin goes with the group in order to protect her new friends, leading to an epic confrontation between the Straw Hats and CP9 during the Enies Lobby Arc.

CP9 acts as a secret organization that operates in the shadows, doing the dirty work of One Piece’s World Government. Throughout Water 7, each of the members of the group is actually disguised as normal citizens throughout the island. Their disguise is revealed when the group attempts to have Robin assassinate Iceberg, the mayor of Water 7. This leads to the first confrontation between the Straw Hats and CP9, where Luffy and crew are decimated by the agents.

A Great Villain Needs More Than Just Strength

Strength Isn’t Everything

To create a strong villain, especially in a work as long as One Piece, a villain needs to be powerful, relatable, and directly conflict with the ideas of Luffy and his crew. At this point, One Piece’s Water 7 Arc sets up CP9 to be faceless and emotionless agents for the World Government. While they may be hard to relate to, the series has shown that they are far more powerful than Luffy could have imagined, and will require a considerable effort to overcome.

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Additionally, at the beginning of One Piece’s Enies Lobby Arc, the audience is shown a softer side of the CP9 agents. While for the Straw Hats, losing Robin is one of the most devastating things that could happen, for CP9 it’s just another job. When the group convenes on Enies Lobby, they casually chat and joke around, with many of the quirks of their personalities being revealed. What was once a faceless and personality-less organization is now a far more relatable group of characters.

Rob Lucci Versus Luffy is a Strong Clash of Ideals

Fighting With Fists and Words

Finally, as is the case with many of One Piece best villains, or villains in general for that matter, the more they directly conflict with the ideals of the protagonist, the better the clash between them will be. In the case of CP9, the group is shown to be all about suppressing the world from the shadows, which directly contradicts Luffy’s ideal freedom. Additionally, it is shown that Rob Lucci, the strongest member of CP9, is under the direct control of the World Government, being scarred with their symbol on his back.

Looking at it from a purely technical standpoint, it’s easy to see why this arc is beloved as one of the best arcs in One Piece. With such amazing and memorable villains, as well as the impact they have on the Straw Hats and the world as a whole, will always make Water 7 and Enies Lobby arcs that are always worth rewatching. Despite being so easy to hate, One Piece fans have CP9 to thank for creating such a compelling moment in the story’s history.

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