One Piece: The Cross Guild’s Bounty System in Episode 1113, Explained

In episode 1113 of the One Piece anime, titled “Run, Koby! A Desperate Escape Strategy!”, the focus shifts to Koby’s desperate attempt at fleeing from Hachinosu, where he is being held captive by the Blackbeard Pirates. Koby was taken by Marshall D. Teach during the attack on Amazon Lily, as Teach planned to use him as leverage to force the World Government to recognize Hachinosu as an independent nation.

Although Koby was offered as a hostage, Teach was supposed to be recognized as the ruler of the Hachinosu Kingdom by the World Government in return for sparing Koby’s life. This was because Koby’s reputation as a renowned hero made him a valuable bargaining chip in Teach’s eyes. However, in One Piece episode 1113, Koby cleverly orchestrates an escape plan, using himself as a decoy to divert the Blackbeard Pirates’ attention from the other fugitives.

Koby took advantage of the incredibly large bounty put on his head by the Cross Guild in order to achieve his goal. As predicted, the substantial reward caught the interest of the Blackbeard Pirates. You can discover all there is to know about the Cross Guild’s bounty system by following this thread, an innovative concept that challenged the norms of the One Piece universe.

The Cross Guild’s Revolutionary Idea: Overthrowing the Marines vs Pirates Rules in the One Piece World

A surreal organization that quickly gained the status of a Yonko crew

Dracule Mihawk's wanted poster (Image via Toei Animation) — Dracule Mihawk’s wanted poster (Image via Toei Animation)

The Cross Guild was formed by former Warlords Dracule Mihawk and Crocodile, who joined forces after Crocodile reached out to Mihawk with the idea of creating an alliance. Together, they planned to utilize Mihawk’s unmatched fighting skills as the World’s Strongest Swordsman and Crocodile’s strategic intelligence to carry out their “Operation Utopia”scheme.

Crocodile then journeyed to Karai Bari Island to retrieve the money he had lent to Buggy. As Buggy was unable to repay his debts, he offered his services to work for Crocodile without payment. However, Buggy’s associates misunderstood the situation and created a poster portraying the “Star Clown”as the head of the Cross Guild.

At first, Crocodile and Mihawk were unhappy with the situation, but ultimately they came to accept it. Mihawk even stated that he had no desire to become an Emperor, as he preferred to keep a low profile and avoid attracting too much attention. Therefore, appointing Buggy as the leader of the group would have been ideal in diverting any unwanted focus away from them.

Buggy's employees caused a ludicrous misunderstanding (Image via Toei Animation) — Buggy’s employees caused a ludicrous misunderstanding (Image via Toei Animation)

Despite the absurdity of the situation, the World Government was deceived into believing that Buggy had successfully recruited notorious individuals like Crocodile and Mihawk to his side. Taking into account Buggy’s reputation for defying figures like Shanks and Whitebeard, it was inevitable that the World Government would label him as one of the new Four Emperors.

The Cross Guild was able to gain significant political influence, thanks to Mihawk’s formidable fighting abilities, Crocodile’s vast wealth, and Buggy’s notorious reputation. This allowed them to implement a reversal of the usual system, in which the World Government sets bounties on pirates and criminals. Instead, the Cross Guild was able to put bounties on members of the Navy, turning the tables and forcing the Marines, who were typically the ones hunting down criminals, to now become the ones being hunted.

How the Cross Guild’s Bounties Work

Buggy and Crocodile (Image via Toei Animation)

Drawing inspiration from Dracule Mihawk, known as the “Marine Hunter”for his tendency to kill Navy officers, the Cross Guild began placing bounties on the Marines. This clearly establishes the Cross Guild as a significant danger to the authority of the World Government.

The Cross Guild poses a constant threat to the Navy due to its actions. As long as the organization remains active, the Marines will never be at ease, constantly facing potential attacks from not only pirates but also bounty hunters and civilians seeking to collect bounties.

Pirates looking at the Cross Guild bounties in One Piece episode 1113 (Image via Toei Animation)

Needless to say, this initiative significantly increased the Cross Guild’s popularity in the underworld. By placing bounties on Navy officers, the Cross Guild indirectly enables pirates to travel with less concern about the Marines and bounty hunters. This could also potentially benefit the Revolutionary Army.

The Cross Guild’s bounty system for Marines is similar to the bounties placed by Donquixote Doflamingo during the Dressrosa Arc, as it is also based on stars and crowns. Each star is equivalent to approximately 100 million Berries, while one crown is worth around one billion Berries.

Generally, a Marine holding the official title of Captain is equivalent to one star, while an individual with the rank of Admiral is equivalent to three crowns. However, similar to the bounties issued by the World Government, the bounties given by the Cross Guild cannot fully represent the true individual might of each person.

The Cross Guild's bounty poster for Koby (Image via Shueisha) — The Cross Guild’s bounty poster for Koby (Image via Shueisha)

The standardized approach, which values formal rank as a measure of strength, is clearly flawed. Similarly, the Cross Guild’s bounties seem to follow the World Government’s example by considering various factors and possibly changing criteria over time.

Despite holding the official title of Vice Admiral, Monkey D. Garp was awarded a three-crown bounty, equivalent to that of an Admiral. Similarly, Koby’s bounty of five stars far exceeds the typical amount for a Captain, indicating his exceptional Haki abilities and impressive Rokushiki mastery, making him significantly more powerful than the average Captain. However, this is not the sole reason for his extraordinary bounty.

Koby and Blackbeard in One Piece episode 1113 (Image via Toei Animation)

Koby’s reputation as a “Hero”was earned from his heroic actions during the Rocky Port Incident, leading to him being held in high esteem. Despite his captivity becoming public knowledge, the World Government could not ignore the situation due to fear of losing popularity. This is the reason why Blackbeard was confident in using Koby as leverage to force the World Government to comply with his demands.

Despite being issued by either the World Government or the Cross Guild, bounties remain a source of controversy due to their frequent inconsistencies. However, the introduction of Buggy and his group’s new system serves as a unique plot device, completely reversing One Piece’s long-standing trope and creating a chaotic environment where anything is possible.