X Drake’s Bounty at 222,000,000 Berries

At Onigashima, CP0 agents who knew perfectly well that Drake belonged to SWORD tried to assassinate him anyway, and he had to team up with Scratchmen Apoo, a man he despises, to hold them off. That single detail explains more about this poster than the amount printed on it.

As far as the world is concerned, Drake resigned from the Navy to turn pirate. He is in fact the captain of SWORD, a secret Marine Headquarters unit whose members hand in their resignations and surrender their identification codes. On paper they are nobody, which lets the Navy and the World Government disown them the moment it becomes convenient.

So what do the 222,000,000 pay for? Not the cover story as such. Nobody issued him a price to make his disguise convincing. Drake played the part seriously enough, and long enough, for the tale of his defection to spread on its own, with a real ship, a real crew and real damage behind it, well before he reached Sabaody. The piracy was performed; the mission is the part that stays hidden.

Behind that sits an earlier life. He is the son of Diez Barrels, a Marine turned pirate, and thirteen years ago he ran from Minion Island while Doflamingo's Birdcage closed around it. Sengoku took him in and enlisted him at Headquarters, and he rose to rear admiral before going under. Eleven Supernovas crossed paths at Sabaody, twelve names with Blackbeard making up the Worst Generation, and he is the only one whose wanted notice is paying for an assignment. He also intends to put the uniform back on: his own side takes its people back even after leaving a price on their heads.