Seraphim

The Seraphim are new Pacifista units developed by the Marines' Special Science Group with the intention of replacing the Seven Warlords of the Sea as one of the Three Great Powers. They are human weapons built in the childhood likenesses of the former members of the Warlords, but with the traits of the Lunarian Tribe.

They are currently stationed at Egghead, where their creator, Vegapunk, resides.

Appearance
Just like the original Bartholomew Kuma-based Pacifistas, the Seraphim units are cyborgs built in the image of an existing person; in their case, the units bear an uncanny resemblance to former Warlords of the Sea, albeit at a much younger age and at a relatively smaller size. The ones who were deployed to Amazon Lily, for example, had likenesses matching those of Dracule Mihawk and Boa Hancock during their childhood, the latter corroborated by the Gorgon Sisters. Aside from that, another distinct feature of the Pacifista is their lunarian-like biology, featuring brown skin, white hair, black wings and a plume of fire burning on their backs. It has been noted that some Seraphim sport star-shaped pupils while others share the same pattern or look as the individual they are based on. The star insignia on the clothing of Kuma's Seraphim is shared with other creations of Vegapunk.

Like every Pacifista, the Seraphim have the designation "PX-" marked somewhere on their bodies.

Biology and Behavior
The Seraphim are clones of the former Seven Warlords of the Sea created using the Lineage Factor, but are larger in size compared to the original people they were cloned from. They also appear to be modified to possess lunarian appearance and traits, including the ability to ignite. They undergo an accelerated growth process and are infused with a substance called Green Blood. Due to all the technology that must be invested in their creation and maintenance, the Seraphim are considered extremely expensive to make. This could be attributed to the fact that Lunarian DNA is hard to come by, along with the materials used to create them.

Like the original Pacifista, the Seraphim execute their duties in a quiet, robotic manner. If given a directive order to attack, they will do as commanded, although without showing restraint, and putting the lives of downed fighters at risk. Koby, despite being a Marine captain and member of SWORD, had apparent trouble reining them in during the Amazon Lily siege, implying that they might be harder to control than normal Pacifista units.

Overall Strength
The Seraphim were specifically designed to replace the Seven Warlords of the Sea within the dynamic of the Three Great Powers. Marine Admiral Fujitora, who was familiar with the project before its official deployment, was convinced the Seraphim could effectively replace the Warlords.

The Seraphim are cyborgs, as evidenced by their use of in-built laser weaponry and recording equipment. Some have access to external weaponry, such as swords, which they are capable of wielding with expertise. The Seraph based on Dracule Mihawk, in particular, exhibits an incredibly destructive level of swordsmanship that is capable of splitting even mountains in half, not unlike Mihawk himself. Pythagoras theorizes that this might be a property of the Lineage Factor, which could potentially transmit memories of learned skills from the original individuals unto their Seraphim counterparts. Furthermore, some Seraphim also have access to artificial Devil Fruit abilities as shown when S-Shark demonstrates the ability to swim through solid surfaces like the users of the Sui Sui no Mi and S-Bear has shown the ability to use the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi like his original counterpart.

The Seraphim have shown enough strength and skill to force even one of the Four Emperors, Marshall D. Teach, into a defensive position, right after effortlessly defeating a myriad of his subordinates. Also, thanks to their lunarian traits, they appear to have vast resilience, something noted by the Gorgon Sisters, who claimed the Seraphim involved in the siege left the island with nigh a scratch over their bodies. Their young appearances may also inhibit foes who have reservations fighting children from attacking them.

Like natural lunarians, the Seraphim are capable of becoming drastically faster when their flame goes out, but will become more vulnerable to attacks.

History
The Seraphim made their debut appearance on the raid of Amazon Lily, when the Marines attempted to capture Boa Hancock. There, two new Seraphim Pacifista units, one resembling Hancock herself, and another resembling Dracule Mihawk, appeared. The Hancock Seraph, together with the Marines, managed to corner the Kuja warriors, until the Blackbeard Pirates appeared. However, the new intruders were also being repelled by the Mihawk Seraph until Marshall D. Teach himself faced it. During the battle, Marine Captain Koby attempted to order the Mihawk Seraph to back down, as its attacks threatened to shatter the Marines petrified by Hancock's ability. By the end of the battle, the Seraphim were no longer around, presumably due to being ordered to retreat. It was noted by the younger Gorgon Sisters that neither of them received a single scratch throughout the entire battle.

Egghead Arc
Weeks after the assault on Amazon Lily, Lucci, Kaku and Stussy of CP0 transported a Seraphim resembling Kuma towards Egghead while on their mission to eliminate Vegapunk.

Major Battles

 * Marines vs. Kuja Pirates
 * S-Snake vs. Marguerite and Sweet Pea
 * S-Hawk vs. Blackbeard Pirates
 * S-Hawk vs. Marshall D. Teach
 * S-Shark vs. Straw Hat Pirates

Translation and Dub Issues
In standard English, the word seraphim is a plural form and seraph is its singular form. However, the VIZ translation has opted to use seraphim for both singular and plural.

Trivia

 * In traditional Christian angelology, the Seraphim are angelic beings regarded as belonging to the highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy. The name means "burning one", which fits with their lunarian-based fire abilities.
 * Their appearance may be a reference to a putto, a representation of a naked child, especially cupid in Renaissance art. The Cherubim, the second highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy, have become associated with the putto which resulted in depictions of them as small, plump, winged boys.
 * Despite his lunarian traits, the Seraph based on Bartholomew Kuma was originally introduced with black hair in the magazine release of Chapter 1062. This was later confirmed to be an art error.

Site Navigation
Serafins Seraphim Seraphim Serafini Serafini 熾天使