Bounties

A Bounty is a set amount of government-assigned money placed on a person's head as a reward for their capture/death.

Becoming Wanted
Normally a bounty is issued by a government official or by the police. The idea is to tempt others to aid with the capture of the said criminal so he or she can be brought to justice quickly; the amount increases with the individual's threat level. The money often leads people, known as Bounty Hunters to make careers trying to find and capture these wanted people. In the Whiskey Peak arc, the Baroque Works agents state that up to 30% of the bounty money may be lost by bringing in someone dead as opposed to alive and promoting a public execution.

In the eye of a pirate, a high bounty may actually be a source of pride for them, seen in Luffy's enthusiasm on his first bounty and Sanji's constant complaining of his lack of bounty and bad picture when he finally gets one. After all, having been assigned a bounty means that the World Government as well as the Marines acknowledge the threat of the person to whom it is assigned. For others, such as Kuro, it can be an annoyance. It has been stated that a bounty equal to (or even exceeding) a 100,000,000 indicates that the person to whom it was assigned has committed unlawful acts of catastrophic degrees.

Earning a large bounty in quick time also gives the pirate notorious attention and a global reputation. After earning a bounty of 80,000,000 in a single campaign, the World Government offered Boa Hancock the position of Shichibukai. Blackbeard believed he could become a Shichibukai member if he defeated Monkey D. Luffy, whose bounty jumped from 30,000,000 to 100,000,000 following the defeat of Baroque Works then 300,000,000 by annihilating CP9 members and marines, rescuing Nico Robin, and destroying Enies Lobby; Blackbeard would settle for achieving his goal by capturing Ace instead, and succeeded.

Bounty Issuing
Since bounties are perhaps the one way for many to compare different people, stacking them against averages helps determine an approximate "threat level". For example, the average bounty in the East Blue is 3,000,000, so a noteworthy one there would be 10,000,000 or more. Since East Blue is defined as the weakest of the four seas outside of the Grand Line, West, North, and South Blue must have higher average bounties and have a greater number of famous criminals hailing from their waters. However, the four 'cardinal (direction)' seas pale in comparison to the Grand Line (up to Mariejoie), where an exceptional bounty is around 100,000,000, which pales in comparison to the New World (or the second half of the Grand Line), where 100,000,000 is common or weak. .

The full extent of the greatest bounties in the world have not yet been shown in detail. Four of the seven known bounties of the current Shichibukai members are around 300,000,000 - from Jinbei's 250,000,000 to Doflamingo's 340,000,000. The greatest amount seen in the series is the former 340,000,000 bounty of the Shichibukai Donquixote Doflamingo, and it is known (due to a SBS) that a bounty can reach 500,000,000. While there never was a bounty that high shown in the series, the actual top bounties in the world are expected to belong to characters including Whitebeard, called the Strongest Man in the World and closest to finding One Piece, the other Yonkou, and members of Gold Roger's crew like Silvers Rayleigh (who is known to have an active bounty ). So far Dragon has been deemed "the most wanted criminal in the world," so it is assumed that his bounty is largest.

A bounty reflects both the threat and power of an individual. Engaging in activities deemed criminal by the World Government, associating yourself with groups deemed dangerous by the World Government, or participating in forbidden practices (especially researching the Poneglyphs) will usually give you a bounty or increase it. Even performing acts dedicated to self-preservation (like Luffy declaring war on the World Government to save Robin) can cause people to be assigned bounties if it goes against the law.

In the case of power, a bounty can increase for several reasons:
 * The threat of a person's observed combat abilities (as said by Aokiji );
 * More experienced bounty hunters volunteering to capture the individual or group (like the Achino Family, non-canonically, trying to catch the entire Straw Hat Crew);
 * Inspiring criminal acts when provoked or inciting others to act 'criminally' (for example, Whitebeard destroying Marine ships that followed his fleet for reconnaissance and Dragon [Luffy's father] leading his organization to topple countries allied with the World Government);
 * The destruction of people and villages can also raise or create a bounty.

The power of a criminal is very limited to the knowledge the Marines have and their capabilities to gather information. This may lead to some bounties not truly reflecting their owners' power. For example, Tony Tony Chopper has been mistaken as the Straw Hat crew's pet (equaling his bounty of only 50) even though he defeated Kumadori of CP9 and assaulted Marines; Luffy's cumulative bounty does not include his victory over Enel or Shichibukai member Gecko Moria because it is a relatively unknown area to the Blue Seas and the world government did not wish to acknowledge the loss of another Shichibukai. Another way of misconceptions Arlong paid the corrupt Marine Nezumi to not report his activities. In some cases, due to miscommunication, the bounty may end up being much higher then the criminal deserved for their actions.

Retracting Bounties
A bounty is usually given to a criminal for life, so no matter which lifestyle they may follow after its issue the bounty remains unchanged. The bounty is usually only written off when the criminal's death is confirmed. The notion that death brings freedom from the bounty was the sole reason for Kuro's plan to escape a pirate's life. A bounty can last for over a hundred years if the criminal is not proven to be dead, like the giants Dorry and Brogy since giants have been reported to live around 300 years. Also, Brook's bounty was placed between 40 and 50 years ago before his first death (and revival thanks to the Yomi Yomi no Mi) - since Brook's addition to Luffy's crew has not been cataloged by the Marines, this "dead wanted man" bounty may be a new circumstance and has not been resolved by Oda in SBS or new information in recent chapters.

Thus, with exceptions of death and capture, the only other confirmed method of bounty revocation is to become an asset to either the Marines or World Government. A bounty may be removed by a court of law, as Jango's was during his mini-series (he hypnotized the entire courtroom to dance). Jango's case was further aided by the help and plea of the Marine Fullbody during the case. This later allowed him to join the Marines under the command of Hina. Every member of the Shichibukai is considered an ally of the World Government so the members bounties were all removed. This allows them to continue being a criminal on a conditional basis.

Criminals who end up as slaves keep their bounties on their heads, however so long as the slave remains a slave the Marines do nothing to arrest them. To this end, they ignore the slavery on the Sabaody Archipelago as a number of criminals end up slaves there; some even go on to be bought by the World Nobles. Although to those slaves, life in prison may be considered a better life then the one they are forced to live as a slave. Regardless once a slave is freed or tossed aside by its owner only then will the Marines may do as they please with the criminal.

Identification
A criminal is, more often than not, known by his poster. Without the issuing of a wanted poster, no criminal can be made known. These posters are distributed across the world in newspapers and establishments. Marines also keep copies of each criminal at their bases and on board their ships for quick identification. Bounty Hunters may also carry a list.

The Poster Picture
The most important part of a poster is the person's picture (or 'portrait' if hand drawn). It allows swift identification upon sighting the person and informs everyone in the world of their wanted status. The picture normally takes the form of a photograph; if a suitable photograph is unavailable, a drawing may be substituted as in the case of Sanji. To some (including Sanji), a decent photograph is as important as the bounty itself since the entire world will recognize you only with the picture, though some (such as Bellamy) believe some bounties are fake due to an unconvincing picture or a higher than expected bounty.

One of the most mysterious things about wanted posters in One Piece is the Marines' ability to obtain photos of almost every criminal (Enel the only notable exception, suitable since he operated in the sky and not on water). Oda in one of his later SBS reveals that the photos are taken by the Marine Photography Branch Captain "Flaming Attachan". Flaming Attachan apparently gets his name because before he closes the shutter he yells "Fire!". . The only exceptions to this rule of skilled bounty sketching so far are Mr. 13 and Miss Friday, used recently by the marines to assist drawing the bounty posters for remaining Baroque Works agents - the Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 pairs - in exchange for erasing their own potential bounties and joining the Marines with a job like Attachan. A new picture can be issued to account for any change in appearance (such as Robin).

Nicknames
The Marines give criminals, especially pirates, nicknames with the bounty poster that either describes their appearance (such as "Cyborg Franky"), what their powers/abilities are (such as "Black Leg Sanji" or "King of Snipers Sogeking"), or what they do (such as "Burglar Cat Nami" or "Pirate Hunter Zoro"). Sometimes it is just the most common nickname a person has (Luffy was called "Straw Hat" before his first bounty was issued).

List of bounties
In the series many bounties are revealed - either by the author in a reference box, said by a character (like Shakuyaku naming the nine Supernovas not part of the Straw Hat Crew), or a bounty poster being revealed (although the value may not always be fully accurate or fully shown, as with the Red Arrows crew). For example: the value in Nico Robin's poster was not shown until in later occasion; When Igaram first mentioned Crocodile's former bounty, he said it was 80,000,000 (while it actually is 81,000,000); Gecko Moria was first introduced by Robin as merely holding a bounty higher than Luffy's.

All Shichibukai members have former bounties except for newcomer Blackbeard, since the first requirement to join the group is being recognized world-wide so one's notoriety scares criminals. There are also minor characters who are speculated to have bounties, for example "Red-Leg" Zeff and Jean Bart. A wanted poster of Portgas D. Ace is seen during the Arabasta arc. It should also be noted that this is seen during a filler episode of One Piece, not actually part of the manga storyline. In that arc Nami mentions that Ace's bounty is so high that bounty hunters all over the world drool at the sight of it.

While several prisoners from Impel Down don't hold any specific value, Impel Down orders its prisoners from the bounty on their head. Levels 3 and 5 require bounties of 50,000,000 and 100,000,000 respectively, and the values required for others levels were not revealed. It is unknown if level 1 has a minimal value, although Buggy commented that every prisoner from level 2 that escaped with him holds a bounty higher than his own (15,000,000). Level 6 seems to use special requirements. Strangely, Mr. 2 is an exception to this rule, having been imprisoned in level 3 with a bounty of merely 32,000,000.

The Straw Hat pirate crew
Total bounty: 700,000,050

Shichibukai ex-bounties
Because they are frozen bounties, the Shichibukai bounties do not reflect subsequent criminal activities. Bounties listed are those that each Shichibukai had when they were granted Shichibukai status. Bounties are given in order of size, from largest to smallest, and current to former.

East Blue Bounties
''Note: The average bounty for the East Blue is rated at only 3,000,000, making it the weakest sea in the One Piece world. Any bounties of 10,000,000 or higher are considered to be impressive within the East Blues. Bounties are given in order of size, from largest to smallest, and from canon to non-canon [filler episodes/arcs and movies].''

Trivia

 * Oda confirmed that if Enel were actually a wanted pirate, he would have a bounty that could reach up to 500,000,000.
 * Bounties are often the centre of several myths within the fandom.
 * Record bounties:
 * Currently, Doflamingo's now inactive 340,000,000 bounty is the highest known bounty and highest Shichibukai bounty. The highest active bounty known is Eustass Kid's 315,000,000.
 * The lowest bounty known is Chopper's mere 50. Previously, Alvida held that position with her 5,000,000 bounty.
 * Robin holds the record for the youngest receiver of a bounty in the series, at the age of eight. Chopper is the second youngest at 15 years old.
 * Luffy's 30,000,000 bounty broke the record for active East Blue bounties, as well as the highest new bounty for an East Blue pirate.
 * Luffy holds the highest value of known bounty increases (Increasing 10 times, from 30,000,000 to 300,000,000).
 * Luffy also holds the highest amount of times of getting a new bounty (he got three bounties total, more than any other known person).
 * The oldest known bounties are jointly held by Dorry and Brogy - over a hundred years each.
 * The newest known bounties are Sogeking, Chopper, Sanji, Franky and Nami - all released after the events of Enies Lobby.
 * The lowest known Shichibukai bounty is Hancock's 80,000,000, being lower than Crocodile's by only 1,000,000 (this excludes Blackbeard as he has no bounty).
 * The highest combined bounties seen in one crew is the Straw Hats 700,000,050.
 * The known Shichibukai ex-bounties total up to over 1,036,000,000, including the former Shichibukai Crocodile and Jinbei it would have been 1,367,000,000.
 * The Eleven Supernovas bounties total up to 2,152,000,000, the highest of any group.
 * The highest organization (non-Pirate) was Baroque Works, whose bounties when the group was active totaled 160,000,000.
 * Wild Joe who appeared in Oda's oneshot Wanted! was given a bounty of 2,000,000.
 * In Impel Down, each level of the great jail contains criminals of a bounty exceeding a certain amount, although more elite criminals may end up in the lower levels such as the members of Baroque Works.
 * Known bounties of unseen characters:
 * Mr. 3 was said to have taken down a criminal with a 42,000,000 bounty.
 * Smoker defeated a pirate with a 50,000,000 bounty.
 * In the Real World, some pirates also had bounties placed on their heads. However, Real-World bounties were less important then in the world of One Piece, but for the period it would have been considered a small fortune.
 * Edward Teach had a bounty £100. The naval men who defeated him and his entire crew were paid £300 a piece, the full potential reward they could have received though was not paid as Teach was beaten while his ship had little bounty on board.
 * Chui Apoo had a bounty of $500.