Donquixote Pirates

The Donquixote Pirates is a pirate crew led by Donquixote Doflamingo. They are also known as the Donquixote Family (ドンキホーテファミリー).

Founding the World Government
The family was one of the original twenty royal families who founded the World Government after the Void Century. During the Void Century, the family was at odds with the Tontatta Tribe. Belonging to this bloodline makes Doflamingo a World Noble, and he used his status to falsify the story about his resignation from the Shichibukai.

Return to Dressrosa
Ten years ago, the Donquixote Family returned to their kingdom and drove out the family that replaced them, the Riku Family.

Trafalgar Law was once a subordinate whom Doflamingo treated as a younger brother before his defection. Vergo was apparently the first member of the crew, and Law's senior, but before becoming famous, he enlisted in the Marines to serve as a mole on behalf of Joker for the last fifteen years. Eight years before the start of the series, Doflamingo joined the Shichibukai, and the crew was allowed to stay at Dressrosa, with Doflamingo attaining kingship at the same time. The Bellamy Pirates also swore their allegiance to the crew, and were permitted to use its Jolly Roger.

At some point in the past four years, Doflamingo formed a three-way alliance with the rogue Marine scientist Caesar Clown and Kaido, in order to create SAD and SMILE artificial Devil Fruit, to create an army of Zoan class users within the New World. However, needing Caesar for the SAD production and not trusting him, Doflamingo assigned Vergo and Monet to function as an intermediate and deep cover agent to monitor and protect him on his behalf to ensure his safety of his investment.

Skypiea Arc
After Bellamy's humiliating defeat at the hands of the Straw Hat captain, Doflamingo arrived and tortuously punished Bellamy and Sarkies, and proceeded to dismiss their crew from his command due to their captain suffered such an easy defeat, falling out of the expected standards. Doflamingo then goes on about how the world should be prepared for the New Era.

However, Bellamy and his crew eventually entered Sky Island. Although he lost his crew, Bellamy survived, and brought back a giant pillar of gold to present to Doflamingo, thus giving him another chance. Since then, Bellamy has grown greatly in strength, in the hopes of redeeming himself. He was even offered a position as a commander within the crew if he can win in the Corrida Colosseum, and has become very popular within Dressrosa due to his steadfast devotion to Doflamingo.

Marineford Arc
While Doflamingo himself participated in the Battle of Marineford, Law, having already formed his own crew and become an infamous rookie, came near the end of the war in order to rescue Monkey D. Luffy. Law succeeds in saving Luffy while Doflamingo emerges from the war unharmed.

Timeskip
One year later, Law became a Shichibukai by turning in 100 hearts from pirates and sought shelter in Caesar's hideout, Punk Hazard.

Punk Hazard Arc
During the events of the Punk Hazard Arc, Law revealed his rebellion against the Donquixote Pirates by attacking the SAD production room and attempted to kidnap Caesar by forming an alliance with the Straw Hats. Doflamingo ordered Vergo to brutally eliminate Law, but Law succeeded in defeating his senior and, indirectly, killing Monet. Doflamingo, in turn, sent Baby 5 and Buffalo to clean things up and retrieve Caesar, and, upon seeing that Monet failed to detonate the island's chemical weapon as ordered, decided to enter the island himself. However, Baby 5 and Buffalo are swiftly incapacitated by the Straw Hat Pirates, and then Caesar was also captured after his failed attempt to escape alone to Dressrosa.

Taking Caesar hostage, Law cut apart Buffalo and Baby 5, and left their heads on the SAD tanker's rescue raft to drift towards the incoming Doflamingo, with a Den Den Mushi to contact him. Law threatened his former captain to resign his Shichibukai position to continue negotiations with Caesar as the collateral.

After his attempt to kill the G-5 Marines being thwarted by Kuzan's arrival, Doflamingo retrieved Baby 5 and Buffalo, body and head, and returned to Dressrosa.

Dressrosa Arc
In an attempt of misdirection, Doflamingo falsified his resignation from the Shichibukai, and the news printed out his supposed departure, leading to a massive uproar in the kingdom and the world beyond it. While the various members prepared in their own ways in the prospect of the Marines, Doflamingo gathered his top three subordinates to have them prepare for Luffy's arrival, with a certain object to act as a deterrent.

Many members of the crew participated in the Corrida Colosseum for that deterrent, which was offered as a prize for the champion. Bellamy also participated, but not for the prize, instead for a chance to be promoted to a higher-ranking position within the crew. Bellamy ultimately lost to Elizabello II's King Punch attack, but was given one more chance by Doflamingo, if he can assassinate Luffy.

Sanji was informed by Violet, who did not truly wanted to follow Doflamingo, about the resignation being fake. During the trade for Caesar, he reported it to Law, who was responsible for bringing the hostage. By then, it was too late, as Doflamingo arrived to Green Bit, alongside Admiral Fujitora and his battalion of Marine soldiers. In front of the Marines, Doflamingo immediately declared Caesar as his subordinate, thus drafting the rogue scientist into his crew while pardoning him of his crimes. While Caesar stood aside with the soldiers, Doflamingo and Issho partnered up (to an extent) against Law, who lost his Shichibukai status for allying with the Straw Hats as equals. Later, Law seemed to be being overwhelmed by Doflamingo.

Trébol Army
The Trébol Army (トレーボル軍) is a subdivision of the Donquixote Pirates, led by Trébol. Violet is an assassin from this army, and seems to have higher authority as the other members refer to her with honorifics. Jora is also a member of this army, having a similar level of authority as Violet as the soldiers refer to her with honorifics as well.

Crew Strength
The Donquixote Pirates are a very powerful crew, as their captain is a world famous pirate, a member of the Shichibukai with a former bounty of 340,000,000 and the ruler of the kingdom Dressrosa. Crew members Bellamy, Monet, Baby 5, Caesar Clown, Buffalo, Jora, and Violet are all known Devil Fruit users.

Crew member Vergo is a mole who has ascended the Marines ranks for about fifteen years, eventually becoming a vice admiral, while keeping his true identity hidden from everyone outside of his affiliates. Vergo had bouts with Law twice, a toe-to-toe bout with Sanji once, and defeated Smoker, a Logia fighter, with moderate difficulty. Eventually, Vergo was handled in one shot by Law once he was no longer using his heart as a crutch.

Doflamingo also has another Devil Fruit user who can turn humans into toys. This power has been used to transform many Dressrosa citizens into toys. Including Doflamingo himself, and the recent induction of Caesar Clown into the crew, this totals the amount of Devil Fruit users on board to no less than nine (ten if Trébol is indeed one as well), two of which are Logia, and the second highest confirmed number within any pirate crew, under Kaido's army of 500 artificial Zoan users.

They are heavily involved in underworld brokering (including slavery, and production and distribution of weapons of mass destruction) in the New World, making them both very influential and very powerful. They are known to have destroyed entire towns at whim, as stated by Baby 5. The crew also seems to excel in teamwork, as when Baby 5 and Buffalo fought Franky Shogun, there teamwork was near flawless and demonstrated great skills in using each others powers for combat. The crew also once consisted of Trafalgar Law, a powerful pirate rookie who would go on to become a Shichibukai as well, with a former bounty of 440,000,000, prior to him leaving for his own interests. Law was considered by Doflamingo for a place among his four top subordinates, meaning that these crew members are likely on par with the Heart Pirates captain in terms of strength.

The crew also have collaborated with Vegapunk's former colleague and rogue scientist Caesar Clown and have him produce SMILES to be sold in the underworld. The scientist is the only person able to produce a substance called SAD, something which Doflamingo places value in greatly. They have also formed an alliance with Kaido, one of the Yonko, having supplied him with SMILES for his Zoan army. Having powerful allies such as these prove the Donquixote Pirates are a faction to be reckoned with. During the hostage exchange situation, Doflamingo declared Caesar as his subordinate, thus recruiting the scientist as a full member of the crew.

Doflamingo is also the king of Dressrosa which gave them a lot of resources. Recently the crew has been weakened with the deaths of Monet and Vergo, and the alliance with Kaido has become unstable as Kaido has no problem to kill Doflamingo if he displease him and Doflamingo has lost control of Caesar, the one man capable of producing SAD, the thing which is the driving force between their alliance. Doflamingo also gave up the throne of his kingdom and thus lost the benefit he had before, though this was later revealed to be a ruse and Doflamingo still retains control of his kingdom.

SAD Tanker


The SAD Tanker (SADのタンカー) is a tanker used for carrying SAD from Punk Hazard to Dressrosa. It first appeared in Chapter 692, when Caesar smashed into it.

It is a paddle-wheel driven ship with three masts. At its bow is a spherical figurehead bearing the jolly roger of the Donquixote Pirates and a safety rail. Further aft of the bow are two large domed tanks with openings at the top, radioactive symbols on the sides, and hazard stripes around their circumferences. The masts are positioned immediately in front, behind, and between the tanks. They have dark sails and at least one of them has a crow's nest with a flag at the top. On the ship's hull is the Donquixote Pirates' jolly roger, the letters SAD, and an awning that partially covers the paddle-wheels.

The ship is partly caked with Shinokuni since it was outside at the time of the gas's release. The hull also has two holes in it due to Caesar Clown crashing through it. The bridge is a flat, multistory building with two buttress-like beams jutting out from the top. Despite its appearance, the bridge is actually quite spacious, as Law turned it into a sick bay so he could cleanse the imprisoned children of the drugs Caesar put in them. On either side of the roof are two small spires.

Usage
When Vergo heard that a SAD tanker was heading to Punk Hazard from Dressrosa, he caught a ride on instinct. Upon learning about it, Smoker ordered his contingent to lead the children to safety and then commandeer the idling tanker.

Later, the tanker was covered by Shinokuni, but most of it was removed when Luffy's punch sent Caesar Clown crashing into it, which also put two holes in the hull. Franky was examining the ship in Franky Shogun, when he emerged and saw Buffalo and Baby 5 in the sky. He later engaged them from the deck of the tanker. Two of the masts were destroyed during this battle.

Once the battle was over, the G-5 Marines seized the tanker in order to transport the children as well as the underlings they had apprehended on the island. Franky was helping them repair the damaged mast, saying they should have told him sooner that the tanker was important. He said he would have moved the fight off the tanker's deck if he had known that it would be needed. Law gave the children treatment to detoxify their bodies in the bridge, which frightened Chopper. After seeing that they were all okay, he told them they would be going home. It was also in the bridge that the children were put in the custody of Tashigi and the Marines, the latter of whom tearfully asked Nami to leave the children under her watch. Soon after, Zoro and a child asked a Marine to get some alcohol and juice from the tanker so they could have it with the food Sanji was making. Later, the Straw Hats gave tanker to the G-5 Marines so they could use it to take the children home.

Submarine


While assaulting the Thousand Sunny, Jora and her subordinates used a submarine. The submarine features the Donquixote Pirates' Jolly Roger and the number "08" painted on the side. It appears to be several times smaller than the Sunny. It was sunk by Nami.

Other Information
The Donquixote Pirates are a very powerful crew in both strength and influence. Being connected with the underworld, they have formed many alliances, ranging from brokering to spies within the Marines; Doflamingo was able to deceive the entire world that he resigned from the Shichibukai, something considered to be an impossible by anyone less than a World Noble, to which Doflamingo is indeed, due to his family's heritage. They also managed to recruit significant individuals and entire pirate crews to become their allies, such as Caesar Clown and the Bellamy Pirates. Prior to the latter's dismissal, Bellamy and his crew were attempting to recruit promising pirates for the "New Age" under the Donquixote Pirates' insignia. The crew also formed an alliance with Kaido of the Yonko to create an army of artificial Zoan-class Devil Fruit users, which involves the SAD that only Caesar could produce. However, this alliance is based more on terror, as even Doflamingo fears Kaido's immense power, and goes into hysteria when the contract was threatened. Their base of operations is Dressrosa, a New World kingdom with a luxurious castle, a swimming pool and a factory where SAD is processed into Smiles, where Doflamingo was the sovereign due to his position as a Shichibukai. Several members and allies, such as Law and the Bellamy Pirates, originate from North Blue, although whether the crew originates from there is unknown.

In terms of interpersonal relationships, Doflamingo values the members of his crew somewhat like a family, albeit with tendencies of harsh punishments for failures; he saw Law and Baby 5 as though they were younger siblings, but demanded the former's death in the most brutal fashion possible for betrayal. He also abandoned Monet and Vergo when they were defeated, ordering them to commit a suicide bombing to annihilate all evidence and enemies within, though he expressed sincere regret for forcing them to do so; in turn, both Monet and Vergo, at least, were glad to sacrifice their lives for Doflamingo, and happily bid him farewell. Doflamingo also greatly protects his collaboration with Caesar, if only for the scientist's ability to produce SAD, but has no patience for other allies who fail to meet his standards, as he tortured and discarded the Bellamy Pirates and later disowned the Human Auctioning House for a humiliating defeat and loss of interest, respectively. Despite this, he gave Bellamy a second chance for growing much stronger and presenting a large pillar of gold as proof. The members refer Doflamingo as "Young Master" (若) as a sign of respect, or by his alias "Joker" for discretion. Closer members like Vergo and Trébol call him "Doffy" (ドフィ) in a casual manner.

Similar to the Straw Hat Pirates and Big Mom Pirates, the Donquixote Pirates seem to have a diverse and randomized variety of crew members, as opposed to many crews that follow a specific theme, ranging from a young girl to elderly people, Marine spies to a rogue Government scientist. A discreet theme that does run in the crew is that several members have some personality quirks:
 * Doflamingo's penchant for dramatic speeches and poses.
 * Vergo's absentmindedness.
 * Baby 5's inability to decline any request.
 * Trébol's tendency of getting physically close when communicating.
 * Diamante's constant denial of flattery until it has been retracted.
 * Jora's habit of mishearing her foes' words as compliments and would berate them for it.

It appears there is a system of ranking reserved for the more important or powerful members, to which they are allowed to sit on seats represented by the four suits of cards: Heart, Club, Diamond and Spade. The Heart was reserved for Law, though his defection made it vacant, the Club, Diamond and Spade belongs to Trébol, Diamante and Pica respectively. The four who are situated at these seats are apparently quite respected, as Baby 5 used an honorific to refer to Trébol.

Trivia

 * The card game-theme was already used by Aceand his Spade Pirates, making the pun "Ace of Spades". Also, a member of Donquixote Pirates uses the spade as symbol too, but no link has been even mentioned.