Founded by the great Fisher Tiger, the Sun Pirates were the most powerful crew of Fish-Men in the Grand Line during their heyday, and grew to become the pride of Fish-Man Island, despite their notoriety in the eyes of the World Government. The original incarnation of the crew included many notable Fish-Men who would go on to become major players in One Piece, such as the likes of Jinbe, Aladine, Macro, as well as Arlong and his crew. Furthermore, many of the crew's members were former slaves of the World Nobles, who had been freed by Tiger — himself a former slave — during his raid on Mary Geoise.

Under Tiger's leadership, the Sun Pirates made earnest attempts to end the cycle of discrimination and hatred that ran rampant between humans and Fish-Men. This cycle was responsible for societal ills such as the enslavement of Fish-Men, as well as the World Government's systemic discrimination against Fish-Man Island and its inhabitants. In the world of One Piece, the story of the Sun Pirates is a tragedy which highlighted the World Government's tyranny and humanity's evils, most notably the abhorrent practice of slavery, which still plagues the world even during the time of the New Era.

RELATED: One Piece: The Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance, Explained

The Great Fisher Tiger

A famous explorer and adventurer whose tales enthralled the inhabitants of Fish-Man Island, Fisher Tiger was a legendary figure of great repute in his homeland. In his youth, he also took on the burden of protecting those who resided within the lawless and desolate neighbourhood of the Fish-Man District, on the outskirts of the more prosperous Ryugu Kingdom. This was where he encountered a young Jinbe along with Arlong, who would both later join his crew. From time to time, Tiger left the district on voyages across the seas, until one fateful excursion which lasted far longer than expected.

Tiger returned from his exploits to reveal that his lengthy absence from Fish-Man Island was due to him having been captured and enslaved for years by the World Nobles in Mary Geoise. He had been tortured, humiliated, and abused for years, which fueled his disdain for the ills of humanity and the repugnant practice of slavery. Escaping their clutches, he journeyed back to his homeland, but could not bring himself to abandon those who were still suffering back on the Red Line. Hence, he returned to Mary Geoise and laid siege to it, liberating slaves of all races who had been imprisoned there. Among those freed by him were a young Boa Hancock and her sisters, who would later go on to lead the Kuja Pirates

On learning of his actions, many Fish-Men abandoned their earlier lives to join Fisher Tiger and the Sun Pirates. Since Tiger, and many of the Fish-Men who had been freed from slavery bore the mark of the World Nobles on their bodies, he branded them with the symbol of the Sun Pirates, which instead of a Jolly Roger, took form as the silhouette of a burning sun. Hence, it would be impossible for the World Government to identify who among them were former slaves, preventing them from being returned to the World Nobles.

Prejudice Rears Its Ugly Head

As the leader of the Sun Pirates, he further discouraged all discrimination or violent action against humans, as he disliked killing. He believed that even despite humanity’s crimes, killing them in retribution would mean that Fish-Men had stooped down to the level of the humans themselves. While some such as Jinbe agreed with this, others like Arlong staunchly disagreed and advocated for the use of force against their human oppressors. Even in spite of the differences in their views, Arlong respected Tiger's wishes while he was part of the Sun Pirates due to his respect for him.

Both Jinbe and Tiger were given sizable bounties around three years into their travels. At a certain island they arrived at during their journey, they were asked to aid a human child — later revealed to be a young Koala, now a member of the Revolutionary Army — who had once been held as a slave by the World Nobles. Relating to the child's plight, Tiger pledged to take her back to her home island. The child initially found it difficult to adjust to her new surroundings, and was unable to differentiate between the crew and her former captors, working tirelessly with a forced smile on her face. This was because she was terrified of facing death if the smile ever disappeared from her face, as she was told during her time as a slave.

RELATED: One Piece: The Voice Of All Things, Explained

Arlong was also of no help to her rehabilitation, as he routinely subjected her to abuse, stemming from his own hatred of humanity, which he projected on to her. Tiger took notice of this and branded the mark of the Sun Pirates in place of the World Nobles' emblem, symbolically setting her free and allowing her to express her emotions freely. From then on, the child grew comfortable with the crew, who gradually became fond of her. On arriving at Foolshout Island, her former home, the child, bade a tearful farewell to the crew as the islanders rejoiced her return. Unbeknownst to the crew, the inhabitants of the island had also betrayed the Sun Pirates and alerted the World Government of their presence, in return for the Marines disregarding the fact that Koala was once a slave to the World Nobles.

Cornered by the Marines, Tiger was shot multiple times and fatally wounded, as the crew's ship was destroyed. Luckily, the remaining members of the Sun Pirates managed to commandeer a Marine battleship and escape with Tiger on board. While attempting to save Tiger, who was on the brink of death, Aladine tried to give him a transfusion of human blood that they found on the ship. However, unable to bring himself to accept human blood, which he saw as being "tainted by hatred towards Fish-Men," Tiger refused the transfusion and succumbed to his injuries. In his last moments, he asked his crew to avoid revealing the circumstances of his passing, or the fact that he was a slave. This brought the tale of one of Fish-Man Island's most respected sons to a sad end.

A Split Toward New Beginnings

After Tiger's death, the Sun Pirates split up into three factions: the first was headed by Jinbe who became the Sun Pirates' new leader and eventually secured a position as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, allowing the crew to return to Fish-Man Island. This also effectively disbanded the Sun Pirates as they formerly were. The next faction consisted of Arlong and his old crew, who journeyed to the East Blue and committed horrific crimes to satiate his anger against humans, until they were finally defeated by the Straw Hats. Lastly, Macro formed the Macro Pirates who operated as kidnappers and slave traders.

When Jinbe gave up his status as a Warlord prior to the Summit War of Marineford, the former members of the Sun Pirates were forced to flee Fish-Man Island due to them being designated as pirates once again. After the events of the war, Jinbe reunited with some of his former comrades and managed to forge an alliance with Big Mom. During the events of the Whole Cake Island Arc, Jinbe ended his association with Big Mom and finally agreed to join Luffy, only to be forced away from the Straw Hats during their escape from Totto Land. Finally, after surviving the confrontation with the Big Mom Pirates, Jinbe finally said his goodbyes to his old crew and joined Luffy in Wano Country.

One Piece is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

MORE: One Piece: The 7 Most Enigmatic Characters In The Series