Post by Vio on Dec 16, 2016 10:45:56 GMT -5
This is a brand new system. Certain changes and additions may be made as we go, but otherwise we’ll be using this from now on! All information and records regarding our old bounty system can be found here.
Bounties have long since been a staple of One Piece. Ever since “Straw Hat” Luffy received his first bounty of 30,000,000 in the wake of Arlong’s defeat, we’ve seen increasingly higher and higher numbers, many of which have been upon the heads of prominent individuals such as the Shichibukai, Worst Generation and even the subordinates of the Yonkō. Practically every pirate and criminal of note has had a bounty upon their head, so it’s only fair that the site’s own scoundrels of the sea – Pirate, Revolutionary or otherwise – get the chance to be issued with bounties as well!
So, what do you need to do to receive a bounty? The first thing you’ll need to have done is have had your character participate in threads – Plots and Logs count, Missions and Events do not – in which they’ve committed crimes worthy of the World Government’s attention. Once you’ve accumulated a few crimes of this nature (see below for more info), you’ll need to create a thread in our Bounties section with the title “<Member Name> Bounty Requests” and submit it with the following template completed:[b]Character Name & Link:[/b]
[b]Epithet:[/b]
[b]Picture Link:[/b]
[b]Current Bounty:[/b]
[b]Graded Threads:[/b]
[b]Identification:[/b]
[b]Level of Threat:[/b]
[b]Perceived Power:[/b]
The thread you make will, in future, be used for any and all additional bounty requests you make. It doesn’t matter which character you’re applying for, or even if you’re applying to update an existing bounty! If the bounty is upon the head of one of your characters, make sure you use this personalized thread!{Click Here for Template Details}
Character Name & Link
Simple enough! Give us the name of the character receiving the bounty and include a link to their Updated Profile. We won’t accept Original Profiles when you’re applying for a bounty – we need the updated version as proof! You don’t have to provide us with the character’s full name (the link will tell us that). In many cases, it’s more than possible that a pirate’s true identity remains obscure, even to the World Government. Such examples include Nami and Usopp, whose full names are not known (either to us or the World Gov.), and so those unknown details are omitted. On the contrary, Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro’s full names were well-known – they’d both named themselves or were at least known – and so were included in their bounty posters.
Epithet
This is the important one, really. This one decides how your character will be known to the world – where their notoriety comes from. There could be several hundred people by the name of Nami, but it is the epithet of “Cat Burglar” that makes the bounty recognizable. Give us your character’s epithet! If you don’t have one, try and come up with one, or otherwise you can leave it to us to try and determine a decent one. Luffy earned his because of his trademark hat, while Zoro’s (“Pirate Hunter”) originates from his time roaming the East Blue as a bounty hunter, where he gained notoriety.
Picture Link
If you want a bounty poster, you’ll have to provide us with a link to a suitable image to use. It could be a face claim, commissioned art or your own work! The most important part is that it captures the character’s face – the most recognizable attribute of their person. In some cases, as recently proven with Charlotte Cracker, it’s possible that a suited master of disguise might even be able to fool the World Government’s photographers and such into snapping the wrong image. An image must be a minimum of 300x300 pixels in order for us to use it properly!
Current Bounty
If your character already has a bounty, then make sure to show us by telling us the amount and linking us to your bounty poster! Having a bounty already can heavily influence how much it increases by, not to mention that there are certain diminished returns for lesser crimes. Certain crimes might not even be considered if your bounty is high enough!
Graded Threads
Please provide us with links to each and every graded Plot or Log submission in which your character committed crimes that can be considered worthy of a bounty. Acts such as petty thievery or simple bar fights against others won’t net you a number, especially not in areas where the World Navy very rarely roam. A bigger list of information will be provided below, which can help you discern what is necessary for a bounty.
Identification, Level of Threat & Perceived Power
These are the three steps to successfully earning a bounty from an in character (IC) perspective. You’ll need to fill out each of these three sections – a simple bullet point list or short paragraphs detailing the important aspects of the crimes will suffice in most cases. If needed, we’ll ask for more detail on what happened, but your input here (as well as in the initial grading submissions for involved threads) is what will usually help us most. You’ll find all of the information for these below!
Step 1 – Identification
The most important step in being issued a bounty is to be identified as a potential threat to the World Government and its people. Ask yourself the question: “What did my character do to be noticed by the WG?”
You need to have been in a situation where a Marine Officer of decent standing (preferably of the rank of Lieutenant or above) notices you for whatever reason. You could have done something to anger them in person, or otherwise had enough of an impact to make them curious. They might hear about your deeds through third parties, such as their own lower-ranking troops, civilian reports or the like. In general, you just need to have done something substantial enough to warrant the attention of the World Navy.
- Personal Conflict with a Marine Officer
Your character may have gone head-to-head with a Lieutenant (or above). They might have fought against you directly, or you may have otherwise done something to aggravate them. You could have stolen from them, foiled their plans, or even hurt somebody close to them. Luffy’s defeat of Arlong and opposition to Captain Nezumi was what resulted in his initial bounty, for example.- Corruption
Your actions may have damaged the reputation of a wealthy businessman, leader or the like, whose ties with the Marines have allowed them to contribute towards increasing your bounty.- Marine Contacts
Corruption’s counterpart; you might have paid off the Officer in question, or otherwise done them a favor which influences their opinion of you, which may be enough to make them reconsider parts of their reports. They may just spin the situation in your favor by skimping on a few of the details.
Step 2 – Level of Threat
Ask yourself: “What has my character done to be considered a threat to the World Government?”
This is the most important part of your bounty application and numbers will be determined based on what you provide us with. If the Navy doesn’t consider you a threat of some sort, then why would your character even be issued a bounty? If you’re actively targeting the citizens of World Government nations, raiding their islands, or perhaps are allied with the Revolutionary Army, then this could sway the number. However, certain acts might also reduce your potential bounty. If you’re doing a bit of a favor by taking out other pirates, or otherwise causing issues for non-allied islands that may consider joining the WG for protection, then the Marines may just turn a blind eye to some of your crimes and stick a lower number on your head. A big factor is how your character might act in the face of the law – fight or flight can influence how much of a threat they perceive you to be!
- Location, Location, Location
An important aspect of a bounty is where it happens! If you’re limiting your crimes solely to the Blues, then the World Navy isn’t going to see you as an immense threat unless you prove it to them. However, acting out on the Grand Line – even the New World – can have an immense impact. Location will generally determine what range you’ll be looking at. The harsher the sea you operate in, the more likely you are to be assigned a sizable number. Certain soft caps exist for these locations, though critical crimes can push you above these limitations. What region did your crimes take place in?- Conflict with Wanted Criminals
While the World Navy works to stop piracy in its tracks, they’re not averse to a bit of unorthodox help. Sometimes a lot of their job is done simply by two pirate groups clashing and, if you’re doing this quite often, they may turn a blind eye to your bounty for a while as you’re working in their favor. They may still factor this in later should you go against them directly, however.- Conflict with Revolutionaries
If your actions become detrimental to the Revolutionary Army, whether that includes driving them off or overwhelming them, then the World Government will probably consider this a more benevolent act. Better than conflict with other pirates, throwing a wrench in the works of the Revolution can help to keep your bounty on the lower side.- Attacks on Non-Member Nations
Ideally, the World Government works to unite the globe under a single banner. If what you’re doing is forcing isolated countries and kingdoms to reconsider their political allegiance and join the WG, then they might not pay much attention to your attacks. The WG cares only for their own, so helping to get rid of their enemies and provide them with more allies is beneficial in their eyes, helping to keep your bounty suppressed.- Criminal Association
A minor crime, but potentially scarring to your reputation, associating yourself with a known criminal may have an impact on your bounty. The bigger the criminal, the more they’ll consider this, even if you don’t consider yourself a criminal. For pirates of notable strength, it’s your Captain’s known crimes that may influence your own. Mercenaries are warned, this is the one that’s most likely to get you off the ground when it comes to being given a number!- Takeovers of WG Nations
You dare to proclaim yourself the ruler of a World Government Member Nation? Oh, boy! This one’s going to have an impact. Expect imminent Marine intervention on top of a potentially substantial increase in your bounty.- Attacks on Civilians, Casualties
Something as simple as taking hostages is already considered bad enough, but killing people – especially important people – can swing your bounty high! The more attacks you commit to, the more and more likely you are to receive a hefty price upon your head. You’re actively attacking the people who make up the WG, so it’s understandable that this is a serious offense. Eustass Kid’s bounty is known to be quite high because of the high number of casualties he caused prior to his arrival at the Sabaody Archipelago.- Raids on Member Nations
Raiding and pillaging is nothing short of monstrous, but while the Marines may not pay much attention to small villages and backwater islands, directly raiding a town or city that is an important part of the World Government can be very impactful. It’s a grave crime that’ll net you a high amount, regardless of the manner you did it in! The bigger and more brutal a raid you commit to, the more likely a large number will be!- Lasting Damage to WG Islands
Exactly as the title suggests, something as simple as distributing Rain Powder or breaking an execution scaffold won’t have much of an impact. However, doing something such as burning or flooding a town, or even outright demolishing an important landmark can result in a hefty price on your head!- Attacks on WG Forces
Fight or flight? If the answer is the former when you spy Marine forces approaching, then you’re going to have a bad time. Having the gall to stand up against the military pride of the World Government is in itself an issue, but resisting arrest and even causing heavy damage and casualties to Marine forces is bound to make them consider stacking up on your bounty. It works with other forces, too! If you dare to contest the territory of the Daibukai or (God forbid) the Shichibukai, then the WG aren’t going to take it lightly. Of course, your level of success can be just as influential as the will alone.- Acts of Cruelty
There’s a difference between beating an opponent and being downright barbaric. Acts of unnecessary and unprovoked brutality are bound to make the Marines consider placing a higher number on your head.- Escapee
If your character has somehow managed to escape custody or – even worse – a high security World Government facility, then that’s going to have an impact. Security breaches are a low blow to the Marines, especially if word gets out, so they won’t be taking them lightly!- Inside Information
If you’ve got dirt on the World Government, or perhaps have a learned a few things that you shouldn’t have, then the Navy are going to see you as a threat. Security leaks are bad enough, but potentially detrimental information getting out into the world could have serious repercussions. Depending on how important the knowledge is, then it might be even more hazardous to your head! This works both ways, however! If you have some inside information on a powerful pirate or (even better) the Revolutionary Army, then the World Navy might just be willing to exchange this information and suppress any potential bounty increases.- Deserting
Information leaks are one thing, but actively abandoning your duty and turning on the World Government’s forces is considered a hefty crime. Many superiors will want to see you dead, especially if you’ve dragged their reputation through the mud on the way out!- Flying a Jolly Roger
Though not a considerably hefty crime, association with pirates of any sort is still considered a crime. Flying the Black Flag is a crime which can result in a small nudge to your bounty, especially early on, though it’s very likely this will be overwritten when later deeds come to light.- Identifying as a Revolutionary
Piracy is bad enough, but actively declaring yourself a member of the Revolutionary Army? Wow! Your intent to topple the WG’s regime will be duly noted. Like flying a Jolly Roger, being a Revolutionary in and of itself is not a massive crime and will soon be forgotten in the wake of your more notorious deeds, but it’s the seeds that you sow early that will have an impact.- Poneglyph Research
No peeking! Even if you’ve yet to gather the knowledge necessary to research these archaic objects and their secret histories, just making your intent to research them known is more than enough to put you on the World Navy’s watch list. You’re clearly more than just a simple thug! What’s worse is if they actively catch you doing what you said you were going to do!
Step 3 – Perceived Power
The third and final step in determining a bounty is how powerful your character is seen to be. It’s the hardest question to answer: “How strong a force is my character considered to be?”
Many factors can influence this. How many people work under you? What kinds of feats are you known for? Was a Marine Officer able to witness first-hand the level of strength your character possesses? Devil Fruits can also factor into this, as can Extraordinary Fighting Styles, while the location of your crimes can also be of influence. Remember, this is perceived power, not actual strength. If the Marines have no reliable source of information on your potential strength, then it could swing your bounty in either direction.
- Physical Capabilities
If there are reliable, first-hand accounts of how much power you’re packing, then your bounty could skyrocket! A wuss leading an armada is nothing when compared to somebody with enough strength to put a whole crew down, even if they’ve not really offended anyone! The more potent you are from a physical standpoint, the more potential destruction you can bring.- Fighting Wanted Criminals
Have you managed to defeat a fellow pirate or even a Revolutionary? A character capable of such feats as taking down another wanted individual is sure to be considered an increasing threat to the World Navy. Though the exact details don’t always matter, the committee will more than likely see you defeating such people as noteworthy.- Devil Fruit Ability
Devil Fruit users have always had more potential for causing havoc, so being an Ability User will sway your bounty. It may not have a huge influence, but an influence it will have nonetheless. If your power’s growth is recorded, then the increase of bounty may also scale with it – a skilled Devil Fruit user is far more potent than somebody who can barely activate their power!- Especially Intelligent
Brains beat brawn. Even if you’re a weakling, the World Navy may see you as a high threat if you’ve got the smarts of a criminal mastermind. If you’ve got your wits about you and have proven yourself a potent tactician and strategist, then this is going to net you a raise.- Leader of a Powerful Organization
Are you a Captain of a small crew, or an armada? Are you a lone wolf, or do you have a whole network under your wing? People with pawns to play with are often considered far more dangerous than individuals, so having a large faction at your disposal is going to make the committee really think about what kind of threat you pose. If your subordinates have also netted bounties of their own accord, then their crimes may just be pinned on you as well!
Example Bounty – Monkey D. Luffy
“Like weeds, Evil must be plucked when they are but buds.”– Commodore Brannew
One of the best examples of a bounty being issued goes to none other than the future Pirate King himself! So, what did he do to be issued his first ever bounty of 30,000,000 Beri?
Step 1 – Identification
- Personal Conflict with a Marine Officer
After Luffy defeated Arlong and shut down Arlong Park’s corrupt operations with the Marines, Captain Nezumi was actively angered by Straw Hat’s actions – the rat wants him dead.
Step 2 – Level of Threat
- Conflict with Wanted Criminals
Luffy single-handedly defeated three wanted pirates during the course of the East Blue Saga, starting with Buggy the Clown, then Don Krieg, and finally taking out Arlong! The World Government didn’t actively have a reason to oppose him for this, especially as his actions were beneficial to the people.- Flying a Jolly Roger
Luffy’s iconic Straw Hat-wearing flag is nothing more than simple skull and crossbones. It identifies him as a pirate, but exactly how much of an influence it’s had since is unknown. One thing’s for sure, he was bound to aggravate the Marines further at some point!
Step 3 – Perceived Strength
- Fighting Wanted Criminals
Some Rookie! Luffy took down not one, but three of the strongest and most notorious pirates in the East Blue. Can you believe it!? His bounty is bound to reflect his potential strength, especially as some of his efforts – namely Don Krieg (by Fullbody) – were witnessed first-hand by Marines!- Physical Capabilities
From all of the Intel they’ve gotten their hands on, the World Navy knew by this point that Luffy was no pushover. He’s ran through explosions, shrugged off near crippling injuries, tossed a Sea Cow around, and even smashed his way through brick walls and buildings! Not only is his physical power immense, but so too is his ability to take a hit!- Devil Fruit Ability
While the above couldn’t have been achieved without it, the World Government became aware that Luffy ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi – his potential with a Devil Fruit is only going to grow!
