Seven Warlords of the Sea

The Seven Warlords of the Sea (七武海, Shichibukai), the full title being The Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea (王下七武海, Ouka Shichibukai), are seven (reduced to four after the Battle of Marineford) powerful and well-known pirate captains who have allied themselves with the World Government. The total of their former bounties would be 716,000,000 berries or more.

Who are the Seven Warlords of the Sea?
The Seven Warlords of the Sea is an organization of seven former pirates turned privateers in the service of the World Government. Although they work for the World Government, the Warlords do not care about or respect the Government (excluding Bartholomew Kuma, who was transformed into their puppet) or even other Warlords, and are often considered by the Marines to be no different from any other pirate. On the other hand, they are known as "government dogs" and are despised by other pirates, but are still feared and respected for their infamous reputation and strength before, and even after they become Warlords. The Warlords seem to be a mixture of the more chaotic Four Emperors and the more orderly Marines. There is an enormous range in the bounties between the members due to differences in circumstances under which they were recruited, with Don Quixote Doflamingo, who has the highest known former bounty of the Warlords at 340,000,000 berries, Hancock with a comparatively low bounty of 80,000,000 berries (however this was her starter bounty, so far the highest known) and Blackbeard, with no former bounty at all. The majority of the Seven Warlords of the Sea are composed of New World veterans. Those who have met the Four Emperors or even confronted them. The terms that the Warlords are on with each other is best described as very unstable. They practically have very little (if any) respect for each other and will for the most part not accept help from one another, apparently from a firm sense of pride. During the battle meeting for the Warlords where only two members are absent (Hancock and Jimbei) it is even stated that the very notion of them working together as a team is entirely unthinkable. However Kuma and Doflamingo don't disregard the notion of teaming up with another Warlord: Kuma offered Moria help defeating the Straw Hats and Doflamingo offered Crocodile a chance to team up. Both offers were refused due to pride. During Boa Hancock's visit at Impel Down's Level Six, Jimbei stated that he didn't know much about her, possibly suggesting that only some of the Warlords are familiar with each other or even have personally met all the other members. Despite this as of chapter 575, all of the Warlords (including former) fought at the war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines. Most of the Seven Warlords of the Sea have a jaded attitude of the world, as their vast amounts of experience have disillusioned them. Crocodile and Moria both disregard Luffy's arrogant behavior, saying that he is too inexperienced to know what the world is truly like; Mihawk behaved in a similar fashion in his duel with Zoro. Doflamingo believes that there is no true justice in the world, and that both the Marines and Pirates are foolish if they think that they are upholding it. Hancock, through her horrid experience as a slave, considers all men of the world to be scum, outside of Luffy with whom she is in love, Rayleigh who is her "benefactor", and Fisher Tiger who was responsible for freeing her from slavery.

Warlord members
Boa Hancock

Blackbeard

Moria

Buggy the Clown

Trafalar Law

Previous Actions
For many years, Mihawk fought his rival swordsman Red-Haired Shanks in great battles that shook the Grand Line. Mihawk joined the ranks of the Seven Warlords at a currently unknown point in time. Moria and his rival, Kaido, also fought at some point and while Moria escaped with his life, his crew was no more. Moria would also join the ranks of the Warlords. Ten years ago, he set up an organization called Thriller Bark recruiting Dr. Hogback into his ranks. While Thriller Bark sailed around in the Florian Triangle they began to amass an army of zombies using Moria's powers. While fulfilling his duties of controlling pirates, they also took Marines and civilian ships. However the World Government, though appearing to know of his actions, allowed this to go on. Jimbei was recruited some eight years ago, following the death of Fisher Tiger and the breaking up of the Sun Pirates into smaller groups like the one Arlong led to the East Blue. His recruitment was an attempt to strengthen the bonds between species. Crocodile set up his Baroque Works organization four years prior, recruiting the criminal Nico Robin into his ranks. For the next four years, Crocodile would work to make the kingdom of Alabasta view him as a hero while he secretly gained power to bring down the royal family of Alabasta and take control of a weapon known as Pluton. Sometime after escaping slavery, Boa Hancock went on a single pirate campaign so great that, combined with the existing fearsome reputation of the Kuja Pirates, she was visited by the World Government with an offer. Hancock made a treaty with the World Government that protected her people from them in exchange for becoming a Warlord. Two years ago, when Portgas D. Ace was gaining fame as the captain of the Spade Pirates, he was invited to join the Warlords, meaning there was an opening for him, but he refused.