Food is necessary to survive, and characters who are capable of cooking food, commonly referred to as “cooks” or “chefs”, are essential for living out on the high seas, especially with limited access to regular resources. It is for this reason that many successful pirate crews will commonly employ at least one cook, to ensure people have regular access to edible meals. Yet oftentimes, these cooks are not only there to make food. Many cooks will also aid in combat, with some even being among the strongest of their crewmates. While not every cook who operates at sea is presently active as a pirate, these particularly powerful cooks all have documented histories of piracy.
Sanji
Black Leg
Current Affiliation: Straw Hat Pirates
Sanji is perhaps the most famous example of a strong cook. He was self-taught in the field of cooking from a very young age, starting out by preparing meals for his mother, Sora. Though Sora took to her child’s culinary skills, the male relatives of his family found them unbecoming due to his royal heritage, reasoning that royalty does not serve others. Sanji’s elder sister Reiju aided him in leaving the family, after which he worked as a cook on a cruise ship known as the Orbit.
This ship was attacked by Zeff and his crew, the Cook Pirates, but everyone except for Sanji and Zeff perished in a storm. Zeff later opened Baratie, filling a desired niche for a high-seas restaurant, and Sanji worked as the restaurant’s sous-chef. Though Zeff trained Sanji in both cooking and combat, improving his skills in either department, he believed Sanji should pursue his long-awaited dream of finding the All Blue, an area where the seas converge and aquatic life of all kinds is found. To this end, Sanji joined the Straw Hat Pirates, who he currently serves as the cook for. Under the tutelage of Emporio Ivankov, Sanji was able to improve both his combat and cooking, eventually learning the fabled recipes of Attack Cuisine in exchange for battling a number of martial artists under Ivankov.
Sanji’s leg-based martial art of choice, Black Leg Style, is utilized in part because of Zeff’s belief that a cook should never tarnish their hands. Sanji is a strong believer in kitchen hygiene, and was notably offended when Wanze, an agent of Cipher Pol 7 who also worked as a ramen cook, used his mouth and nose to knead and trim his noodles respectively.
Sanji is able to physically heat up his legs, adding to their potency in combat. Additionally, Sanji is skilled in Armament and Observation Haki, allowing him to have stronger attacks and heightened senses. Finally, against his will, the Lineage Factor modifications his father Judge endowed him and his brothers with, finally kicked into gear, allowing him to tap into the might that laid dormant within for so long.
Hatchan
Takoyaki Salesman
Current Affiliation: Takoyaki 8
Hatchan, commonly known as Hachi, is an octopus fish-man skilled in swordplay, practicing the Six-Sword Style. Despite his prior affiliations with fish-man supremacists, he himself is not shown to be particularly prejudiced, having befriended the likes of Silvers Rayleigh, and eventually even Nami, a pirate his former captain, Arlong, enslaved, alongside her largely human crew, the Straw Hat Pirates. Hachi was formerly affiliated with the Arlong Pirates, which then subsequently absorbed and broke free from the Sun Pirates. He dueled against Roronoa Zoro, but ultimately proved no match for the swordsman. The Arlong Pirates were largely arrested after their defeat, but Hachi managed to escape.
Alongside his childhood friend and former crewmate, Kuroobi, Hachi dreamt of one day opening a Takoyaki store.
This dream came true when he prepared takoyaki for a starving village of catfish, who built him a ship in gratitude. Alongside his friends, Camie, a kissing gourami mermaid and Papag, a starfish, Hatchan currently operates the ship, dubbed the Takoyaki 8, to prepare and sell Takoyaki.
Thatch
4th Division Commander Of The Whitebeard Pirates
Current Affiliation: None (Died as a member of the Whitebeard Pirates)
Thatch is perhaps best known as the pirate Marshall D. Teach killed to steal the Yami Yami no Mi, as he initially discovered it. That said, he was a fairly significant part of the crew before his demise. Thatch was the 4th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, being one of 16 at the time of his death to control a subdivision of the crew.
The official One Piece novel A series gives some greater background to both Thatch and the greater structure of the Whitebeard Pirates in general. Thatch is not only a cook but the head chef of the Whitebeard Pirates, giving some context to his outfit. Additionally, at least some divisions are said to be stratified by category, with Thatch’s appearing to be the cooking division. It is unclear if Thatch’s strength or culinary expertise was the stronger influence when it came to his rank. Regardless, it is shown that by the time of the Summit War, one of the last wars the Whitebeard Pirates would participate in, he had not yet been replaced, as every other active division commander was present in the war.
Streusen
Gourmet Knight
Current Affiliation: Big Mom Pirates
Streusen is a pirate cook veteran, having served in at least three pirate crews and still working today at the age of 92. He was a pirate in his youth, serving as the ship’s cook to an unknown crew. By the time he was 29, he witnessed a six-year-old Charlotte Linlin seemingly cannibalize her entire orphanage. Deriving a sick amusement from the action, he decided to ally with her, taking up the assuredly arduous task of keeping the infamously hungry pirate well-fed.
It has recently been shown that Streusen remained affiliated with Linlin during her time in the Rocks Pirates, having been depicted with the crew at age 48, specifically being identified as Linlin’s partner during that time. From the distant past up until the present day, Streusen has remained a longtime member of the Big Mom Pirates. He is considered the co-founder of the crew and acts as the executive chef, perhaps having the highest ranking role in the crew not afforded to a blood relative of Linlin.
Streusen is considered a highly capable chef, with Linlin heavily respecting him for his cooking. Beyond his culinary expertise, Streusen is a skilled swordsman, wielding a cutlass in battle and showing a level of speed and resilience. Additionally, he has also displayed talent as an opera singer. Finally, Streusen has eaten the Kuku Kuku no Mi, allowing him to turn inanimate objects into food of his choice. The food itself tastes terrible, but also provides nourishment, and can also have its properties used for alternative purposes, such as when Streusen transformed the Whole Cake Chateau into sponge cake to reduce the impact of its fall.
Goldberg
A Giant Cook
Current Affiliation: New Giant Warrior Pirates
Goldberg is a giant from Elbaf, distinguished by his larger body and wide mouth. He is a member of the New Giant Warrior Pirates, a small crew of five, and a spiritual successor to the Giant Warrior Pirates. This crew is captained by Hajrudin, the illegimate son of Elbaf’s late King Harald, who wishes to become King of the Giants. Hajrudin befriended the Straw Hat Pirates after Usopp saved him from Sugar, and became one of seven pirate captains who wished to serve them, forming an alliance known as the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.
Prior to joining the fleet, the crew were affiliated with Buggy’s Delivery, a pirate mercenary group previously sanctioned by the World Government, before it was outlawed and subsequently absorbed into the anti-government Cross Guild. Goldberg and his crew were the top five earners, making up the group’s entire S-class. They defected at Hajrudin’s request, as he wanted to leave them for the Straw Hats, infuriating Buggy.
The New Giant Warrior Pirates each have a designated role in the crew, with Goldberg being their cook. His capabilities as a chef are not explored in depth, but he is seen giving Sanji and Zoro tips on the best way to prepare a Groggysaurus, suggesting he is at the very least capable when it comes to Elbaf Cuisine. As a fighter, Goldberg wields a mace that rivals himself in size. He also owns Nash, a cowardly shield homie, who can increase in size to block bigger attacks. He is also shown to be strong enough to carry the Thousand Sunny.
Lucky Roux
A Senior Officer
Current Affiliation: Red Hair Pirates
Lucky Roux is a longtime member of the Red Hair Pirates, originating from the South Blue. He has sailed with Shanks for at least 12 years, and has since gained the designation of Senior Officer, shared alongside many other longtime crewmates. Alongside Shanks and most others with the rank, he was acquainted with Luffy when the crew was docked at Foosha Village. He is commonly considered the first character to kill someone onscreen, having taken out one of the mountain bandits under Higuma.
Lucky Roux is known for his large but flexible body, which he uses to perform a technique called self-bowling, where he can roll up into a ball and knock people down. He is also shown using Armament Haki and a pistol, which he used to kill the aforementioned bandit. He is commonly considered one of Shanks’ most prominent crewmates, alongside the likes of First Mate Benn Beckman and Yasopp, the father of Usopp.
What is lesser known is Lucky Roux’s cooking skills. He is shown to have a fairly large appetite, drinking a barrel of sake on his own and almost always being seen with at least one rack of meat. The fact of him being a cook was revealed fairly recently, with the release of Volume 4000000000, a special volume that served as a limited promotional tool for One Piece Film: Red.
That said, his own competence in the field of cooking is unknown, with him having yet to show any culinary expertise onscreen.
Zeff
Red Leg
Current Affiliation: Baratie
Zeff is best known as the mentor of Sanji, with the pair having been the sole survivors of the storm that destroyed both the Orbit and the Cooking George, the ship for Zeff’s crew, the Cook Pirates. Zeff had a pseudo-antagonistic relationship with Sanji, through which he used a level of tough love. Zeff was inspired to rescue and eventually take in the boy, due to their shared belief in the All Blue, which the likes of Zeff’s former crewmates did not believe existed.
Zeff’s level of self-sacrifice is best shown when he gave Sanji the entirety of the rations he could scavenge, forgoing a share to instead eat his own leg. Zeff served as Sanji’s adoptive father, and instilled a lot of the philosophies and mannerisms the younger pirate uses in the present day. During his time as a pirate, Zeff was also a kick-based fighter, as he too did not want to dirty the hands he used for his cooking. His “red leg” moniker was inspired by the fact that his lower body would end up covered in the blood of his enemies. Despite his own admonishment of hand-based attacks, he has been seen using them, but exclusively for the purpose of violently attempting to “discipline” Sanji.
He values his time as a pirate, but also is shown to be firmly finished with piracy in the present day. That said, trappings of his stern yet kind personality remain, hiring “damn cooks” who were frequently fired for unprofessionalism elsewhere, and generally favoring harsh behavior to discipline people. He also claims he is willing to feed “anyone who wants to eat” a practice shared by Sanji and tested by the Krieg Pirates, who later ended up attempting to unsuccessfully pilfer the Baratie for themselves.
How Zeff’s culinary skills developed is unclear. They presumably inspired the moniker of the Cook Pirates, who also upheld the policy of never stealing food. Nonetheless, his skills are confirmed to be the real deal, as they helped influence Sanji’s own. Despite their tendency to insult one another, they bonded deeply due to their shared belief in the All Blue, and Zeff’s motivation to kick Sanji out of Baratie was mostly an effort to goad the younger pirate into finding it.
