Which Crew Members Seek Ancient Weapons One Piece And Why?

I like to think of the ancient weapons in 'One Piece' as a magnet for three categories of people: those who want to control, those who want to dominate, and those who want to protect or reveal the truth. The World Government (and figures like Imu hinted at in the manga) actively seeks them to secure its rule and to hide inconvenient history. Blackbeard and similarly ruthless pirates hunt them because a single ancient weapon can shift the balance of power overnight — it’s almost a pragmatic shortcut to becoming unstoppable. Then you have custodians and scholars: Tom was the craftsman of Pluton and Franky ended up destroying the blueprints to stop misuse; Nico Robin is more interested in reading the Poneglyphs and exposing the true past than in wielding destructive tools. Vegapunk studies them from a scientific angle, which could be neutral or perilous depending on who controls the research. It’s a neat triangle of motivations, and each side adds moral complexity to the story.

There’s something about the secrecy around 'One Piece' that always hooks me, and when it comes to ancient weapons, several groups and individuals stand out as the ones hunting them — for very different reasons. The World Government (and the shadowy figures behind it) is the most obvious: they want absolute control. From Tom getting persecuted for building Pluton to the Government’s obsession with erasing the Void Century, you can see why they'd want Pluton, Poseidon, or Uranus under their thumb — weapons that could rewrite power balances and silence challengers. Vegapunk’s research also puts him in the middle; he studies ancient tech, likely under Government oversight, so he’s a key player even if he’s not a typical hunter.

Then there are pirates who crave the power these weapons represent. Blackbeard is the poster child for that kind of ambition — he took Whitebeard’s fruit and now aggressively hunts for more power and the Road Poneglyphs. He’d love an ancient weapon because it’s a direct shortcut to dominating seas and rivals. On the flip side, people like Franky/Tom and Nico Robin interact with this history differently: Franky guarded (and ultimately destroyed) Pluton’s plans to prevent misuse, and Robin wants the truth of the Void Century rather than weapons themselves.

So the hunt is split — the Government for control, power-hungry pirates for domination, and a few caretakers/historians who either prevent use or seek knowledge. Each motive colors how the story of the weapons unfolds, and that tension is what makes those arcs so gripping to me.

I love discussing this with friends over coffee, because the way characters approach ancient weapons in 'One Piece' reveals who they really are. On one level, the World Government — think Gorosei and whoever pulls the strings — pursue these weapons to maintain dominance and to bury the truth of the Void Century. They’ve prosecuted builders like Tom and tried to control anything that could threaten their narrative.

On the pirate side, Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard) is the clearest example of someone who actively seeks powerful assets, including the kinds of relics and Poneglyph knowledge that lead to treasure and influence. He’s amassed power quickly and seems willing to hunt down anything that grants an edge. Contrast that with people who aren’t hunters at all: Franky sheltered Pluton’s blueprints and ultimately destroyed them to stop future misuse, and Nico Robin’s obsession is historical truth, not weaponization. Even Vegapunk doesn’t fit neatly into the predator category — he analyzes and decodes ancient tech, creating a third category: scientists whose work can be used by the powerful. So you get hunters, hoarders, and guardians, and that mix is what keeps the stakes high for me.

Sea-worthiness aside, the cast around ancient weapons in 'One Piece' divides pretty neatly. The World Government and its hidden elite want them to lock down power. Pirates like Blackbeard seek them because a weapon equals immediate leverage and chaos — perfect for someone who wants to topple the order. Then you’ve got protectors and scholars: Tom and Franky’s relationship with Pluton, Robin’s pursuit of the truth, and Vegapunk’s scientific interest. Some characters actively hunt the weapons, others guard or destroy the knowledge to prevent catastrophe, and a few study them to understand what they even are. That mixture of motives keeps every reveal tense and personal.