Shitenno

The Shitenno (四天王 Shitennō, literally meaning the Four Heavenly Kings) are an established alliance between two pirate crews, one bounter hunter gang, and a former Rear Admiral in the Marines; in order, they are The Jolly Pirates, The Valkyrie Pirates, the Ika Bounty Hunters and Blade D. Kris. A bizarre but notable group, the Shitenno was formed due to the increasing threat The No Beard Pirates presented to each faction. Thus, the Shitenno acts as a massive counter-force to defend and retaliate against the No Beards, due to their increasing pirate army.

Due to its combination of the four main protagonists of the fanon story, One Dream, the Shitenno is now the de-facto main protagonist of the story. Partly due to Kris' playfulness and Ika's fondness for secrecy, the alliance has agreed to go by codenames for each acting commander; Jolly D. Chris, Dieu-le-Veut Veronica, Ika and Blade D. Kris. This helps to identify each commander of the alliance, and confuse outsiders and possible threats. Chris also made note that the names made each commander "sound cool," much to Veronica and Ika's grief.

Members and Commander Titles
Due to each faction, excluding Kris, being made of an already established group, mostly those who are pirates, the Shitenno is already a somewhat large group. Due to the merging of the three crews and Kris, the group is well over 20 members strong, and each is capable in their own right, and considered a threat in battle to varying degrees. Despite only being a playful suggestion from Blade D. Kris at first, Ika took the idea of naming each acting commander a certain codename seriously, which later was supported by Veronica and Chris.

As each faction has an already existing leader, in the form of a crew's captain (sans Kris,) the Shitenno is easily divided up by four sections, and therefore, four figures. As such, Chris, Veronica, Kris and Ika are treated and respected as the alliance's commanders, and thus share the responsibility of watching over the Shitenno's members, and ensuring the group's success and safety. To make things easier to recall who is who, and to hopefully confuse those outside the group and intruding enemies, the commanders agreed to go by codenames when necessary. The folloring groups and members are as follows, including the commanders' titles.

The Jolly Pirates
A crew of 11 pirates sailing in the New World, the Jollys make up a sizable portion of the Shitenno. Due to the relaxed nature and broadness of the crew in terms of members, the Jollys tend to act as the Shitenno's more compliable, flexible faction; useful for nearly any situation and easy to call upon. Of course, as each member can be quirky and odd as far as individual personalities go, they're also something of a wildcard that has to be used carefully. Chris' reputation after the Skyline War, for being volatile and unpredictable, tends to sum up the crew as a whole as well.

Chris, as the acting captain of the crew, was given the title of Byakko (白虎 Byakko.)

The Valkyrie Pirates
Like The Jolly Pirates, The Valkyrie Pirates are a relatively small crew, consisting of 10 people as of currently, and thus make up a good portion of the Shitenno's forces. Like the Jollys and the other two factions, the Valkyries are currently sailing through the New World and making a name for themselves along other notable pirate crews. Despite having a somewhat varied crew, and thus being useful for a good handful of situations, the Valkyries tend to be a little more rigid in nature in comparison to the Jollys and Kris, but aren't nearly as stern as the Ika Bounty Hunters. As a result, the Valkyries seem to be widely regarded in the Shitenno as the cavalry force, and can be deployed for decent support as well as acting as a reliable battle regiment during particularly violent times.

Veronica, as she is the crew's captain, received the moniker Seiryu (清流 Seiryū.) Due to Veronica's policy to only sail with an all-female crew, this marks her faction of the Shitenno as unique amongst its ranks.

Ika Bounty Hunters
Being part of the other half of the Shitenno which doesn't consist of pirates, the Ika Bounty Hunters are a noteworthy band of likeminded bounty hunters, who have joined together to help one another achieve each others' goals and dreams, including the captain's desire to catch the next Pirate King and be heralded as the greatest bounty hunter who ever lived. Aside from being a sailing crew of bounty hunters, they've also gained attention due to their successes in pursuing and arresting high profile criminals. Despite Ika's disdain for the government and his desire not to work alongside criminals, the threat of The No Beard Pirates became too great for them to ignore, and due to the history they've shared with each of the other factions at one point or another, the Ika Bounty Hunters agreed to help form and support the Shitenno. As the gang is lead by the mostly serious and calculating Ika, the group of bounty hunters tend to be the most difficult in working with, given Ika's tendency to get wrapped up in his own plans, and the tight control he reigns among his crew. Even despite this, Ika and his bounty hunters are a reliable asset, due to their abilities and resiliency. Albeit, due to their growing affiliations with the Jollys and Valkyries, the Ika Bounty Hunters' normally reliable immunity from the law enforcement of the government and Marines has corroded over time, making them just as much a target as the pirate crews they now assist.

As Ika is the crew's leader and acting captain, he has been bestowed the epithet of Genbu (玄武 Genbu.)

Blade D. Kris
Blade D. Kris sticks out easily amongst the Shitenno, due in part to the fact that she doesn't have a crew or noteworthy group to call her own or lead; effectively making her something of a special ops unit or one-man army for the Shitenno. However, this doesn't mean Kris is alone. After the Skyline War, Kris was disgusted with the actions of the Marines under Sakazuki's command, and was traumatized from having to handle the stress of fighting her cousin, Chris, while having to keep him, his crew, The Skyline Pirates and the Skylines' allies from saving her adopive older brother, Nova Blade, who was meant to be executed at the time. Thus, when Galaxy Blade decided to leave the Marines, this acted as the final push for Kris to do the same. Upon leaving the Marines, many of the subordinates under her command followed alongside her out of undying loyalty to her. These former Marines now act as Kris' forces within the Shitenno, which allows her to keep up with the other three factions.

Kris also stands out for being the one to suggest the use of codenames in the first place, albeit it wasn't a fully serious offer at the time. Among the four commanders, she became known as Suzaku (朱雀 Suzaku.)

Purpose and Objective
The Shitenno, an idea originally proposed by Ika, and later supported by Veronica before the approval of both Jolly D. Chris and Blade D. Kris, was suggested to the other three as a means to counter the growing forces of The No Beard Pirates; considering the No Beards' alarming frequency of defeating notable crews around the world and recruiting their members among the No Beards' ranks. After the events of the Jollys' Defeat Arc, and seeing the underlying threat in allowing the No Beards to continue their activities unopposed, the Valkyries and the Ika Bounty Hunters, with the added support of The Jolly Pirates and Blade D. Kris agreed to set aside their differences and form the Shitenno to properly deal with Sharp Francis and his crew.

As The No Beard Pirates are a threat to each faction among the Shitenno in various ways, it was considered mutually beneficial to join together to fight against Francis' personal, growing pirate army. And hence, Francis and the rest of the No Beards are considered the ultimate objective for the Shitenno, and are to be stopped at all costs. As the group's high profile target, any suspicious activity tends to be monitored closely by Ika, with news being carefully spread throughout the rest of the organization via news birds or Transponder Snails; among other means of contact, such as face to face meetings. Due to the danger of dealing with The No Beard Pirates, as well as the attention they could attract while together, meetings tend to be done carefully. This also allows each faction to go about their own personal business freely in the meantime as well.

Aside from gathering intel on the No Beards when the opportunity arises, the Shitenno's other objectives tend to be the obstruction of any further advancements for The No Beard Pirates, whether this means cutting off trading lines or defeating one of their known allies. Even stealing their territories can be advantageous, though as The Jolly Pirates learned the hard way, doing so proves to be risky and should be avoided unless necessary.

Trivia

 * The group's name comes from the Four Heavenly Kings, or as they're known in Japanese, the Shitennō. This seems to play on the fact that the group is made up of the four main protagonists of One Dream.
 * The names of the titles appear to be based off of the mythological beasts among the Four Symbols; a group of well known Chinese constellations.
 * Interestingly, as a result, each commander in the Shitenno becomes associated with a direction, element and season, as dictated by the Chinese zodiac.
 * Chris, as Byakko (the white tiger,) becomes associated with the west, autumn and the element of metal.
 * Veronica, as Seiryū (the azure dragon,) becomes associated with the east, spring and the element of wood.
 * Ika, as Genbu (the black tortoise, and in some retellings, the black snake or black tortoise and snake hybrid,) becomes associated with the north, winter and the element of water.
 * Kris, as Suzaku (the vermillion bird,) becomes associated with the south, summer and the element of fire.