The CP9 are an iconic group of villains that the Straw Hats fought back in Enies Lobby. They are now back into the story as CP0.
The CP9 are extremely important characters in the One Piece world. Introduced to the fans in the Water 7 saga, the CP9 were revealed to be a unit of the Cipher Pol intelligence agency of the World Government. As the CP9 specialized in assassination, on top of information retrieval, they were sent to Water 7 to infiltrate the Galley La Company and retrieve the blueprints of Pluton, an Ancient Weapon.
Eventually, they ended up fighting against the Straw Hat Pirates and faded into the background, however, with the recent chapters, the former CP9 are more active than ever before.
The Fate Of The Former CP9
The CP9 played a major role in the Enies Lobby arc, where all of them were introduced to the fans properly. In Enies Lobby, they played a key role as they were charged with bringing Nico Robin to the Gates of Justice, as well as destroying the Straw Hat Pirates. Expectedly, combat ensued and the CP9 and the Straw Hat Pirates fought intense battles. Despite CP9 being trained specialists in martial arts, they could not defeat the mighty pirate crew led by Luffy and ended up succumbing. Even Lucci himself was not strong enough to take Luffy down and, with his defeat, the CP9 was utterly decimated.
Following their defeat, the CP9 was chased by the Marines and they ended up getting to a nearby island where they raised money in order to help treat the wounded. Eventually, the Marines stopped chasing them and the Ciphe Pol was taken in by the Government once again. Fans did not expect to hear from them as much after their defeat, however, they are an important part of the story right now, especially in the Final Saga of One Piece.
The CP9 After The Timeskip
After the timeskip, the CP9 has become relevant once again, however, this time, as CP0 members. It was revealed to the fans in the Dressrosa arc that the former CP9 members could potentially have been promoted to CP0. This was evident from when Lucci showed up towards the end of Dressrosa and, there, it was quite easy to notice that he had actually been promoted and that he was stronger than ever before and one of the strongest that the World Government had. The CP0 got even more prominent moving forward. In the Wano Country arc, fans also saw Kaku being revealed as a member of the CP0. In the Egghead Island arc, both Lucci and Kaku showed their fighting capabilities to the fans when they took on Luffy and Zoro in combat once again. Later on, they even teamed up with the Straw Hat Pirates to fight against the Seraphims.
While Lucci and Zorro certainly did show up, fans were wondering if they were the only two members to have them promoted to CP0. After all, they were the two most capable members of CP9, other than maybe Jabra. In One Piece Film: Red, however, it was confirmed to the fans that there are more members in the CP0. Blueno and Kalifa got confirmed as members of the CP9 as well.
The New Role As CP0
In One Piece 1083, many fans got to see some familiar faces as the former CP9 were revealed to be members of the CP0 currently. This includes every single member of the CP9 including the likes of Fukuro, Kalifa, Blueno, and Jabra, among others. They were seen in the Holy Land of Marijoa where the Revolutionary Army Commanders were taking on the Admirals. While they did not fight, they sure did comment on the ongoing battle, stating that it was impressive for the Revolutionary Army Commanders to be able to match the Admirals, even though there was a handicap involved.
Now, fans know for sure that the former CP9 members are part of the CP0. Given that they hold high positions within the World Government, it’s only a matter of time before they gain more importance. In the Final War, the CP9 is expected to be fighting on the side of the Government and fans should prepare themselves for some old enemies to cross blows with once again, just as Luffy did with Lucci in Egghead Island. The likes of Chopper, Franky, Sanji, and Nami might end up craving blows with their former enemies once again and show them how far they’ve come. While these clashes certainly won’t be major, it would be fun for the fans to see how far they have gotten over the years.
Interestingly, the newly introduced members of the CP9 were not seen with masks. Previously, it was revealed to the fans that the masked members of the CP0 are known to be of the highest strength. However, going back to the Reverie arc, Lucci and Kaku were also introduced without masks in the Holy Land of Marijoa. This could mean that within Marijoa, the vast majority of the CP0 members choose not to wear their masks. Given that Jabra and Kaku are especially close in terms of strength, it is highly likely that the CP9 are masked members as well.
