The Shichibukai or the Seven Warlords of the Sea were originally part of the Three Great Powers, that hold dominion over the world. The Shichibukai worked with the Marines to balance out the threat of the Yonko.
The Shichibukai are made up of some of the strongest pirates in One Piece, and they have been involved in many major arcs. In the Wano Country arc, it was revealed that the Shichibukai system was being abolished, which meant that all of them were just ordinary pirates once again. With the system no longer there to protect them, what will happen to Shichibukai, and do they still have a role to play in One Piece?
Involvement So Far
The first Shichibukai to be introduced in the series was Dracule Mihawk, and his appearance left the fans awestruck as they could not believe the amount of power. As the story progressed, more members were introduced. When the Straw Hats entered the Grand Line, they traveled to Alabasta, where Crocodile had set up his base of operations. He almost managed to oust the Nerfertari family. It took Luffy three tries to actually beat him, which showed Crocodile's might.
When the Straw Hats landed on Thriller Bark, they faced yet another Shichibukai and this time it was Gecko Moria. He caused the Straw Hats a lot of problems, and they had to fight together as a team to get the better of him. When the Straw Hats finally defeated Moria, they were exhausted, and they were in no condition to fight, so when Bartholomew Kuma appeared, it was quite worrisome.
The next member of the Shichibukai to be involved in the story was Boa Hancock, and she got a great deal of screentime when Kuma sent Luffy to Amazon Lily. Originally, Boa was wary of Luffy, but his innocence won her over. She fell in love with Luffy and even helped him to invade Impel Down. She also saved him from Smoker at Marineford.
Doflamingo made minor appearances before the Summit War, but it was only after the time-skip that Doflamingo was heavily involved in the story. He was also taken down by Luffy and eventually sent to Impel Down.
Jimbei also played a crucial role in the Summit War, and eventually, he ended up joining the Straw Hat Pirates and became their newest member. Blackbeard was inducted as a member after he handed over Ace to the World Government, after which he raided Impel Down, which led to him losing his title. After the time-skip, three new characters joined the Shichibukai: Trafalgar Law, Buggy, and Edward Weevil. Law managed to earn a spot in the Shichibukai, but his position was also revoked. Buggy continued to be a part of the Shichibukai until it was dissolved, and he was named one of the Yonko. The revocation of Weevil led to him openly attacking Marines.
The Future of The Warlords
Many members of the Shichibukai have committed grave crimes and a lot of the time, they were not punished, but when Luffy started defeating and exposing them, the World Government had to take action. Normally, they would just revoke the status of a specific Shichibukai, but after the Reverie, they were forced to make a big decision. The pressure from several rulers made them abolish the system completely. With the system gone, the Shichibukai were no longer safe, and they were once again on the radar of the Marines. At this time, there were only five members of the Shichibukai- Boa Hancock, Bartholomew Kuma, Dracule Mihawk, Edward Weevil, and Buggy. Kuma had no consciousness, so he would not be affected by the annulment.
Before Buggy could be taken away by the Marines, he was named as one of the new Yonko alongside Luffy. This leaves Mihawk, Weevil, and Boa as the only Shichibukai, whose status remains unknown.
In the Wano Country arc, it was revealed that Koby and his group were trying to capture Boa Hancock, but it seems unlikely that they will be able to capture her considering the Kuja Pirates are known to be Haki experts. Furthermore. Boa could potentially take them down by herself. Boa's Mero Mero no Mi is an extremely overpowered devil fruit, and it can affect almost everyone because it works on the feelings of lust. Since Boa and Luffy already know each other really well, the Kuja Pirates could just join the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.
Dracule Mihawk was last seen to be under siege by the Marines, which did not seem to bother Mihawk at all. In fact, he was thrilled at the prospect of becoming a wanted man again. It will be interesting to see how Mihawk fares considering that he's just a single man going up against an entire organization. Also, since the series is entering its final saga, Mihawk vs Zoro shouldn't be too far away. Edward Weevil's power was compared to that of young Whitebeard by Admiral Kizaru, which is a big compliment coming from one of the strongest characters in the series. Weevil is undoubtedly powerful, and it will require more than just a few Marines to capture him. Overall, it will be interesting to see what happens to the Shichibukai as the story enters the final saga.