<P> Several characters have been stated to be based on actual people, such as: Eustass Kid (Eustace the Monk and William Kidd), X . Drake (Sir Francis Drake), Basil Hawkins (Basil Ringrose and John Hawkins), Capone "Gang" Bege (Al Capone and William Le Sauvage), Jewelry Bonney (Anne Bonny), Urouge (Aruj), and Scratchmen Apoo (Chui A-poo). The cross dresser Emporio Ivankov is based on Dr. Frank N. Furter and Norio Imamura . Norio had asked Oda to draw more okama (homosexual) characters and became Ivankov's first voice actor . </P> <P> Oda had created Helmeppo before he created Captain Morgan, Helmeppo's father . Oda originally named Morgan after "Chop," with the character's full title being "Naval Captain Chop" or "Sailor Chop". "Sailor" in Japanese is suihei (水兵), and "Suihei Chop" is a fighting technique used by Giant Baba, a Japanese wrestler . He created several versions of Morgan before settling on the final design . After an editor told him that Morgan, in Oda's words, "looked lame", he changed the design to its final style . </P> <P> The protagonists of the One Piece series are all the members of the Straw Hat Pirates (麦わら の 一味, Mugiwara no Ichimi), a crew of nine pirates captained by Monkey D. Luffy . The crew's number increases throughout the series, as Luffy recruits new members . Once Usopp joins the Straw Hat Pirates, they gain their own ship, the Going Merry, which is later destroyed and replaced by a larger and more powerful vessel, the Thousand Sunny created by their shipwright Franky . Two years later, the Straw Hats gain a new fleet, called the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, consisting of 5,640 pirates from seven different crews; Luffy objects to the idea of being a fleet commander, and organizes his new army in a way that they may act independently, but when one crew is in trouble, the others must do what they can to help them . </P> <P> Monkey D. Luffy (モンキー ・ D ・ ルフィ, Monkī Dī Rufi) is the primary protagonist of the One Piece series . At age seven, he admires and tries to join the pirates of the "Red Haired" Shanks . Ridiculed and rejected, he inadvertently eats their treasure, the Paramecia - type Gum - Gum Fruit (ゴムゴム の 実, Gomu Gomu no Mi), which gives his body the properties of rubber . His reckless efforts ultimately lead him into grave peril causing Shanks to lose an arm while rescuing him . After this, Luffy gives up on joining Shanks, resolving instead to start a crew of his own and become King of the Pirates . Displeased by Shanks spoiling his grandson, Garp takes Luffy to be raised by Curly Dadan and her mountain bandits, who he strong - arms into taking him in . During Luffy's time there, he becomes a sworn brother with Garp's other ward Ace, and local runaway noble Sabo . Ten years later, and still wearing Shanks' treasured head covering, Luffy forms and captains his own pirate crew called The Straw Hat Pirates and sets sail for the Grand Line, quickly gaining infamy as "Straw Hat" Luffy (麦わら の ルフィ, Mugiwara no Rufi). Eventually, after his strength proves insufficient to save Ace from execution, he spends two years on a secluded island learning the use of the three colors of Haki as well as Gear Fourth from Silvers Rayleigh, before heading to the New World . Luffy is voiced by Mayumi Tanaka . </P>

How many members are there in the straw hat pirates