Bounties

A bounty is a government-issued reward placed on an individual and awarded to whoever can apprehend or kill that person. The amount of a bounty is determined in response to the perceived threat level of the criminal in question; the greater the threat to the world, the greater the bounty. In the eyes of a pirate, high bounties are thus usually seen as a sign of strength. After all, having been assigned a bounty means that the World Government as well as the Marines acknowledge the threat of the person to whom it is assigned.

Acquiring
For one to attain a bounty, they simply comitt acts that are deemed imoral and criminal by the World Government or Marines. By putting a price on these criminals' heads, they increase the chance of outside help, as people can get paid for hunting down criminals.

Usually, people with bounties on their head get the label of "Dead or Alive", meaning that either way, the one who hunt them down can have the money. However, it has been stated that by killing them, the person forfeits a percentage of the bounty. Certain criminals, like Benjamin Tabart and Ashley, have had the unique status of "Only Alive", either because of connections or circumstances.

Earning increases in a small amount of time draws further attention to the criminal in question, which some do merely for fame. This goes even beyond if the increases are of great magnitude.

Issuing
A bounty represents more than one's strength, further, their danger level to the world or the World Government. Merely being seen in company of criminals or outlaw groups is enough to warrant a bounty, which is then measured accordingly.

There are several factors to think of when a bounty goes up: More criminal acts than the initial one; The demonstration of one's power and threat to the environment around them; Repeated failure in capturing the designed criminal; Responsible for instigating other acts against the law, even if undirectly; Possessing knowledge or items deemed illegal.

Usually, if a crime is repeated by the same criminal, the amount they would get is not the same as the first they got. I.e: A pirate got a 20,000,000 increase for destroying a town, it is possible they would get a 10,000,000 increasing for destroying the same kind of town. Certain acts have variations, from the example beforehand, there are towns deemed more economically or historically important than others.

Bounties don't always reflect the true danger of a person and this goes both ways:
 * Someone who is incredibly harmless, but was present at the wrong place and wrong time, would receive something way beyond their scope.
 * Soemone who is quite powerful and holds certain information, but never fights nor risks themselves, would receive something way below.

Lists
See also the page reserved for the "At Least" Bounties: At Least.

Trivia

 * Benjamin Tabart was the only person to currently hold a "Only Alive" Bounty for some time.
 * While Ashley would normally count, her status as a fake person diminishes it.
 * Salazar is, so far, the only individual to have his bounty frozen, labelled as hunt, and then reiterated.
 * Foxpack is the first person whose bounty has decreased, going back and forth.
 * Bathory McGhinnis's Bounty is the first one shown to enter the Billions in the Fanon's Story.
 * Kenway Veno's is the first to show the two billion.
 * Daddy L. Legs' is the first to show the four billion.
 * Mont Blanc Burling holds the highest value for a non-Yonko individual.
 * This was previously held by Kenway Veno.
 * Yuki has the lowest bounty on the entire site, valued at 500.