@mbaruh:
Any connection Sanji might have with the revolutionaries will be pretty loose. Robin spent 2 years with them, so by your logic, she's the one who should be wanted alive.
@cloudrivera:
Robin was with them for 2 years…....
@Date_Masamune:
In that case they better get Robin alive instead of Sanji, since Robin actually have stayed with Dragon the head of revolutionaries himself, while Sanji just trained with Ivankov one of the revo who were locked up in impel down for years.
I'm aware that Robin has revolutionary ties much stronger than anything Sanji might have. Capturing someone alive allows for opportunity for escape, rescue, etc. My claim is that, in the WG eyes, Nico Robin is too dangerous to risk capturing alive. In a way, she is more dangerous than the revolutionaries, since she can read the poneglyphs; someone pointed out the other day that the revolutionaries very likely mean to use her for this ability. If she is more dangerous than the revolutionaries, or - even if she isn't - she is a potential massive boon to the revolutionaries by being able to read the poneglyphs, and this ability considered independently of the revolutionaries is enough that they put a 79 million bounty on an 8 year old (or whatever), I don't think they would mind someone putting a bullet in her head.
Of course it would have to happen in a flashback, cause bullets only kill in flashbacks… My point is just: It's not worth keeping her alive to get information about the revolutionaries, because she herself is considered a massive threat to the WG and they would be happy to have her dead. See: They tried to execute her twice already (Ohara and Enies Lobby).
Sanji, on the other hand, if he has any revolutionary ties via Ivankov, would not be considered the same kind of threat as Nico Robin. Kicking a Poneglyph is not going to be the end of the WG. There are tons of reasons to think that his "Only Alive" status has nothing to do with the revolutionaries, but comparing him to Nico Robin is not a sound strategy - the only commonality is revolutionary ties (if Sanji even has them), but Nico Robin is a whole different kind of beast in the WGs eyes (at least as far as we know).
@King:
Not to mention that this would be a weird plot point to bring now. The chapter implied Sanji's new status coming from an unknown development, so it's most likely something we don't know.
True. But consider this: We actually DON'T know if he has revolutionary ties, or if he does how significant they are. All we know is that he trained with Okamas and presumably Ivankov for two years. This may have had nothing at all to do with the revolutionary army. Finding out he has significant ties would be something we don't know. On the other hand, I think you have a point regarding plot: It would still be boring, because we could see it coming. People predict things all the time, but this seems almost too easy. Oda usually pulls something more complicated from his sleeve.
Why don't they interrogate Buggy about Ivankov's whereabouts then? After all, they did work together.
You mean in Impel Down? Because there is no implication that he had anything to do with revolutionaries. We might find out that Sanji, in deep ways, does. It's entirely possible.
And really, by this logic, why not have Luffy only alive as well, considering that he might know something about his father? Or Sabo (The Marines know that Sabo is Luffy older brother)?
I don't see why everyone is pretending that the relation "Has ties to revolutionaries" is all that could possibly matter, and just lumping everybody together as if they are the same. Luffy was raised by Garp. Garp knows damn well that Luffy doesn't know crap about the revolutionaries. Other than Dragon being his dad, we have no reason to think he knows anything whatsoever about Dragon, and the marines even have some reasons to think he doesn't.
Sabo is a major player in the revolutionary army. I refer back to my earlier Nico Robin point. You wouldn't try to keep her alive to get information about the revolutionaries, because she is a big enough threat herself. You wouldn't keep Dragon alive to get information either - The WG would love for him to die. If either of them happened to be captured alive, I'm sure that would be wonderful for the WG, but if they die then the WG is still much better off. Sabo isn't that far removed - he is also a big enough threat to just want dead.
Sanji, on the other hand, isn't obviously a threat to the WG in the same way. They aren't benefitted by just having him die; if caught, you could bet your butt that Sabo, Dragon, or Nico Robin (they've already tried) would be executed. It would probably just be Impel Down for Sanji. Risking his escape or rescue, at least during transport, would be worth the chance at getting information out of him IF they think that he has any. Letting Sabo or Nico Robin escape or be rescued (in the latter case, AGAIN) would be a HUGE problem, so if someone just kills them that's fine and dandy. And, regarding Luffy, they just don't have reason to believe he knows anything valuable AND he is probably considered a big enough threat at this point to just want him dead.
Don't get me wrong: If these people could be captured alive, that'd be great, but the WG kind of needs Nico Robin, Sabo, and Dragon to just be dead, with no chance of escape. Sanji isn't seen as that big of a deal right now.
Also, let me just put this out here: I'm not saying that this is definitely why Sanji has the "Only Alive" status. I'm just saying that comparing him to Nico Robin, Sabo, or Luffy doesn't provide any evidence that this isn't why Sanji has that status. This is a false equivalence, because Sanji, Nico Robin, Sabo, and Luffy are all seen in very different ways by the government.
Devil Child who could destroy the world, by reactivating an ancient weapon or just revealing the true history.
High-Up member of the revolutionary army actively trying to take down the WG
A pirate captain (and a D) of the worst generation who is one after another gaining the favor of nations by destroying the WG's system of checks and balances
A chef and fighter of Luffy's crew who may have revolutionary ties.
Let's not act like these are the same.