Strength is everything in the dangerous world of One Piece. Characters who want to make a name for themselves need the power to do it. When pirates are ready to attack civilians or monsters roaming the sea, survival can only be guaranteed through fists and weapons. Here are the 10 strongest characters in One Piece.

10Sengoku

An admiral with control over three types of Haki

Known as Sengoku The Buddha, he is the most senior official in the Navy as the Fleet Admiral. He is one of the members of the old generation who challenged Whitebeard, Roger, and Shiki in their prime. As an admiral, he possesses all three types of Haki, and his devil fruit powers are extraordinary. He can transform into a Buddha, with all physical stats maxing out. A single punch broke the execution platform and sent the members of Blackbeard’s crew flying. The shockwave from his blows deals severe damage. As the Fleet Admiral, he is a brilliant tactician and leads the world’s navy members.

9Monkey D. Luffy

One Piece’s protagonist is one of the world’s strongest pirates

The 19-year-old Emperor Of the Sea is the youngest on this list and has the highest potential and talent. He managed to defeat the world’s strongest animal, Kaido, even though he needed some help along the way. With him awakening his devil fruit and being able to transform into Gear 5, it’s only a matter of time until he fully masters it and increases its endurance. He has earned the respect and fear of the most powerful characters, such as Shanks and Kaido. With his battle experience and proficiency in Haki only increasing, Luffy is on his way to becoming one of the strongest pirates in One Piece‘s massive world.

8Dracule Mihawk

The greatest swordsman sailing the seas

Known as the strongest swordsman, Mihawk is a lone wolf and manages to become a Warlord despite having no crew. Many journey far and wide to challenge him, including Zoro, and they’ve all lost. He doesn’t have devil fruit powers, as his sword skills and Haki are more than enough to defend himself. With one slash of his huge cross-shaped sword, he managed to cut a huge iceberg in half and destroy a huge ship. With his incredible agility, observant eyes that gave him the nickname Hawk-eye, and mastery of Haki, he came to be known as Shanks’ rival, who is an Emperor of the Sea.

7Sakazuki “Akainu”

A powerful advirsary with a unique devil fruit

The current Fleet Admiral of the Navy, Sakazuki is as twisted as he is powerful. His devil fruit gave him the scary power of becoming lava. Although he was no match for an angry Whitebeard, he dealt serious damage to him and contributed to his death. His endurance is off the charts, as he battled Aokiji for ten days straight on Punk Hazard and came out on top. His body is extremely strong, withstanding two consecutive full power punches imbued with both Haki and devil fruit powers from Whitebeard and still getting up to fight.

6Monkey D. Garp

A humble admiral with viscious strength

Garp is a vice admiral but could’ve easily been a fleet admiral if he hadn’t refused the offer to be promoted to an admiral. He frequently fought Gold D. Roger and Roger even said that they almost killed each other many times. Together with Sengoku, they were at the forefront of the fight against the pirates in their younger years. He earned the respect of Roger and even raised his son Ace together with Luffy at Roger’s request. A master of Haki and the strength of a superhuman, Garp is one of the strongest and barely anybody could go toe to toe with him in his prime.

5Shanks

The mysterious, legendary pirate that inspired Luffy

Shanks is one of the few characters who has yet to use his full powers, so the fact that he’s so high up on this list despite that says more than enough about his strength. He has sailed with Roger since he was an infant, and has been on the battlefield most of his life. He is one of the few characters on this list without devil fruit powers, but he does not need that. Shanks’ mastery of Haki is arguably the best, and he is a powerful swordsman. He managed to get the Navy and Blackbeard Pirates to back off and ended the Marineford War without fighting.

4Marshall D. Teach

A monstrus enemy

A member of the Worst Generation, Emperor of the Sea and a Warlord, Blackbeard did the impossible by wielding two devil fruits at once. His thirst for power and strength is incredible – killing his own crew member, capturing Ace, and stealing Whitebeard’s powers, which killed him. His pursuit of strength propelled him to monstrous levels. With One Piece nearing its end, Teach will play a key role as one of One Piece’s final villains, as Luffy’s brother and adoptive father were killed by him.

3Edward ‘Whitebeard’ Newgate

One of the bravest pirates in the world

Whitebeard, even with a deadly illness and old age, was still able to take on the most powerful enemies in the One Piece universe, which makes him in his prime that much scarier. His devil fruit is extremely catastrophic. He can cause an earthquake and imbue it with his fist or weapon to deal fatal damage. It took 267 sword slashes, 152 gunshots, 46 canon shots, and two holes in his chest from Akainu’s punches to kill an old and dying man. He rivaled Roger in strength and was his biggest competitor for the title of King Of Pirates. He died standing and with no scars on his back as he never ran away from an enemy.

2Gold D. Roger

A nearly unstoppable king

The King Of Pirates was considered unstoppable, and had the highest bounty ever with 5 billion berries. He had the loyalty of some of the most powerful men in One Piece, such as Kozuki Oden, Silver Rayleigh, and Shanks. He only died because he gave himself up to the Navy and ignited the pirate epidemic after declaring that his treasure was still somewhere out there. Using just his body, sword, and Haki, he managed to change the world and his influence is felt decades later. Fans got a glimpse of his ridiculous strength when he fought Whitebeard during the Wano Arc.

1Kaido

The biggest threat the Straw Hats have faced – so far.

Known as the King Of Beasts, Kaido has tried to take his own life multiple times, but his body was just too tough. Nothing could damage him, and it took Luffy in his Gear 5 and many other powerful foes while he was holding up an island to defeat him. He is an unstoppable force even without using his devil fruit powers or Haki. Cities can be leveled with an attack in his dragon form and his size, strength, and speed are out of this world. As the best villain in One Piece, he truly is the strongest in the series.