This article contains spoilers for the Final Saga of One Piece.
When it comes to the strongest pirate crews in the One Piece world, fans know that the Yonko stand on top as the elites of the New World. It is a known fact that the Yonko rule massive territories in the New World and that they are akin to Kings in this particular part of the sea. Their strength is such that even the Navy does not dare to directly oppose them, and that most definitely paints quite a picture when it comes to their strength.
One Piece: Oda Has Already Set Up Zoro's Replacement In The Straw Hat Pirates
Zoro is strong, but he is getting replaced by the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece.
Over the years, the ranks of the Yonko have been shuffled by Oda quite a bit. When One Piece began, the Yonko were made up of Whitebeard, Shanks, Big Mom, and Kaido. Then, Whitebeard was replaced by Blackbeard, and, more recently, after the events of Wano, Kaido and Big Mom were Yonko no more and were replaced by Luffy and Buggy.
In this new era of turbulence, the seas are more dangerous than ever before, and a battle for power between the Yonko is raging on. At the moment, the Red Hair Pirates have already established themselves as the strongest and most experienced Yonko crew. But that might not be the case for long, because the Straw Hat Pirates are coming for that title soon enough.
The Red Hair Pirates Are The Strongest Yonko Crew In One Piece At The Moment
- Led By Red Haired Shanks
- High Bounty Commanders
- No Apparent Weakness
Right now, it is safe to say that the Red Hair Pirates are the strongest Yonko crew in the One Piece world. This is because they are the most experienced Yonko crew at the moment, having held onto this title for about 6 years now. At the same time, it was also stated canonically by Oda himself that the Red Hair Pirates have no known weaknesses. All their commanders have incredibly high levels of strength and fairly balanced power levels as well. On top of that, their leader, red-haired Shanks himself, might just be the most powerful pirate in the seas at the moment, and that is quite clear based on Oda's portrayal of him so far.
I won't say that's not fair, Navy man. But raiding the worn-out new green leaves that changed the era of piracy forever? Don't you think you're doing too much? Are you that afraid of the new era? — Shanks
Everything that Oda has revealed about the Red Hair Pirates so far tells the fans that they are the mightiest crew on the seas right now. The Cross Guild is still way too new, and fans know that the Blackbeard Pirates are continually evolving with time, and that they are far from their peak at the moment. This only means that the Red Hair Pirates have taken the front seat and are driving towards the One Piece with incredible speed.
If Loki Joins The Straw Hats, They Will Surpass The Red Hair Pirates
While it goes without saying that the Red Hair Pirates are the strongest in the One Piece world at the moment when it comes to the Yonko crews, the Straw Hat Pirates are most certainly coming for that title. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates are growing stronger with each passing arc. Luffy himself is a monstrously powerful individual right now, and after the events of Elbaf, he will most certainly be even stronger.
On top of that, Zoro and Sanji are strengthening themselves even further and by the end of things, they too will be avid users of Conqueror's Haki, which means that they will be able to fight at a very high level.
From now on, this will be ONE PIECE! I will draw all the mysteries left in this world that I have been hiding until now. It's going to be really interesting. Please fasten your seatbelts. Thank you so much, I hope you keep up with me a bit longer. — Eiichiro Oda, One Piece
But, the biggest difference maker is going to be the next recruit of the Straw Hat Pirates, which at the moment appears to be none other than the Accursed Prince of Elbaf, Loki. Fans know very well that Loki is a monster, the strength of whom is such that it is said that he might even be able to destroy the whole world.
A glimpse of Loki's power was given to the fans on One Piece Chapter 1170, and it is safe to say that he is even stronger than Luffy at this point in time. Loki was able to defeat Harald, buffed by Imu's Deep Sea Pact, which means that he is even stronger than the likes of Rocks and Harald himself — such is his power.
The Next Member Of The Straw Hat Pirates Will Officially Be The Strongest In One Piece
The Straw Hat Pirates are about to gain a powerful member. This member will be the strongest Yonko Commander of all time in One Piece.
Taking everything into consideration, if Loki were to join the Straw Hat Pirates, then logically, Luffy would have to be stronger than him at the same time. The Straw Hats would gain another Yonko-level individual, and with Zoro and Sanji mastering advanced Conqueror's Haki, they too would be close to reaching the same level as a Yonko. Such a powerful crew would most certainly be worthy of being the Pirate King's crew, and in doing so, they will most certainly go on to surpass the Red Hair Pirates as well.
Loki Should Be The Last Straw Hat
- Loki Has Immense Strength
- He Wants To Follow The Sun God
While Loki is the most likely addition to the Straw Hat Pirates at this point in time, it is not a given that he will go on to join this crew. Based on everything that the story has revealed to the fans so far, there are also other candidates such as Vivi who could go on to join the Straw Hat Pirates, and even Jewelry Bonney, who appeared as a candidate more recently.
Among these three, however, Loki has the best chance, because Luffy has himself invited him to join the crew. At the same time, Loki is unwanted in Elbaf, and he would certainly seek revenge for what the Government did to Rocks and his father, as well as tried to do to his home country. For all these reasons combined, Loki would more than likely follow the Sun God Nika Luffy and set out to sea. By all means, Loki should be the next Straw Hat, and with his addition, the crew would go on to reach newer levels of power.
Luffy Will Also Surpass Shanks Eventually
While it goes without saying that Loki would make the Straw Hat Pirates the strongest Yonko crew, surpassing even Red-haired Shanks, one should also take into consideration the fact that Luffy himself grows at a blistering pace, and his evolution would also aid greatly in that. Luffy is not on Shanks's level yet, and that is quite clearly established by Oda already. However, it is also clear to see that Luffy will grow stronger after Elbaf.
He will have to be strong enough to be able to deal with monsters on the level of Harald and Rocks in combat. After the Elbaf arc, Luffy will be a true top-tier character and worthy of the Pirate King title. This means that following this arc, Luffy should be an equal of Shanks and that he possibly might even go on to surpass him eventually, once the next arc concludes.
All this is incredibly exciting for the story of One Piece, and it goes to show how high the stakes are going to be in the Final Saga, which is something that fans should be very excited by.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece focuses on the journey of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates as they sail the seas to lay claim to the grand treasure known as the One Piece. The manga is currently in its Final Saga. One Piece will be featured in this week's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1171 is January 18, 2026. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday, which is 11:00 AM EST, or 8:00 AM PT. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump apps. Doing so will ensure that fans always support the author.