The One Piece manga is currently focused on the country of Giants, Elbaf. The arc covers the events happening in the present timeline. Despite the focus being on Elbaf, One Piece fans are way more enthralled by the flashback about the God Valley Incident, which includes many prominent pirates.

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One Piece: 39 Strongest Characters In The Series

These are the strongest characters to sail the seas of the One Piece world.

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No matter how long Oda spends with the flashback, the story will inevitably return to present-day Elbaf, which has become a battlefield. With so many powerful individuals gathered in the same place, there's no doubt that some of them won't make it.

This post contains spoilers for One Piece.

Dracule Mihawk

Affiliation: Cross Guild

Featured 'Why Is He In Panic Mode': One Piece Fans Mock Dracule Mihawk
  • Haki: Yes
  • Devil Fruit: No

Dracule Mihawk is the strongest swordsman in the world, and he has garnered the reputation for being one of the most elite fighters in the series. Mihawk is a calm person, who rarely lets his emotions get the better of him. He also has extremely sharp eyesight, with which he can find the weak points in his opponent's defense.

What truly makes Mihawk an incredibly dangerous fighter is Yoru, an all-black blade, which belongs to the Saijo O-Wazamono grade. Over time, Mihawk mastered the use of his blade, and now, he can wield it in different ways. He is also adept at using Armament and Observation Haki. When he combines his swordsmanship with Haki, it has devastating consequences for his enemies.

Monkey D. Luffy

Affiliation: Straw Hat Pirates

  • Haki: Yes
  • Devil Fruit: Yes

Monkey D. Luffy is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and one of the Yonko. Luffy has yet to fight the Holy Knights, but there's no question that he will join the fray at one point or another and help Elbaf to survive.

Featured One Piece: 6 Characters Who Need Devil Fruits After The Elbaf Arc Koby Usopp Nami
One Piece: 6 Characters Who Need Devil Fruits After The Elbaf Arc

These One Piece characters desperately need Devil Fruit powers.

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By the time the arc concludes, Luffy will have grown a lot stronger. It's possible that he would have learned how to bypass the regenerative ability of the Holy Knights, allowing him to beat them. There is also a possibility that he will become even more adept at using his Devil Fruit Awakening. Both these things will help him take down far bigger threats in the remainder of the Final Saga.

Sakazuki

Affiliation: Marines, World Government

Akainu Smoking in One Piece
  • Haki: Yes
  • Devil Fruit: Yes

Sakazuki is the current Fleet Admiral of the Marines. He obtained the position after beating Kuzan in a bitter tussle on Punk Hazard. After coming to power, Sakazuki made several changes to shore up the defenses and make the Marines stronger.

When it comes to individual strength, there aren't many characters who can match Sakazuki in combat. He is armed with the Magu Magu no Mi, a Logia-type Devil Fruit that allows him to create and control magma at will. The Devil Fruit is said to have the highest offensive power in its class, which gives Sakazuki an edge in fights.

Blackbeard

Affiliation: Blackbeard Pirates

Blackbeard wields his two Devil Fruit powers - One Piece
  • Haki: Yes
  • Devil Fruit: Yes

Blackbeard is the son of the legendary pirate Davy D. Xebec. Like his father, Blackbeard is also driven by the desire to take over the world, but his methods are vastly dissimilar. Blackbeard is a cunning and manipulative man who only cares about achieving his goals at all costs.

A collage of Monkey D. Luffy alongside four powerful characters he never fought: Aramaki, Shanks, Boa Hancock and Imu.
8 Strongest One Piece Characters Who Have Never Fought Luffy

For one reason or another, Luffy has never engaged in a major battle with these characters in One Piece.

He possesses two overpowered Devil Fruits that can help him level an entire town within minutes. One of them is the Yami Yami no Mi, which allows him to nullify the power of other Devil Fruits. The other is the Gura Gura no Mi, with which he can create tremors. If Devil Fruits aren't enough, Blackbeard can also use his Haki to get the job done.

Gorosei/The Five Elders

Affiliation: World Government

Imu and the Five Elders chase after Sabo - One Piece
  • Haki: Yes
  • Devil Fruit: Yes

The Five Elders are Imu's most loyal underlings, who have served them for years. As the name implies, there are five people in the group, and each of them belongs to one of the noble families. The Five Elders demonstrated their strength for the first time in the Egghead arc, and they nearly annihilated everyone on the island.

The Five Elders are endowed with immortality and overpowered Devil Fruits. With such immense abilities at their disposal, it's hardly surprising that many people consider them to be on par with the Yonko.

Shanks

Affiliation: Red Hair Pirates

Shanks tells Beckmann that is time to claim the One Piece - One Piece
  • Haki: Yes
  • Devil Fruit: No

Shanks is arguably the strongest active pirate in One Piece. He does not have a Devil Fruit, so he primarily uses Haki while fighting. In fact, Shanks is the best Haki user in the entire world, but he didn't attain such a level overnight. His mastery has stemmed from years of hard work and experience.

At the same time, it would be disingenuous to say that Shanks is not a prodigy. Shanks was able to use Divine Departure, one of Roger's strongest attacks, when he was just a teenager. Considering he was able to use advanced variants at such a young age, it's hardly surprising that he grew up to be the greatest Haki user.

Imu

Affiliation: World Government

imu one piece chapter 1156 spoilers
  • Haki: Yes
  • Devil Fruit: Yes

Imu is the supreme leader of the World Government, so they are responsible for every decision made by the organization. However, the rest of the world doesn't know about their existence. Imu has gone to great lengths to ensure that their secret is not exposed.

Due to this reason, fans had no idea about Imu's strengths and weaknesses. However, Imu's appearance in Elbaf has changed that. Readers are now aware that Imu can take over the bodies of other people. They can use magic to transform people into demons, and they have insanely strong Haki. Furthermore, Imu is immortal and can regenerate from any damage.

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One Piece
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Release Date
October 20, 1999
Network
Fuji TV
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  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Mayumi Tanaka
    Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Kazuya Nakai
    Roronoa Zoro (voice)

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