This list contains spoilers for the One Piece manga
Not every character in One Piece can start off the story as overpowered as Kaido or Garp, since for most of them, it will take a long time before they can truly realize their full potential as a fighter. While acquiring a Devil Fruit can certainly help to boost someone's power and efficiency in battle, they still need to put in enough work and training to unleash the full extent of their abilities, and this applies even more to those who jump into fights without a Devil Fruit to their name.
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It's always satisfying for fans to watch a character grow and mature over the course of the story, especially when it reaches that pivotal moment where they realize that their combat potential has reached a whole new level. With that in mind, these are the strongest One Piece characters who have finally managed to showcase their true underlying potential after a long and arduous journey.
Before jumping in, it should be clarified that this is not a definitive list of the strongest characters overall, but instead, the strongest characters who have developed their powers and abilities throughout the story to reach their full potential.
Koby
Koby Never Stopped Working Hard To Become A Fully Fledged Marine
- First Appearance: Episode 1
Koby may have started the story as little more than a snot-nosed errand boy who could barely take a punch, but it was always clear from the get-go that he was someone who possessed an immense amount of underlying potential. Despite his lack of combat experience, Koby was determined to become a fully-fledged Marine, which eventually led him to train with the legendary hero of the Marines, Garp.
Much like Luffy, Koby has been slowly growing and recognizing his true power as the story has progressed, with him rising higher and higher up the Marine ranks before he was soon inducted into the undercover group known as SWORD. In the Egghead arc, Koby put his newfound power on full display when he unleashed the devastating on Honesty Impact, blowing apart a section of an entire island with no more than a single punch.
Eustass Kid
Kid Became Confident Enough In His Abilities To Take Aim At Not One, But Two Yonko
- First Appearance: Episode 392
Kid's personal ability to absorb all the metal that is in his proximity to create a giant weapon seemed a little clunky and inefficient at first. As the story has gone on, though, it's become clear that Kid has been honing and refining his Devil Fruit to make it not only easier to use but also more powerful, and the raid on Onigashima in Wano gave him the perfect opportunity to show how far he's truly come.
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Kid played a very big role in taking down Big Mon through the use of his gigantic cannon, which had become the captain's go-to method for taking down anyone whom he considered a dangerous threat. His Yonko-hunting escapades wouldn't stop there though, as not long after, he would also take aim at Shanks, who actually became a little worried that Kid's cannon, and would obliterate his entire ship. While Kid was ultimately struck down by the Yonko before he could pull the trigger, it's honestly still shocking to see just how strong he has become after pushing his Devil Fruit ability as far as it could possibly go.
Jewelry Bonney
Bonney Has Managed To Achieve Some Truly Impressive Feats With Her New And Improved Devil Fruit
- First Appearance: Episode 392
Bonney was actually introduced to the story in the Sabaody arc, along with the other members of the Worst Generation, but back then, it seemed as though all she was able to do with her Devil Fruit was change people's ages to slow them down. This already made her pretty strong, but it wouldn't be until the Egghead arc that Bonney truly began to awaken her underlying potential, which primarily came as a result of all the emotions she was feeling due to everything happening at the time concerning Kuma.
By peeking into the future and envisioning herself as Nika, Bonney was able to mimic the Sun God in the same way that Luffy can. Just like the Straw Hat captain, she would also become insanely powerful in this form, to the point where she was even able to land a few hits on the Gorosei, which is certainly no easy feat considering how immensely strong these guys are. Her interactions with Vegapunk and the Straw Hats also made her a lot more confident and willing to jump into battle anytime that she can to help others who are in need.
Rob Lucci
Lucci Can Now Take On A Much More Vicious Zoan Form
- First Appearance: Episode 230
As someone who was appointed to CP9 before the One Piece story even began, Rob Lucci was clearly far from a pushover when he debuted in Water 7. With that being said though, he was still ultimately defeated by a Luffy who had only just acquired Gear 3, so clearly, he still had a lot of work to do, and the fruits of his labor can be seen in the Egghead arc, which takes place much later in the story.
Previously, Lucci was only able to use his Zoan leopard base form in combat, but after his Awakening, he can now transform into a more humanoid version of the leopard that is much faster and far more deadly. While he did still struggle to keep up with Luffy, the fact that he was holding his own against Gear 5 is nothing to scoff at, and just goes to show how rewarding it can be for Zoan users to tap into their Awakening as soon as they possibly can.
Trafalgar D. Law
Law's Fruit Just Keeps Getting Stronger And Stronger With Every Story Arc
- First Appearance: Episode 392
Law's Devil Fruit is one that is extremely difficult to counter, considering that Law himself is able to use it in a myriad of different ways, making it extremely versatile and unpredictable. The truth is though, this also means that the user needs to dedicate themselves to learning all the fine details of how the fruit actually works in practice, as these abilities wouldn't just be spelled out to them the moment that they picked the fruit up.
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In Sabaody, Law already had a decent grasp of how to manipulate his opponents if they entered his Devil Fruit's room, but he's managed to become a whole different beast after learning its Awakening. This has enabled Law to throw out attacks like the devastating Shock Wille, which proved to be vital in taking down Big Mom when she was trying to reach Kaido. It took a little bit of time, but Law has finally mastered the underlying potential of his Devil Fruit, making him one of the most dangerous pirates in the world as a result.
Vinsmoke Sanji
The Straw Hat Cook Has Done All He Can To Be A Reliable Comrade For Luffy
- First Appearance: Episode 20
It can honestly be difficult to remember, considering how much of a powerhouse he has become, but there was once a time when all Sanji could really do in battle was kick, and that was pretty much it. Considering he is one of the few Straw Hats who doesn't possess a Devil Fruit, Sanji could only rely on his lightning-fast kick attacks to get the job done, but even without a unique ability, he has still managed to awaken a bunch of new powers after becoming more confident about his role as a member of the monster trio.
In Enies Lobby, for example, Sanji was able to activate his Diabla Jambe for the very first time, but when facing off against Queen much later, he would ramp up the heat even more by unleashing Ifrit Jambe. That's not all, as Sanji is also able to shoot himself through the sky thanks to the training that he endured during the timeskip. Sanji is a prime example of how strong someone can become once they come to acknowledge their underlying power and potential along their journey, regardless of whether they have a Devil Fruit ability or not.
Roronoa Zoro
Zoro's Dream Of Becoming The Greatest Swordsman Is Now In Arm's Reach
- First Appearance: Episode 1
Just like Sanji, Zoro is a member of the crew who doesn't have a Devil Fruit, but what he does possess is an undying passion to become the greatest swordsman who ever lived. After he was humiliated by Mihawk at the beginning of the story, despite still believing he could become the best, Zoro was also forced to accept that he had a very long way to go before he could truly clash blades with the greatest swordsmen out there.
Since then, Zoro has been working tirelessly to become someone that Luffy can depend on in battle, and while he's displayed some impressive feats throughout the series, it was really in Wano that Zoro came to realize his true potential. When face to face with the mighty Yonko Kaido, Zoro was actually able to hold his ground against the beast, and even managed to inflict a scar on Kaido's body, making him the second person in history to do so. It was certainly no walk in the park, but Zoro has finally been able to prove to not only others, but also to himself, why he deserves the title of being the world's greatest swordsman.
Monkey D. Luffy
The True Power Of Luffy's Devil Fruit Was Far Greater Than He Could Have Imagined
- First Appearance: Episode 1
Becoming the king of the pirates is a pretty lofty goal, but it's one that Luffy is determined to achieve no matter what stands in his way. Initially, Luffy was able to get by just fine by pummeling his opponents with his elastic body, but when it was time to face off against the Yonko, it became evident that it would take a lot more than that if Luffy wanted to deal any real damage. In his epic clash against Kaido, after more than a thousand chapters and episodes, Luffy would finally channel the hidden power of his Devil Fruit, allowing him to harness the energy of the Sun God Nika.
When in this mode, Luffy becomes more or less unstoppable, to the point where he is able to toss Kaido around like a corpse without even breaking a sweat. It's honestly hard to fathom how on earth Luffy could get any stronger than he already is, considering he has now acquired god-like powers to help him along his journey, but it was still an incredible moment to see Luffy summoning the power that his Devil Fruit had possessed all along.
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
- Franchise(s)
- One Piece
- Creator(s)
- Eiichiro Oda
