This article contains spoilers for One Piece’s Elbaf arc.
The strongest pirates in the world of One Piece are known as the Yonko, or the Four Emperors. Previously, those four were made up of Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and Shanks. But since the timeskip, their ranks have been shuffled quite often. Whitebeard died during the Summit War, and Big Mom and Kaido recently fell after the Onigashima Raid. With that, new Yonko have risen, those being Blackbeard, Luffy, and Buggy, with Shanks being the only one left from the previous generation.
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At the moment, the Elbaf arc is ongoing, and it has showcased many powerful fighters. Some of them could be said to be on the same level as the Yonko, and some could even be said to be beyond that power cap.
Monkey D. Luffy
- Position: Yonko
- Affiliation: Straw Hat Pirates
If there is one definitive Yonko-level character currently in the Elbaf arc, it's Monkey D. Luffy, one of the official Four Emperors of the One Piece world at the moment. Monkey D. Luffy has definitely reached new heights since the Wano arc, where he defeated Kaido and went on to awaken his Devil Fruit, becoming the Sun God Nika. Luffy now has access to the powers of boundless imagination, and while he still has a long way to go, his Haki and Devil Fruit definitely put him on a whole new level of power.
In the Elbaf arc, Luffy is only set up to get stronger. He has to reach new heights when it comes to Conqueror’s Haki, which would allow him to bypass even immortality. Luffy has to go beyond the level of the average Yonko, such as Kaido or Big Mom. He has to become someone who could stand up against the likes of Imu and the World Government.
Scopper Gaban
- Position: Former Left Hand of The Pirate King
- Affiliation: Roger Pirates (Formerly), Elbaf
Scopper Gaban is a character that One Piece fans have long been waiting to see in the current timeline. Gaban is a former member of the Roger Pirates. With Roger and the others, he sailed across and conquered the Grand Line, even discovering the truth of the world and finding the One Piece. Roger couldn't have done it without Gaban.
Gaban, even in his old age, has gone to showcase just how powerful he is. Out of his peak, Scopper Gaban was able to easily take down a Holy Knight and even manhandle Luffy and Zoro at once. Gaban could have gone on to defend all of Elbaf on his own before the arrival of Imu. Gaban's Conqueror's Haki is definitely one of the best seen recently, and fans can't wait to see more of him in the current arc.
Loki
- Position: Prince of Elbaf
- Affiliation: Elbaf
Loki is the Accursed Prince of Elbaf. Fans always knew Loki would be strong, but not many expected Oda to hype him up as much as he did. Loki carries the blood of the Ancient Giants, which alone makes him quite a powerhouse. But even beyond that, he has proven to be on a whole other level.
In the Elbaf flashback, Loki became the very first character to be able to kill someone with Imu’s immortality — something even the likes of Gaban, Roger, and Garp failed to do. Loki, with his Haki, legendary Devil Fruit, and Ragnir, is definitely superior to the average Yonko.
Shamrock Figarland
- Position: Holy Knight Commander
- Affiliation: World Government
Shamrock made a brief appearance in Elbaf. At the beginning of the arc, Shamrock arrived on Elbaf and finally, fans were able to meet Shanks' twin brother. He remains a big mystery when it comes to power level, but fans were able to get a glimpse of his abilities when he used his Cerberus sword against Loki and nearly killed him.
Shamrock is definitely, at the very least, a Yonko-level character, and that is due to his connection to Shanks. Shamrock has to be relative to Shanks in power as his twin brother.
Gunko
- Position: Holy Knight
- Affiliation: World Government
Manmayer Gunko is a Holy Knight who first appeared alongside Shamrock. Back then, fans underestimated her, but she has proven to be quite a powerful character and perhaps one of the World Government’s strongest. Gunko, at the moment, is controlled by Imu, but even before that, she was quite strong.
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Shamrock himself stated that Gunko could defeat an unchained Loki, which is definitely a big claim. After all, the whole of Elbaf couldn’t contain Loki and only Shanks managed to get him in chains. Gunko should definitely, at the very least, be relative to Yonko level, especially with her additional abilities from Imu.
Imu
- Position: Sovereign of the World
- Affiliation: World Government
Imu Nerona is undoubtedly the very strongest character currently alive in One Piece. They're the secret sovereign of the world and rule from the shadow on the supposed Empty Throne. Imu was, for almost a decade, a major mystery in One Piece. Fans knew that Imu would be strong, but their power has surpassed anything that fans could have imagined.
On Elbaf, Imu finally made their first move in person. Through Gunko's body, Imu has wreaked havoc by turning the giants into their demonic slaves. Imu also revealed their mage-like abilities and, of course, their Haki as well. During the Elbaf flashback, Imu was also shown to be far beyond the level of a Yonko during their encounter with six of One Piece's strongest characters, three of which went on to become Yonko, and others that went on to even surpass that level.
Dorry and Brogy (Together)
- Position: Co-Captains of the Giant Pirates
- Affiliation: Giant Pirates, Elbaf
Dorry and Brogy are two characters that fans first met very early on in One Piece during the Little Garden arc. Dorry and Brogy were definitely impressive back then, but fans didn't think they would really scale that high after the One Piece timeskip.
Previously thought to have a very low bounty, their bounty was fixed after inflation, and it was proven that Dorry and Brogy have a cumulative Yonko-level bounty as the Co-Captains of the Giant Pirates. It could definitely be said that they are on the level of Yonko when fighting as a duo. They are some of the strongest around, and right now, by being turned into demonic slaves, Dorry and Brogy are probably even beyond the level of a Yonko.
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 1172 is February 1, 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.