This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.
Over the years, Eiichiro Oda has introduced quite a lot of powerful characters to the fans in One Piece, and most recognize the pirates as among the strongest. When One Piece began almost 29 years ago, it was quite clear that the one person who attained all of wealth, fame, and power was none other than the man who went on to be renowned as the Pirate King. This person, as fans know, is Gol D. Roger.
As the story continued, fans got to meet other powerful characters as well, such as Whitebeard, who was an equal to Roger, as well as the Marine Hero Garp, another rival of the legendary Pirate King. Similarly, later down the line, fans were introduced to the likes of Rocks, who were also impressive in their own ways, but it was clear that at the end of the day, Roger reigned supreme. One Piece's Pirate King possessed such strength that, apart from the likes of those who existed in the Void Century, none could surpass his might.
One Piece: 39 Strongest Characters In The Series
These are the strongest characters to sail the seas of the One Piece world.
However, the Elbaf arc changed everything. In this particular Arc of One Piece, Oda has done incredibly well to introduce characters whose strength goes beyond that of the Pirate King and essentially reaches a completely new tier. As most fans would probably know already, this new character is none other than Loki, the Accursed Prince of Elbaf, who has the fabled Devil Fruit of the country that is incredibly overpowered to the point where even Imu fears its powers.
Gol D. Roger Was The Strongest Pirate In The Modern Era Of One Piece
- Roger conquered the world of One Piece
- Gol D. Roger surpassed even Rocks D. Xebec
When it comes to the strongest pirates in the modern era of the One Piece world, it goes without saying that Roger reigned supreme at the very top. Roger was still considered a rookie around 50 years ago, which is when Rocks’s era had only just started to dawn. However, in the coming decades, Roger established a legacy that wouldn't be matched by anyone else or be surpassed for a long time.
Wealth, fame, power, Gold Roger the King of the Pirates had attained this and everything else the world had to offer. — Narrator, One Piece chapter 1
Roger did not have any powerful Devil Fruit up his sleeve. In fact, the vast majority of his crew did not even have a single Devil Fruit power. All Roger had at his disposal was his powerful Haki, and it was this ability that he trained to the next level, becoming the strongest of his time. Most fans mistake Whitebeard to be the strongest pirate, but the fact is that Roger is canonically stated to be at a level where Whitebeard could only draw comparisons to him, and even that was a big compliment for Whitebeard by Oda.
Roger was at the pinnacle of strength, and it was only after his passing that Whitebeard ended up becoming the strongest. Along with him, Garp was the only one strong enough to equal him. Up until recently in One Piece, hardly anyone could ever hope to match the level of strength of the Pirate King. However, now all of a sudden, Oda has introduced characters that not only go on to reach this level but seemingly even surpass it. This new character is none other than Loki. Along with Loki, even King Harald of Elbaf went on to surpass the levels of Roger, to the point where he was labeled a threat to the entire world and a monster that was seemingly unstoppable.
Loki Has Surpassed All Human Levels In The One Piece World
- Loki could defeat King Harald
- Imu considered Harald undefeatable
As most fans of One Piece would have recognized by now, the person who has gone on to surpass Roger in terms of strength is none other than Prince Loki of Elbaf. On a surface level, this might seem rather strange to the fans, but One Piece chapters 1170 and 1171 established this fact quite well.
In One Piece chapter 1170, fans got to see King Harald on a completely new level of power. King Harald was already an equal to Rocks, who, as fans know, is relative to Roger in terms of strength. As such, the Harald from 14 years ago should have been around the same level as Roger. If Roger went on to become much stronger after God Valley, then Harald would be close to him in terms of power.
I am the Sun God enshrined in the legends of this land. You will not speak to me without permission, human. I consider myself the strongest alive in the Lands. This is the Warland, Elbaf's Kingdom of Violence. The most powerful nation in the world which once lived and breathed warfare. And I'm the Sun God who brings the world to an end, Loki! — Loki to Luffy
It Is Time To Admit That Shanks Is Stronger Than Gol D. Roger In One Piece
Roger is strong, but Shanks has already surpassed him in One Piece.
The fact is that Harald then went on to receive the Deep Sea Covenant from Imu, and this mark gave him tremendous power. According to Imu and the Five Elders, Harald went on to receive superhuman strength, on top of what he already possessed, as well as the powers of immortality and incredible regeneration. These powers made Harald a weapon that was to be unleashed upon the world, and quite clearly, in Elbaf, a horrible scenario could have unfolded. Fans saw the likes of Shanks and Gaban try to stop Harald using their Supreme King Haki, but to no avail.
In fact, Gaban, who was on the same level as the likes of Roger and Rayleigh, openly stated that, had Harald not been stopped that day, he would have gone on to destroy the entire world, such was his strength. Imu himself considered Harald to be unbeatable, and this is a person who has fought the likes of Joy Boy and witnessed the rise and fall of Roger himself. For Imu to consider Harald unbeatable and an unkillable monster goes to show that Harald had reached a new level of strength at this point and surpassed all human limitations, including those of the Pirate King.
Yet only one individual could go on to beat King Harald, and that is Loki. As of right now, Loki is the strongest in Elbaf and truly a threat to the entire world if he wanted to be.
Only Shanks Is Stronger Than Loki Right Now
- Shanks defeated Loki 6 years ago
- Shanks is logically stronger than Gol D. Roger
While it goes without saying that Loki is most likely stronger than the Pirate King right now, the fact is that he is not the only one. In all of the One Piece world, there's one individual who went on to defeat Loki, and fans know that to be Shanks. Scopper Gaban stated himself that, other than Shanks, no one could stop Loki's rampage. Fans know that, after being unable to stop Harald 14 years ago, Shanks went on to gain tremendous strength. It was after this event that Shanks acquired enough power to become one of the Four Emperors of the Sea and possibly even surpass his mentor, Gol D. Roger.
Right now, Shanks possibly stands at the pinnacle of piracy as the strongest of all time, and that is truly exciting for the future of One Piece. This also establishes Shanks as the primary goal for Luffy to surpass, because even though he has become a Yonko, Luffy is in no way near the level of the Red Haired Individual.
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.