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Beloved manga One Piece follows the story of Monkey D. Luffy, a young man sailing the sea together with his crew, the Strawhat Pirates, who along with many other powerful crews confront themselves with the aim of ruling the seas and finding the legendary treasure of One Piece.
Readers recently witnessed the final curtain on the Wano Arc. The Strawhat Pirates and their allies achieved an amazing victory against the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates. As a result, Luffy was established as one of the Four Emperors, while Big Mom and Kaido lost their status. This officially makes the Strawhat Pirates a Yonko crew now.
What happened in the Wano Arc significantly changed the One Piece world. Follow this thread to find a list of the strongest pirate crews of all time, updated with the latest arc's disruptive events.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to Chapter 1064 and reflects the author's personal views.
The most powerful crews in One Piece history, ranked from weakest to strongest after the events of Wano Arc
10) Heart Pirates
The Heart Pirates are a rookie pirate crew from the North Blue. Their captain is "Surgeon of Death" Trafalgar Law, one of the Eleven Supernovas of the Worst Generation. He ate the Ope-Ope Fruit, which allows him to manipulate anything within the range of his powers. Other notable members of the crew include Bepo, Jean Bart, Shachi and Penguin.
The Heart Pirates have been allies of Strawhats since the Punk Hazard Arc. They were involved in the events on Dressrosa, leading to the overthrow of Doflamingo. In the Wano Arc, Strawhats and Heart Pirates joined their efforts with samurai and Minks to fight Kaido, Big Mom and their subordinates. The alliance was disbanded after its objective was achieved.
9) Kid Pirates
The Kid Pirates are a rookie pirate crew from the South Blue. Their captain is Eustass "Captain" Kid. He possesses the uncommon Conqueror's Haki and owns the powers of the Magnet-Magnet Fruit. His right-hand man is "Massacre Soldier" Killer.
Kid and Killer are both members of the Eleven Supernovas of the Worst Generation, just like Luffy and Zoro from the Strawhat Pirates. In fact, Killer and Zoro are the only two Supernovas not to be captains of their own crew.
The Kid Pirates attempted to form an alliance with Hawkins and Apoo's crews, but the latter bertrayed them. As a result, Kid and Killer were defeated and imprisoned. Following the events of Wano Arc, they managed to break free and reunite with the rest of the crew. Together, they joined the "Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance" and participated in the raid on Onigashima.
8) Big Mom Pirates
The Big Mom Pirates own the country of Totto Land. The captain of the crew is Charlotte Linlin, also known as "Big Mom". Due to her strength and tough body, she has been considered a freak of nature ever since she was a child. She allied with Kaido, but they were defeated by the Strawhat Pirates and their allies. As a result, Kaido and Linlin were stripped of their status of Yonko.
The Big Mom Pirates are built around members of the Charlotte Family, with Linlin's children serving as her subordinates. The crew features three Sweet Commanders, Katakuri, Cracker, and Smoothie. Among them, Katakuri stands out as the strongest fighter. Another prominent member of the crew is Charlotte Perospero, Big Mom's eldest son.
7) Beasts Pirates
Founded and led by Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, the Beasts Pirates occupied the Wano Country, making it their domain. Their headquarters were based on the island of Onigashima. They had a partnership with Doflamingo who supplied them with artificial Devil Fruits, allowing the crew to have hundreds of Zoan wielders among its ranks.
Celebrated as the World's Strongest Creature, Kaido is the owner of the Fish-Fish Fruit Model: Azure Dragon, a rare Mythological Zoan. He is also able to use the outstanding power of the Advanced Conqueror's Haki. Kaido's right-hand man is King, his strongest and most loyal subordinate. Along with Queen and Jack, King is one of the three All Stars in the crew.
The Beasts Pirates also feature Tobi Roppo, six individuals who are considered to be èlite members of the crew. Moreover, two members of the Worst Generation Supernovas - Hawkins and Apoo - were also part of the crew. Following their defeat against Strawhats, the Beasts Pirates lost their status of Yonko crew.
6) Strawhat Pirates
The Strawhat Pirates are the protagonist group of the series. They are one of the most dynamic forces in the One Piece series, fighting against Marines and Warlords. Luffy is the captain, with the greatest strength and authority overall. He awakened the Nika-Nika Mythical Zoan and is able to use the advanced versions of Armament, Observation and even Conqueror's Haki.
Luffy's right-hand man is Zoro, a powerful swordsman. Just like Luffy, Zoro is able to use the Advanced Conqueror's Haki and is a Worst Generation Supernova. Below him rank two strong fighters: Sanji, who is presumably the third strongest Strawhat, and Jinbe, a fisherman and a former member of the Seven Warlords.
Even the other Strawhats are rather powerful fighters. Nico Robin and Franky possess Devil Fruit and Cyborg enhancements, respectively. Brook is a refined swordsman with tricky powers, while Chopper is a good hand-to-hand fighter. Usopp and Nami are physically weak, but they can be dangerous thanks to their special weapons.
5) Whitebeard Pirates
The Whitebeard Pirates were one of the mightiest crews in the One Piece world. Their captain, Edward Newgate, was hailed as the World's Strongest Man. Also known as "Whitebeard", Newgate was one of the Four Emperors and a fighter as powerful as Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King. At one point, the crew also included Oden Kozuki, one of the greatest samurai in the history of Wano.
Whitebeard's right-hand man was Marco, the owner of the Mythical Zoan of the Phoenix. The crew included other mighty individuals such as Portuguese D. Ace, Jozu and Marshall D. Teach. However, the Whitebeard Pirates ended up losing their power and influence.
First, Teach left the crew after killing one of his comrades. The Whitebeard Pirates were then defeated by the Marines in the Paramount War. During that battle, Newgate and Ace lost their lives. Ultimately, Marco took the lead on the remnaints of the crew, guiding them into taking revenge against Teach. Following their defeat in this last battle, the Whitebeard Pirates disbanded.
4) Red Hair Pirates
The Red Hair Pirates are the first pirate crew to ever appear in the One Piece series. The captain is "Red Hair" Shanks, who started his pirate career as an apprentice in the Roger Pirates. Several years ago, he clashed with Dracule Mihawk, the World's Strongest Swordsman. Regarded as legends, the amazing battles between Shanks and Mihawk shook the Grand Line.
Eventually, Shanks created his own crew and became a Yonko, one of the four great pirates who rule the New World. An outstanding swordsman and Haki master, he is easily one of the strongest One Piece characters. His crew lives up to his standards, starting with Shanks' right-hand man, Benn Beckman.
An extremely powerful individual, Benn Beckman is the vice-captain of the crew. Ranked below him are two senior officers, Yasopp and Lucky Roux. Even the remaining members of the crew are pirates with notable bounties themselves. Together, the Red Pirates form a well-balanced group, one of the strongest in the One Piece world.
3) Blackbeard Pirates
The Blackbeard Pirates are one of the most dangerous collectives in the One Piece world. They are organized like a fleet, with Marshall D. Teach being the leader of the Ten Titanic Captains,his main subordinates, each of whom has command over their own ship within the fleet.
A former member of the Whitebeard Pirates, Teach defected to them after killing a shipmate to steal the Dark-Dark Fruit. During the Paramount War, he gave the final blow to his former captain, Edward Newgate, and robbed him of the powers of the Quake-Quake Fruit. During the time skip, Teach, better known as "Blackbeard," has become one of the Four Emperors.
Within their ranks, the Blackbeard Pirates include individuals of the caliber of Shiryu, the former Head Jailer of Impel Down, and Aokiji, the former Marine Admiral. Since the time skip, the Blackbeard Pirates have been hunting and stealing Devil Fruit powers to increase the crew's overall strength. Thus, they have become known as "Ability User Hunters".
2) Roger Pirates
To the present day, Roger Pirates are the only ones to ever travel the entire Grandline, reaching Laugh Tale and finding One Piece. For this legendary achievement, the captain of the crew, Gol D. Roger, has been proclaimed the Pirate King.
Roger was insanely powerful, with only a few individuals having comparable strength to him. Among them was Silvers Rayleigh, his right-hand man. Hailed as the "Dark King," Rayleigh had an especially close connection with Roger, resembling the one between Zoro and Luffy.
Not even Garp, the Marine Hero, and Whitebeard, the World's Strongest Man, were able to beat Roger in a 1v1 fight. However, a terrible sickness struck him. Thus, after completing his journey, he disbanded the crew and surrendered himself to the Marines. Before dying, Roger revealed that he had hidden his treasure somewhere. This marked the start of the Great Piracy Era.
1) Rocks Pirates
The Rocks Pirates are a legendary pirate crew that ruled the seas a few decades before the current story. The captain of the crew was Rocks D. Xebec, an infamous individual. The World Government feared Xebec so much that, after his defeat which happened 38 years before the current storyline, they erased every trace of his life from history.
The Rocks Pirates were an unbelievably powerful group. Among the members of the crew were Whitebeard, Kaido and Big Mom, three pirates who would become Emperors in the following years.
Xebec's strength was immense, with no one being able to match him individually. Not even Gol D. Roger. In fact, to bring an end to Xebec's era, Roger had to join efforts with Monkey D. Garp, the most powerful Marine. After a tremendous battle on the island of God Valley, the Rocks Pirates were defeated. The island has since disappeared without leaving a trace.
Summarizing final thoughts
Among the countless crews, some strong rising pirates stand out the most: Blackbeard, Luffy, Zoro, Kid, and Law. Will they be able to reach and surpass what their predecessors achieved? Only time will tell.
Many fans noticed the parallel that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda created between Roger Pirates, Red Hair Pirates, and Strawhat Pirates. All three of these crews rely on a few powerful members rather than depending on big numbers. The captains all owned the straw hat at one point. The first mates are close in strength to the captains and act as brothers to them, rather than subordinates.
The Strawhat crew's Monster Trio - Luffy, Zoro and Sanji - is clearly based on the Roger Pirates' Metal Trio formed by Gol D. Roger, Silvers Rayleigh and Scopper Gaban. With the original names of the former two being based on gold and silver, two precious metals, and the latter's on copper, which is a metal but not a precious one, this hints at a similar dynamic between Luffy, Zoro and Sanji.
Aiming to surpass the legend of Roger Pirates, the Strawhats are coming closer and closer to One Piece. However, they will likely have to come to terms with the Blackbeard Pirates. Retracing Xebec's footsteps, Marshall D. Teach is going to become the main threat in the series. With One Piece having entered its endgame, thrilling fights between these crews are guaranteed to come.
