WARNING: LIGHT SPOILERS FOR ONE PIECE‘S ELBAPH ARCIn a shockingly short amount of time, Luffy and his crew have elevated themselves to becoming one of the One Piece world’s strongest pirate crews. Within three years, the young Straw Hat captain has grown from being an optimistic fool floating in a barrel to one of the world’s most famous Pirate Emperors. And while he’s gathered a crew filled with world-class talent, there are still some crews that would be able to put up more than a challenge for the Straw Hats.
Early in Luffy’s journey, he began to build up what would eventually become a considerable pirate force, starting with his ocean’s strongest swordsmen and a navigator skilled enough to cause envy, even among the ocean’s most experienced sailors. As the journey continued, a genetically enhanced cook, a skilled sniper, a sentient, transforming reindeer doctor, and more crewmates helped create an extremely well-rounded team capable of overcoming nearly any obstacle.
In order to sail on the oceans of the New World, a strong ship and capable crew are a bare minimum on waters that can quickly swallow up or destroy an unprepared pirate crew’s ambitions. However, by the time that One Piece‘s story reaches the Elbaph arc, only a few pirate crews have proven themselves worthy of reaching the ocean’s final islands. It’s likely they would be able to challenge and maybe even defeat the formidable Straw Hats crew in a race to reach Laugh Tale and the One Piece treasure.
4
Shanks And His Red Hair Crew Have Many Reasons To Test The Straw Hats
The touching bond between Red Hair Shanks and the young Monkey D. Luffy was one of One Piece‘s first emotional bonds that captured readers’ attention. It was a narrative link that has only grown more interesting almost 30 years after it was first established. With the promise that Luffy would someday return Shanks’ straw hat after he’s become a strong pirate, their reunion has continued to grow into arguably the medium’s most anticipated reunion. If Shanks’ crew does meet Luffy’s, they’ll likely test their capabilities.
A lot more about Shanks’ history and considerable power has been brought to light, especially around One Piece‘s final saga. Using the series’ most impressive showcase of Observation Haki, Shanks was able to peer into the near future, prompting him to wipe out an entire pirate crew with a single attack within seconds. And while other members of the Red Hair Pirates have not yet had the chance to show off like their captain, he’s not the only character readers are anxious to see reunite with Luffy’s crew.
Another member of Luffy’s crew joined with huge aspirations, but instead of becoming one of the world’s greatest at an admirable trait, Usopp strives to overcome his cowardice and become a brave warrior of the sea. This desire arguably stems from his admiration for his father, Yasopp, the world-class sniper of the Red Hair Pirates. The man left his wife and young son to sail the seas with Shanks, promising another emotionally charged reason that Straw Hats and Red Hair crews should meet.
With the amount of camaraderie Shanks shows his fellow crewmates, it’s clear that he feels he can rely on them. The crew, made of prominently non-Devil Fruit users, was enough to stop Pirate Emperor Kaido’s forces from interfering with the battle on Marineford. The arc also saw members like Ben Beckman accomplish feats like using pistols imbued with Haki to stop the light-speed Admiral Kizaru in his tracks, whose easily one of the strongest characters in all of One Piece. It would take a truly considerable force to stop Shanks’ crew, and hopefully it will be Luffy’s that does it.
3
The Rocks Pirates, History’s Most Feared Crew
The anticipated Elbaph arcs have introduced extremely powerful characters and revealed mysteries that have craved answers for decades. One of the arc’s most exciting inclusions was the true history of the events of the God Valley Incident. It dove into the history of the notorious Rocks Pirates, who were regarded as the most dangerous and strongest pirate crew of their time. And a brief look at its crew’s roster makes that claim easily believable.
During One Piece‘s later arcs, Luffy’s crew and other members of the Worst Generation of rising pirates contended with Pirate Emperors Big Mom and Kaido, both of whom belonged to the Rocks Pirate crew when they were younger. The two grew to become something closer to forces of nature than human beings. It took a lot of planning and hours of them tanking attacks that’d easily kill lesser warriors to finally put them down for good. The two Pirate Emperors who ruled the seas for decades were not the only famous pirates who originated from the Rocks crew.
While Big Mom and Kaido grew their reputations and strength after the Rocks Pirates disbanded, it was Whitebeard who rose his power to a level of strength said to rival Pirate King Gol D. Roger. Those mighty pirates used to serve the same captain, Rocks D. Xebec, who was shrouded in mystery until the Elbaph arc. Even though it took a team-up of Roger and Monkey D. Garp to finally take down a super-charged Rocks, his own considerable strength was able to contend with the world’s strongest giants and even allowed him to infiltrate the Celestial Dragon’s most secret and forbidden base.
2
Blackbeard And His Titanic Captains Have The Power To Take Or Destroy The World
The crew that answers to the Marshall D. Teach, aka Blackbeard, is another that has gotten a considerable amount of time to shine in the latest arcs, helping illustrate exactly how overpowered and intimidating they have become. Throughout Luffy’s journey, he and his crew make incredible strides towards their goal of finding the One Piece, but at that same time, Blackbeard has been focusing his efforts on finding the One Piece world’s strongest Devil Fruits. And according to his crewmates, it’s in order to take over the world.
During the exciting Marineford and Egghead arcs, several member’s of Blackbeard’s crew showed off their ridiculously useful powers. Abilities like ultimate strength, invisibility, morphing, and even teleportation are only a few of the abilities under Teach’s command. The chaotic crew’s mission to rebel against the World Government also recruited the icy former Marine Admiral Kuzan. Those abilities have toppled other pirate crews and shaken the balance of the world, and they may only be getting started.
Blackbeard’s first big fight in the series showed him going toe-to-toe with Ace and his radiant amounts of firepower. The murderous pirate captain searched for decades to find his Darkness Devil Fruit, which seemingly allows him to create black holes and somehow neutralize other Devil Fruit powers. His mysterious origins gained a little more clarity during the Elbaph arc, but he’s the only person shown to be capable of using multiple Devil Fruits. Besides the strange Darkness powers, Teach also wields Whitebeard’s earth-shattering Tremor Fruit powers, currently an unbeaten combo.
Much like the Rocks Pirates, each member of the Blackbeard crew is extremely selfish and seems closer to betraying one another with each passing day. Their reliance on Devil Fruit abilities and lack of teamwork may eventually spell out the crew’s defeat, but for now, they wield the most dangerous collection of overpowered Devil Fruit abilities, and almost no one stands a chance against their collective might.
1
The Roger Pirates Earned Their Reputation
So far, in One Piece‘s known history, only two pirate crews have made it to the final island of the New World known as Laugh Tale: the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger’s crew, and the still enigmatic Joy Boy. While much of the latter is still unknown, Roger and his crew achieved everything a pirate hoped to accomplish, setting an example for and inspiring future generations to set sail and pursue a life of freedom. That inspiration would inadvertently lead to everything Luffy has and will accomplish.
After meeting Silvers Rayleigh on the Sabaody Archipelago and Scopper Gaban on Ebalph, a clear example of the strongest One Piece pirate crew was demonstrated. Years after being at their peaks, the two former Roger Pirates have embarrassed some of the series strongest characters, including Marine Admirals and an entire army of giants. Still, sporadic flashbacks have teased what was possible when they were at their strongest, and Luffy’s crew still has a long way to go.
A Wano flashback explored a quasi-friendly three-day clash between a young Roger Pirates against Whitebeard’s crew. It included a younger Shanks and Blackbeard, but it also allowed each commanding member of both legendary crews to show off what they were capable of. This included a young Rayleigh using a single Haki-infused finger to block the full brunt of Marco the Phoenix’s mythical Devil Fruit attacks. And Roger was even stronger, with Haki capable of wiping out entire islands with a single blow. Time will tell if the Straw Hats will reach such levels of strength by the time One Piece ends.
- First Film
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One Piece: The Movie
- Cast
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Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Ikue Ôtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi
- Created by
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Eiichiro Oda
- Character(s)
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Monkey D. Luffy, Roronora Zoro, Nami (One Piece), Nico Robin, Usopp (One Piece), Vinsmoke Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, Franky (One Piece), Jimbei (One Piece)
One Piece
- Release Date
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October 20, 1999
- Network
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Fuji TV
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Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
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Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)
