Every One Piece Warlord, Ranked (By Strength)

Few One Piece factions bear the same level of mystique and raw power as the Seven Warlords of the Sea, whose characterizations occasionally trump legendary icons like the Four Emperors. The so-called Shichibukai were former pirates who began working for the World Government, creating a volatile balance between the so-called Three Great Powers that was ultimately dismantled when the Warlord system itself was abolished.

Despite the title not existing anymore, the Warlords of One Piece remain fearsome and formidable figures — in fact, many of them have yet to reveal the full scope of their influence on the story. With a former membership list including robust warriors, cunning manipulators, honorable champions, and even comic relief characters, the Warlords of the Sea represent a diverse group that can, ultimately, be ranked according to power.

Buggy Became an Emperor of the Sea by Pure Accident

Although he largely serves as a source of comic relief, Buggy has been failing upwards toward success. Becoming one of the four Emperors of the Sea after reluctantly aligning with Mihawk and Crocodile, Buggy was previously a Warlord. He doesn’t possess much combat strength despite his incredibly powerful Chop-Chop Fruit, whose Awakening might render him one of the strongest characters in One Piece.

Buggy may lack the durability, survival instincts, and strategic thinking of the other Warlords, but his feats tell a different story. He not only survived and escaped Impel Down, but has also gained a massive army of followers through the Cross Guild. Although Buggy’s exaggerated theatricality paints him as useless, fans have yet to see him in battle against a dangerous opponent.

Edward Weevil Possesses the Monstrous Strength of Whitebeard

The supposed son of Whitebeard and Buckingham Stussy, Edward Weevil is as inane and inept as he is overpowered. His ridiculous strength is reminiscent of Whitebeard’s, though Weevil’s appearance only bears a passing resemblance to his so-called father. In fact, even Admiral Kizaru considered Weevil’s raw power terrifying, and that’s not including the naginata he swings around on the battlefield.

Weevil has already defeated several characters, including several captains from Whitebeard’s original crew, only losing to Admiral Ryokugyu during the Wano Country Saga. Whether he returns to One Piece or becomes a footnote in the overarching story, Weevil remains a potent presence capable of changing the tides of battle.

Gecko Moria Nearly Broke the Straw Hats

As Thriller Bark’s primary antagonist, Gecko Moria effortlessly weakens the Straw Hat Pirates by stealing Luffy’s shadow with his Shadow-Shadow Fruit. Before this happened, however, he had already constructed a sizeable zombie army aboard the titular ship — and resurrecting the giant Oars with Luffy’s shadow was nearly too much for the Straw Hats to handle.

Gecko Moria’s absolute control over stolen shadows extends to his own shadow, with the Shadow’s Asgard technique transforming him into a gigantic monster powered by countless shadows. Unfortunately, it was using this final ability that allowed the Straw Hats to defeat Moria in the first place; if he hadn’t deployed Shadow’s Asgard, Luffy may not have landed so many attacks on Moria’s massive form.

Jinbe Dominates Both Land and Underwater Combat

The most recent and potentially final member of the Straw Hats is Jinbe, a Fish-Man warrior and one of the wisest figures in the world of One Piece. Jinbe displays his immense physical strength, elite martial artistry, and extraordinary endurance on multiple occasions, including when he resisted Big Mom’s Soul-Soul Fruit through sheer force of will. And then there’s underwater combat, where Jinbe shines brighter than nearly every human character.

Fish-Man Karate can weaponize water itself, sending tsunami-like shockwaves across the battlefield. Jinbe blends his combat style with Armament and Observation Haki, earning him a 1.1 billion bounty at the end of the Wano arc. As an overall testament to his skillset, the Straw Hats have gotten considerably stronger, and more effective, since Jinbe joined them.

Crocodile Still Feels Like a Major Endgame Threat

Before Crocodile, Luffy hadn’t really fought any truly overwhelming antagonists. This was probably why the hero of One Piece lost two battles to this former Warlord before barely winning the third. Crocodile’s Sand-Sand Fruit is probably useless in the absence of sand, but he’s nearly unstoppable in desert regions like Alabasta. This Devil Fruit can rapidly kill opponents by absorbing all the moisture from their bodies.

Crocodile’s control over his Logia ability makes him even more fearsome in large scale combat, allowing him to dehydrate entire environments while simultaneously destroying them with sand-based slashes. One Piece hasn’t let Crocodile sink into the background after his defeat, however, implying that he may yet have a role to play before everything comes to a close.

Trafalgar Law Blends Tactical Genius with an Overpowered Devil Fruit

Trafalgar Law is remarkably intelligent, manipulating underworld politics and outmaneuvering stronger opponents to orchestrate the downfall of Donquixote Doflamingo. He would have been an impressive fighter without the Op-Op Fruit, which elevates him beyond the majority of One Piece characters. This Devil Fruit is so broken that the World Government desperately wanted to acquire it, even if it meant shelling out 5 billion berries.

Law’s Op-Op Fruit turns fighting into surgical manipulation, granting him absolute control over everything within the “Room” generated. It was Awakened when Law and Kid were fighting Big Mom in Wano, allowing Law to severely damage the Emperor of the Sea with new techniques like Shock Wille and Puncture Wille. Unfortunately, Law was utterly crushed when Blackbeard caught up to him.

Boa Hancock Is the Strongest Heroic Woman in One Piece

Boa Hancock is simultaneously one of the most elegant and most terrifying warriors in One Piece. As the Empress of Amazon Lily, an obvious reference to the mythological Amazons, Hancock leads the Kuja Pirates with a combination of Haki superiority and the unavoidable powers of the Love-Love Fruit. There aren’t many characters with willpower strong enough to resist this Devil Fruit, which turns her targets into stone.

But the thing is that Hancock doesn’t need to rely on her petrification technique, as her kicks deliver astronomic levels of damage on the battlefield. Her elite status was further highlighted when Blackbeard acknowledged the danger posed by Hancock. Even Koby stated that “Boa Hancock’s toughness was beyond anything” he imagined. That said, Hancock would have been killed if Silvers Rayleigh hadn’t arrived in time to chase Blackbeard away.

Donquixote Doflamingo Introduced the True Terror of Devil Fruit Awakening

Considering the sheer number of arcs, One Piece has its fair share of boss villains, and Donquixote Doflamingo stands near the top of that list. The String-String Fruit sounds basic, but its user weaponizes it with unnerving creativity, from generating razor-sharp building slicers and controlling people like puppets to repairing internal organs and creating indestructible constructs like the Birdcage of Dressrosa.

Doflamingo was the first antagonist to showcase an Awakened Devil Fruit in direct combat, demonstrating a destructive potential on par with Admirals and Emperors. He can also use all three forms of Haki, including the extremely rare Conqueror’s Haki, making him extraordinarily difficult to counter on the battlefield. Then again, Doflamingo wasn’t really a match for Gear 4 Luffy.

Bartholomew Kuma Dismantled the Straw Hats with Casual Ease

Arguably the most tragically heroic character in One Piece, Bartholomew Kuma has been a relevant presence in the world since he was a small child. After acquiring the Paw-Paw Fruit on God Valley, Kuma developed into a formidable fighter. Not only can this Devil Fruit repel everything from attacks to the people casting them, but it also gives Kuma uniquely overpowered techniques like Ursus Shock.

Kuma is nearly always calm, even during the most violent battles, exhibiting an air of casual combat superiority that never goes unnoticed. He dispatched the pre-timeskip Straw Hats in Sabaody Archipelago, dismantling the crew with terrifying ease and nonchalance before gradually losing his memories. Since Kuma’s recent return to Bonney in the Egghead arc, fans have been hoping for this character to make the comeback he deserves.

Dracule Mihawk Represents the Pinnacle of Swordsmanship

Roronoa Zoro desperately wants to become the Strongest Swordsman in the World, and his dream is closer than ever to fulfillment. Unfortunately, the Straw Hats’ unofficial vice-captain doesn’t possess a fraction of the power required to seize his desired title from its current holder: Dracule Mihawk. Long before the Haki system was introduced, Mihawk’s mere existence established himself as a legendary combatant.

Some fans argue that Mihawk isn’t as strong as his reputation dictates — and that may theoretically be true since he hasn’t been seen fighting an opponent of his level. That said, there’s no way anyone can gain such a grand title without first performing the feats to back it up, even if they do occur offscreen. The fact that Mihawk refused to spar with Shanks after the latter lost his arm is satisfactory evidence of his immeasurable power.