Before the Five Elders, the Holy Knights, and even the Emperors took over the spotlight, the Warlords were, for the longest time, regarded as the most fearsome opponents as well as the main antagonists in One Piece. Although some like Hancock, Jinbe, and Kuma turned out to be allies, the Warlords were the most common source of the series’ villains. In fact, much of One Piece’s plot has been Luffy encountering these often tyrannical Warlords of the Sea one by one and defeating them.
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From Crocodile to Doflamingo, every new Warlord the Straw Hats have encountered has posed a new, unique challenge, with every fight making Luffy and the Straw Hats stronger, if not more notorious. Even if Luffy has long surpassed most of the Warlords, their strength is still nothing to scoff at due to the influence they wield even after being stripped of their Government-affiliated status. All that said, of all the Warlords of the Sea One Piece has introduced so far, these are the most powerful of the lot.
10) Buggy
Although he may not be as powerful in the traditional sense, the fact that Buggy was made a Warlord alone proves that power comes in many different forms in One Piece. What he lacks in pure strength, Buggy makes up for with charisma, influence, and just a little bit of luck. That said, seeing as Buggy has yet to awaken his Chop-Chop Fruit, he may very well have latent potential that’s just waiting for the right opportunity to bloom.
9) Gecko Moria
After facing serious opponents like Crocodile, Enel, and Lucci, it’s hard to take Gecko Moria very seriously when he’s first introduced during the Thriller Bark Arc. It also doesn’t help that Thriller Bark happens to be one of the funniest pre-time skip arcs, with even serious showdowns being packed with gags and hilarious pirate docking.
All that said, Moria does possess impressive devil fruit powers and commands quite a fearsome host of zombies, many of which are even theorized to be members of the legendary Rocks Pirates. More importantly, the fact that Moria went up against Kaido and managed to not only return in one piece but also concoct a strategy to challenge him again is more than enough reason to give Moria at least some respect.
8) Crocodile
Much like Buggy, Crocodile proves just how dangerous wit and influence can be. If not for Luffy and the Straw Hats intervening, Crocodile and Baroque Works would have very likely accomplished their goal at Alabasta. That said, even without his evil crime syndicate backing him up, Crocodile also makes for quite an opponent in battle with his logia powers, and the Impel Down and Marineford Arcs are excellent examples.
7) Jinbe
Also known as the First Son of the Sea, Jinbe is likely one of the most seasoned warriors aboard the Sunny after Brook, with his biggest strengths being his Fishman Karate. While fans mostly see Jinbe use this strength to helm the ship, it is the rare moments, such as the fight against Who’s Who on Onigashima, that fans see what Jinbe is truly capable of.
6) Boa Hancock
If there’s anything One Piece’s latest chapters have proven, it’s that beauty can be a very lethal weapon in the right hands, and Boa Hancock perfectly embodies this concept, especially with her unique devil fruit. While she may be lacking in terms of brute strength, her Love-Love Fruit is arguably the perfect offense and defense rolled into one. Other than maybe Luffy, it’s hard to think of any other character in One Piece who’s ever resisted Hancock’s charms and avoided being turned into stone, and this power arguably makes her near invincible.
5) Trafalgar Law
Of all the supernovas introduced on Sabaody, the one whose popularity exploded the most would have to be Trafalgar Law. Albeit introduced on a whim, Law’s popularity surprised even Oda, which may or may not have led to him taking on a more central role in the series following the timeskip. This began with Law being appointed a Warlord following the Rocky Port Incident, and though his status was later revoked, Law remains the only Warlord to defeat an Emperor of the Sea, which by itself speaks volumes of his strength.
4) Bartholomew Kuma
Despite being seen as a minor antagonist for much of the series, One Piece’s Egghead Arc has completely flipped fans’ perceptions of Kuma, who even currently holds the title of the most tragic character of the series. That said, the Egghead Arc has also finally given fans a good look at just how strong Kuma is as well. From his mysterious Buccaneer lineage that imbues him with physical strength and endurance to his versatile devil fruit powers, Kuma was already quite a force to be reckoned with from the very start, and his various genetic modifications have only made him all the stronger.
3) Dracule Mihawk
Hailed as the World’s Strongest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk requires barely any introduction, as his epithet tells you everything that you need to know about how powerful he is. Granted, it’s been quite a while since fans last saw Mihawk in action, but, his infamy as Shanks’ equal paints a vivid picture of his strength. Mihawk’s black sword, Yoru, also remains just as much of an enigma, and things are likely to stay that way until the fateful rematch between Zoro and Mihawk.
2) Donquixote Doflamingo
Even with the introduction of sinister new villains like Kaido, Orochi, and even the Fiev Elders, Doflamingo remains one of the fans’ favorite antagonists in all of One Piece. Doflamingo can only be described as “deliciously evil” in that his unapologetic evil actions are what make him a good antagonist. That said, besides the charisma and unforgettable fashion statements, Doflamingo also packs quite a punch with his awakened devil fruit and ability to bring entire islands to ruin.
1) Blackbeard
As the only known character in the entire series to wield the power of two devil fruits at the same time, Blackbeard is easily the strongest of the Seven Warlords in One Piece, and there’s no competition. Other than Buggy, Blackbeard is the only Warlord to become an Emperor, which speaks to the extent of his power and influence. That said, there’s still a lot that fans don’t know about Blackbeard and his abilities, which means he could very well be much stronger than fans think he is.
One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
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