Top 5 strongest One Piece characters in each arc, ranked

Since its onset in 1997, One Piece has grown into one of the most beloved fictional stories ever. A grand tale of adventure and friendship, One Piece has built up an entangled world in constant turmoil. As the protagonists carry on with their journey, every event is masterfully intertwined with the main narration.

After decades of entertaining serialization, One Piece’s final saga has begun with the ongoing Egghead Arc. Broadly speaking, arcs begin when the Straw Hat Pirates arrive on a certain island, and end as they leave, while sagas group together several arcs linked by a common narrative purpose.

Retracing the entire One Piece story, this thread will list each arc's five strongest fighters, sorting them by their overall combat prowess at that time. The ranking will only include individuals who played an active role in the concerned arc, not considering characters from the flashbacks.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1099 and reflects the opinion of the writer.

The five most powerful characters in every One Piece arc, as of chapter 1099

East Blue

Monkey D. Dragon
Dracule Mihawk
Smoker
Monkey D. Luffy
Roronoa Zoro

Grouping the initial arcs of the series, the East Blue Saga raises the curtain on Monkey D. Luffy’s pirate adventure. Setting sail from Foosha, Luffy gathered his first four crewmates, starting from his right-hand man, Roronoa Zoro.

The Straw Hats explored several islands, facing dangerous enemies on each of them. The voyage started in Shell Town, touching Orange Town, Syrup Village, the Baratie, Arlong Park, until Rogue Town, the last East Blue place before the Grand Line.

Among the fighters featured in the saga, “Hawk Eyes” Mihawk, the World’s Strongest Swordsman, was in a league of his own, and so was Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army. Excluding them, Luffy and Zoro were, if not nerfed, much stronger than anyone else, with the sole exception of Smoker.

Arabasta

Portgas D. Ace
Crocodile
Smoker
Monkey D. Luffy
Roronoa Zoro

Upon entering the Grand Line, the Straw Hat Pirates got to Whiskey Peak, where they first faced the Baroque Works. After visiting Little Garden and Drum Island, the protagonists arrived in Arabasta, where they gave their best effort to help Nefertari Vivi defend the country from Crocodile's plans.

With his brief but impactful appearance, Ace stood out as the strongest character featured in the arc. Below him were two other Logia users, Crocodile and Smoker. Despite eventually defeating the Warlord, Luffy wasn’t overall stronger than him, who beat him twice before, and might have easily killed him.

The databook gave Luffy and Zoro the same score in battle power while ranking any other Straw Hat lower. In Whiskey Peak, Luffy and Zoro fought each other, ending in a draw, which further emphasizes that the two had a very similar, if not equal, level of combat strength at the time.

Another dangerous individual featured in the arc was Mr 1. To beat him, Zoro was forced to evolve his strength by learning to cut steel, an ability that, later in the story, would be revealed as a form of Haki.

Jaya and Skypiea

Marshall D. Teach “Blackbeard”
Enel
Monkey D. Luffy
Roronoa Zoro
Wyper

The five strongest One Piece characters in Skypiea Saga (Image via Toei Animation, One Piece)

After hearing tales about a lost city of gold in the sky, the Straw Hats came to Skypiea, where they got involved in the conflict between various factions. During the Straw Hat crew’s time in Jaya, the story introduced the dreadful Marshall D. Teach.

Combining the Logia-class Rumble-Rumble Fruit with his Observation Haki, Enel was a true threat in Skypiea. He ended up losing to Luffy, but that only happened due to the young pirate's rubber-like body having a natural advantage over Enel’s lightning.

Leaving aside Luffy’s immunity, the former, his second-in-command Zoro, and the Shandia warrior Wyper were very close in strength, given that Wyper clashed equally with Luffy and Zoro in two distinct 1v1 fights.

Other major fighters in Skypiea were Enel’s strongest subordinates, Ohm (whose ordeal had a flawless 0% survival rate), and Shura (whose ordeal had a 3% survival rate, implying that he was slightly weaker than Ohm). They were beaten by Zoro and, respectively, Wyper.

Water Seven and Enies Lobby

Monkey D. Garp
Kuzan "Aokiji"
Monkey D. Luffy
Rob Lucci
Roronoa Zoro

The five strongest One Piece characters in Enies Lobby Saga (Image via Toei Animation, One Piece)

As the Straw Hat Pirates arrived in Water Seven, Nico Robin seemingly left the crew. To rescue Robin from the clutches of the World Government, the Straw Hats got to Enies Lobby, where they started a fierce fight with the CP9 group.

After the heated showdown, the crew saved Robin and even gained a new member, Franky. They were then visited by a group of Marines, among which were Koby, Helmeppo, and, above all, Monkey D. Garp. Admiral Kuzan “Aokiji” also made his apperance.

Despite using his Gears, Luffy struggled a lot against CP9 agent Rob Lucci. Grievously injured by Lucci’s Rokuogan, Luffy beat him by putting every bit of strength that his body had to offer to perform a Jet Gatling attack.

Using his Nine Sword Style: Ashura, Zoro annihilated the CP9’s Kaku, proving to be on a whole different level than him. Meanwhile, Sanji showcased his Diable Jambe, which enabled him to overwhelm Jabra from CP9.

Thriller Bark

Bartholomew Kuma
Gecko Moria
Zombie Oars
Monkey D. Luffy
Roronoa Zoro

After the uncanny meeting with Brook, a living and talking skeleton, the Straw Hats arrived in Thriller Bark, a haunted place filled with bizarre creatures. With Gecko Moria having stolen their shadows, the protagonists were forced to regain them before the next day’s dawn.

Just as they overcame Moria and his zombie army, another Warlord, Bartholomew Kuma, appeared, bent on taking Luffy's head. However, Zoro stood in his way, ready to put his life on the line to protect Luffy’s. Impressed by Zoro’s determination and selflessness, Kuma retreated.

Owing to the Paw-Paw Fruit’s extraordinary abilities, Kuma was much more powerful than anyone else on the island. Below him were Moria and his strongest zombie, the fearsome Oars.

Despite being injured, Zoro was able to remain conscious and standing after taking on the entire amount of pain, damage, and fatigue that Luffy accumulated during the arc. This feat emphasized Zoro as the only Straw Hat ever able to replace Luffy.

Sabaody Archipelago

Borsalino "Kizaru"
Silvers Rayleigh
Bartholomew Kuma
Sentomaru
Monkey D. Luffy

The five strongest One Piece characters in Sabaody Arc (Image via Toei Animation, One Piece)

In Sabaody, the Straw Hats learned of Luffy and Zoro’s newfound fame as two of the Worst Generation’s Eleven Supernovas. Trying to rescue their friend Camie, the crew ended up witnessing a loathsome auction where the Celestial Dragons buy their slaves.

Disgusted, Luffy punched one of the nobles, triggering the arrival of Admiral Borsalino “Kizaru”. After wrecking most of the Supernovas, Kizaru was about to do the same with the Straw Hats, but he was stopped by “Dark King” Silvers Rayleigh, the former right-hand man of Gol D. Roger.

Although a retired and nearly 80-year-old man, Rayleigh kept Kizaru at bay, with the Admiral unable to get past him. The Straw Hats experienced a bitter defeat as they were unable to stop Bartholomew Kuma from sending all of them to separate locations with his Devil Fruit powers.

Among the Supernovas, Luffy with his Gears and Zoro with the Nine Sword Style were probably the mightiest fighters, but Law and Kid’s potential was pretty good too. Still, no one of them would stand a chance against Sentomaru, who easily overpowered Luffy.

Amazon Lily

Boa Hancock
Momonga
Monkey D. Luffy
Boa Sandersonia
Boa Marigold

Sent flying away by Bartholomew Kuma, Luffy landed in Amazon Lily, which he soon learned to be a place exclusive to women. Aiming to rejoin his companions, Luffy tried to leave the island but changed his plans as he heard the news about his brother Ace.

Trying to save Ace, who was held in Impel Down, awaiting execution, Luffy began a desperate race against the clock, with the unexpected help of Amazon Lily’s ruler, the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock.

At the time, Luffy wouldn’t have had any chance to win against Vice Admiral Momonga. Still, the young pirate proved his crushing superiority over Hancock’s sisters Sandersonia and Marigold.

Despite them being capable Observation and Armament Haki users, Luffy overwhelmed them, even if he was fighting them in a 1v2 battle. As soon as he used his Gears, they couldn’t keep up with him at all.

Impel Down

Marshall D. Teach “Blackbeard”
Shiryu
Magellan
Emporio Ivankov
Jinbe

With Hancock’s help, Luffy arrived in Impel Down, resolved to infiltrate the prison and rescue Ace before the Marines could take him to Marineford. However, the task turned out to be much easier said than done.

Owing to his Venom-Venom Fruit, the prison’s Chief Warden, Magellan, was simply out of Luffy’s reach. Jinbe and Crocodile didn’t even dare to challenge Magellan, and that he easily defeated Emporio Ivankov, one of the Revolutionary Army’s mightiest members.

As Teach set foot in Impel Down, Magellan beat him on the spot. Still, given Teach’s well-known habit of systematically underestimating his foes at the start, it remains unclear whether his overall prowess was above Magellan and Shiryu’s, or not.

Impel Down's Head Jailer, Shiryu, was stated to be as strong as Magellan, and virtually even deadlier. As the events unfold, Shiryu unexpectedly sides with Teach, leading to Magellan’s debacle and fostering the mass breakout from the prison.

Marineford

Dracule Mihawk
Shanks
Sakazuki "Akainu"
Edward Newgate "Whitebeard"
Monkey D. Garp

Together with Ivankov, Jinbe, Crocodile, Mr 1, and more, Luffy arrived in Marineford, amid the Paramount War. Ace’s crewmates, led by Edward Newgate “Whitebeard”, attacked the Marine Headquarters to free Ace, clashing with the Navy’s finest officers.

Despite some of the Warlords barely fighting at all, if not even switching sides completely, as well as Garp and Sengoku hardly joining the battle, the Navy overwhelmed the enemy deployment. During the conflict, both Whitebeard and Ace died.

In this clash of titanic powers, Luffy justifiably struggled to hold his own. The sheer amount of top tiers and high tiers involved in the Marineford war makes it an almost unrepeatable event, and that’s not even taking into account the relevance of the arc.

Ace’s death profoundly marked Luffy, while Whitebeard’s passing caused upheaval in the world, especially as in his final moments he confirmed the existence of the One Piece.

Fish-Man Island

Monkey D. Luffy
Roronoa Zoro
Jinbe
Sanji
Hody Jones

After two years, the Straw Hat Pirates gathered at Sabaody Archipelago, ready to enter the New World. Upon going through Fish-Man Island, they got involved in Hody Jones’ plot to overtake the Ryugu Kingdom.

As a result of their practice under two all-powerful individuals, Silvers Rayleigh and, respectively, Dracule Mihawk, Luffy, and Zoro became incredibly strong. The two-year-long training truly changed them.

Another extremely tough fighter featured in the arc was the former Warlord Jinbe, the greatest master of Fish-Man Karate. Sanji was pretty powerful as well, but his strength wasn’t emphasized as much as Luffy and Zoro’s.

Punk Hazard

Kuzan "Aokiji"
Monkey D. Luffy
Donquixote Doflamingo
Roronoa Zoro
Trafalgar Law

During the time skip, Punk Hazard hosted Akainu and Aokiji’s fight for the Fleet Admiral role. After arriving on the supposedly empty island, the Straw Hats met with Smoker, now a Vice Admiral, and Trafalgar Law.

As mad scientist Caesar Clown’s activities were exposed, the crew got involved in Law’s hostility with Donquixote Doflamingo. At the end of the arc, there’s the unexpected appearance of Kuzan “Aokiji”.

The former Admiral was far stronger than anyone else present in Punk Hazard at the time. Below him, Luffy was the strongest, followed by Doflamingo, and then Zoro. Vergo was no match for Trafalgar Law but was able to beat Smoker. Additionally, he overpowered Sanji.

Smoker was probably a stronger fighter than Sanji, as the former at least forced Vergo to use his Haki, while the latter didn’t even need that effort. Caesar Clown and Monet were Logia-class Devil Fruit users, but their overall battle prowess wasn't up to par.

Dressrosa

Issho "Fujitora"
Sabo
Monkey D. Luffy
Donquixote Doflamingo
Roronoa Zoro

Together with Law, Kinemon, and a coerced Caesar Clown, the Straw Hats arrived in Dressrosa to overthrow Doflamingo. Law ended up brutally beaten by the Warlord, but Luffy stepped in and unleashed his Gear 4 form to overpower the latter.

Issho “Fujitora”, as a Marine Admiral, was a clear step above any other character featured in Dressrosa. Below him was Sabo, who obtained the powers of the Flame-Flame Fruit, and was the Revolutionary Army’s second-in-command even before.

When using Gear 4, Luffy’s peak of power was amazing. With his dreadful and versatile Devil Fruit abilities, Doflamingo was very dangerous, and so was Zoro with his ravaging swordsmanship and Armament Haki.

Soundly beaten by Doflamingo, Trafalgar Law was probably inferior to Zoro, let alone Luffy, in a 1v1 fight. Still, his deadly skills with the Ope-Ope Fruit render him notably stronger than most fighters, including Burgess and even the gigantic-sized Pica.

Zou

Monkey D. Luffy
Roronoa Zoro
Trafalgar Law
Zunisha
Jack

The five strongest One Piece characters in Zou Arc (Image via Toei Animation, One Piece)

The Straw Hats moved to Zou, which turned to be a country carried on the back of Zunisha, a 1000-year-old giant elephant who developed a commensal relationship with the local Minks Tribe.

The island was stormed by Jack of the Beasts Pirates, who brought death and devastation to the Minks. Put through heinous brutalities, the Minks still refused to sell their comrade Raizo.

Upon learning of Sanji’s involvement in a complex plot, Luffy, Nami, Chopper, Brook, and some Minks went to Whole Cake Island to retrieve him. Meanwhile, Zoro, Law, Franky, Robin, and Usopp, together with Kinemon, headed to Wano.

Whole Cake Island

Charlotte Linlin "Big Mom"
Charlotte Katakuri
Monkey D. Luffy
Jinbe
Charlotte Cracker

Assisted by Pekoms, Pedro, and Carrot, Luffy and some of his crewmates set foot on Whole Cake Island. As Luffy and the others start their infiltration to rescue Sanji from the forced marriage with Charlotte Pudding, they get involved with Capone Bege’s plot to assassinate Big Mom.

During the wedding party, either side’s schemes were exposed, as Big Mom was also conspiring to kill Sanji and his relatives. In the ensuing chaos, Luffy ends up facing Charlotte Katakuri, Big Mom’s strongest son and subordinate.

Combining his Observation Haki, developed enough to see the future, with his skillful usage of the Mochi-Mochi Fruit, Katakuri was outclassing Luffy. Pushing himself beyond his limits, Luffy awakened his version of the “Future Sight” ability.

The struggle ended in a sort of mutual knockout, as Luffy and Katakuri hit each other with their most powerful blows. With Big Mom being on a wholly different level from anyone else in the arc, other forceful fighters worth mentioning were Cracker, Smoothie, Jinbe, Sanji, and Perospero.

Wano

Shanks
Monkey D. Luffy
Kaido
Charlotte Linlin "Big Mom"
Aramaki "Ryokugyu"

Aiming to free the country from the tyranny of Kaido, who seized it twenty years before from Kozuki Oden, the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance made its move. As the Beasts Pirates associated with Big Mom and his subordinates, a heated battle started.

Following the end of the conflict, Luffy became one of the Four Emperors, and Wano regained freedom. With its 149 chapters, which become 192 episodes in the anime adaptation, the arc set in Wano is the longest in the series, which is a testament to its primary importance.

Kaido stood as the mightiest antagonist, a notch above Big Mom and Admiral Ryokugyu, but even he ended up surpassed by Luffy. Below the top tiers, Zoro and Yamato, with their amazing Haki, stood as the strongest fighters, followed by Kid, Law, Marco, and King.

The most powerful character to make his appearance in Wano was, however, someone nobody would ever expect to see there: "Red Hair" Shanks.

Egghead

Saint Jaygarcia Saturn
Monkey D. Luffy
Borsalino "Kizaru"
Roronoa Zoro
Rob Lucci

After leaving Wano, the Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Egghead, where they got involved in a complex conspiracy aimed at killing Dr Vegapunk. As the World Government sent a huge fleet to besiege the island, the crew started fighting back to clear an escape route.

As such, the situation escalated into an incident whose consequences are stated to shock the entire One Piece world. On the World Government's side, the two strongest fighters present on Egghead were Admiral Kizaru and CP0 top agent Rob Lucci.

To prevent Kizaru and Lucci from harming anyone on the island, Luffy and Zoro promptly took action. As the four were engaged in combat, Five Elders member Saint Jaygarcia Saturn made his entry to the battlefield, transforming into a fiendish creature.

Sensing Saturn's aura, Kizaru, Luffy, Zoro, and Lucci, who were fighting fiercely, paused during their clashes, which emphasized the former as a genuine threat to everyone on Egghead. Shortly after, Saturn proved his overwhelming power by easily subduing Sanji and Jewelry Bonney.

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