Among the many antagonists featured in One Piece, very few are as wicked as Rob Lucci, a bloodthirsty murderer who joined the World Government in order to be legally allowed to kill people. Owing to the power of a Zoan Devil Fruit, Lucci can transform himself into a human-leopard hybrid, boosting his Rokushiki moves.
A man whose might was praised by notable individuals, such as Bartholomew Kuma and Borsalino "Kizaru," Lucci once fought on par with Luffy, who was pushed to his limits and beyond to finally beat him. After the timeskip, Lucci developed a powerful Armament Haki and evolved his Devil Fruit to the level of Awakening.
Upon becoming an elite masked agent of CP0, the World Government's greatest secret agency, Lucci partook in the Egghead Incident, where he was depicted as the greatest threat for the Straw Hat Pirates, alongside Kizaru. Naturally, there are several One Piece characters Rob Lucci can definitely beat, and many he would certainly lose against.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1091.
Five fights that Rob Lucci can win as of One Piece chapter 1091
5) Lucci vs Nekomamushi
Tied with Inuarashi, who is his equal for all intents and purposes, Nekomamushi is the strongest member of the Minks tribe. Fast, agile, and physically strong, Nekomamushi can further amp up his abilities by entering his fearsome Sulong form.
While in their base forms, Neko and Inu fought on par with Jack, the fourth strongest member of the Beasts Pirates. As the two Minks used their Sulong transformation, Inuarashi crushed Jack in 1v1, while Nekomamushi wrecked Perospero, another Commander-level fighter.
Neko's physical prowess is substantial, and he is also a skilled Armament Haki user. However, Lucci just outclasses him in these respects, having showcased much more impressive feats. Simply put, Lucci is faster, tougher, deadlier, and has superior Haki, making his advantage clear.
Verdict: Lucci wins with low difficulty.
4) Lucci vs Queen
The third strongest member of the Beasts Pirates, Queen holds great durability and physical strength due to the Ancient Zoan of the Brachiosaurus. He has modified his body, equipping it with special high-tech weapons, such as laser beams and extendable limbs.
He also implanted himself with the various abilities of the Vinsmoke brothers. Admittedly, in the fight against Sanji, Queen was in complete control at the beginning. However, he ended up being brutally beaten after Sanji unlocked his family's genetic enhancements.
Hitting himself with his own attacks and losing his composure even while fighting, Queen is too clumsy to take on a deadly foe like Lucci. The CP0 agent will dodge Queen's attacks and strike him with his Awakening and Armament Haki-enhanced Rokushiki, eventually finishing him off.
Verdict: Lucci wins with low to medium difficulty.
3) Lucci vs Donquixote Doflamingo
As a member of the Seven Warlords, the captain of the Donquixote Pirates, and the ruler of Dressrosa, the former Celestial Dragon Doflamingo was a very influential New World pirate. After being defeated by Luffy, however, he was stripped of his titles and imprisoned in Impel Down.
Powerful but far too overconfident, Doflamingo uses the String-String Fruit to fly and attack all ranges. This ability allowed him to brutally defeat Sanji and Smoker, overwhelm Trafalgar Law, and force Luffy into using his Gear 4. Still, he doesn't stand much of a chance against Lucci in the latter's current state.
A masterful Devil Fruit user, Doflamingo is also very agile and resilient. Given Lucci's far superior speed and physical strength, however, the fight would be a remake of Doflamingo vs Gear 4 Luffy. Combining Geppo and Soru into Kamisori, Lucci can move at such a pace that he will blitz Doflamingo even in mid-air.
Verdict: Lucci wins with mid to high difficulty.
2) Lucci vs Sanji
Sanji is the Straw Hat crew's third strongest member, ranking only below Luffy and Zoro. As his body evolved, Sanji obtained a special exoskeleton, which amped his durability and learned to use the Ifrit Jambe, a mightier version of his Diable Jambe kicks. Owing to these boosts, he beat Queen "The Plague."
Using the Ifrit Jambe and moving at his maximum speed, Sanji might be able to fight on comparable grounds with Lucci. Still, Sanji quickly tires himself when using these powers, while Lucci can use his Hybrid and Awakened Zoan forms with no time limit.
Sanji never showed any impressive feat with Haki, while Lucci is a much stronger user. He was able to clash equally with Luffy's own Color of Armament and crush Sentomaru's Haki defense, whose toughness should be comparable to Sanji's exoskeleton. Also, Lucci can use Rokuogan to injure Sanji from his insides.
If Queen was able to tag and restrain Sanji, the much faster Lucci could surely grab him with his tail, and then hit him with Rokuogan, overcoming his exoskeleton. Despite Lucci hurting Stussy, a woman, Sanji doesn't dare to attack him, implying that he himself knows he can't defeat the CP0 agent.
Verdict: Lucci wins with high difficulty.
1) Lucci vs Charlotte Katakuri
Charlotte Linlin's strongest subordinate, Katakuri can combine his Observation Haki so refined, that he can see slightly ahead in the future, with the versatile powers of the Mochi-Mochi Fruit, which he even upgraded to the stage of Awakening.
As such, he can predict his enemies' moves, swiftly dodging them and then timing his counterattack. Also, a powerful Armament Haki user, Katakuri gave Luffy immense trouble in the past. Their battle ended in a mutual knockout, and at the beginning, he was totally wrecking Luffy.
While his Future Sight enables him to sense the incoming attack, however, Katakuri still needs to avoid it. Never showing any time limit with his Zoan Awakening, Lucci can relentlessly pressure Katakuri, whose Observation Haki will run out if used too much.
Being able to withstand some named attacks from Gear 5 Luffy, Lucci can endure Katakuri's moves, eventually outlasting him. Using his speed, Lucci will surpass Katakuri's Future Sight, and then use a deadly Rokushiki and Haki combination to take the Sweet Commander down.
Verdict: Lucci wins with extreme difficulty.
Five fights that would see Lucci defeated as of One Piece chapter 1091
5) Lucci vs Yamato
During the Onigashima Raid, Yamato displayed mighty power, as she was temporarily able to hold her own against Kaido. Granted, the Emperor didn't go all-out against her, and she wasn't able to inflict any meaningful damage on him, but the feat remains absolutely outstanding.
Owing to the Mythical Zoan Fruit of the Okuchi no Makami, Yamato can amp her physical abilities as well as create and manipulate ice. Born with the very rare Color of Conqueror, Yamato is one of the very few people who can use the advanced version of this Haki.
Yamato's movements may be slower than Lucci's, but her combat speed is high enough to fend him off, as she was able to keep up with Kaido's fast Thunder Bagua moves. Her defense is very good, and, more importantly, she can use her Advanced Conqueror's Haki to overpower Lucci.
With both clashing against an Emperor-level individual who was partially holding back, Yamato was able to last against Kaido longer than Lucci could against Luffy, which emphasizes her superiority over the CP0 assassin.
Verdict: Yamato wins with high difficulty.
4) Lucci vs Silvers Rayleigh (old)
The former right-hand man of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, Silvers Rayleigh is a man very few One Piece characters can compete with. Regarded by Garp as a living legend of the same caliber as Whitebeard, Rayleigh is feared throughout the world as the "Dark King."
Even as a rusty and inactive old man, Rayleigh remained powerful enough to intimidate Blackbeard and successfully fend off Admiral Kizaru. This implies that in his prime days, he was stronger than them and most of the other top-tier fighters in the series.
A mighty swordsman and Haki master, Rayleigh is so strong that the potency of his Conqueror's Haki was directly compared to that of Shanks'. Even as an old man, Rayleigh is far above Lucci's pay grade, as the former can fight on par with Kizaru, a fighter comparable to Luffy, against whom Lucci lost.
Verdict: Rayleigh (old) wins with medium difficulty.
3) Lucci vs Monkey D. Garp (old)
Despite his strength surpassing even that of the Admirals, the "Marine Hero" decided to remain a Vice Admiral permanently, not wanting to work for the Celestial Dragon. In his prime days, Garp was strong enough to fight on par with Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King.
Even many years past his prime, Garp was able to take on former Admiral Kuzan "Aokiji," backed by Shiryu and other major officers of the Blackbeard Pirates. Despite his old age, Garp beat Aokiji at speed and overpowered him. He was only forced to put his life on the line to save Koby and the other young Marine officers.
There's no way Lucci would be able to keep up with Garp's overwhelming physical capabilities. The old Marine's immensely destructive blows, coated in both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, would make the fight rather one-sided.
Verdict: Garp (old) wins with low difficulty.
2) Lucci vs Monkey D. Luffy
Upon beating Kaido, Luffy was declared one of the Four Emperors. An exceptional fighter who can use the advanced versions of all three types of Haki, Luffy also relies on the power of the Human-Human Fruit Model: Nika, which grants his body rubber-like properties.
Using a transformation called "Gears," Luffy can further boost his capabilities. During the fight with Kaido, Luffy achieved a form called Gear 5, which grants him unreal powers, allowing him to fight following his imagination, similar to the Sun God Nika.
After their battle in Enies Lobby, Luffy and Lucci had a rematch in Egghead. Initially, they were exchanging blows and clashing on par, with Lucci's physical strength and Armament Haki equally matching Gear 5 Luffy's. Still, as soon as Luffy started putting more force into his attacks, he knocked out Lucci.
It must be noted that Luffy employed his strongest form, but refrained himself from using his Advanced Conqueror's Haki, as well as the same moves he used against Kaido. If he had used these abilities, his victory would have been even clearer.
Verdict: Luffy wins with low difficulty.
1) Lucci vs Akainu
The owner of the lethal Mag-Mag Fruit, which allows him to burn everything in his path, Sakazuki "Akainu" easily beat and killed Portgas D. Ace. He also fatally wounded the all-powerful Whitebeard, who was hailed as the World's Strongest Man.
A testament to his physical might, Akainu was able to endure two punches from an enraged Whitebeard, including a blow strong enough to split Marineford in two as a side effect. Still, not even such ravaging attacks could stop Akainu, who recovered and went on a rampage.
He annihilated Jinbe and Ivankov and single-handedly fought the entire collective of Whitebeard's officers (minus Ace and Jozu, but including Marco and Vista, and adding former Warlord Crocodile).
After beating his former colleague Aokiji, Akainu became the Navy's Fleet Admiral. While a skilled fighter in his own right, Lucci wouldn't be able to inflict any damage on Akainu, who, in turn, would abruptly kill him with his Devil Fruit powers.
Verdict: Akainu wins with no difficulty.
Final thoughts
As a strict follower of "Dark Justice," despite having forged a temporary truce with the Straw Hat Pirates, in the most recent One Piece chapter, Lucci tried to accomplish his original mission of killing Vegapunk. Luckily, Roronoa Zoro stepped in, challenging the bloodthirsty assassin to a fight.
Thus, an amazing battle is about to start between Zoro, the second-in-command of the Straw Hat Pirates, and Lucci, the mightiest and most vicious CP0 agent. Based on the feats and abilities they have shown so far, Zoro should emerge victorious in all likelihood.
Still, Lucci, whose combat prowess definitely exceeds the standard of most Commander-level fighters, possibly reaching a level comparable to Marco, King, and Katakuri's, will try to save his life dearly.