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The Yonko are the most influential pirates in the One Piece series, and for good reason.
Becoming a Yonko is an extremely difficult task. More often than not, they need to have a massive fleet and several territories under their control. Most importantly, they need to be very powerful. Given the recent events in the manga, it's only fair to rank them.
This article contains major spoilers from One Piece Chapter 1053. It will also take into account each character's prime.
Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.
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Monkey D. Luffy, Blackbeard and 5 more characters among the strongest Yonko in the One Piece series
7) Buggy the Clown
Buggy has done well for himself despite being relatively weak. He doesn't use Haki, and he doesn't have too many impressive attacks. He gets by through pure luck and his creative schemes.
It's currently unknown how Buggy even became a Yonko in the first place. One Piece fans can only speculate that it has something to do with his Pirate Dispatch Organization. Now that Kaido and Big Mom have been defeated, perhaps countries formerly under their control need some protection.
Of course, none of this is confirmed, and it won't be for a while. One Piece is on hiatus for the next month. Either way, Buggy's physical strength is definitely not the reason he was given the Yonko title. Anyone on this list can beat him without even trying.
6) Monkey D. Luffy
Although he finally defeated Kaido in the climax of the Onigashima Raid, Luffy didn't accomplish the feat by himself. The Straw Hat needed multiple rest breaks and the assistance of powerful allies. For that reason, he shouldn't be placed higher than Kaido on this list.
Luffy is not quite there yet in terms of power, but he will be in the near future. By the end of the One Piece series, he will definitely be the strongest Yonko. Here's a look at what he can do in his current state:
- Master all three forms of advanced Haki techniques
- Awaken a powerful Devil Fruit that grants him cartoon physics
- He is also well-known for his extreme durability feats, via a Mythical Zoan fruit
The World Government sees Luffy as a massive threat. Not only does he bear the Will of D. in his name, but he also consumed the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. The World Government has been looking for it for over 800 years.
Luffy has everything he needs to be a Yonko in the One Piece series. The Straw Hat exerts great influence over various territories, such as Fishman Island. He also has a powerful Grant Fleet at his disposal.
Luffy currently has a bounty of 3,000,000,000 bellies.
5) Charlotte Linlin - Big Mom
Big Mom is roughly comparable to Kaido. She has also ruled the seas for longer than any other living character.
Prior to her defeat in Wano Country, the Big Mom Pirates had several territories under their control. Big Mom also had the largest intelligence network of any pirate crew.
What makes Big Mom utterly terrifying is her creative use of the Soru Soru no Mi. It's among the strongest Paramecia fruits in the One Piece series. Using its power, she can manipulate souls in several ways, whether it's powering herself up or unleashing natural disasters.
Very tellingly, Big Mom was only defeated by the combined forces of Eustass Kid and Trafalgar Law. They also had to Awaken their overpowered Devil Fruits in the process, not to mention blow her up with several bombs from a weapons armory. Big Mom's durability feats are right up there with Kaido.
4) Kaido "of the Beasts"
One Piece fans can agree that Kaido is truly a monster. Very few characters can pull off the insane feats he did. During the Onigashima Raid, he ran a non-stop gauntlet against ridiculously powerful fighters. He also endured some of the biggest attacks in the series.
Kaido definitely lives up to his reputation as the world's strongest creature. He ate a very rare Mythical Zoan fruit that gave him the abilities of a legendary dragon. He also has a very unpredictable fighting style when he gets drunk.
Prior to his defeat, Kaido controlled Wano Country for 20 years, having built several weapons factories. He also ran a massive operation with SMILE Devil Fruits, alongside Donquixote Doflamingo and Caesar Clown. He had the world's largest army of Zoan fighters.
3) "Red-Haired" Shanks
Right before Kaido was defeated by Luffy, he mentioned how Devil Fruits are only a means to an end. Haki is a true indicator of pure strength.
Shanks is the only Yonko without a Devil Fruit, which means Haki is his main source of power. It's reasonable to believe that Shanks might have the strongest Haki. Remember, Kaido considers Shanks to be his equal, despite the latter not relying on a powerful fruit.
One Piece fans don't know much about Shanks. However, during the Wano Country intermission, it was stated that his pirate crew was the most well-rounded. Shanks also held off Akainu and ended the Paramount War by himself.
2) Marshall D. Teach - Blackbeard
One Piece characters are only limited to eating a single Devil Fruit. However, this rule doesn't apply to Blackbeard. During the climax of the Marineford arc, he killed Whitebeard and stole his Devil Fruit. Blackbeard can now control darkness and unleash devastating quakes in both hands.
Unlike Kaido and Big Mom, Blackbeard is still growing strong in One Piece. Over the past two years, his crew has been on the lookout for rare Devil Fruits with really useful abilities. Many of his crew members are also Level Six prisoners from Impel Down, which makes them exceedingly dangerous.
Blackbeard has likely grown far more powerful since he was last seen. He could very well be Luffy's final opponent before they reach Laugh Tale.
1) Edward Newgate - Whitebeard
By the end of his life, Whitebeard had the second-highest bounty in One Piece, right behind the Pirate King himself. He is also the only known Yonko whose bounty was in the five billion range.
In his prime, Whitebeard was a competitive rival to Gol D. Roger. He also had the potential to split the seas and destroy continents with the Gura Gura no Mi. He did some major damage at Marineford, despite his advanced age and poor health. Very few people can do what he did to Akainu.
Whitebeard is the measuring stick of what it truly means to be a Yonko. It's crazy to believe that by the end of One Piece, Luffy is going to surpass him.
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