In One Piece, the main source of special character abilities are Devil Fruits, which are rare consumables that grant all kinds of supernatural powers depending on the type of Devil Fruit eaten.
Zoan Devil Fruits allow transformation into giant or mythical beasts. Paramecia Devil Fruits allow conjuration or manipulation of various substances. Logia Devil Fruits allow one's body to shift into an element like fire or water.
However, One Piece also has the concept of Haki, which brings balance to the system and helps maintain power scaling in the later parts of the series. Haki is a concept that relies solely on willpower, granting the user abilities that can match any Devil Fruit user's capabilities.
Some Haki users end up becoming legendary heroes and iconic figures, feared by everyone—including Devil Fruit eaters, who will do everything they can to not cross paths with Haki masters.
From characters who can harness the full potential of their Devil Fruits to characters overflowing with Haki, here are my picks for the strongest One Piece characters and why they're incredible.
16. Franky
You're probably wondering why Franky is on this list. After all, he's just a shipwright and a comic relief type character in the crew.
Well, as it turns out, Franky is actually pretty powerful! His modified body works like a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit as it has tons of built-in weapons that are locked, loaded, and ready to fire.
And if you think ordinary guns and cannons aren't enough to match Devil Fruit users, he also has his awesome Radical Beam, which shines a destructive light that can blast away anyone in range.
There are other machine-themed characters in One Piece, but Franky tops them all as he retains his humanity (and humor) even while having advanced and high-tech weaponry.
15. Kozuki Oden
Kozuki Oden is a samurai from Wano. He's a happy-go-lucky guy who dreams of opening up his country to the world.
We witnessed his toughness and unwavering will when he passed the "pseudo initiation" of the Whitebeard Pirates, in which he was dragged behind Moby Dick for several days and nights.
In his battle to achieve his dream and his fight against Kaido, we saw that he's no ordinary samurai—he's able to slice up the dragon's thick skin and leave a scar that forever marks Wano's retaliation.
14. Jinbei
Fishmen are far superior to humans in terms of strength, especially when they're in their element of water or sea. Jinbei is one of them.
Jinbei is a former Warlord of the Sea and one of the original Sun Pirates. On land, he can fight as well as any human (or even better) with his Fishman Karate. But in the sea? He's a truly formidable opponent.
On top of his tough Armament Haki, he has many destructive moves, including water droplets shot like bullets with high explosive power.
13. Vinsmoke Sanji
Vinsmoke Sanji is no ordinary chef. He's a close-combat fighter who relies on kicks, thus earning him the epithet "Black Leg." He fights with kicks because he believes that his hands must be reserved for cooking.
It's quite the handicap for him, but he still manages to defeat many strong opponents using only his fast, powerful legs.
After a nightmarish training stay at the Okama land, his legs became even more powerful due to his endless running. And when combined with Armament Haki, his strikes are even deadlier.
He also has a Raid Suit, which gives him stealth and flight abilities. It came from his Vinsmoke lineage of the Germa, who are known for their body modifications that create superhuman soldiers.
12. Roronoa Zoro
Roronoa Zoro was once a bounty hunter, giving him the name "Pirate Hunter." He's a swordsman who mastered the wielding of three swords at once: a sword in each hand, plus one in his mouth.
On top of his unique sword mastery, he's also able to learn from his enemies and adapt to his personal disadvantages in battle, even crafting techniques to make up for his gaps.
One example is when he devised a long-ranged slash attack during the Skypeia arc, which compensated for his short-ranged fighting style and gave him an edge against enemies who could fly.
After the timeskip in One Piece, he's even stronger. He was trained by Dracule Mihawk, the man whom he promised to defeat to become the world's strongest swordsman.
Now, with all of the above and his Haki-imbued attacks, Zoro is unstoppable and more terrifying than he's ever been.
11. Marshall D. Teach
Marshall D. Teach, also known as Blackbeard, breaks an established rule in One Piece's power system—by possessing two Devil Fruit powers. That's what makes him so mysterious, powerful, and terrifying.
His Yami Yami no Mi Devil Fruit grants him the power of darkness. He can consume anything into nothingness and trap subjects in an endless void of black.
To further empower himself and his crew, he gathered several powerful criminals who were imprisoned in the lowest level of the Impel Down. Now, he reigns as one of the current Emperors of the Sea and conquers territory under the banner of Whitebeard.
10. Monkey D. Garp
Monkey D. Garp is known as the Hero of the Marines, who brought down great pirate fleets with nothing but brute strength and wits.
His Haki is so strong that he's able to fight the Rocks Pirates in the God Valley Incident—you know, the Rocks Pirates whose main members are the monsters of the current generation: Kaido and Big Mom!
Because of his strength, battle experience, and career achievements, Garp was offered the position of Admiral of the Marines many times, but he has always turned it down.
His ability to guide and train has created strong Marines, including Aokiji and Coby, as well as a powerful pirate in his grandson, Luffy.
9. Dracule Mihawk
Dracule Mihawk is known as the world's strongest swordsman. He's feared by many except for Zoro, who wants to beat him—at least, that's the case in the early arcs of One Piece.
Dracule Mihawk's epic entrance in the early parts of One Piece, where he sails alone in a small boat, is enough to tell you that he's the kind of character who everyone should be wary of.
With his Great Blade Yoru, he can slice anything and anyone—but he also has long-ranged attacks, like the one he uses to hit Whitebeard during the Marineford War. A single slash of his can cover a wide area and can even cut off the top of a frozen tsunami!
8. Silvers Rayleigh
Silvers Rayleigh, also known as the Dark King, is one of Gol D. Roger's crew and one of the legendary icons of the pirate era who actually reached the ultimate treasure.
He was one of the most powerful pirates roaming the seas during his prime days, but even today it seems like his power is still terrifying. We've seen it in action when he saved Luffy from Kizaru and when he swam the Calm Belt full of Sea Kings to reach Luffy.
He trained Luffy to use Haki in order for the young pirate to advance in his journey up against dangerous waters. As for his own Haki? Well, Rayleigh isn't only able to use the two basic types, but can also use the Conqueror's Haki! He's immensefly powerful, indeed.
7. Kaido
Kaido's Zoan-type Devil Fruit is one of the best of all the Devil Fruits, not only because it's an iconic dragon but also because it's a symbol of power and strength throughout history.
Aside from the dragon transformation, his Devil Fruit also gives him Zoan-type attributes, including immense stamina, strength, and recovery, which contribute to his overall durability.
Yet, while we long believed that he was powerful because of his Devil Fruit's dragon form, it was eventually revealed that he was already a fierce pirate long before he acquired his Devil Fruit powers!
As the story goes, Kaido acquired his Devil Fruit during the God Valley Incident, which happened 38 years before the current timeline. At that time, he was already a member of the Rocks Pirate, the notorious pirate group known for its powerful captain and members.
6. Charlotte "Big Mom" Linlin
Unlike Kaido, who only just received his powers during the God Valley Incident, Charlotte "Big Mom" Linlin was already a powerful Devil Fruit user at that time. It turns out, she had acquired her powers at a very young age—and in a very gruesome way.
However, even without the Devil Fruit powers, Big Mom packed tons of strength from when she was just a child, enough to throw a full-grown giant warrior to the floor. The strength came when her "hunger pangs" hit, causing her to go on insane rampages.
Big Mom also has incredible durability and strength like Kaido, as seen when the two attacked each other (which seemed like their way of saying hello to a fellow monster).
5. Kizaru
Kizaru, whose real name is Borsalino, has the power of a unique Devil Fruit called Pika Pika no Mi. It's a Logia-type Devil Fruit that grants him the power of light and its attributes.
What makes Kizaru such a truly powerful character is that he can move freely and at the speed of light, allowing him to cover various areas of the battlefield in an instant. He can also imbue his kicks with the speed of light, resulting in immense momentum and force.
At first, we even thought his "light" body was indestructible because of its Logia properties—until Haki was introduced. However, he's still essentially invincible since he can move at the speed of light.
4. Edward "Whitebeard" Newgate
Edward "Whitebeard" Newgate is a former Emperor of the Sea and a father figure to many powerful crew members, including Marco the Phoenix, Diamond Jozu, and Fire Fist Ace.
He's a monster during the current era, forcing the Marines to assemble all the powers they have—from foot soldiers to Admirals to even the Seven Warlords of the Sea (excluding Jinbei and Blackbeard).
In his prime, he could go toe-to-toe with the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, and their terrifying clash sent out massive waves of Haki that almost flattened and destroyed the land they were in.
3. Monkey D. Luffy
After his battle with Kaido in the Wano Kingdom, Monkey D. Luffy emerged victorious and was newly crowned Emperor of the Sea. Despite being a clumsy captain for his crew, he still has what it takes to be called a threat to the Marines and the World Government.
What makes him so powerful is his versatility in combat, as seen when he's able to adapt to many opponents and the powers before him.
Despite being a melee fighter, he has a huge advantage when it comes to range due to his Devil Fruit that grants him the properties of rubber. After learning and mastering all types of Haki, he becomes an even more formidable fighter, able to apply various effects to his attacks.
Now that Luffy has awakened his Devil Fruit's Gear 5 potential, we can confidently say that he has grown far more powerful than he was, making him one of the strongest characters in all of One Piece.
2. Shanks
Shanks is captain of the Red Hair Pirates and also one of the Emperors of the Sea. Though he lost an arm after saving young Luffy, he's still one of the most powerful pirates to roam the seas.
The moment he stops the bloodshed of the Marineford War is proof enough that he has what it takes to stand between forces as powerful as the Marines, the pirates, and the rampaging Blackbeard.
His presence alone is feared by many, and his Conqueror's Haki overflows, as seen when he stepped aboard Whitebeard's ship and caused some of the crew to fall unconscious for just being in his range.
1. Gol D. Roger
Why am I putting Gol D. Roger at the top of this list? Well, it isn't simply because he's the Pirate King. It's because he was never defeated in any of his battles, which is a tremendous feat.
He has no unique Devil Fruit power to boast of, yet he has an incomparable strength that no pirate of his era managed to surpass. Even in the current era, his strength is still commended by monstrous characters like Kaido and Whitebeard.
Since he has no Devil Fruit powers, he relies on his Haki to battle powerful opponents, including Gold Lion Shiki and his massive fleet, Whitebeard in his prime, and even Garp and Sengoku of the Marines.
If he's so powerful, why was he executed? As it turns out, he was never actually captured or defeated by any Marine. Rather, he surrendered himself after the disbanding of his crew. But before he died, he managed to utter his famous last words and stir up the seas once again.
