With One Piece sailing into its Final Saga, protagonist Monkey D. Luffy is also reaching the height of his powers. Gear 5 effectively elevated the young hero to legendary status, putting him in contention with the strongest his world has to offer. In fact, Luffy officially affirmed that Gear 5 was his “peak,” implying that he won’t develop techniques like Gear 6.
Despite his claim, Luffy will most likely grow even stronger than he is right now, as he is currently weaker than a few other One Piece characters. And it’s not because they’re better fighters or take more innovative approaches than the infinitely flexible Gear 5. Rather, it’s their raw power that enables them to still be capable of crushing Gear 5 Luffy.
Blackbeard’s Hidden Power Could Overwhelm Gear 5
Blackbeard’s rivalry with Luffy began during the Jaya arc, although only the villain sees something special in the hero. By contrast, Luffy has practically forgotten his beef with Blackbeard in favor of nobler pursuits. And yet, there appear to be many things unique about this bizarrely overpowered character, making him more than just an opponent for Luffy to defeat on the way to the One Piece.
Blackbeard wields two Devil Fruits, each of them possessing enough power to decimate armies, and that’s just what fans know about him. The manga recently confirmed Blackbeard as the son of Rocks D. Xebec, but even that shocking reveal did nothing more than add a new factual snippet. In reality, Blackbeard’s actions take place behind the scenes, with only his monumental triumphs exposed to the public.
What Blackbeard wants — aside from the One Piece — currently remains ambiguous. And it is that very sense of mystery that makes him such an unnerving presence, as he’s already armed with the capabilities required to outmaneuver Gear 5 Luffy. Their preordained battle will certainly become a highlight of the Final Saga.
Prince Loki and Ragnir Are Unstoppable in Battle
Although a very new introduction to One Piece, Loki has become a fan-favorite character over the last several manga chapters. He has also just appeared in the ongoing anime, but it might take another year before anime-only fans become privy to his unique powers. The Prince of Elbaph was formidable from the moment of his birth, clawing his way back from the Underworld while he was just an infant.
Since then, Loki has acquired a supreme Mythical Zoan known as the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Nidhöggr, a Devil Fruit seemingly on par with Nika. But there’s more: the Nidhöggr fruit was originally protected by a magical hammer that had somehow consumed another Mythical Zoan, the Squirrel-Squirrel Fruit, Model: Ratatoskr, resulting in the warhammer Ragnir.
Accepting Loki as worthy enough for Nidhöggr also meant that Ragnir would fight alongside Loki, and watching them together on the battlefield is nothing short of awe-inspiring. While Loki’s lightning attack had no effect on Luffy for obviously canonical reasons, the fact that he defeated an Imu-empowered Harald — his equally strong father — guarantees that Loki remains at least a league above his new Straw Hat pal.
Shanks Is Still Leagues Beyond Luffy’s Power
From Dragon Ball‘s Goku to Yu Yu Hakusho‘s Yusuke Urameshi, shonen anime protagonists are designed to surpass their mentors. Unfortunately for Luffy, he hasn’t reached that level yet. Arguably the strongest heroic character in One Piece, Red-Haired Shanks remains the standard that Luffy must eventually surpass if he hopes to truly claim the Pirate King title.
Even Shanks has begun searching for the One Piece, putting him on a collision course with his spiritual successor, all but ensuring a battle between the two. That time might come sooner than fans think, but it certainly won’t happen right away, as Luffy is still no match for his fellow Emperor.
Shanks’ greatest onscreen feat was single-handedly vanquishing the Kid Pirates, whose captain dared to unleash his maximum power against the Red-Haired “Grand Fleet.” Eustass Kid had Awakened his Devil Fruit, helped defeat Big Mom, and garnered a bounty of 3 billion, and Shanks still tore through him like paper. As of now, it also seems that he previously defeated Loki.
Rocks D. Xebec Stood Above Both Roger and Garp
The fabled Rocks D. Xebec was teased for years before the Elbaph arc finally brought him into the picture, and he was even cooler than fans expected. He chased a seemingly bigger dream than Luffy, intending to defeat the World Government and become the King of the World like his forefather, Davy D. Jones.
Xebec somehow managed to make a working crew out of the most unruly pirates in history, including Big Mom, Whitebeard, and Kaido, which serves as an excellent testament to his overall power. Although Xebec’s character arc was violently cut short when he challenged Imu, the God Valley Incident more than demonstrated his peerless strength.
Xebec annihilated the God’s Knights, an extremely overpowered group of World Nobles with extra abilities and cheat codes granted by Imu, and they only survived the encounter thanks to their benefactor’s immortality. And when Imu cast Domi Reversi and “demonized” Xebec, it took the combined powers of Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to bring him down. Luffy is lucky that he doesn’t have to face someone like Rocks.
Nerona Imu Hasn’t Even Fully Revealed His Powers
Saint Nerona Imu is shaping up to be the big bad of One Piece, with the World Government’s supreme authority revealing the full scope of his powers in the ongoing manga chapters. The God Valley flashback showed that Imu could resurrect himself from unquestionably fatal damage, while the Elbaph arc is presently proving why he’s the strongest character in the series.
Imu possesses the Devil’s Fruit, and he puts the Akuma no Mi to good use, converting enemies into allies and immortalizing his minions, while also casting the unique Omen ability to great effect. For context, one blast of Omen put Zoro and Sanji out of commission.
There’s also something preventing Imu from staying in the “Lower World” for too long, an unexplained timer that’s likely to end the incoming threeway battle involving Luffy and Loki before either or both end up dead. It’s not the right time for Imu to cut loose and fight without restraint, and fans may not fully comprehend his maximum potential until the One Piece is found.
One Piece
- Release Date
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October 20, 1999
- Network
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Fuji TV
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Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
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Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)