One Piece features innumerable characters with varying degrees of power and status. Many of them have earned their reputations, whereas others allow their titles to do the heavy lifting. That said, the Emperors of the Sea — officially known as the Yonko — remain leagues above the vast majority. They each boast significant reserves of power and command respect around the world.
The events of One Piece led to a staggering overhaul in the Yonko system, removing Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido from their respective positions. The former Emperors, although unquestionably overpowered, were replaced by equally dangerous figures: Red-Haired Shanks, Blackbeard, Buggy, and Monkey D. Luffy. Ultimately, it is the dynamic between these four that will shape the world and influence the discovery of the One Piece.
Buggy Could Still Become an Unstoppable Powerhouse in One Piece
Despite being the least likely person to become an Emperor of the Sea, Buggy the Star Clown achieved something extremely rare in the history of the Blue Planet. He hasn’t really evolved all that much since his introduction in the East Blue Saga, making him the weakest member of the strongest group in One Piece. And yet, the fact of his accomplishments paints a rather fascinating character arc for Buggy.
After escaping Impel Down, Buggy has been consistently failing upwards. Following his wildly inflated feats at the Summit War of Marineford, he first became a Warlord of the Sea and remained in that position until he became the leader of the Cross Guild. On the surface, it genuinely looks like Buggy is worth the bounty of 3,189,000,000 berries, which is more than Luffy’s bounty after defeating Kaido and snatching his title from him.
Fueled by his own misplaced sense of self-confidence, Buggy has announced his ambition to find the One Piece and inherit the title of Pirate King from his former captain. While in terms of raw power there is very little in favor of Buggy, there’s also the possibility that he might Awaken the Chop-Chop Fruit. The Devil Fruit that currently allows him to split and levitate his body might give him the ability to break and remake the world itself, a potential evolution that fans have been waiting a long time for.
Nothing Will Stop Monkey D. Luffy from Finding the One Piece
Monkey D. Luffy was in consideration for his lofty title before he even reached Wano, with Morgans’ World Economy News Paper highlighting him as the “fifth Emperor of the Sea” for his alleged actions on Whole Cake Island. It was but a foreshadowing of the truth that was finally actualized when Luffy was reborn as the Sun God Nika. And the Warrior of Liberation smashed Kaido with such force that the villain practically disappeared from One Piece.
A 3 billion berry bounty was the lowest the World Government could go without fully revealing the threat that Luffy now posed, especially since Eustass Kid and Trafalgar Law also got the same amount. Still, there was no disguising the significance of Luffy’s victory. Conquering the World’s Strongest Creature after awakening a power that the authorities had feared for centuries was a phenomenal culmination of One Piece‘s longest arc to date.
Although Luffy has been claiming the Pirate King title for a long time, there are many others with similar goals sailing the Grand Line. Based on the ongoing events of the manga, however, the World Government and Imu are more interested in stopping Luffy on Elbaph than anything else, a testament to the protagonist’s continued influence and inspiration. Still, Luffy doesn’t pose nearly as much of a threat as the remaining two Yonko.
Shanks Has Yet to Reveal the Full Scope of His Power
A cryptic figure for decades, Red-Haired Shanks was recently confirmed to be of Celestial Noble blood. It explains many of his tactics and schemes across One Piece, from stopping Akainu at Marineford to having a secret discussion with the Five Elders. That still doesn’t clarify the exact nature of Shanks’ relationship with these figures. Everything about him radiates awe and mystique, and he’s also the only Emperor of the Sea to have held his title from before the timeskip.
Power-wise, there aren’t many in either the World Government or the Grand Line capable of challenging him. Eustass Kid learned this lesson the hard way by confronting Shanks, who dispatched him and his crew with an attack so unbearably powerful that their duel ended before it even began.
With Loki’s displays of might reshaping the power ceiling of One Piece‘s Elbaph arc, the fact that Shanks successfully defeated him in the past emphasizes the latter’s immeasurable strength. And now that he’s also on his way to the One Piece, Shanks might yet become one of the biggest obstacles for Luffy to overcome. That being said, there’s one character, also an Emperor of the Sea, who performed the impossible feat of wounding Shanks without paying the consequences for it.
Blackbeard Is the Most Treacherous Character in One Piece
Marshall D. Teach, a wielder of the Will of D better known as Blackbeard, is arguably the most dangerous character in One Piece, let alone among the Emperors of the Sea. Although most of his character arc takes place offscreen, his known accomplishments have been as impressive as Luffy’s. From securing an overpowered crew from Impel Down and stealing the Tremor-Tremor Fruit from Whitebeard, Blackbeard became a global name before the timeskip.
Since then, the classically villainous Blackbeard has been involved in many more secret activities, allowing him to establish a base on the Pirate Island Hachinosu, overwhelm the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates, kidnap Big Mom’s favorite daughter Charlotte Pudding and defeat powerhouses like Trafalgar Law and Boa Hancock.
In Blackbeard’s case, mystery is directly proportional to danger, as every revelation about his ambitions puts him one step closer to the One Piece. He’s obviously seeking the titular treasure, making it the first time that all four Emperors of the Sea have been focused on a singular goal. What this means for the story remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt that Blackbeard will be front and center for the Final War slowly creeping up on One Piece.
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)