While looking at the roles of pirate crews and royalty, the following quote comes to mind:
“When the snow falls and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives”.
Fans of Game of Thrones are familiar with this quote, which emphasizes the fact of strength in teamwork. Nowhere is this idea more relevant than in the race towards the final horizon in One Piece, as various pirate crews swear fealty to their captions, clash with their rivals and carry the weights of their own dreams as well as the aspirations of their deceased comrades. Strong pirates without crews exist in the One Piece verse, with the biggest instance of the same being Dracule Mihawk, the World’s Strongest Swordsman.
However, the title of Yonko, or Emperor is only bestowed to those individuals of remarkable strength who have equally remarkable crewmates. Nor is the title a simple label – as in recent chapters, we have seen powerful individuals being bested in clashes simply because the rest of their crewmates were not strong enough. Finding the One Piece is the ultimate goal that most of these pirate crews strive to attain – the ultimate treasure that would probably lend them the greatest power.
As such, it is time to look at the few crews who truly have a chance to attain this glory. The following list will contain spoilers from recent manga chapters and will exclude characters who have been confirmed to be dead, defeated or written off in the story. It will also be ranked, from a position of least likelihood to most.
From The Big Mom Pirates to The Straw Hat Pirates: List of all the crews who can find the infamous One Piece
5. The Big Mom Pirates
Big Mom is among the strongest of the pirates across the Grand Line and New World and despite her seemingly goofy nature, is a force to contend with because of her superior Haki, expert combat skills and Devil Fruit powers. As the former member of Rocks D Xebec’s crew, Big Mom’s formidability extends to her old age where, despite approaching seventy, she had given the Straw Hats a run for their money.
Not only is she alone in her quest for power and the ultimate treasure. Her crew, composed entirely of her sons and daughters like children Oven, Pudding, Cracker and Perospero have demonstrated their remarkable strength powers in the Whole-cake Island Arc. Her second-born son and the First Yonko Commander Katakuri (a user of Conqueror’s Haki) was one of the strongest pirates Luffy had ever faced in single combat, leading to a fan-favourite moment in the storyline. This crew could have been a potent contestant in the race to the finish but the latter’s defeat by the combined efforts of Kidd and Law has placed her at the bottom of this list.
4. The Beast Pirates
The World’s Strongest Creature Kaido ranks fourth on this list, and that too, because of his defeat by Monkey D Luffy who had unlocked his Devil Fruit Awakening. However, it must be remembered that Kaido had already fought the Scabbards, the Worst Generation and his daughter Yamato at a continuous stretch, and even knocked out Luffy thrice before he was defeated. It is no surprise to see the captain of the Beast Pirates on this list, as he possesses one of the strongest crews in the One Piece-verse.
Kaido’s strength, Devil Fruit powers and Conqueror’s Haki are matched by his own ambition, as well as that of his first Commander King. Kaido’s crew, composed entirely of durable Zoan fruit users had terrorized the Land of Wano for several years before the Straw Hats put an end to their reign, with various members of Luffy’s crew besting Kaido’s followers one-on-one. That puts the King of the Beasts’ dreams on hold as both his and Big Mom’s status are unknown.
3. The Red Haired Pirates
One of the most enigmatic people who has been a point of discussion every time he arrived on screen is undoubtedly Shanks. Credited with entrusting Luffy the Straw Hat, and in a way, inspiring him to set out on his current path, the red-haired pirate works in mysterious ways. He had once been an apprentice on Roger’s crew but he has also been shown to converse with the Gorosei in secret. His presence had even ended the Marineford War and recently, he even defeated Kidd’s crew in a single blow.
At the same time, his love and care for Luffy and admiration for the latter’s progress has people rooting for him. Shanks’ Haki is revealed to be one of the strongest in the storyline, and his crew, despite lacking any notable Devil Fruit users, is composed of powerful characters like his first mate Benn Beckman, Usopp’s father and the greatest sniper Yasopp, and Lucky Roo. While Shanks’ motivations and desires are yet unknown as is his past – including his rivalry with Dracule Mihawk – it is absolutely certain that Shanks’ power puts him on a pedestal with the strongest characters and a contender in the race for the One Piece (if he explicitly expressed interest, that is).
2. The Blackbeard Pirates
The Blackbeard Pirates are opposite to Shanks’ crew in many ways as they are all Devil Fruit users who build their legacy upon stealing and looting as opposed to using their own Haki or will. Composed entirely of former criminals, these pirates represent the opposite side of Luffy’s dream – piracy for them is freedom too but one based on exerting cruelty and unjust practices on weaker individuals as opposed to protecting them. Blackbeard himself shot to his current position as an Emperor as a former protégé of Whitebeard’s after murdering and betraying his crewmates, breaking into Impel Down and orchestrating the Marine Ford War.
It can be said that Blackbeard is the final opponent of Luffy, being a foil to him in several ways. Introduced in the Jaya Arc, he seemed to share many of Luffy’s ideals but in a twisted manner. He is also the only known character to possess two Devil Fruits, and while the secret of that has yet to be revealed, this more than compensates for his lack of Conqueror’s Haki. Furthermore, his ambition, desires and cunning plans place him on the second spot as the captain of the pirate crew most suited to find the One Piece. Ahead of him, there is only one crew with a better likelihood of doing so.
1. The Straw Hat Pirates
This entry is hardly a surprise to anyone following the One Piece story. The Straw Hats have four Devil Fruit users, including the Mythical fruit of freedom that was eaten by captain Straw Hat Luffy. The crew also has five confirmed Haki users, with both the captain and his second-in-command Zoro possessing the ability to use Advanced Conqueror’s Haki. The Straw Hats had remarkable feats over the years, including the defeat of the Fishman Arlong, the Warlord Crocodile, the CP-9 agents and even the Yonko crew of Kaido!
Luffy is hailed by everyone he meets as the successor of Roger, partly because he believes so with his own conviction and will – this will manifest in his Haki. Meanwhile his status as liberator of the world is closely associated with the discovery of the ultimate treasure, the One Piece as well as his own Devil Fruit, the Hito Hito no MI: Sun God Nika. Last but not least his crewmates – the world’s to-be greatest swordsman Zoro, the prodigious navigator Nami, the dark horse sniper Usopp, the chef with mutated genetics and a blazing kick Sanji, the transforming reindeer with the power to cure any disease Chopper, the only decipher of the ancient script Nico Robin, the indomitable shipwright cyborg Franky, the exemplary musician Brook and the former warlord and strongest Fishman Jinbei – are there to show him the way when he falters.
