This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.
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In the world ofOne Piece,the Yonko are considered to be the strongest, generally speaking. They’re the most elite pirates who have come into existence in the recent era. To put it simply, the Yonko are the Emperors of the seas who rule the New World, the second and more dangerous half of the Grand Line, like absolute Kings.
Their influence and authority are absolute and hardly anyone can challenge them. It can also be said that the Yonko are the ones closest to theOne Piece, given that they actively hunt for Poneglyphs are especially powerful. While the Yonko seem like an invincible class of pirates, the truth is, there is another class even higher.
The Yonko Reign Supreme As The Strongest Class Of Pirates Right Now
When it comes to the Yonko, fans know they they are almost impossible to beat. They’re the four strongest pirates, often considered to be the strongest in the world as well. The first set of Yonko that fans saw in One Piece before the timeskip was composed of Whitebeard, Big Mom, Shanks, and Kaido. During the Paramount War, Whitebeard perished and he was replaced by Blackbeard. Similarly, Big Mom and Kaido fell during the Wano Country Arc. Right now, only Shanks remains from the original Yonko group.
They rule the New World like Kings. The Government calls them the Yonko of the Sea. — Garp
More importantly,the Yonko were replaced by other pirates, and now, Buggy, Luffy, Blackbeard, and Shanks make up their ranks.
The Pirate King Stands Above The Yonko
Oda Has Already Shown A Few Pirate King Level Characters
While the Pirate King is truly an elite class and usually the strongest in theOne Pieceworld, certain pirates can be considered even stronger. For example, there are the Pirate King Level individuals who rivaled Roger directly.Rocks D. Xebec was said to be Roger’s biggest adversaryand he was most certainly above the average Yonko level. Similarly, there is also Whitebeard. Although he was a Yonko himself, Whitebeard was truly head and shoulders above the rest, and he held the power to destroy the world. Similarly, Joy Boy is yet another confirmed pirate to be monstrously strong.
Only Haki can conquer all such obstacles! — Kaido
A Few Pirate King Level Candidates
Oda has already introduced the Pirate King class, and only a handful have the skill to reach this level.Even Luffy, the main character, isn’t there just yet and would need more time and training.
Undoubtedly, there will be more Pirate King Level characters inOne Piece. Two such choices are of Shanks and Blackbeard. Shanks is the successor of Roger, so he’s bound to be around a similar level. Meanwhile, Blackbeard carries the will of Rocks, so surpassingthe average Yonko shouldn’t even be hard for him. Of course, at the end of the day, only time can tell, but it looks like this age of pirates is destined to be far stronger than what came before.
One Piece Chapter 1156 will be out this week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on August 3. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1156 is May 27, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free onManga Plus.
One Piece
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One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
