One Piece has no shortage of powerful individuals, but strength in this world doesn’t always come down to one person. It’s about thecrew. The bonds, the brawls, the loyalty, the strategy. A captain can be fearsome on their own, but it’s the strength of their crew that determines how far they can go on the seas.The Grand Line is littered with legends, but only a handful of crews rose to the top and shaped the course of pirate history.
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Each of these groups brought something unique to the seas. Some flexed god-tier strength, others played the long game with intelligence and political influence. And a few just refuse to die, no matter how many times they get knocked down. These crews didn’t just make a name for themselves, they left a scar on history.
10Shiki’s Flying Pirates
Skyborne Threats with Gravity-Bending Power
Shiki “the Golden Lion”doesn’t get nearly the attention he deserves, but make no mistake, his Flying Pirates were monstrous. With a fleet that literally hovered in the sky and a captain who could manipulate gravity itself, they were a nightmare in aerial combat. Shiki’s intellect and brutality made him one of Roger’s greatest rivals. And after escaping Impel Down, he built an army of genetically modified beasts and a base no one could touch from the ground.
The Flying Pirates had the firepower and leadership to threaten world stability.Shiki’s vision for global domination might’ve been unhinged, but the crew he assembled were no pushovers.
9Beast Pirates
Might Over Morals, Monsters in Zoan Form
Kaido’s Beast Pirates brought sheer physical dominance. Kaido was called the “Strongest Creature” for a reason, and his All-Stars, King,Queen, and Jack, were all elite warriors. What made this crew unique was its use of artificial Devil Fruits (SMILEs), creating a massive army of Zoan-type users.
The Beast Pirates relied on overwhelming force, durability, and fear. Their internal hierarchy was brutal, their alliances with Orochi and scientists like Caesar Clown expanded their reach, and Onigashima became an impenetrable fortress.Even with flaws in loyalty and structure, they kept Wano in an iron grip for years.
8Rocks Pirates
Legends Before Their Time, Bound by Chaos
The Rocks Pirates were less a crew and more a powder keg of future monsters. Big Mom, Kaido, Whitebeard, all served under Rocks D. Xebec before becoming Yonko. That alone makes the crew terrifying. What held them back was instability. Too many egos. Too much ambition.
But for a brief moment in time, they were the most dangerous force on the seas.The God Valley Incident, which required the combined efforts of Garp and Roger to stop, illustrates the potential devastation that this group could have caused if they had ever managed to unite behind a common cause. They were chaos with a shared flag.
7Buggy’s Cross Guild
Bureaucracy Meets Blades in a Bounty-Flipping Nightmare
Buggy’s rise is half luck, half survival instinct, and somehow, full credibility. The Cross Guild flipped the bounty system by putting prices on Marines’ heads, something even the Yonko hadn’t pulled off. Buggy is the core member of this crew, making it one of the powerhouses on the sea.
Mihawk and Crocodile are among the most formidable individuals alive. Mihawk, a swordsman rivaling Shanks, gives the Guild terrifying lethality. Crocodile adds brains, influence, and a growing mercenary network.The Cross Guild might be young, but their combination of raw skill and warped ideology makes them one of the most unpredictable threats on the sea.
6Big Mom Pirates
Empire Built on Souls and Unforgiving Strategy
Charlotte Linlin built an empire, literally. Totto Land wasn’t just her base of operations, it was a fully functioning territory with political control, economic stability, and military reach. Her children, like Katakuri, Perospero, and Smoothie, were powerful in their own right, and her use of soul-based powers made her nearly untouchable in her prime.
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The Big Mom Pirates ran like a nation. Despite internal dysfunction, they held their territory for decades, built alliances through marriage, and went toe-to-toe with other Yonko crews.If not for their sheer size and Linlin’s volatility, they might’ve dominated the New World without interruption.
5Whitebeard Pirates
Brotherhood of Titans, Fighting for Legacy Over Loot
Whitebeard’screw fought for family. With 16 divisions led by veterans like Marco, Vista, and Jozu, they had enough strength to rival the entire Marine force at Marineford. Their power came from unity. No one was left behind. No one was sacrificed.
Even after Whitebeard’s death, many of them carried on his will, trying to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves.The crew’s peak was unmatched. Whitebeard’s command over earthquakes and his unwavering love for his “sons” gave the group both might and moral backbone.
4Red-Haired Pirates
Power in Precision, Influence Without a Flag
Shanks and his crew are an anomaly. They don’t rule islands or raise armies. They just sail, drink, and show up when it matters, and every time they do, the world holds its breath. What makes them strong isn’t scale. It’s balance. Every core member can hold their own against the best, from Ben Beckman to Lucky Roux.
Shanks’ presence alone ended the Marineford War. He’s been in the same room with Gorosei and Yonko alike. The crew doesn’t flex often, but when they do,it changes everything. They operate with surgical precision. No wasted moves. No unnecessary battles.
3Blackbeard Pirates
Pirates Built Like Assassins, Fueled by Darkness
The Blackbeard Pirates are chaos weaponized. Teach built a crew out of monsters: Shiryu, Laffitte, Van Augur, and others with deadly specialties. Their power lies in their unpredictability. They’re merciless, strategic, and willing to cross lines no one else dares to.
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Teach himself is the only known person to wield two Devil Fruits, and he moves quickly to claim anything with value, which can be territory, Devil Fruits, and allies.What sets them apart is that they evolve. They’re still growing, and their endgame is the erasure of the old world.They’re building something new, brick by stolen brick.
2Roger Pirates
Joy, Sorrow, and Secrets Wrapped in a Single Journey
Gol D. Roger’screw had one purpose: reach the end of the Grand Line and uncover the truth. And they did it. Rayleigh, Scopper Gaban, and the others were visionaries. The Roger Pirates were more about finding the solutions rather than total conquest.
Their journey to Laugh Tale made history. They carried joy, knowledge, and sadness in equal parts. Roger’s sickness, their parting, and the burden of the Void Century knowledge all speak to how much they gave up.Their strength was in the weight they chose to carry without tipping the world into war.
1JoyBoy Pirates
History’s Ghost Ship of Unanswered Power
The most mysterious crew in One Piece history isn’t known for power levels or conquests. It’s known for legacy. The original JoyBoy, whoever he truly was, likely commanded the most advanced crew in history. They left behind the Poneglyphs, the Iron Giant, and possibly the plans for Pluton and Poseidon. That means intelligence, invention, and vision.
The Iron Giant’s reactivation in Egghead suggests deep connections to Void Century technology. If JoyBoy had allies capable of building war machines powered by Haki or ancient energy, then this crew wouldn’t lose their war easily. They might have been erased from history, but their echoes still shape the future.They’re not at the top because we’ve seen what they can do. They’re here because everyone still fears what they might’ve been capable of.
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