This article contains spoilers for One Piece.
The Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy has come a very long way since his humble beginnings in the East Blue. Over the two years of his pirating career, Luffy has slowly, but progressively, grown a lot in power. Luffy has advanced his Haki, awakened his Devil Fruit, Gomu Gomu no Mi, and reached the very top as one of the Yonko of the One Piece world. It goes without saying that Luffy has become a top-tier character in the One Piece world, but he has yet to surpass some pirates, including the likes of Shanks who are still alive.
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Scopper Gaban
Scopper Gaban was one of the most legendary members of the Roger Pirates, the crew that conquered the Grand Line.
In the current One Piece timeline, Gaban is quite old and might struggle to defeat Luffy due to a lack of stamina. However, during his prime, Gaban remains superior to Luffy, especially when it comes to Haki. Luffy needs to perfect his Haki before he can surpass the left arm of the Pirate King.
Silvers Rayleigh
Silvers Rayleigh, just like Gaban, was one of Roger’s wings. Rayleigh is very old now and is quite clearly not at his peak. But during his prime, Rayleigh was really unstoppable.
Rayleigh had incredible Haki, and he and Gaban were said to be on the same level as Roger. Luffy still has a long way to go before reaching the level of the Pirate King or his wings.
Whitebeard
Whitebeard was, for a long time, known to be the world’s strongest man. He kept his title until his inevitable death, during the events of the Summit War. Even through sickness and old age, Whitebeard was still able to wreck the Marines.
During his prime, Whitebeard was one of the greatest, and a rival to the likes of Roger. Whitebeard remains as one of the greatest Yonkos to have ever lived and his prime is definitely over Luffy.
Blackbeard
Blackbeard is a current Yonko, alongside Luffy, and one of the most dangerous characters on the high seas. Blackbeard was strong, even before the acquisition of his Devil Fruits. However, after eating the Yami Yami no Mi and the Gura Gura no Mi, he has reached new heights of power. He has yet to reach his true potential in One Piece, but even then, he's definitely superior to Luffy at the moment.
Rocks D. Xebec
Rocks D. Xebec was a huge mystery in One Piece, but everything about him has been unveiled during the God Valley Incident of One Piece. Fans clearly got to see a good glimpse of his power, and it's a fact that Rocks D. Xebec is one of One Piece’s strongest to have ever lived.
In his prime, Rocks far surpasses the current Luffy. Rocks’s Haki is incredibly powerful, having allowed him to easily defeat the strongest Holy Knight, and even an Admiral with ease. Rocks could’ve grown even stronger had he not had to face Imu so early.
Gol D. Roger
Gol D. Roger is the most legendary name there is in the One Piece world. During his pirating years, Roger went on to achieve the impossible. He conquered the Grand Line, found the One Piece, and thus, earned the title of Pirate King. So far, nobody else has achieved this feat in One Piece. Luffy is trying to carry on Roger’s legacy and become the new Pirate King. That said, Luffy is still not on Roger’s level, which is especially clear from the latter's feats on God Valley.
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Shanks
Shanks might be the single strongest pirate currently alive in One Piece, and easily one of the strongest of all time. Shanks, born to a celestial dragon father, has shaped his own destiny and went on to travel with Roger. Later on, he became a Yonko.
Shanks is far superior to Luffy at the moment. While Shanks doesn’t make use of Devil Fruit powers, he instead goes all out with his Haki. Shanks’s Haki is on a whole other level, being even comparable to that of Joy Boy.
Davy D. Jones
Davy Jones is a name fans did not expect to hold so much importance in the final saga. After all, Davy Jones’s name was first mentioned in Long Ring Long Land, an arc many people tend to overlook.
In Elbaf, however, Davy D. Jones was revealed to be the ancestor of Rocks D. Xebec and Blackbeard, as well as the previous King of the world. Jones is one of only two pirates Imu truly fears, and that alone means he was far stronger than the current Luffy back in his era.
Joy Boy
Joy Boy is the strongest pirate to have ever lived, and one that Luffy will eventually have to surpass. Joy Boy was the previous Nika from the Second World. While he died to Imu, he was incredibly powerful, and Imu still fears him 800 years later.
Joy Boy has the greatest Haki ever seen in One Piece, a glimpse of which was given in Egghead, and fans can’t wait to learn more about him as the story progresses.