Over the course of the One Piece story, the importance of strength has grown significantly. Despite being a Shonen story, the true selling point of the franchise is the sense of adventure and mystery that remains at the center, so strength and the pursuit of being the strongest were not really very important for the initial parts of the story.
However, as the narrative continued for decades and more powerful characters were introduced, power scaling grew along with it, to the point where it became a focal point of the story. So, in this article, let's go over the strongest character in every major One Piece arc.
One Piece: Each Straw Hat's Most OP Moment, Ranked
Each Straw Hat has had at least a few moments to shine, but these are the ones that really stand out.
Shanks Was The Strongest Character In The Romance Dawn Arc
East Blue Saga
- The start of the story.
Romance Dawn was the very first arc of the series and it briefly went over a small part of Luffy's backstory. Here, Shanks importance in Luffy's life was shown, but his incredible strength was also teased. The first chapter of the story was also the first time Conqueror's Haki was displayed, when Shanks unveiled it in order to scare away the Lord of the Coast.
Luffy Was The Strongest In The Orange Town, Syrup Village, And Arlong Park Arcs
East Blue Saga
- Almost at the Grand Line.
As the main character of the series, it should come as no surprise that Luffy has often been the strongest character in most story arcs. In the early stages especially, Luffy often defeated the main villains of the arcs, leading to him being crowned the strongest person within them due to his creative use of the Gomu Gomu no Mi.
Dracule Mihawk Was The Strongest Character Of The Baratie Arc
East Blue Saga
- The World's Strongest Swordsman.
The Baratie arc showed the early Straw Hats facing off against Don Krieg, who himself was on the run from someone else. At the end of the arc, this was revealed to be Dracule Mihawk, who was introduced as the World's Strongest Swordsman and remains one of the most powerful and mysterious characters in the entire story. With a tiny knife, he was able to defeat Zoro and foster a resolve within the Pirate Hunter to surpass him.
Dragon Was The Strongest Character Of The Loguetown Arc
East Blue Saga
- Luffy's father.
The Loguetown arc almost saw the end of the Straw Hat's journey before it even began, with Luffy's capture and planned execution. However, this execution was interrupted by a freak weather event which fans attribute to Monkey D. Dragon, who made his way to the island in order to save his son from the Marines. Though we still don't know the true extent of Dragon's strength, it can easily be surmised that he was the strongest in Loguetown.
One Piece: Why Monkey D. Luffy Will Be Declared Strongest In The World At The End Of The Series
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Crocodile Was The Strongest In The Entire Alabasta Saga
Alabasta Saga
- The head of Baroque Works.
Every arc in the Alabasta saga eventually culminated and built towards the sprawling Alabasta arc, where Crocodile himself was the most powerful character. Due to his overpowered sand Logia, Crocodile could make full use of the desert environment of Alabasta, which allowed him to defeat Luffy multiple times. However, due to a very specific power-up, Luffy managed to beat him.
Enel Was The Strongest Character In The Skypeia Arc And Saga
Sky Island Saga
- An overpowered villain.
Just like with Crocodile, Enel was the strongest character in his entire saga due to the overpowered nature of his lightning Logia fruit. On top of the fruit's insanely destructive properties, Enel also showcased an unprecedented accuracy with Observation Haki long before it was an established concept within the story. Again, the only way Luffy beat him was because of the specific properties afforded to him by the Gomu Gomu no Mi.
Kuzan Was The Strongest Character In The Long Ring Long Land Arc
Water 7 Saga
- The strength of an Admiral.
For much of the initial One Piece story, the Admirals were presented as the greatest challenge that the heroes would eventually have to overcome. In Long Ring Long Land, Kuzan proved exactly why this was the case, as he managed to freeze everything and everyone with the powers of his ice Logia. Fortunately, he allowed the crew to escape the premises.
Lucci Was The Strongest Character In The Remaining Water 7 Arc
Water 7 Saga
- The powerful villain.
Lucci was initially introduced as a member of the Galley-La, only to turn out to be a hidden agent of CP9. In the Water 7 arc, Lucci's strength was absurd to behold as he used his mastery over the Six Powers and incredible Zoan Devil Fruit in order to overpower and defeat Luffy.
One Piece: 4 Strongest Transformations In The Series, Ranked
There have been many powerful transformations across the One Piece franchise, but these are the strongest of them all.
Luffy Was The Strongest Character In The Enies Lobby Arc
Water 7 Saga
- Becomes the strongest again.
After suffering defeat at the hands of Lucci, Luffy manages to make a triumphant return in the subsequent Enies Lobby arc, where he unlocks his Gear 3 transformation to best the villain who previously got the better of him. After a hard and long-fought battle, Luffy eventually defeats the CP9 member.
Kuma Was The Strongest Character In The Thriller Bark Arc
Thriller Bark Saga
- A powerful Warlord.
At the end of the Thriller Bark arc, Bartholomew Kuma made his entrance onto the island, just when everyone was at peace after defeating Gecko Moria. Although he didn't play a combat role, most fans agree that his strength was far greater at that stage than anything that the Straw Hats could possibly deal with.