Summary

Kozuki Oden, Silvers Rayleigh, and Gol D. Roger were powerful swordsmen from the old era of One Piece.
Rayleigh mastered all three Haki types, Oden wielded legendary swords, and Roger was possibly the greatest swordsman ever.
Whitebeard and Rocks D. Xebec also wielded legendary swords, but their classification as swordsmen is debatable.

Swordsmen are some of the most powerful characters in the world of One Piece. In the current era, the title of World's Strongest Swordsman belongs to Dracule Mihawk, a character so powerful that he sails the seas by himself and has long been considered a rival to Shanks. Over the years and through his many tough battles, he has become the greatest swordsman in the series and the ultimate goal for Zoro to reach.

However, one thing that doesn't get talked about much are the swordsmen from the old era. Of course, this is mostly because we don't have as much information on them but many are remembered today as some of the strongest characters in the history of the series. So, let's go over the strongest swordsmen who belonged to the old era of One Piece.

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By Haider Haroon Rasheed

Silvers Rayleigh Was A Master Of All Three Haki Types

Affiliation: Roger Pirates

First Appearance	One Piece, Chapter 19, "Devil's Fruit"
Story Arc	Orange Town

The Roger Pirates go down as the most important pirate crew in history who were the only ones to ever find the mythical One Piece treasure. A massive part of their notoriety was their second-in-command, 'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh, who is remembered as one of the strongest figures of the old era who just so happened to also be a swordsman. His strength was so formidable that he was able to fight equally against a Navy Admiral despite being well past his prime at almost 80 years of age.

To never doubt, that is power.

Unfortunately, the true details of his swordsmanship remain a mystery, but what is known is the fact that he owes his entire fighting style to his weapon. At the current moment, the grade and make of his sword are unknown, but being a master at using the Advanced Forms of all three Haki types makes Rayleigh one of the strongest characters of the old era in general.

Kozuki Oden Was One Of The Greatest Swordsmen In History

Affiliations: Whitebeard Pirates, Roger Pirates

First Appearance	One Piece, Chapter 920, "I Love Oden"
Story Arc	Wano

One of the greatest side characters in the entire One Piece story, Kozuki Oden is the strongest swordsman that Wano has produced since the legendary Shimotsuki Ryuma himself. He was powerful enough to remain completely unchallenged on Wano by anyone else, eventually joining the Whitebeard Pirates for 4 years and staying with the Roger Pirates for one more. Upon his return to Wano, he fought Kaido and was able to incapacitate the villain with just a single hit, showing just how powerful he truly was.

I am Oden! And I was born to boil!

Oden was a towering character who wielded Enma and Ame no Habakiri, two of the most legendary of all the Great Grade Blades. With them, he was able to fight a bit with the likes of Whitebeard, showcasing his skill and power, especially considering how he also mastered the Advanced Forms of all three Haki types. In terms of swordsmanship, few characters come close to Kozuki Oden.

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By Haider Haroon Rasheed

St. Figarland Garling Was The Greatest Gods' Knight Of Them All

Affiliation: Gods' Knights

First Appearance	One Piece, Chapter 1086, "The Five Elders"
Story Arc	Egghead

During the infamous God Valley Incident, one of the major players was St. Figarland Garling, who has repeatedly been portrayed as an equal to Roger and Whitebeard. This character was the Supreme Commander of the Gods' Knights, who are the Celestial Dragon's premier fighting force, so this is more than enough to show just how strong he would have been during his prime.

Anyone who protects scum is lower than the scum they protect!

However, nothing can concretely be said about him at the current moment due to the lack of feats he has shown in the series so far, only that he is likely among the strongest characters in history. His armaments are also a mystery but he can be regarded as a swordsman since he mostly uses his sword to fight, with many believing that his sword is likely a Supreme Grade Weapon that is of the same line as his sons, Shanks and Shamrock's, swords.

Gol D. Roger Is Remembered As The King Of The Pirates

Affiliation: Roger Pirates

First Appearance	One Piece, Chapter 1, "Romance Dawn - The Dawn of Adventure"
Story Arc	Romance Dawn

In what may be a controversial pick to some, Roger goes down as perhaps the greatest swordsman in the history of One Piece. This distinction is purely made because Roger hasn't been seen in combat scenarios much, but each time he has, he has been shown to use a sword as his primary means of fighting. Seeing how he didn't have any Devil Fruit powers either, his mastery over Haki allowed him to use his sword likely better than anyone else at the time.

Destiny, fate, dreams. These unstoppable ideas are held deep within the heart of man. As long as there are people who seek freedom in this life, these things shall not vanish from the Earth.

Many even believe that he may have held the title of World's Strongest Swordsman well before Mihawk did. His weapon of choice was Ace, a Supreme Grade Blade that is remembered as one of the most powerful weapons in history, which would also check out quite well with Roger's title as the World's Strongest Swordsman. Due to his mastery of all types and forms of Haki, he goes down as the most important pirate in history, as well as one of the strongest.

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By Rei Penber

Honorable Mentions: Rocks D. Xebec And Whitebeard

Possible Swordsmen

Rocks and Whitebeard both wielded legendary weapons.

Some fans believe that Whitebeard could also be classified as a swordsman, though this is quite a stretch to believe. Still, though, he wielded Murakumogiri, which is yet another Supreme Grade Weapon that only the strongest characters in the world can wield. However, him being classified as a swordsman is a bit tricky, since Murakumogiri isn't strictly a sword, as well as the fact that he mostly relied on his Haki and Devil Fruit powers.

It doesn't matter who you are born to, everyone is a child of the sea.

Even more divisive is the suggestion that Rocks D. Xebec may be a swordsman, since fans cite a single panel/frame of his as evidence of him being so. Seeing how Rocks was shown to have wielded a saber, it's almost certainly a Supreme Grade Sword due to his status as the captain of the Rocks Pirates as well as the fact that his rival, Roger, also wielded a sword of this level. However, there is next to nothing known about this character, so it's too soon to say anything of the sort.