Every Current Yonko Crew’s Power Level in One Piece, Explained (2025)

Highly anticipated collisions between the strongest pirate crews in One Piece are imminent as the powerful Four Emperors barrel ahead in the final saga. Monkey D. Luffy, Shanks, Buggy, and Blackbeard are the notorious Yonko captains currently dominating the ocean, and fans are eager to see them finally battle at full power. Although the Emperors are fearsome forces in their own right, the pirates on their esteemed crews make them even stronger. Each Yonko crew has a unique history and composition, creating vastly different reputations.

Despite being the most infamous active pirates on the ocean, the full potential of the four Yonko crews is still uncertain. The Straw Hat Pirates and Buggy Pirates have consistently scaled their strength to new heights throughout their rise to notoriety with their peaks not yet seen. In contrast, the Blackbeard Pirates and Red Hair Pirates have been mostly absent from the central plot, leaving their powers largely unseen. Each Yonko crew's varying abilities and remaining potential will influence their power levels in One Piece's final saga.

The Blackbeard Pirates are a Ruthless Yonko Crew

The Blackbeard Pirates are the most ruthless Yonko crew lurking on the seas in One Piece. Marshall D. Teach begins his career as Blackbeard after betraying the Whitebeard Pirates, his former crew. Teach kills a crewmate for the Dark-Dark Fruit, and a powerful crew full of the world's most dangerous criminals helps him steal the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and more. The Blackbeard Pirates quickly rose to infamy after their explosive appearances at Impel Down and Marineford, but went relatively unseen in the story until recently.

Blackbeard's unusual ability to wield two Devil Fruits makes him far more threatening than the average pirate, and his crew includes several other exceptional pirates. Shiryu's deadly swordsmanship, Van Augur's legendary sniping range, and Jesus Burgess' supernatural strength are a few highlights of the crew's power. Every Blackbeard Pirate's strength is enhanced by a unique Devil Fruit, empowering the crew with many special abilities through the Clear-Clear Fruit, Sick-Sick Fruit, Ice-Ice Fruit, and more. The Blackbeard Pirates' bold Devil Fruit theft shows how ruthless they are, but the unseen strength of this Yonko crew could be more than their enemies imagine.

The Blackbeard Pirates are the Straw Hat Pirates' Biggest Threat in the Final War

One of the biggest uncertainties about the Blackbeard Pirates is the full potential of their crew's strength. Without many opportunities to observe the Blackbeard Pirates in battle, the power level of each crew member remains unclear. The mystery surrounding the abilities of Blackbeard's crew works to their advantage by keeping their opponents in the dark and unable to prepare accordingly. One of the biggest concerns among fans heading into the final war is whether Blackbeard will steal a third Devil Fruit, an eventuality his enemies can't reasonably anticipate or safely ignore.

The ruthlessness of the Blackbeard Pirates has turned many pirates against them, including the rival Yonko crews. Monkey D. Luffy will stop at nothing to get revenge on Blackbeard for his involvement in Ace's death at Marineford, where he claimed Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit as his second Devil Fruit. Although the details are uncertain, Blackbeard is said to have scarred Shanks' face during an encounter from their past, and the Red-Haired pirate has been in hot pursuit of his crew for a large part of the series. The looming secrets of the Blackbeard crew are among the most highly anticipated reveals of One Piece's final saga.

The Buggy Pirates are at Peak Power With the Cross Guild

Buggy the Star Clown leads the weakest of the four Yonko crews, and he's not particularly regarded as a formidable pirate despite his upbringing among the Roger Pirates. However, the formation of the Cross Guild has drastically increased the power of the Buggy Pirates. While raw strength empowers the other Yonko Captains, charisma and luck often empower Buggy's success more than his abilities. The Chop-Chop Fruit might make Buggy hard to kill, but his faithful crew is his greatest advantage as a captain. Buggy's habit of taking credit for victories like the escape from Impel Down has created a loyal following around him, giving him a more fierce reputation than he truly deserves.

The Buggy Pirates are comprised of more low-profile pirates compared to their rival Yonko crews. In addition to the upper-level Impel Down inmates, a few well-known pirates give the Star Clown's crew even more star power. The infamous Mr. 3, empowered by the Wax-Wax Fruit, joins Buggy after escaping prison, and his former Baroque Works boss eventually does too. Once Crocodile and Dracule Mihawk align with Buggy through the Cross Guild, the Buggy Pirates instantly become stronger. Crocodile's imprisonment on Impel Down's Level 6 and Mihawk's reputation as the world's greatest swordsman are just slivers of what makes these two pirates such great threats heading into the final war.

The Cross Guild Wields the Power of Dracule Mihawk & Crocodile at Their Strongest

The peak power of the Buggy Pirates will largely be determined by the hidden potential that remains among the three pirates of the Cross Guild. Buggy may not have the same offensive strength as his Cross Guild counterparts, but the enhanced durability provided by the Chop-Chop Fruit is its own form of power, making the Star Clown difficult to defeat for good. The Sand-Sand Fruit also makes Crocodile challenging to damage, complementing his formidable attack power. Dracule Mihawk's potential may be highest as Shanks' closest peer who could've been a Yonko himself.

Buggy, Crocodile, and Dracule Mihawk are the star players of the Buggy Pirates heading into the final saga, and fans are eager to see them all at peak power. Although Buggy has ongoing rivalries with Monkey D. Luffy and Shanks, he's far more likely to align with them than Blackbeard. Luffy and Buggy parallel each other in many ways, including in their connection to Shanks. Buggy and Shanks go their separate ways after the disbandment of the Roger Pirates, and the latter goes on to become Luffy's mentor. The looming war could either prove Buggy's reputation right or expose him as a fraud, but the Buggy Pirates will be a force that cannot be ignored with Crocodile and Mihawk on their side.

The Red Hair Pirates Have Held Yonko Status the Longest

The Red Hair Pirates are currently the longest-reigning Yonko crew since the fall of Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido. Shanks is their formidable captain, and he's a force to be reckoned with even without his crew. Few characters can hold their own against pirates as powerful as Blackbeard or Dracule Mihawk, but Shanks does just that more than once throughout the series. Although none of the Red Hair Pirates are Devil Fruit users, that doesn't hold them back from being feared as some of the most dangerous pirates on the ocean in One Piece.

Compared to other Yonko crews, the Red Hair Pirates have been mostly absent from the central plot. However, the four Yonko captains are closer than ever to having their long-awaited showdown. Brief encounters with Admiral Ryokugyu and Eustass Kid have delivered glimpses of Shanks' haki talent and formidable strength, but his crew's abilities largely remain a mystery. First Mate Benn Beckman, sniper Yasopp, and the other Red Hair pirates are finally poised to reveal the true power of the Red Hair Pirates.

The Blackbeard Pirates are the Number One Enemy of the Red Hair Pirates

One Piece fans have hardly seen the Red Hair Pirates in action, but Shanks' involvement in the final saga is inevitable. The defeat of Marine Admiral Green Bull with a single long-distance haki attack and the merciless attack on Eustass Kid are recent demonstrations of strength proving Shanks is never a threat to be taken lightly — with or without both arms intact. One of the greatest mysteries surrounding the Red Hair Pirates is how they wield such dangerous power without using Devil Fruits. Once they take on a rival Yonko crew in the final saga at full power, the secrets of their strength will be revealed.

The imminent rematch between Shanks and Blackbeard is one of the most anticipated battles of the series. Although they've clashed before, it's always been an off-screen affair, building suspense around their upcoming encounter. If the threat of Blackbeard can be eliminated first, the other two Yonko crews also have reasons to confront the Red Hair Pirates. A clash between the Straw Hats and the Red Hair Pirates would reunite Monkey D. Luffy with his mentor Shanks and Usopp with Yasopp, his father. In contrast, Buggy has considered Shanks a rival since their days in the Roger Pirates and would risk almost anything to become King of the Pirates instead of the Red Hair Pirate.

The Straw Hats are the Strongest Rookie Yonko Crew

The Straw Hat Pirates have had by far the most impressive rookie career of any current Yonko captain. Monkey D. Luffy and right-hand man Zoro are two of the Worst Generation's talented Supernovas, accounting for a huge portion of the crew's massive bounty of around nine billion berries. A rich lineage and rare mythical Devil Fruit empower the Straw Hat captain, and fate itself seems to imbue Luffy's journey with plenty of luck to overcome even the worst of odds.

Despite being less experienced than the other Yonko crews, the Straw Hat Pirates rise to fame very quickly because of the impressive feats they accomplish early into their adventure. Crocodile's defeat at Luffy's hands in Alabasta rocks the World Government, but Nico Robin's Enies Lobby breakout truly marks the point of no return for the Straw Hat Pirates. Every member of Monkey D. Luffy's infamous crew brings unique skills to the team, and their synergy helps their strengths complement each other perfectly. The "Monster Trio" of the Straw Hats could take on any foe without fear, and even the weakest of Luffy's crew members can hold their own well against increasingly strong opponents.

The Straw Hat Pirates Will Be the Greatest X-Factor in the Final War

Once the Straw Hat Pirates reach their full potential, they could very well become the world's most powerful pirate crew. Not a single crew member appears to have reached the limit of their power, meaning they all still have room to grow heading into One Piece's final saga. The advancement in Zoro's swordsmanship, Nami's mastery of the Clima-Tact, Nico Robin's Devil Fruit powers, and even more skills among the crew makes the Straw Hats more formidable than ever. Luffy's crew will need every ounce of their strength to face the other Yonko crews, but most importantly the Blackbeard Pirates.

An all-out war lies ahead of the Four Emperors, but some reunions between the Straw Hats and other Yonko pirates will be on friendly terms. Straw Hat sniper Usopp and his father, Yasopp, are due for a heartfelt reintroduction after spending most of their lives apart. Yasopp is the faithful sniper of the Red Hair Pirates, led by Luffy's beloved mentor, Shanks. The reunion between Shanks and Luffy is highly anticipated, and fans are excited to see them potentially compete for the One Piece as peers once their shared threat is eliminated. The battle between Blackbeard's two (or more) powerful Devil Fruits and Luffy's formidable Gear 5 promises to deliver peak action at a time when the stakes couldn't be higher.

One Piece

Created by Eiichiro Oda, the One Piece franchise explores the adventures of pirate Luffy D. Monkey and his crew, the Straw Hats. Since the manga first debuted in 1997, One Piece has been adapted into an ongoing anime that has seen multiple movies. Most recently it was adapted into a live-action series by Netflix.

Created by

Eiichiro Oda

First TV Show

One Piece

Latest TV Show

Netflix's One Piece

First Episode Air Date

October 20, 1999

Cast

Mayumi Tanaka , Kazuya Nakai , Colleen Clinkenbeard , Christopher Sabat , Kerry Williams , Kappei Yamaguchi , Sonny Strait , Hiroaki Hirata , Eric Valette , Ikue Ootani