The 15 Most Powerful Pirate Crews In One Piece History, Ranked

The Roger Pirates are the pirate crew of the legendary captain Gol D. Roger, the King of the Pirates. Everything the Roger Pirates accomplished across the Grand Line made them envious of every pirate throughout the sea. They conquered the Grand Line by sailing to the final island, Laugh Tale, by collecting all four Road Poneglyphs, and inherited the knowledge of the Void Century. Roger himself was given the highest bounty possible by the World Government for his deeds, and was famously executed at  Loguetown. Roger’s death, however, ushered in the Golden Age of Piracy, after enticing his final audience with the grand treasure known as One Piece.

The Rocks Pirates are an infamous group of bloodthirsty pirates that took the combined might of Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to defeat. They were a dangerous organization of pirates driven by their desire for fame, fortune, and violence. The Rocks Pirates would not only kill their foes but their fellow men as well; demonstrating the non-existent camaraderie among its members. Because of their internal demise and actions covered up by the World Government, the Rocks Pirates are relatively unknown by the next generation of pirates.

Monkey D. Luffy wouldn’t be where he is right now, if not for “Red-Haired” Shanks and his Red Hair Pirates. By extension of Shanks being recognized as one of the Four Emperors, the Red Hair Pirates are considered to be one of the four strongest pirate crews in the world. Shanks’ impact on Luffy’s life is immeasurable. He inspired Luffy to take up the pirate life, was indirectly responsible for Luffy eating the Gomu Gomu no Mi fruit that turned his body into rubber, and sacrificed his left arm to save Luffy’s life. Another significant member of the Red Hair Pirates is the sniper Yasopp, who is the father of Usopp.

The Whitebeard Pirates is a missive fleet of pirates who followed the direction of the now-deceased captain, Edward Newgate, better known to the world as “Whitebeard.” For over 20 years, the Whitebeard Pirates operated throughout the world with a plethora of members split between 16 divisions. Before his death, Whitebeard was considered to be the "Strongest Man in the World." He could the Marines and their top three admirals all by himself, and was a rival to Gol D. Roger himself. Whitebeard was also famous for being the "Man Closest to One Piece." His Devil Fruit power, the Gura Gura no Mi, allowed him to create powerful shockwaves that could potentially destroy the world. Another significant member of the Whitebeard Pirates was the pyromancer known as Portgas D. Ace, the late brother of Monkey D. Luffy.
 

The Big Mom Pirates are a legion of pirates that have taken over the powerful nation of Totto Land at Whole Cake Island. Big Mom, also known as Charlotte Linlin, is the captain of the Big Mom Pirates, the maternal figure of the Charlotte Family, and a member of the Four Emperors. She possesses the power of the Soru Soru no Mi, which allows the user to control the souls of others, giving her the power to kill anyone with a stare or giving life to an inanimate object. The Charlotte Family is made up of 85 children (39 daughters and 46 sons) of Big Mom, which she marries off to powerful allies to strengthen her army of pirates.

Of course, you can’t talk about the strongest pirate crew in One Piece without mentioning the Straw Hat Pirates. Ever since that silly rubberman, Monkey D. Luffy, set out to become the King of the Pirates, the Straw Hat Pirates have been a force to be reckoned with across the East Blue and the Grand Line. At the time of this writing, there are 10 official members of the Straw Hat crew: Roronoa Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, Nico Robin, Franky, and Jinbe. Nefertari Vivi, the princess of Alabasta, was a former member who enlisted their help in dethroning Sir Crocodile of Baroque Works. So many of their accomplishments involve taking down pirates with large bounties on their heads, such as Don Krieg, Arlong, and Donquixote Doflamingo. Totaled up, the Straw Hat Pirates’ bounty is currently at 3,161,000,100. belly.

The Beasts Pirates, also known as the Animal Kingdom Pirates, are an immense force of animalistic power. Roughly 20,000 members make up the organization. All of which are highly-skilled fighters; some of which are in possession of the Zoan Devil Fruit that transforms the user into another species. Commanding the Beasts Pirates is Kaido of the Beasts, who is a member of the Four Emperors, cementing him as one of the strongest pirate captains in the world. Kaido’s Devil Fruit is of the Mythical Zoan-type variety, allowing him to transform into a massive dragon. By amassing an army of Devil Fruit users, Kaido to take out the World Government in an all-out “final war.”

The Blackbeard Pirates are a notorious band of pirates headed by Marshall D. Teach, also known to the world as Blackbeard. Blackbeard was a former member of the Whitebeard Pirates until he defected over killing a fellow member over a Devil Fruit. One of the most mysterious aspects of Blackbeard is that he has somehow consumed two Devil Fruits, which would normally result in death. If you believe a popular fan theory, the three-headed Jolly Roger of the Blackbeard Pirates may suggest Blackbeard was able to consume the Dark Dark Fruit and the Quake Quake Fruit by using a Zoan-type Devil Fruit to transform himself into a Cerberus and devoure the Devil Fruits through different heads. Following the death of Whitebeard, the Blackbeard Pirates quickly conquered their former territories and Blackbeard himself took over Whitebeard’s place as one of the Four Emperors.

Before their disbandment, the Donquixote Pirates was considered to be one of the strongest pirate crews in the world. Their leader, Donquixote Doflamingo, was a former Seven Warlord of the Seas and possessed the power of the Ito Ito no Mi fruit, which allows him to manipulate string and use it to control people like puppets. The Donquixote Pirates featured several heavy hitters outside of Doflamingo, such as the "Demon Bamboo" Vergo, the gigantic and strong Pica, and Diamante, who could flatten anything like a flag through the power of his Hira Hira no Mi fruit. After their defeat by the Straw Hat Pirates, the Donquixote Pirates disbanded.

As their name suggests, the Giant Warrior Pirates are a crew of gigantic warriors that originated from the kingdom of Elbaf. Two prominent members of the Giant Warrior Pirates are Dorry the Blue Ogre and Brogy the Red Ogre from the Little Garden story arc. Before being stranded on Little Garden, Dory and Brogy each had a bounty of 100,000,000 belly on their heads. The original Giant Warrior Pirates disbanded 100 years ago, but a spiritual revival called the New Giant Warrior Pirates was formed and currently has five powerful and gargantuan members. The New Giant Warrior Pirates are lead by Hajrudin, an honorable warrior from the “new generation” of Elbaf. 
 

Translating to Nine Snakes Plane, the Kuja Pirates are an elite all-female pirate crew from the Kuja tribe. Their captain is the beautiful Boa Hancock, the “Snake Princess” from Amazon Lily. Her younger sisters, Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigoldk, are second in command. All members of the Kuja Pirates are capable of performing the Haki and usually combine their spiritual energy with their snake-themed weapons. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, the Gorgon Sisters all possess powers of the Devil Fruit. Hancock can manipulate her opponent’s lust to transform them into stone, thanks to the power of the Mero Mero no Mi fruit. Sandersonia and Marigold can transform into an anaconda and a king cobra through the use of the Hebi Hebi no Mi fruit.

The Sun Pirates, also known as Fish-Man Pirates, are a crew of Fish-Men slaves rescued by its former founder and captain, Fisher Tiger. Fisher Tiger established the Sun Pirates after rescuing his Fish-Men brethren from the World Nobles in Mary Geoise. Under Fisher Tiger’s leadership, the Sun Pirates were an incredible force of power that housed dangerously awesome pirates like Arlong and Jinbe. Following Fisher Tiger’s death, the Sun Pirates’ dominance began to falter. Key members left to form the Arlong Pirates and the Macro Pirates; further fracturing the Sun Pirates and diminishing their power. 

The Golden Lion Pirates are an infamous group of pirates that starred in the 10th One Piece movie, One Piece: Strong World. Their captain is Shiki the Golden Lion, a former member of the Rocks Pirates and the first known prisoner ever to escape from Impel Down. 25 years ago, they terrorized the sea with the largest armada of pirates in the Grand Line, but lost half their fleet in the Battle of Edd War. For over 20 years, the Golden Lion Pirates settled in Merveille, Hidden Land in the Clouds,” and conducted experiments that resulted in an army of mutated animals. Shiki has the power of the Devil Fruit, Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, which allows him the levitate any non-living object in his range.

Embodying the smiley face of Donquixote Rosinante on their Jolly Roger, the Heart Pirates are a crew of medical-themed pirates from the North Blue. There are 21 members of the Heart Pirates, which includes their captain, Trafalgar D. Water Law. The Heart Pirates are measured by Law’s status as the Worst Generation of pirates and his former position as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Following his alliance with the Straw Hat Pirates to take down Donquixote Doflamingo, Law was expelled from the Seven Warlords of the Sea and had his bounty reinstated and raised to 500,000,000 belly. Along with brute muscle, the greatest strength of the Heart Pirates is their medical expertise.

The Fire Tank Pirates are a crew of Italian mobsters turned rookie pirates. Similar to the Straw Hat Pirates, the Fire Tank Pirates are part of the Worst Generation of top rookie pirates. Just as their name suggests, the Fire Tank Pirates rely on heavy artillery for their assault, such as revolvers, machine guns, and firing cannons from the body of captain Capone Bege - who becomes a living fortress, thanks to