The Yonko, also known as the Four Emperors of the Sea, arethe four most powerful piratesin theOne Pieceworld. They rule over the second half of the Grand Line, known as the New World, like Kings. They face nobody but each other as opposition.
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These pirates are incredibly capable and have thousands of people under their command, along with several allies. The power of the Yonko is such that only a few pirates in the story can match them, with even fewer being able to defeat them. Yet despite their strength, a select few pirates can rival them to some extent.
Updated on June 30, 2025, by Rei Penber:TheYonko are four of the strongest piratesin theOne Pieceworld and only a few can even hope to stand the chance against them in combat. With the rise of the Worst Generation, however, more capable pirates are flooding the New World.
During the Onigashima arc, fans saw some mighty pirates rise to a level where they could challenge their supremacy. While this list already includes 10 of the strongest characters who can rival the Yonko, we’ve decided to expand upon it further and add a few more of their likes.
14Edward Weevil Is Like Young Whitebeard
Edward Weevil is one of the former Shichibukai, who were stripped of their title following the events of the Reverie. He’s an incredibly dangerous pirate who stepped up after the Paramount War. Weevil has already taken down several allies of Whitebeard, an extremely impressive feat.
Although his true strength hasn’t been revealed so far, Borsalino compared Edward Weevil’s strength to that of a younger Whitebeard. With strength like that, he can definitely put up a fight against the Yonko.
13Eustass Kid
Eustass Kid is one of the strongest pirates to sail the seas currently. Although he wasn’t as prominent a figure before the Wano Country arc, he’s certainly become much more important during it. The arc saw Kid play a huge role in defeating Yonko Big Mom by teaming up with Trafalgar Law.
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Using his Jiki Jiki no Mi power and its awakening, Kid was able to do quite significant damage to Big Mom and eventually send her down crashing. Although he isn’t as strong as Luffy yet, he will get stronger with time.
12Trafalgar Law
Just like Kid, Trafalgar Law also ended up playing a huge role in the fight against Big Mom. Law took his Ope Ope no Mi powers to the next level during this fight and finally showed off his awakening. Using the newly awakened powers, he was able to crush Big Mom from the inside and even make her cough up blood.
Without him, defeating Big Mom would’ve been impossible. Just like Kid, Law isn’t on the same level as theYonko, however, he can certainly rival them and will get even stronger with time.
11Kuzan Matched Sakazuki In A Fight For 10 Days
Kuzan is a former Marine Admiral and a current ally of the Blackbeard Pirates. Being an Admiral, Kuzan is extremely powerful. His Hie Hie no Mi devil fruit power allows him to become ice and produce it at will.
After the Paramount War, Kuzan fought Sakazuki on Punk Hazard and used his powers to change the climate of half of the island permanently. The battle was said to be extremely close, meaning Kuzan is comparable to Sakazuki in power and thus capable of fighting the Yonko.
10Boa Hancock Is A Fearsome Pirate Captain
The Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, is one of the most powerful pirates in theOne Pieceworld. Just like Weevil, she is a former Shichibukai. Hancock possesses the power of the Mero Mero no Mi, with which she can petrify anyone. She is also one of the few characters who possess all three types of Haki, and being a Kuja, she specializes in Haki usage.
According to Sengoku, Boa Hancock is a very powerful woman. She took down an army of Pacifistas and Sentomaru without breaking a sweat in Marineford. Even when the Navy set out to capture her, Hancock was confident in her abilities to counter them.
9Dracule Mihawk Is The World’s Strongest Swordsman
Dracule Mihawk is one of the strongest pirates in theOne Pieceworld. Known to have been a rival of Shanks before he became a Yonko,Mihawk possesses tremendous skill as a swordsman.
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He has the power to use two Haki types, and his skill with them is quite refined. Mihawk proved his skill in Marineford, and just like Hancock, didn’t care about the Marines hunting him down. He doesn’t seem to fear anyone, and thus is surely capable of rivaling the Yonko.
8Silvers Rayleigh Is Still A Powerful Fighter
Rayleigh was once the second-in-command of the Roger Pirates, and in his prime, he was certainly among the very best in the world. Right now, Rayleigh is old, meaning he has weakened considerably; however, he’s still a capable fighter.
Silvers Rayleigh has the ability to use all the three Haki types; however, he’s only displayed the usage of advanced Armament Haki. On Sabaody, Rayleigh was able to stop Borsalino without too much trouble, which goes to show that he can do the same against a Yonko.
7Kozuki Oden
Quite possibly the greatest Samurai of Wano Country, Kozuki Oden was a tremendously skilled fighter who even the likes of Kaido acknowledged in battle. Oden was a user of all three Haki types and possessed tremendous control over Ryuo and even the advanced form of Conqueror’s Haki using which he scarred Kaido.
With his might, he could clash with both Whitebeard and Roger and later, in his prime, nearly kill Kaido. Without a doubt, Oden was certainly a rival for any ofOne Piece’sYonko, as implied by Kaido himself.
6Shiki Was Roger’s Rival At One Point
Also known as the Golden Lion, Shiki is an infamous pirate in the world ofOne Piece. He’s the first person who is known to have broken out of Impel Down, which signifies how powerful he truly is.
Although Shiki is old and has lost both his legs, he’s still menacing no matter what.His Fuwa Fuwa no Mi powers make him difficult to takeon in battle. In his prime, Shiki was able to take on both Garp and Sengoku at once, and destroy half of Marineford while he was at it. A Yonko would hardly be any trouble for him.
5Monkey D. Luffy Is Stronger Than Ever
One Piece’sprotagonist,Monkey D. Luffy, has grown incredibly powerful over the years. His usage of the Gomu Gomu no Mi devil fruit is excellent, but what’s truly frightening about him is his Haki. Luffy is a user of all the Haki types and, surprisingly, has mastered all of them to the highest degree.
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In Wano Country,Luffy was able to match Kaido in battleand even injure him severely. By the end of the arc, Luffy will most likely have defeated Kaido, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he has grown stronger than the Yonko himself.
