Before Luffy takes his final stand, he must outdo One Piece powerhouses like Shanks and the villainous Blackbeard.

Monkey D. Luffy is the main protagonist of One Piece, and he wishes to become the next King of the Pirates so he can make his true dream a reality. Luffy has defeated powerful opponents like Crocodile, Enel, Doflamingo, Katakuri, and Kaido, but there are still characters that he needs to surpass before the series ends. He will surpass most of these characters by beating them in battle, but he will be able to surpass other characters by accomplishing things they could not.

Several of the characters Luffy needs to surpass are pirates who all possess incredibly powerful Haki. He will also need to surpass some high-ranking Marines. The strongest members of the World Government will try to stop Luffy from achieving his dream by any means necessary, so he will need to surpass them as well.

10Rocks D. Xebec

First Appeared In Episode 958, “A Legendary Battle! Garp and Roger”

Rocks D. Xebec led the Rocks Pirates 40 years ago. The crew included legendary pirates like Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido – who all went on to become Yonko in the New World. His crew did not think highly of him, but they respected his power. Rocks was a vicious and ambitious man who wanted to rule the entire world, and he had no issue killing World Nobles. He also wanted to learn the World Government’s Secrets.

Luffy was able to beat Kaido, but as it currently stands, he is still probably weaker than Rocks. Kaido would have lost to Gol D. Roger too, but Roger was only able to beat Rocks because he had Garp’s help. The argument can then be made that Rocks is the strongest pirate in history, and Luffy will need to surpass his strength if he wants to stop others from thwarting his dream.

9Kuzan

First Appeared In Episode 225, “The Man of Pride! Foxy the Silver Fox”

Kuzan and Luffy first met during One Piece‘s Long Ring Long Land Arc. Kuzan was still a Marine Admiral at the time, and he was able to overwhelm Luffy with his Devil Fruit. The Ice-Ice Fruit allows Kuzan to control and transform into ice, and he used it to freeze Luffy’s entire body. They met again during the Summit War, and Kuzan tried to stop Luffy from rescuing Ace.

Kuzan left the Marines during the timeskip, and he is now one of the Ten Titanic Captains of the Blackbeard Pirates. Kuzan can fight Akainu and Garp on equal ground. Luffy has never beaten Kuzan, and they will likely have to fight each other since they’re on opposing Yonko crews. If the Straw Hats want to win, Luffy needs to be strong enough to beat him.

8Admiral Kizaru

First Appeared In Episode 398, “Admiral Kizaru Moves! The Sabaody Archipelago in Chaos”

The Straw Hats had to fight Admiral Kizaru on Sabaody Archipelago after Luffy punched Saint Charlos. Kizaru can control and transform into light because he ate the Glint-Glint Fruit, and he can produce explosive lasers and physical attacks. He beat most of the Worst Generation without breaking a sweat, and he willingly attacked Marco and Whitebeard during the Summit War.

Now that Luffy has unlocked advanced Conqueror’s Haki and his Gear 5 form, he finally has the tools to fight Kizaru in a one-on-one fight. Kizaru follows the orders of the World Nobles without question – which is why he is currently fighting Luffy on Egghead Island. If Luffy wants to leave Egghead with his crew, he will need to be stronger than Kizaru.

7Fleet Admiral Akainu

First Appeared In Episode 278, “Say You Want to Live! We Are Friends!!”

Akainu is the current Fleet Admiral of the Marines, and he used the Magma-Magma Fruit to kill Ace right in front of Luffy. This happened during the Summit War, so many One Piece fans have waited more than a decade for Luffy to get some type of payback.

Akainu believes in absolute justice – which means that he will try to kill Luffy again, so Luffy with have to beat him if he wants to survive. Given their history, it is only a matter of time before Luffy has to fight Akainu, and if he wants to become the next Pirate King, he will need to be stronger than the leader of the Marines.

6The Five Elders

First Appeared In Episode 168, “The 100,000,000 Man! The World’s Highest Authority and the Pirate Blackbeard”

As far as the rest of the world is concerned, the Five Elders are the World Government’s highest authorities. They are the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons, and they all seem to have extremely powerful Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits. Saint Jaygarcia Saturn will be the first Elder that Luffy fights, and his Devil Fruit seems to give godly abilities.

Saturn will go to Egghead to ensure Vegapunk’s death, but he will also try to kill Luffy. Saturn and the other Elders want Luffy gone because his Awakened Devil Fruit poses a threat to the World Government, so he will probably have to fight them all. If Luffy wants to achieve his dream, he will need to surpass each Elder, because they will do everything in their power to stop him.

5Shanks

First Appeared In Episode 4, “Luffy’s Past! The Red-Haired Shanks Appears”

Shanks inspired Luffy to become a pirate, and he is now the longest reigning Yonko. He is still the only Yonko without a Devil Fruit power, but he does not really need one because he is one of the strongest Conqueror’s Haki users in the One Piece. Shanks used his Haki to scare off Admiral Ryokugyu, and he later used it to defeat Eustass Kid with a single slash.

Shanks can even use his Haki to negate the Observation Haki of others. Shanks may be Luffy’s hero, but he wants to become the next Pirate King too, so they will probably have to fight before the series ends. If Luffy wants to beat Shanks, his Haki will need to get even stronger.

4Gol D. Roger

First Appeared In Episode 1, “I’m Luffy! The Man Who Will Become the Pirate King!”

Gol D. Roger was the previous Pirate King, and he is still regarded as one of the strongest pirates in history. He did not have a Devil Fruit, but his Haki was strong enough to fight prime Whitebeard – who had the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Roger was also able to repel Kozuki Oden – one of the world’s strongest swordsmen.

Roger became the Pirate King when his crew reached Laugh Tale. While there, they learned the truth about the Void Century and the Ancient Weapons. He also found the treasure left behind by Joy Boy. If Luffy wants to surpass the previous Pirate King, he will need to get stronger, but he will also need to make use of Laugh Tale’s secrets.

3Imu

First Appeared In Episode 885, “In the Dark Recesses of the Holyland – A Mysterious Giant Straw Hat”

Imu is the mysterious figure who sits on the Empty Throne – making him the true ruler of the World Government. Not much is known about Imu, but he possesses striking red eyes, and he has a deep hatred for those who carry the D initial. He can select Islands to be erased from history, and he can seemingly transform into a massive humanoid creature.

Imu appears to be the true main antagonist of One Piece, so Luffy will undoubtedly fight him by the end of the series. Imu is presumably the strongest Celestial Dragon, and the strongest person in the world. If Luffy’s dream does involve freedom, he will need to surpass this tyrant and destroy his throne.

2Marshall D. Teach

First Appeared In Episode 146, “Stop Dreaming! The City of Ridicule, Mock Town!”

Marshall D. Teach – otherwise known as Blackbeard – is a Yonko like Luffy, and he has amassed a powerful crew filled with Devil Fruit users. He captured Ace and handed him over to the World Government, so Luffy has more than enough reason to fight him. Teach wants to become Pirate King too, so they will definitely fight at some point in the final saga.

Luffy might have the edge in Haki, but he will have to strengthen his Gear 5 transformation if he wants to surpass Teach’s Tremor-Tremor Fruit – which has the power to destroy the world with quakes. He also has the Dark-Dark Fruit – a Logia that can nullify other Devil Fruit powers through physical contact.

1Joy Boy

First Mentioned In Episode 548, “The Kingdom is Shaking – Instruction for Neptune’s Execution”

Joy Boy is a special title that is presumably assigned to the person who has awakened the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika – the Mythical Zoan that Luffy ate years ago. When Luffy first used Gear 5, Zunesha heard the sound of the Drums of Liberation coming from Luffy’s heart and stated that Joy Boy has returned.

The original Joy Boy lived 800 years ago, and he was unable to stop the World Government from coming to power. Now that Luffy has assumed the Joy Boy title, he has the opportunity to surpass the previous Joy Boy by defeating the World Nobles and the World Government.