There are a ton of powerful characters in the world of One Piece, and you simply wouldn’t want to mess with them. Among them are the Shichibukai, aka the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Prior to the Yonko and Admiral, those with the title of the Warlord of the Sea were the strongest set of pirates dreaded by others voyaging the seas. The Warlords of the Sea system in One Piece was abolished recently after a campaign by Admiral Fujitora. However, at the time it was relevant, several well-known and powerful pirates were counted among the Warlords.
Today, I have decided to rank these Warlords of the Sea from worst to best. So, let’s not anymore waste time and look at where our favorite (or despised) characters appear on the list.
Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers about the story and the Seven Warlords of the Sea characters in One Piece. We suggest you watch the anime or read the manga to avoid ruining the intended experience.
11. Gecko Moria
- Bounty: 320,000,000 Berries
- Pirate Crew: Thriller Bark Pirates
- Devil Fruit: Kage Kage no Mi (Shadow-Shadow Fruit)
- Haki: Unconfirmed
Even with the powers of Kage Kage no Mi (one of the best Paramecia devil-fruit) that lets the user control shadows of living beings, Gecko Moria is possibly the weakest among the 7 warlords of the sea. Previously, he was dubbed to be the rival of Kaido, but Kaido wiped out his entire crew which left him traumatic. From that day, Moria transformed into a character with a weak mindset and heavily relied on his underlings to get the job done.
Even at the end of the Marineford War arc, the World Government considered him very weak and tried to strip his Warlord title and finish him off. Still, Blackbeard, who is known for not taking on weak crew members, invited Moria to serve as his subordinate.
While it was unexpected, this caused us to not see his complete strength. So, he is certainly weaker than all the other strongest warlord characters we have here in One Piece.
10. Buggy The Clown
- Bounty: 3,189,000,000 Berries
- Pirate Crew: Buggy Pirates, Roger Pirates (Previously)
- Organization: Cross Guild
- Devil Fruit: Bara Bara no Mi (Chop-Chop Fruit)
- Haki: Unconfirmed
Buggy is the definition of having the best luck in life. He possesses amusing devil fruit abilities, but they may also prove to be useful. Because of his reputation for getting along with some of the most powerful characters, like Roger, Rayleigh, and Shanks, he gained a lot of notoriety.
He is currently rising to the top as an emperor of the seas, and it’s all thanks to that fame and luck. Buggy’s devil fruit gives him the ability to cut his body into parts, which he can then control in any way he pleases. We don’t know if he can use Haki in One Piece, but I’m sure Oda will give him the buff.
Due to his devil fruit powers, Buggy is immune to any physical attacks like slicing and cutting. But all the battles we have seen are comedic, which don’t show his true strength levels. Also, Buggy is a cunning character who manipulates the weaklings to do his work and manages to escape dangerous situations.
Furthermore, if Buggy can awaken his devil fruit, it might instantly turn into a dangerous devil fruit since the user may be able to cut the surroundings into whatever shape they like. As of now, we are unsure if we will witness that in the future, though. Let’s hope we get to see Buggy in some serious action.
9. Edward Weevil
- Bounty:
480,000,000Berries - Devil Fruit: None
- Haki: Armament, and Observation
Edward Weevil, who looks like a low-budget version of Whitebeard, is the self-proclaimed biological son of the former emperor. After the two-year time skip in One Piece, it was mentioned that Weevil became one of the warlords of the sea. We haven’t seen him in intense action yet, but recent claims helped us assess his strength levels.
Kizaru, one of the strongest admirals in One Piece, mentioned that Weevil’s powers resemble that of Whitebeard when he was young. This claim is crazy, so we will have to wait to see if it’s true.
There has been another instance where Weevil single-handedly destroyed up to 16 pirate crews who were associated with Whitebeard. After the abolition of the Warlord system, he was able to defer an attack from the Marines who came to arrest him. However, Ryokyugyu thrashed and captured him right after that.
8. Crocodile
- Bounty: 1,965,000,000 Berries
- Organization: Cross Guild, Baroque Works (Previously)
- Devil Fruit: Suna Suna no Mi (Sand-Sand Fruit)
- Haki: Unconfirmed
Sir Crocodile is one of the longest-running antagonists and he is a clear fan favorite too. Looking back, he was the first major villain Luffy ever faced and it took him multiple attempts to defeat this man. Crocodile was a ruthless warlord of the sea and wanted to take over Arabasta, which he failed to do. But during his period, he was feared by many and was indeed a real threat when we first saw him.
Crocodile has the powers of the sand, thanks to his Suna Suna no Mi devil fruit. He has the power to control sand and even suck the water out of every living being. But at the same time, it was the water or any liquid that pulled him down in terms of power as sand absorbs water and solidifies when it in contact with any liquid.
Even with this disadvantage, Crocodile fought against several prominent opponents such as Akainu, Doflamingo, Mihawk, and others during the Marineford war and remained majorly unharmed. And not to forget, he pulled this off against some powerful Haki users in One Piece.
Currently, being a part of the cross-guild has earned him a high bounty, and we hope to see him in battle again.
7. Boa Hancock
- Bounty: 1,659,000,000 Berries
- Pirate Crew: Kuja Pirates
- Devil Fruit: Mero Mero no Mi (Love-Love Fruit)
- Haki: Armament, Observation, and Conqueror’s
The only female to have attained the title of Warlord of the Seas is Boa Hancock, the most attractive woman in the One Piece universe. She possesses some of the finest devil fruit abilities, including her Medusa-like powers. She can utilize all three forms of Haki in addition to her devil fruit powers. Her true strength was recognized by the fans when two of the strongest admirals in history, Sengoku and Aokiji, talked about her might.
In the latest story, Blackbeard acknowledged her powers when Boa successfully petrified two crew members of the Blackbeard Pirates. Boa leads the Kuja Pirates and is considered the strongest female warrior of her tribe. She is worthy of the high bounty of 1,659,000,000 Berries, which is proof of her strength.
Although she struggled against Blackbeard, which is acceptable, Boa still remains one of the most powerful warlords to this date and one of the best female characters in One Piece.
6. Jinbe
- Bounty: 1,100,000,000 Berries
- Pirate Crew: Straw Hat Pirates, Sun Pirates(Previously)
- Devil Fruit: None
- Haki: Armament and Observation
Jinbe, the last new member of the Straw Hat Pirates, also used to be one of the 7 warlords of the sea. He is an experienced pirate and knows how to play his cards well. As you may know, Jinbe is a Fish-man and inarguably one of the strongest from their tribe. He is a master when it comes to Fish-men karate and can greatly incorporate it with his Haki as well. Jinbe recently defeated Who’s-Who, one of the powerful members of the Tobiroppo gang.
Right from the beginning, Jinbe proved his experience in terms of power and authority. He was able to fight and withstand Ace for many days, showcasing his prowess in the Marineford war and in the Raid on Onigashima.
After resigning from the Warlord position and parting ways with Big Mom, Jinbe has now assumed the position of Helmsman and star-fighter of the Straw Hats. So, without a doubt, Jinbe was one of the strongest warlords of the sea and the veteran will help Luffy in his glory.
5. Donquixote Doflamingo
- Bounty:
340,000,000Berries - Pirate Crew: Donquixote Pirates
- Devil Fruit: Ito Ito no Mi (String-String Fruit)
- Haki: Armament, Observation, and Conqueror’s
Donquixote Doflamingo, aka the Heavenly Yaksha, is still voted as a fan-favorite villain in the One Piece series, which is still ongoing. It’s all because of his terrorizing personality and puppeteer devil fruit powers. Doffy was a broker of the underworld who worked under the codename ‘Joker’ and was also one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea at that time.
He exploited the position for his benefit, which led to his downfall later in life. His villain arc is one of my favorites, like everyone in the fandom.
Coming to his powers, Doflamingo was capable of using all three types of Haki and boasted one of the best paramecia-type devil fruit powers. Using his devil fruit, Doflamingo could evolve into a puppet master and manipulate people, and even cut them with his strings.
He acquired the capacity to create and employ strings at will, which were quite versatile. Because of how sharp the resultant threads are, you wouldn’t have wanted to mess with him.
4. Bartholomew Kuma
- Bounty: At least 296,000,000 Berries
- Organization: Revolutionary Army (Former)
- Devil Fruit: Nikyu Nikyu no Mi (Paw-Paw Fruit)
- Haki: Unconfirmed
Bartholomew Kuma’s introduction to the series led to many iconic moments. Recent revelations in the manga have added character to Kuma, lifting the veil off some unanswered questions. He now serves as one of the main supporting characters in the ongoing Egghead arc.
Kuma’s Nikyu Nikyu no Mi is one of the deadliest devil fruits ever, thanks to recent disclosures in the manga, and it has also helped him move up the list of the strongest warlords now. With just his hands, he can wreak havoc and annihilate his opponents. That is how lethal his devil fruit abilities are.
Kuma held a variety of jobs over the years, and at one point, his reputation as the Tyrant earned him the title of a warlord. He can use their hands to repel anything. It comes with many versatile abilities that can be applied in combat as well as other activities such as teleportation, storage, and more.
3. Trafalgar Law
- Bounty: 3,000,000,000 Berries
- Pirate Crew: Heart Pirates
- Devil Fruit: Ope Ope no Mi (Op-Op Fruit)
- Haki: Armament and Observation
The way Law earned the title of the Seven Warlords of the Sea still sends chills down my spine. For those who don’t remember, Law delivered 100 hearts of pirates from around the world to the World Government, which got him the title.
Law is one of the biggest and most infamous pirates after beating Big Mom along with Kid. It also earned him a bounty of 3,000,000,000 Berries, the same as Luffy and Kid. About his powers, Law has the second-best paramecia-type devil fruit power in his hands and is regarded as the most versatile devil fruit.
In exchange for the user’s own life, the devil fruit may provide another person eternal youth. This special feature is not found in any other devil fruit. The primary abilities of this devil fruit include the capacity to build a dome-shaped region called “Room” and to exert complete command over everything or anybody within it, much like a surgeon.
Law has awakened this devil fruit recently and his fruit’s powers completely, thus, helping him in the field of medicine too. As a result, Law may not have been a great warlord, but he is one of the strongest with these powers.
2. Dracule Mihawk
- Bounty: 3,590,000,000 Berries
- Organization: Cross Guild
- Devil Fruit: None
- Haki: Armament, and Observation
The man who single-handedly ascended to greatness with his sword and haki is Dracule “Hawk Eyes” Mihawk. He is the world’s greatest swordsman (see the strongest swordsmen in One Piece) and used to be one of the 7 warlords of the sea before it was abolished.
After that event, Mihawk received a gigantic bounty of 3,590,000,000 berries, which is even more than the bounty for two emperors of the seas, which are Luffy and Buggy. That’s a testament to the mightiest powers he possesses alongside his great sword.
Mihawk used to clash against his main rival Shanks and Oda has stated that his swordsmanship is second to none. Furthermore, Mihawk also ranks among the best Observation Haki users, earning him the “Hawk Eyes” nickname. Also, he is a master of Armament Haki, which significantly boosts his swordsmanship. This top swordsman in One Piece will continue to be one of the strongest, well, until Zoro surpasses him, right?
1. Blackbeard
- Bounty: 3,996,000,000 Berries
- Pirate Crew: Blackbeard Pirates, Whitebeard Pirates (Deserted)
- Devil Fruit: Yami Yami no Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit), Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit)
- Haki: Armament, and Observation
Blackbeard is the one who made his way to the top, well, by playing tricks. He also sealed his spot as a Yonko along with gaining some serious powers and loyal crew members. Teach recruited the most dangerous pirates from the Impel Down to form the Blackbeard Pirates.
And not to forget, he successfully managed to seize the two greatest devil fruit powers in existence, which are Yami Yami no Mi & Gura Gura no Mi. He is the only character in the One Piece universe to have two different devil fruit powers. Additionally, he also has two major types of Haki.
Blackbeard got his warlord title after he handed over Ace to the Marines. This led to the beginning of the greatest Marineford War (one of the best arcs in One Piece). Even before eating a devil fruit, Blackbeard left a huge scar on Shanks’s face and was a candidate to become a commander. Now, he has a whopping 3,996,000,000 berries bounty and is on his way to claiming the One Piece.
He also managed to beat two of the former warlords recently, which are Law and Boa. Blackbeard has orchestrated his successful journey greatly and will continue to do so in the future.
Blackbeard is the strongest of all the 7 warlords of the sea we have seen in One Piece.
The title of no.1 warlord is hard to choose between Blackbeard and Mihawk. But with the recent reveals, Blackbeard pushes further to be the number 1 warlord in One Piece.
The first warlord we were introduced to is Dracule Mihawk.