7 strongest legendary characters past, ranked

One Piece has introduced fans to quite a few incredible characters over the years. When it comes to fighters, Oda has made sure to introduce a plethora of strong characters, both young and old. Of course, different eras have seen the rise of different strong characters; however, in the current era of One Pieceonly the new generation can stand the test of time. That said, there are still many old characters in the current era of One Piece, who are very strong. Unfortunately, they cannot be considered at the peak of their powers, and with the flow of time, their legendary strength has waned over the years.

7

Tsuru

• Rank: Vice Admiral

• Power: Haki, Woshu Woshu no Mi

Tsuru is known to be one of the wisest characters in the One Piece. In the Navy, she was part of a special generation that fought at the same time as Roger. Tsuru is a vice admiral, known for being incredibly strong. Although she is extremely old now, back in her younger days, she scared even Doflamingo.

Being a vice admiral, she could at least use both weaponry and observation Haki. She also has the power of the Paramecia-type Woshu Woshu no Mi, making her a formidable foe for anyone to take on in battle. In his day, Tsuru was truly a force to be reckoned with.

6

Sengoku

• Rank: Inspector General, former Navy Admiral

• Power: Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu, 3 Haki types

Sengoku, the former Admiral of the Marines, is a rather underrated character. Oda has repeatedly stated that he is incredibly overpowered, and his rank alone makes him special in many ways. He is a user of all three types of Haki, making him only the second Marine to have control of all types, aside from Garp. Sengoku is also a user of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu, which is an incredibly powerful Mythical Zoan fruit that allows him to transform into a giant golden Buddha and produce shockwaves.

His strength was such that Roger considered him a worthy opponent. Even Whitebeard has a history of fighting him, and this just goes to show that he was a monster back in his prime. Right now, however, he has aged quite a lot, which means that his powers have been lost.

5

Big mom

• Rank: Former Yonko

• Power: Soru Soru no Mi, 3 types of Haki

Big Mom is a very powerful pirate and a former emperor of the sea. While Big Mom was extremely impressive throughout her run on the series as a villain, it's safe to say she was well past her prime at this point. Her strength wasn't what it once was, and that's one of the biggest reasons why she ended up falling the way she did.

Big Mom is from the same era as Whitebeard and Roger, which essentially means that age did a number on her strength. Still, she could fight admirably against the likes of the worst generation, and if it wasn't for convenience, she would have won her battles.

4

Silver's Rayleigh

• Rank: First Mate (Roger Pirates)

• Power: Advanced Haki (all types)

First mate of the Roger Pirates, Rayleigh is a legendary figure comparable to even the likes of Yonko. We know that he is a monstrously powerful individual, even at his advanced age. Back in his prime, Rayleigh would have been a force not many could stand against.

Right now, however, he is well past his prime. While he can take down the vast majority of characters still, he can't compete against the likes of Yonko and he confirmed that recently when he was about to confront Blackbeard. After all, Rayleigh can use all three types of Haki, two of which can be used at advanced level. He is also a very skilled swordsman, and fans know for sure that he ranks among the strongest in the world.

3

Scopper Gaban

• Position: Pirate King's left arm

• Power: 3 types of Haki

Scopper Gaban was recently introduced in One Piece's Elbaf is one of the most powerful characters. Immediately after his debut, he displayed the ability to use all three types of Haki with great skill, easily pushing around Luffy, one of the Yonko. His strength is so immense that Elbaf considers him invincible.

Gaban is Rayleigh's equal, and in the same league as Pirate King Roger. He has the ability to see the future, use advanced weaponry, and even advanced Conqueror's Haki. He can defeat several Holy Knights with ease and even held his own against King Harald 14 years ago.

2

Monkey D. Garp

Image by Toei Animation

• Position: Vice Admiral

• Power: 3 types of Haki

The legendary Vice Admiral of the Marines, Garp is known to be one of the strongest characters in One Piece. In the navy, he is historically the strongest. Garp has no Devil Fruit, and all he relies on in battle is his Haki. He commands all three Haki types with great control, and fans saw him use his advanced Conqueror's Haki during his raid on Pirate Island.

Garp is a force to be reckoned with. Even in his old age, he was able to overpower along with beating almost half of the Blackbeard Pirates by himself. In his best days, Garp was a monster who could fight Roger on equal terms. But right now he's probably weakened a lot. Again, this is something that he himself explicitly confirms.

1

White beard

• Rank: Former Yonko

• Power: Gura Gura no Mi, 3 types of Haki

The Strongest Man in the World, Whitebeard was a character well beyond his prime when he fought in the Paramount War. Despite being apparently the strongest in the world at the time, Whitebeard was easily far past his prime. In fact, he couldn't even harness the power of Conqueror's Haki in battle, and that just goes to show that he wasn't as much of a threat as he could have been.

Even his Observation Haki didn't work as well as it could have during the Paramount War. His illness kicked in at many points and caused him major problems when he took serious damage from the likes of Akainu. Although he fought like a monster and defeated Sakazuki, along with fighting back against the entire fleet practically all by himself, this was not a display of his true strength. In his best days he would have been on a completely different level, just like Roger.

One Piece is available to read via Manga Plus.