Luffy, the protagonist of One Piecegoing strong on his quest to claim One Pieceand he has already shaken the new world, especially in the last saga, starting with the events of Egghead Island. Luffy has recently become an Emperor of the Sea, and that in itself means that he has grown tremendously in strength over the years. While this has been a good step for Luffy, he is of course still quite young and has a lot of potential to fulfill.
There are many characters that Luffy has yet to surpass, and they are characters that he will most likely face in the Final Saga. One way or another, Luffy will have to face them and surpass them in either fame or fighting power.
6
Blackbeard
-
Rank: Yonko of the Sea
-
Affiliation: Blackbeard Pirates
-
Haki: Color of Armament, Color of Observation
-
Devil Fruit: Yami Yami no Mi, Gura Gura no Mi
Blackbeard is one of the emperors of the sea and certainly a very powerful opponent for Luffy. He could be one of the endgame villains for Luffy to take down, and a fight between these two characters is inevitable. Blackbeard is targeting One Piece, just like Luffy himself. This obviously sets them up for a showdown towards the end of the story, and it will be extremely interesting to see if Luffy ends up defeating him or not.
Regardless, Luffy will have to fight him and surpass him if he is to become the Pirate King. Blackbeard is definitely not going to let him get an easy ride to One Piece, and that's what makes this fight very exciting. Right now, Blackbeard is also growing in terms of strength, and while Luffy may be close to his level, the fact is that he possesses two of the most powerful Devil Fruits and is still looking for more to increase his already great strength.
5
Shanks
-
Rank: Yonko of the Sea
-
Affiliation: Red Hair Pirates
-
Haki: Color of Armament, Color of Observation, Color of the Supreme King
-
Devil Fruit: None
Shanks is a character that Luffy absolutely must surpass in the Final Saga. Although Luffy is already very strong, he is not on the same level as Shanks, especially when it comes to controlling his Haki. This was confirmed to us right away in the Elbaf arc, where Shanks was stated to be stronger than Loki, who himself is stronger than Luffy at the moment. No matter what aspect of Haki fans look at, Shanks is far superior to Luffy, and the Straw Hat Captain must reach higher levels if he is to match Shanks and surpass him.
These two characters will soon meet in One Piece and when it happens, Luffy will have to prove to him that he is a superior pirate compared to the red haired emperor.
4
Gol D. Roger
-
Rank: Pirate King
-
Affiliation: Roger Pirates
-
Haki: Color of Armament, Color of Observation, Color of the Supreme King
-
Devil Fruit: None
Roger managed to shake the world One Piece when he became the pirate king and as a result it is not a surprise to the fans to know that his strength was the maximum a pirate could achieve. Roger was even greater than Whitebeard overall, and his infamy was absolutely unmatched. Even today, there is no pirate who can stand on the same pedestal as Roger.
If Luffy is to surpass his legacy, he will have to surpass him in both power and infamy. Of course, Luffy can only achieve this when he becomes a Pirate King himself, and not anytime before. As such, this will be a long journey for Luffy. Currently, Luffy is nowhere near Roger's overall level.
3
Five elders
-
Rank: Imu's five most loyal warrior gods
-
Affiliation: World Government
-
Haki: Color of Armament, Color of Observation, Color of the Supreme King
-
Devil Fruit: Various Yokai abilities
The Five Elders are some of the most interesting antagonists in the One Piece. Although they weren't that active in the ongoing events of the story, in the Final Saga, that has changed drastically. The Five Elders have already been seen in action, and they are clearly powerful villains, especially when you consider their amazing Yokai-based abilities, which Oda showed off in the story's Egghead arc.
Saturn, one of the Five Elders, was one of the main antagonists in the Egghead Island Arc. Luffy faced him and all the other elders in this arc, but still couldn't beat any of them. The best Luffy could do was blow Mars away, but even that required help from Sanji, Bonney, and Franky. Alone, Luffy couldn't beat even an elder. In the future, Luffy will surely run into an Elder, and it will be incredibly exciting for One Piece fans to witness. At the same time, it will also give Luffy another boost in terms of infamy as well as strength.
2
Joyboy
-
Rank: Unknown, First Pirate
-
Affiliation: Unknown Pirate Crew
-
Haki: Color of Armament, Color of Observation, Color of the Supreme King
-
Devil Fruit: Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika
The previous Nika, Joy Boy, was an absolutely incredible character. It must be noted that Joy boy is a mysterious figure who seems to transcend time itself, given that Luffy has also “become” Joy Boy. Currently we do not have the actual name of the person and as such this title is all we can refer to him as.
Regardless, Joy Boy was a powerful individual who existed during the Void Century. He was also known as Nika, the sun god, thanks to the power of Hito Hito no Mi, model: Nika. Joyboy went from place to place, freeing people and bringing smiles to their faces. He was so magnificent that his legends were passed down for centuries, and even today people in the One Piece world know him. Even though Luffy himself is Joy Boy and Nika, he hasn't built the same legacy as him. Based on Joy Boy's Haki display from the Egghead arc, we can say that Luffy is much weaker than him right now. In terms of both strength and popularity, Luffy will have to surpass him in the Final Saga.
1
Nerona Imu
-
Rank: King of the World
-
Affiliation: World Government
-
Haki: Color of Armament, Color of Observation, Color of the Supreme King
-
Devil Fruit: Akuma no Mi
At this point it is already clear One Piece that Imu is the final villain in the story. He is an exceptionally powerful figure who has pulled the strings from the shadows and has lived since the time of the Void Century. Imu is incredibly powerful and Luffy is clearly not at her level yet, which was also confirmed in One Piece Chapter 1188, where the King of the World easily defeated him.
Luffy is still learning his trade as a fighter, and he needs to improve his control over his Devil Fruit powers as well as his Haki. As such, he will only surpass Imu at the end of the story. At the moment, Luffy isn't even close to Imu's level.
All chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece can be read on Manga Plus.
