One Piece characters who turned out to be surprisingly strong

Summary

• Characters in One Piece can look silly but be strong fighters, like Bon Clay and his Okama Kempo.

• Blackbeard started off silly but grew to become a major threat in the series.

• Unusual villains in One Piece such as Senor Pink and Wanze displayed surprising fighting skills.

If there is something that does One Piece stands out from other similar action shōnen series is its expansive cast of bizarre characters, all of whom have equally strange designs, personalities, and powers. However, newcomers to this story should not be misled by all its absurdity, as most of these characters can be surprisingly powerful.

It's quite common too One Piece introducing pirates, marines, or civilians who look and seem far too goofy and/or fragile to fight properly at first, only to end up being some of the most effective fighters in the series. This has happened several times throughout history, but these are some of the most impressive examples to date.

1

Bon Clay (Bentham)

• First appearance: Chapter 129 (Manga) Episode 78 (Anime)

Benthamwho is also known as Mr. 3 and Mr. Bon Claywas initially introduced to the story as a random Baroque Works agent who quickly befriended Straw Hat pirates thanks to the powers of his Mane Mane no Mi, a Devil Fruit that allows him to impersonate any other human he touches. Due to his unusual design, quirky antics, and friendly personality, it didn't feel like he was much of a threat at all.

However, this couldn't be further from the truth, as his final encounter with Sanji showcased Bon Clay's excellent fighting skills. As a master of a special martial art known as Okama Kempo, he could easily go toe to toe with the chef of the Straw Hat Pirates. Fortunately for them, Bon Clay later switched sides and became one of their strongest allies, his incredible physical strength proving especially important during the Impel Down Arc.

2

Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard)

The biggest villain in the series had a mundane introduction

• First appearance: Chapter 223 (Manga) Episode 146 (Anime)

Each One Piece hell today recognize Marshall D. Teach (aka Blackbeard) as one of the most evil and dangerous antagonists in the series. But the truth is, he grew a lot throughout the story, especially after the time jump because he seemed a lot goofier and weaker when he was first introduced.

Both the audience and Luffy first met Blackbeard in Mock Town, during the Jaya Arc, where he was portrayed as a random guy fighting with Luffy over the quality of a bar's cherry pie. Even after it was revealed that he was the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates, it didn't seem like he was much of a threat. Blackbeard's true power and intelligence would not be fully revealed until his subsequent encounter with Portgas D. Ace.

3

Foxy

Noro Noro No Mi is a surprisingly effective devil fruit

• First appearance: Chapter 305 (Manga) Episode 207 (Anime)

Foxy the “Silver Fox” is one of the most infamous characters of all One Pieceas he was the main antagonist of one of the series' most polarizing story arcs: the Long Ring Long Land Arc, where he and his crew challenged the Straw Hat Pirates to a game of Davy Back Fight.

Despite his comedic antics and the light-hearted nature of the arc, Foxy proved to be a surprisingly effective fighter during his final encounter with Monkey D. Luffy. This is mainly thanks to his Devil Fruit, Noro Noro no Mi, which allows him to shoot beams that slow everything they touch. Foxy may not be the most menacing pirate out there, but he sure knows how to use his Devil Fruit in creative ways to beat other pirates in a Davy Back Fight.

4

Wanze

The Cook Of Cipher Pol 7 is also the only master of Ramen Kenpo

• First appearance: Chapter 367 (Manga) Episode 257 (Anime)

Wanze is a chef working for CP7 who specializes in making ramen noodles. These credentials may not seem that impressive at first, but his subsequent encounter with Sanji on the Sea Train proved how strong he is and that he truly deserved to be a part of one of the government's secret agencies.

This is because he is a master of Ramen Kenpo, an unusual martial arts style that revolves around the use of ramen noodles to fight opponents. This is pretty stupid, and yet Wanze used Ramen Kenpo so skillfully that he is responsible for one of the toughest battles Sanji had ever experienced up to that point. Additionally, he is the only antagonist in the series to force the chef of the Straw Hat Pirates to use his hands in battle, showing how much of an uncommon threat he is.

5

Bepo

He's soft and sweet, but there's a good reason he's Law's right-hand man

• First appearance: Chapter 498 (Manga) Episode 392 (Anime)

During most of his appearances, Bepo – the Heart Pirates' navigator and Trafalgar Law's closest friend – has often been portrayed as comic relief, constantly apologizing for almost no reason. But his hilarious antics don't necessarily mean he's too weak to be part of one of the most important pirate crews of the worst generation.

Ever since his introduction, Bepo has been a skilled martial artist who can defeat naval officers without much trouble. But what makes him particularly stand out as an unexpectedly powerful fighter is his Sulong Form, which he used to defend his captain from the Blackbeard Pirates attack. Even Teach himself, wielding the powers of two Devil Fruits, briefly feared Bepo when he unleashed his destructive Sulong transformation.

6

Kin'emon

This perverted samurai is one of the most important figures in all of Wano

• First appearance: Chapter 656 (Manga) Episode 580 (Anime)

It might be easy to forget these days, but “Foxfire” Kin'emon were introduced during the Punk Hazard Arc as a pair of walking legs that communicated via farts. Even after he regained his full body, he was still portrayed as an exaggerated and perverted samurai from Wano who used his Devil Fruit to create silly costumes for the Straw Hat Pirates and their allies.

But no one could have guessed that Kin'emon was actually a member of the Nine Red Loops, the Kouzuki family and Kouzuki Oden's closest friends. This means that he is a powerful samurai who fought alongside Odin against the Beasts Pirates and their captain, Kaido. Additionally, Kin'emon's true strength and inspirational leadership skills were perfectly showcased when he and the other Red Scabbards battled Kaido during the raid on Onigashima. They may have lost, but they really put up a good fight, to the point where they managed to physically hurt him.

7

Senor Pink

He may be dressed like a baby, but he's a hardened fighter

• First appearance: Chapter 702 (Manga) Episode 632 (Anime)

Senor Pink is quite synonymous with the idea of ​​defying audience expectations as he was initially introduced as a rude and grotesque officer of the Donquixote Pirates. And if his bad attitude wasn't enough to make him an unappealing character, his unusual baby clothes made him seem even less intimidating.

But everything changed when Senor Pink fought Franky and revealed the powers of his Sui Sui no Mi, which allows him to swim through solid surfaces so he can ambush his opponents and perform some incredibly powerful wrestling techniques on them. On top of that, his hard-boiled personality and his tragic backstory, which revealed that he used to wear his deceased son's clothes to cheer up his comatose wife, made Senor Pink much more interesting than he initially appeared.

8

Charlotte Perospero

A ruthless assassin with deadly candy powers

• First appearance: Chapter 834 (Manga) Episode 795 (Anime)

The Big Mom Pirates – which mostly consists of Charlotte Linlin's offspring – are known to have some of the strongest pirates in their ranks, such as Katakuri, Cracker, Oven or Daifuku. Nevertheless, the family's eldest child, Charlotte Perosperoisn't much of a fighter, as he serves as Big Mom's right-hand man and has more of a diplomatic role within the crew.

However, Perospero ended up starring in a surprising number of battles, and he was victorious in most of them, thanks to his sadistic personality and his powerful Devil Fruit, Pero Pero no Mi. The ability to create and manipulate candy may not seem that strong at first, but it allowed Perospero to achieve some really impressive feats, such as holding back most of the Straw Hat Pirates, defeating Carrot and Wanda, and causing great damage to Chopper's Monster Point. At the end of the day, the full power of Nekomamushi's Sulong Form was needed to eventually take down this ruthless pirate.