This article contains spoilers for One Piece's Elbaf arc.
The strongest pirates in the world One piece they are known as the Yonko or Four Emperors. Previously, the four consisted of Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and Shanks. But since the timeskip, their ranks have mixed quite often. Whitebeard died during the Summit War and Big Mom and Kaido recently fell after the Onigashima Raid. With that the new Yonko have risen, they are Blackbeard, Luffy and Buggy, with Shanks being the only one left from the previous generation.
Say Hello To Zoro And Sanji's Next Official Elbaf Power Up
Zoro and Sanji gain great power in Elbaf. Elbaf takes these two to a whole new level in One Piece.
The Elbaf Arc is currently underway and has showcased many powerful fighters. Some of them could be said to be on par with Yonko, and some could even be said to be beyond that performance threshold.
Monkey D. Luffy
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Position: Yonko
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Affiliation: Straw Hat Pirates
If there's one definitive Yonko-level character in the Elbaf arc right now, this is it Monkey D. Luffy, currently one of the official four emperors of the One Piece world. Monkey D. Luffy has definitely reached new heights since the Wano arc where he defeated Kaido and went on to awaken his Devil Fruit and become the Sun God Nikou. Luffy now has access to the powers of unlimited imagination, and although he still has a long way to go, his Haki and Devil Fruit definitely take him to a whole new level of power.
In the arch of Elbaf, Luffy is only set to get stronger. He must reach new heights in terms of Conqueror's Haki, which would allow him to bypass even immortality. Luffy must be above the level of an average Yonko like Kaido or Big Mom. He must become someone who can stand up to the likes of Imu and the World Government.
Scopper Gaban
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Position: Former left hand of the Pirate King
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Affiliation: Roger Pirates (formerly), Elbaf
Scopper Gaban is a character that One Piece fans have been waiting a long time to see in the current timeline. Gaban is a former member of Roger Pirates. With Roger and the others, he sailed across and conquered the Grand Line, even discovering the truth of the world and finding One piece. Roger couldn't have done it without Gaban.
Gaban, even in his old age, went to show how powerful he was. From his peak, Scopper Gaban was able to easily take down a Holy Knight and even handle Luffy and Zoro at once.. Gaban could have continued to defend all of Elbaf by himself before the arrival of Imu. Gaban's Conqueror's Haki is definitely one of the best seen recently, and fans can't wait to see more of it in the current arc.
Loki
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Position: Prince of Elbaf
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Jurisdiction: Elbaf
Loki is the cursed prince of Elbaf. Fans always knew Loki would be strong, but few expected Oda to push him as hard as he did. Loki carries the blood of ancient giantswhich makes it quite a powerhouse in itself. But even behind all that, he proved that he is on a completely different level.
In the Elbaf flashback, Loki became the very first character to be able to kill someone with Imu's immortality – something even the likes of Gaban, Roger, and Garp couldn't do. Loki with his Haki, Legendary Devil Fruit and Ragnir is definitely better than the average Yonko..
Figarland shamrock
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Function: Commander of the Holy Knight
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Jurisdiction: World Government
Shamrock made a brief appearance in Elbaf. At the beginning of the arc, Shamrock arrived on Elbaf and fans finally got to meet Shanks' twin. It remains a big mystery as to the power level, but fans got a glimpse of his abilities when he used his sword Cerberus against Loki and nearly killed him..
Shamrock is definitely at least a Yonko level characterand that's because of his association with Shanks. Shamrock must be related to Shanks in power as his twin.
Gunko
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Rank: Holy Knight
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Jurisdiction: World Government
Manmayer Gunko is a holy knight who first appeared alongside Shamrock. She was underestimated by fans at the time, but she turned out to be quite a powerful character and possibly one of the most powerful world governments. Gunko is controlling Ima at this point, but she was quite strong even before.
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Shamrock himself stated that Gunko could defeat an unchained Lokiwhich is definitely a big claim. After all, all of Elbaf couldn't contain Loki and only Shanks could get him in chains. Gunko should definitely be at least relative to Yonko level, especially with her additional abilities from Imu.
Im
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Position: Sovereign of the World
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Jurisdiction: World Government
Imu Nerona is without a doubt the strongest character currently alive in One Piece. They are the secret ruler of the world, ruling from the shadows on the supposed Void Throne. Imu has been a major mystery in One Piece for almost a decade. The fans knew that Imu would be strong, but their strength was beyond anything the fans could have imagined.
On Elbaf Imu they finally took their first step in person. Through Gunk's body, Imu wreaked havoc by turning the giants into their demonic slaves. Imu also revealed their mage-like powers and of course their Haki as well. During the Elbaf flashback, Imu is also shown to be far beyond the level of a Yonka during their encounter with the six strongest One Piece characters.three of which became Yonk and others that even surpassed that level.
Dorry and Brogy (together)
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Position: Co-Captains of the Giant Pirates
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Affiliation: Giant Pirates, Elbaf
Dorry and Brogy are two characters that fans first met very early on in One Piece during the Little Garden arc. Dorry and Brogy were definitely impressive back then, but fans didn't think they'd really go that high after the One Piece timeskip.
Previously thought to be very low paid, their pay was fixed after inflation and it has been proven Dorry and Brogy have a cumulative Yonko level reward as co-captains of giant pirates. You could definitely say they are Yonka level when fighting as a duo. They are one of the strongest around and right now by being turned into demonic slaves, Dorry and Brogy are probably even above Yonka level.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece focuses on the journey of Monkey D. Luffy and the straw pirates who sail the seas to claim the great treasure known as One Piece. The manga is currently in its Final Saga. One Piece will be featured in Weekly Shonen Jump this week. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1172 is February 1, 2026. In Japan, One Piece drops on Monday at 12:00 PM JST, which is 11:00 AM EST or 8:00 AM PT. Fans can read this chapter for free on Manga Plus and Shonen Jump apps. This ensures that fans will always support the author.