Summary
The end of the Wano Country Arc inOne Piecemarked the conclusion of an era whose roots stretched as far back as the start of the Golden Age of Piracy, when the previous cohort of the Four Emperors system became part of the Three Great Powers. With the defeat of both Big Mom and Kaido,leading to the dissolution of the Beasts Pirates, and an unclear future for the Big Mom Pirates, a new balance of power is being imposed on the seas of the New World. Two fresh faces are now counted among the ranks of the Four Emperors, both fairly surprising in their own right.
Now that Monkey D. Luffy and Buggy the Clown have replaced the old guard among the Four Emperors inOne Piece, there will definitely be a considerable amount of heated discussion regarding their relative power levels. Whether Luffy and Buggy are fit to stand next to Shanks and Blackbeard, is one question, as the latter two individuals are far more experienced at handling the demands of being an Emperor of the Sea. Each of the new Yonko brings something unique to the table in terms of their power and influence, which begs the question of who among them is truly the strongest?
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Influence And Notoriety
By virtue of being an Emperor of the Sea each member of the new quartet already commands a great deal of respect in the pirate world for a variety of reasons. That being said, some of them excel at using their influence for different purposes, with motives ranging from malicious to benevolent. It is no secret that Luffy prefers to settle most disputes with his fists rather than words, but his actions as a pirate have ranged fromhumanitarian, in his liberation of various islandsand nations, to downright chaotic, where he has declared war on the World Government and even punched a Celestial Dragon. As the reluctant commander of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, he also holds authority over a vast armada, but he is the youngest of the Yonko and does not possess the same tactfulness as some of the others.
Buggy the Clown had command of many powerful prisoners who escaped from Impel Down during the Summit War of Marineford. This helped him ascend to the rank of a Warlord after the conclusion of the war. Subsequently, the formation of Cross Guild alongside Crocodile and Dracule Mihawk earned him even greater notoriety, as he now has authority over a much larger armada with access to more financial resources. Unfortunately, Buggy’s vanity and egoism often get in the way of his diplomacy, which may place him lower in the rankings on this parameter, despite his obvious notoriety as the head of Cross Guild, who are the onesresponsible for bounties being placed on the Marines.
Through fear, intimidation, and underhanded methods, Blackbeard has amassed quite a reputation for himself, as he is the Admiral of a fleet of ten warships, with Commanders who are among the strongest in the New World,including a former Marine Admiral. He is also the ruler of Hachinosu, and is now bidding to have it recognized as a legitimate nation by the World Government. Since being recognized as an Emperor of the Sea after the Marineford War, his rise in the New World has been nothing short of meteoric, with only Shanks acting as a deterrent against him gaining more territory and power. Considering how he was able to bring so many powerful subordinates, including Kuzan, formerly known as Admiral Aokiji over to his side, there is no doubt that he is an astute negotiator who knows how to turn most situations to his advantage.
Lastly,Shanks is by far the most well-known and connectedof the current crop of Yonko, and it is obvious that he is quite adept at settling conflict and maintaining peace in the New World through diplomacy. He was able to stop the fighting at Marineford with mere words and even managed to gain an audience with the Five Elders during the Levely, which indicates how much influence he holds among the Three Great Powers. Moreover, he is allied with the giants of Elbaf, who are regarded as some of the strongest fighters in theOne Pieceworld. Shanks is also likely the only Emperor who inspires fear and demands respect equally in the eyes of his peers as well as the Marines, which is why he stands out on top for this parameter of comparison. However, this does not mean that he is above using force.
Devil Fruits And Haki Reign Supreme
Till the current juncture in the story, Buggy’s Devil Fruit powers have been more of a source of comic relief than anything else, where his immunity to cutting attacks has been exploited by both his opponents and his allies. He has often been reduced to nothing more than a disembodied head, leaving him extremely vulnerable, as it is quite easy to confine or restrain his severed appendages to prevent him from fighting back. Although he is fairlyproficient at using his Devil Fruit, his combat ability pales in comparison to his peers among the Yonko, and he has not shown any signs of being able to use the three forms of Haki, which is why, he comes in last once again.
Having defeated Kaido, who was said to be the “World’s Strongest Creature,” Luffy’s strength has been proven on multiple occasions, and he has now Awakened the legendary Hito Hito no Mi: Model Nika as Joy Boy’s successor. While he has still not mastered his powers to their fullest,Luffy is undoubtedly one of the strongest piratesin the New World, and can fight on the level of an Emperor. Considering the inherently versatile nature of his powers, as well as the incredible freedom he fights with, it is truly terrifying to think of how powerful he could become in time. He is also well versed in using advanced forms of all three types of Haki, having learned to use Conqueror’s Infusion and Advanced Armament Haki in Wano Country.
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Blackbeard is the only person in history known to have wielded two Devil fruits, possessing the earth-shattering power of the Gura Gura no Mi, along with the sinister and enigmatic abilities of the Yami Yami no Mi. This alone allowed him to easily defeat Trafalgar Law and th Heart Pirates, and it would not be a stretch to say that hemight even give Luffy an extremely hard timein a fight due to the sheer scope of his Devil Fruit abilities. That being said, he has not been shown using Conqueror’s Haki in any form, although he is quite proficient with Armament and Observation Haki. While his Devil Fruit powers can overwhelm most opponents, he would likely struggle against opponents who can use Haki on a higher level than him, such as Luffy and Shanks.
Since he has not eaten a Devil Fruit, Shanks cannot really be compared to his peers among the Four Emperors on the basis of this variable. Where he outstrips all of them is inhis swordsmanship and mastery of all forms of Haki, being able to use techniques that none of them could even dream of such as Observation Killing or projecting his Haki and will over long distances, as seen in how he intimidated Admiral Ryokugyu off the shores of Wano Country. Shanks' defeat of Eustass Kid and his crew, is the biggest demonstration of his strength in the series so far, where he completely obliterated them with just one Conqueror’s Haki infused attack. The ruthless efficiency of Shanks' fighting style is quite terrifying on its own, and there is no telling how much power he could unleash if challenged by someone who can actually match him in a fight.
Who Is The Strongest?
At present, it would be safe to say that Shanks is the strongest of the current crop of Four Emperors, due to his fearsome combat abilities as well as the vast power and influence he holds. Next in line, picking between Luffy and Blackbeard is a difficult task at this juncture inOne Piece’snarrative, but Teach mightslightly edge out the Straw Hat captainfor the time being due to his impressive crew and the influence he holds over Hachinosu. Last but not least, Buggy might not be enough of a threat to any of the Yonko on his own, but he does have powerful allies in Mihawk and Crocodile, as well as the other members of Cross Guild, leaving him last in the pecking order.
