After God Valley, Eiichiro Oda Has Confirmed One Piece’s Strongest Pirate

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This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.

As a huge One Piece fan, I’m completely hooked by what Eiichiro Oda is doing with the Final Saga! Right now, the Straw Hats are in Elbaf, the land of the Giants – and it’s been amazing so far. Everyone’s buzzing because Oda is starting to reveal pieces of the Loki flashback, and it’s promising to be a wild ride with so many answers coming our way!

Fans waited years for a glimpse of Rocks D. Xebec, and the recent flashback finally delivered. This reveal was particularly exciting because Oda also showed the events of the God Valley Incident, another huge surprise. This incident revealed important information about characters like Imu and, crucially, confirmed who the world’s strongest pirate is. While many thought Rocks held that title, the God Valley flashback made it clear that Gol D. Roger actually surpassed him. Despite not being at his full strength during the incident, Roger managed to injure Domi Reversi’d Rocks, a significantly more powerful version of Rocks with an immortal body.

One Piece’s Strongest Pirate Is Gol D. Roger

  • Roger and Garp Beat Rocks
  • Roger grew stronger after God Valley

Many One Piece fans considered Rocks D. Xebec to be the most powerful pirate, aside from those who lived during the mysterious Void Century, about which little is known. Rocks was undeniably strong, even having an era named after him, and he defeated an Admiral with surprising ease. However, he wasn’t the strongest pirate in recent One Piece history. The story makes it clear that Roger eventually became more powerful than Rocks, as shown by the famous battle between Roger, Garp, and Rocks’ crew.

For those who don’t remember, Domi Reversi offers three things to the users:

  • It offers an undying body
  • It offers a significant strength boost
  • It makes them go berserk

The Rocks pirates who battled Roger and Garp were actually more powerful than the original Rocks D. Xebec crew. Domi Reversi enhanced their Haki, and it’s known that Conqueror’s Haki becomes stronger as a person’s overall power increases.

I’ll lead you to the peak of everything,” Rocks D. Xebec told his pirate crew. “Follow me, and I’ll show you what awaits us there.

I noticed something really interesting when looking at the fight between Roger and Rocks. Roger’s most powerful attack, Kagutsuchi: Ace, was actually able to break through Rocks’s advanced Haki. That means even Roger’s regular attacks could have hurt the normal version of Rocks. What’s even more surprising is that the story makes it clear Roger wasn’t at his full strength during the God Valley Incident. He was a well-known pirate back then, but hadn’t yet become a Great Pirate. He earned that title later on, and was at his absolute peak around 26 years ago.

Roger Became The King Of The Pirates

Image by Viz Media

I remember when Roger eventually became known as the Pirate King – everyone agreed he was the strongest and greatest pirate who ever lived, and his reputation hasn’t faded at all. Now, some people wonder how Rocks compares, and he was definitely incredibly powerful. But from what we know in the story, Roger wasn’t less powerful than Rocks, not by a long shot. The official story actually supports that.

You want my treasure? Find it, if you want it! I left it at that place! — Gol D. Roger, One Piece

Joy Boy Was Likely The Strongest Of The Old Era

Image by Viz Media

Roger is widely considered the most powerful pirate of recent times, with Rocks and Whitebeard as his closest rivals. However, going further back to the Void Century, Joy Boy was probably even stronger. As revealed in the Egghead arc, Joy Boy was the very first pirate, and his Haki was incredibly powerful – so much so that it visibly hurt even Imu, implying he was a truly formidable opponent.

We can likely expect to learn more about Joy Boy in upcoming chapters, and also see flashbacks of Roger’s adventures before and including his execution during the Golden Age of Piracy.

The latest chapter of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece will appear in this week’s Weekly Shonen Jump. Chapter 1166 is scheduled for release on November 23, 2025. In Japan, it will be available at midnight on Monday, which translates to 11:00 AM Eastern Time and 8:00 AM Pacific Time. Fans can read the chapter without charge on Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump app.

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2025-11-24 02:34