In the world of One Piece, most of the strongest characters bear the Will of D, but there are also many powerful characters without it. While this means these characters aren’t directly tied to one of the central mysteries of the series, this doesn’t preclude them from being extremely important. As the series has continued this has just proven to be more true.
While little is known about the mysterious Will of D, fans have received little tidbits about it over the years that have implied its purpose. The biggest hint has come from One Piece‘s ultimate antagonist Im, who told Nefertari Cobra that the Will of D was carried by those that opposed the World Government. This has been consistent with most of the characters who have carried this will, from Monkey D. Luffy to Marshall D. Teach, aka Blackbeard. Those without the Will of D have appeared on both sides of the spectrum, from higher-ups in the World Government to emperors of the sea. Here are the 10 strongest One Piece characters without the Will of D.
10 Zoro
Zoro is the strongest Straw Hat besides Luffy, so the fact that he is at the bottom of this list should indicate how powerful the other entries on this list are. Zoro is the swordsman on the crew and with his three sword style he has gone toe to toe with some of the most powerful characters in the series like Kaido’s lieutenant King. He has even managed to cut Kaido himself, a feat that had only been accomplished by Oden previously. All this makes Zoro one of the most powerful pirates in the series already, and as he continues to hone his skills he has the potential to rise even higher in the future.
9 Akainu
Akainu is currently the leader of the Marines and thus hasn’t gotten into any direct battles in some time. However, he is a ruthless and powerful fighter, as shown when he killed Ace in Marineford. His lava powers make him incredibly dangerous, and in a battle with the former Admiral Aokiji (who could have also easily made this list), the two permanently altered the climate of Punk Hazard. The reason he is lower on this list than many of the other Navy admirals is that his time behind a desk may have dulled his fighting skills somewhat. However, despite this Akainu is still one of the scariest characters in One Piece.
8 Fujitora
Although he may be blind, Fujitora is still an incredibly powerful fighter. His skill with a weapon makes him one of One Piece‘s best swordsmen, but this alone isn’t what makes him so powerful. His Press-Press Devil Fruit is the biggest reason he is so intimidating. This allows him to control gravity, which enables him to call down meteors to crush his enemies. This level of power puts him on a similar level to the Ancient Weapon Uranus, which can also annihilate islands from the sky. Despite this, he wasn’t one of the original three admirals in the series, implying that he isn’t the strongest the navy has to offer.
7 Mihawk
Mihawk is known as the strongest swordsman in One Piece‘s world, a reputation he easily lives up to. While he is currently Buggy’s supposed subordinate in the Cross Guild alliance, this isn’t due to a gap in power level but instead because of a series of misunderstandings. On the contrary, he is actually the strongest member of that organization, easily able to defeat whole contingents of marines with just his blade. While fans unfortunately haven’t gotten to see much of him in action, what little they have seen has cemented Mihawk as one of One Piece‘s most powerful characters.
6 Kizaru
Kizaru is the strongest of the current admirals, wielding the Pika Pika fruit, which lets him control light. This lets him transform his body into light and travel incredibly quickly. In addition, he can wield swords of light and shoot out laser beams to attack his enemies. This makes him an incredibly lethal threat, although recent chapters have implied that Luffy could beat him in a fight using Gear 5. This doesn’t make Kizaru weak, as Gear 5 is an incredibly strong technique, but it does put him lower than many other characters on this list.
5 Big Mom
Big Mom was one of the Yonko for good reason. Her incredibly tough body can take and dish out some powerful attacks, but her Devil Fruit is what makes her such a big threat. The Soul-Soul Fruit enabled her to imbue objects with life force, animating them in her service. This let her create dangerous weapons and even had defensive capabilities allowing her body to heal itself. It took the combined effort of both Trafalgar Law and Eustass Kid to finally take her down in the Raid on Onigashima, which is a testament to her incredible strength.
4 Kaido
Kaido is known as the strongest person in One Piece, and after Wano it’s not hard to see why. The former warlord was so tough that he could jump off a sky island without being hurt. He was only defeated in Wano after being attacked almost nonstop by the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai alliance, going up against the seven scabbards, Law, Kid, Killer, Zoro, and finally Luffy. Even against Luffy Kaido was able to defeat him twice before the Straw Hat captain unlocked the incredibly powerful Gear 5. Even after Luffy discovered his awakened form, the fight was still incredibly close. All this cements Kaido as one of the most powerful characters in One Piece.
3 Shanks
Shanks is one of the most enigmatic characters in One Piece. The Yonko was first introduced in the very beginning of the series, serving as Luffy’s idol. Over the years, more information has been steadily revealed about him, revealing how powerful Shanks truly is. His arrival ended the Marineford war, showing how intimidating he can be. His mastery of Haki appears to be second to none, as he used it to utterly destroy Kid when the young pirate attempted to attack him. He also is an intimidating swordsman, being on par with Mihawk when he had two arms. All this makes Shanks one of the strongest Yonko in the series.
2 Saturn
The 5 Elders have been villains lurking behind the scenes for much of One Piece‘s serialization. The group ostensibly run the World Government, but in actuality they defer to the mysterious Im. While many fans initially thought they were just politicians and not fighters, recent chapters have shown their devastating power. Saturn’s arrival on Egghead Island and the Elder’s terrifying Devil Fruit powers and form show how strong they truly are. In addition, the Elder was able to heal a sword blow to his chest by Bonny. Given the other Elders have yet to show off their abilities in this way, they don’t quite make this list yet, but if they are similar in power level to Saturn then they will be a major force for the Straw Hats to reckon with.
1 Im
Like most of the 5 Elders I’m has also not shown off much of their full powers. However the little fans have seen of Im has still shown them to be one of the most powerful figures in One Piece‘s world. I’m is the shadowy figure who rules the World Government sitting on the Empty Throne. They have been shown to manipulate events behind the scenes and dictate some of the World Government’s major policies. Most importantly for this list, they have also been shown to wield a power that can wipe islands off the map, most likely coming from an Ancient Weapon. As the ultimate antagonist of the series, Im will likely show even more of their strength as One Piece enters its final arcs, proving they are the strongest character without the Will of D.
While there are still many mysteries surrounding the Will of D, this list makes it clear that it doesn’t just belong to every strong character not aligned with the World Government. As the series gets even closer to its conclusion, more is bound to be revealed about this phenomenon and even more powerful characters without the Will of D are bound to be revealed. However, for now these are the most powerful One Piece characters without the Will of D.
