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One Piece is an anime of great intrigue. It introduces many complex mysteries, fascinating characters, and a widespread plot that helps create one of the most unique worlds in anime. However, the biggest mystery of the series is the one mentioned right at the beginning: what is the One Piece, and who will find it? There is enough speculation about the elusive One Piece’s nature, so the following will focus on the plethora of characters who have a chance at obtaining the title of King of the Pirates.
With One Piece in its final saga, the race for the One Piece has really dialed up, with most of the major players making their move. However, this list will only include information from the anime and currently active characters, so Kaido and Big Mom will not be present. Each character on this list must have a fighting chance, meaning the ranking is based on how close they are already and who has the overall potential to find it. Despite the anime telling fans that one particular character will be King of the Pirates, the legendary One Piece is far more up for grabs than anyone could imagine, creating the greatest race for the biggest mystery in anime.
10 Koby
First Appearance: Episode 1
Koby was introduced in the very first episode of One Piece, helping Luffy rescue Zoro and leave the island unscathed. Ever since then, Koby has worked hard to achieve his dream of becoming a Navy Admiral, even working with the strongest Vice Admiral in One Piece, Monkey D. Garp. Koby is a prominent character in the franchise despite not getting much screen time; however, that is slowly changing in this final saga of One Piece.
The prospect of Koby finding the One Piece will probably shock a lot of fans for many reasons; however, Koby has a surprisingly good chance of doing it. With Garp and some other Marines going rogue, Koby may join along, and with these marines having free rein, they may take a crack at finding the treasure themselves. However, the main reason Koby lands on this list is that it has great story potential for him to choose between Luffy’s dream and stopping the great pirate age. Or Luffy may entrust the One Piece to Koby, signaling a new world since the One Piece is just a means to Luffy’s dream.
9 Eustass Kid
First Appearance: Episode 392
Introduced as the strongest pirate in the worst generation during one of the best One Piece arcs, Sabaody Archipelago, Eustass Kid is one of the most infamous young pirates in One Piece. With the power to control metal and a hot-headed attitude, Kid got into trouble with many pirates, including Big Mom, Kaido, and Shanks. After helping the Strawhats take down Kaido and Big Mom, Kid cements his legacy as one of the fiercest pirates on the high seas.
As one of the few characters who has directly expressed his desire to find the elusive One Piece, Kid is a bit low on the list of prospective winners, considering he even had two of the four road poneglyphs. However, Shanks flipped his fate upside down after swiftly defeating him and taking his poneglyph copies. This put Kid back to square one, essentially eliminating him from the race. Fans aren’t even sure if he is still alive, but while he likely isn’t going to find the treasure, he probably isn’t done yet.
8 Trafalgar D. Water Law
First Appearance: Episode 392
Introduced with Eustass Kid and the rest of the worst generation in Sabaody Archipelago, Trafalgar Law is one of the most significant characters in the series. Teaming up with Luffy, Law was essential to defeat Kaido, as he helped destroy SMILE production, topple Doflamingo’s empire, and fight against the Beast Pirates. With his unique devil fruit, Law has some of the greatest fights in One Piece.
While Law’s desire to find the One Piece wasn’t as great as others, he was still part of the race. With two road poneglyphs, Law was halfway done his search, but unfortunately, Blackbeard got in his way. The two had an epic clash, and Law lost his crew, ship, and poneglyph copies. However, fans know that Law escaped with the help of Bepo, and as a member of the D clan, he will likely return and make a massive impact on the story, especially after some ominous hints from Wano about the character.
7 Monkey D. Dragon
First Appearance: Episode 52
The leader of the Revolutionary Army, son of Garp, and father of Luffy, Monkey D. Dragon is the most wanted character in One Piece because of his high threat to the World Government. Fans don’t have much information about the character in the anime, especially since his introduction was very early on. However, with the Revolutionary Army declaring war on the World Government, Dragon’s role in the story is bound to increase.
Dragon is shrouded in one of the biggest mysteries in One Piece, and as a mysterious character himself, he is the key to a lot of speculation. But with a vast amount of power, influence, and hate for the World Government, finding the One Piece could be the key to exposing them and winning the war. Monkey D. Dragon has everything at his disposal; all he needs is the desire to find it, and it may as well be his.
6 Imu
First Appearance: Episode 885
With Akainu and Blackbeard set up as the main villains of One Piece, Imu came out of nowhere, quickly establishing themselves as the franchise’s final villain. Sitting atop the empty throne, Imu is supposedly the ruler of the world, and with their recent introduction, they have already bestowed fans with one of the greatest One Piece episodes. Despite the lack of information about Imu, fans can be sure they will have a major influence over the anime.
As the character with the most power in One Piece, it isn’t a stretch to imagine Imu can easily find the elusive treasure. However, they may already know what the One Piece is and are actively trying to have no one find the treasure. Since fans don’t know a lot about Imu, it is hard to see if they want the One Piece or not. Either way, they absolutely have the power and influence to get it, leading to exciting potential if they ever decide to keep it hidden forever by finding it.
5 Sakazuki (Akainu)
First Appearance: Episode 278
Akainu has built up a resume, establishing himself as the most hated character in One Piece. From killing Ace to his general ruthless attitude, fans have many reasons to dislike this character. After proving his talent as an Admiral in Marineford, Akainu battled Aokiji for the title of Fleet Admiral. With his victory, Akainu became the leader of the Navy and the strongest Marine in One Piece.
Like Koby, Akainu’s name as a contender to find the One Piece is odd, considering his goal is to wipe out pirates from the face of the Earth. However, what better way to do so than by finding the One Piece himself, claiming it for the Marines, and swiftly crushing the dreams of every pirate? This plotline could be incredibly interesting, with Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, stating that if Akainu were the protagonist, he would have found the One Piece within a year, meaning he has the highest potential to find the treasure.
4 Buggy
First Appearance: Episode 4
Introduced as the second villain in One Piece, Buggy has always been a joke or gag character. However, after his resurgence in Marineford, he continues to fall upward to the point of becoming an emperor of the sea. Buggy may not be the strongest character in One Piece, but he has managed to gain a following and even form a lucrative “business” with Dracule Mihawk and Crocodile.
Buggy may be a joke, but his influence and history aren’t. His infamy helped him earn worldwide notoriety and a newfound desire to be the best in the world. As a former member of the previous King of the Pirates, with his tendency to somehow succeed and strong allies, Buggy is easily in the running for the One Piece. Oda also likes to do the unexpected, and as fans witness Buggy’s increasing resume, it isn’t too difficult to imagine Buggy claiming the greatest treasure in the world by sheer luck.
3 Shanks
First Appearance: Episode 4
As an emperor of the sea and the primary source of inspiration for Luffy, Shanks is one of the biggest figures in the One Piece world. He usually likes to kick back and relax, but with so many rookies eyeing the coveted One Piece, Shanks has finally set things into motion and has joined the search. Despite having little screen time, Shanks has still become a fan favorite, partially because of his epic moment in Marineford, one of the greatest arcs in anime history.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Shanks has so much potential to find the treasure, considering he is probably the strongest pirate currently and was on Roger’s ship. Claiming Eustass Kid’s two road poneglyphs, Shanks is already halfway done, and there’s a good chance he knows where at least one of the remaining two are. Shanks undoubtedly has the highest potential to find it, with the most knowledge about the treasure. Not only that, but Shanks is one of the closest, and his finding of the treasure possesses interesting plotlines with Luffy and Blackbeard.
2 Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard)
First Appearance: Episode 146
Set up as one of the final villains of the series, Blackbeard has done plenty to get on Luffy’s bad side, with their fight poised to be one of the most epic battles in anime. After leaving Whitebeard’s crew, Blackbeard created an ingenious plan to rise the ranks, from becoming a warlord to stealing the most powerful devil fruit in One Piece, becoming an emperor of the sea, and, presumably, finding the One Piece.
While this is pure speculation, Blackbeard most likely has three road poneglyphs: two he stole from Law and Big Mom from when he raided her territory. Considering he is tied for the most poneglyphs, Blackbeard is one of the closest to Laugh Tale, but even more so since fans can assume he has even greater plans. Blackbeard has gotten this far and most likely has a few more steps to get what he wants. Still, this duplicitous pirate is also an opportunist, ready to jump at whatever presents himself. He also has the greatest story option, with the main villain achieving his dream instead of the protagonist. Blackbeard will likely become King of the Pirates but ultimately fail in the end.
1 Monkey D. Luffy
First Appearance: Episode 1
As the protagonist of One Piece, Luffy is everything that makes it one of the greatest anime of all time. With dreams of becoming King of the Pirates since childhood, Luffy has fought his way through an incredible journey to find himself nearly at the top of the world. Causing havoc everywhere he goes, Luffy is the freest person in One Piece. Becoming an emperor of the sea after defeating Kaido, Luffy is now in Egghead and one step closer to the infamous treasure.
Who else would be at number one except Luffy? Not only can fans assume he will achieve his dream since he is the protagonist, but Luffy is also the closest to Laugh Tale. Luffy has three road poneglyphs in his possession, but he also has Robin on his crew, one of the few people who can translate them, meaning, if he finds the last one, they can immediately go to Laugh Tale. While the One Piece isn’t exactly Luffy’s dream, it is a means to it, and it wouldn’t be wise for fans to bet against this intrepid pirate after all they have seen him accomplish. Luffy is the closest to the treasure, has the most potential to find it, and it simply makes the most sense story-wise for him to get what he wants; after all, Luffy has been telling fans he’ll be King of the Pirates for thousands of episodes.
Stream All Episodes of One Piece on Crunchyroll in the U.S.
