One Piece Just Confirmed The Strongest Pirate Crew, And It Isn't The Straw Hats

Published Jul 24, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT Since graduating from The Los Angeles Film School, Jason has worked as an editor for the local news, as well as a producer of several short films and podcasts. His extensive knowledge of film production and narrative storytelling has enabled him to travel the world, writing about the projects he is passionate about in the realms of film, anime, and gaming. "Every Day Is A Level Up" WARNING: SPOILERS FROM ONE PIECE'S ELBAPH ARCThe final arcs of One Piece have cemented the Straw Hats and Luffy’s Pirate Emperor status with several impressive wins against overwhelming odds. However, it didn't take long for the Elbaph arc to introduce an old pirate who proved that Zoro and even Gear 5 Luffy still have a long way to go before they can be considered the strongest pirate crew of all time, a title they may need if they wish to reach the legendary One Piece treasure. Since the series dramatic timeskip, there was a long period of time where Luffy's crew had trouble finding opponents skilled enough to truly push them to their limits. Thankfully, One Piece's final arcs have featured many of the world's most powerful threats finally clashing. Those earth-shaking battles have seen surprisingly popular characters knocked out of the race to become the next Pirate King. Elbaph has been full of shocking revelations and reveals of legendary characters who once shook the foundations of One Piece's world with their might. The former Pirate King and the other members of the Roger Pirates reached the final island of Laugh Tale with their considerable strength, a power that's inevitably diminished over the years. However, One Piece episode #1170 provided an extended demonstration of exactly how well Luffy and Zoro stack up against a former member of the Pirate King's crew. Elbaph's Biggest Battles Knock The Straw Hats Down A Few Pegs Luffy and his crew have encountered more than giants in the colossal island of Elbaph. After a brief celebration, Zoro, Nami, and the Straw Hat captain were led to the ruins of the island's once-grand royal palace in order to find a large key that would unlock the confines of the imprisoned Prince Loki. While they did ultimately find the key, they were greeted with a test of strength that nearly killed the two strongest members of the Straw Hat crew. While Silvers Rayleigh was the first mate and right hand of the former Pirate King's crew, Scopper Gaban was the left hand and arguably just as strong. Rayleigh's introduction to Luffy and his crew was subtle and ended up being incredibly beneficial on the Sabaody Archipelago, but Gaban decided to test the young pirates in a much more exciting manner. When the trio of Straw Hats reached the castle, they encountered the mysterious old man, without any knowledge of his true identity, but it didn't take long to discover that he was not an ordinary geezer. Loki is an extremely powerful and often dangerous loose cannon that even the warriors of Elbaph have had trouble controlling. Because of this, Scopper Gaban felt the need to test Luffy and Zoro before they obtained the key that could set the Prince free. Unlike the manga's brief scrap, episode #1170 of One Piece featured an extended fight scene filled with incredible animation and action that would have made an excellent season finale for most anime series. Scopper Gaban Taught The Worst Generation A Lesson When the Straw Hats first saw Silvers Reighley in action, he saved the lives of many pirates belonging to the Worst Generation from the intimidating might of the Marine Admiral Kizaru. The entire encounter on Sabaody reinforced the idea that Luffy's crew were not yet ready to contend with the world's strongest fighters, and arguably, the same test is being conducted on Elbaph, this time with Scopper Gaban. Even though Luffy and Zoro have grown considerably stronger in the years since the saddest One Piece moment forced the crew to separate, the pair were not able to land a single blow on the old Roger Pirate. He challenged Luffy to take Loki's key away from him, and what followed was a flurry of attacks that were all expertly dodged by Gaban. When he went on the offensive, even Zoro struggled to block attacks that would have killed the young pirates if they were not careful. Still, after Scopper Gaban literally shoved the key down Luffy's throat, the battle escalated to Luffy's transforming into Gear 5 and Zoro beginning to get serious, with the two Straw Hats coming together in an epic side-by-side stance. Gaban then shockingly gave up the battle before it could continue, likely because his curiosity had been satiated in exploring the capabilities of the now-famous Straw Hat pirates. The anime's adaptation was an excellent example of a heightening of the source material and an exciting glimpse at the kind of battles that the One Piece Elbaph arc has in store for fans. Video Game(s) One Piece: Unlimited World Red, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, One Piece: World Seeker, One Piece Odyssey First Film One Piece: The Movie First TV Show One Piece Cast Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Ikue Ôtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi Created by Eiichiro Oda Character(s) Monkey D. Luffy, Roronora Zoro, Nami (One Piece), Nico Robin, Usopp (One Piece), Vinsmoke Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, Franky (One Piece), Jimbei (One Piece) One Piece Release Date October 20, 1999 Network Fuji TV Cast Mayumi Tanaka Monkey D. Luffy (voice) Kazuya Nakai Roronoa Zoro (voice)