The Great Pirate Era began once Gol D. Roger, the King of the Pirates, was executed at Logue Town in East Blue. Before he was executed, Roger made sure to declare the existence of the great treasure known as the One Piece which ushered this great age of piracy.
However, before this era, the seas were still ruled by quite a number of fearsome pirates. These pirates were just as powerful and intimidating and some would argue, much more dangerous. Here are the 10 strongest known pirates in the One Piece world before the Great Pirate Era began.
10 Wang Zhi
Wang Zhi was a famous pirate long before the Great Pirate Era began. He was one of the many who joined up with Rocks at Hachinosu island and eventually went on to make a great name for himself.
Among the many pirates who sailed the seas in the past, Wang Zhi was especially noteworthy as Sengoku included his name in the list of the other great pirates of the time.
9 Captain John
Like Wang Zhi, Captain John was one of the members of the Rocks Pirate crew and a noteworthy man to ever do the business. He made quite a great name for himself over the years, something that was acknowledged time and again by characters such as Moria and Absalom.
Even Buggy, one of the members of the Roger Pirates acknowledged his strength and sought out his treasure, making him one of the best pirates in the world back in the day.
8 Rayleigh
Rayleigh is the former right-hand man of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and his strongest subordinate through most of the journey. He is one of the very few people to have reached Laugh Tale, the Final Island.
In terms of power and reputation, Rayleigh is considered a legendary pirate even in his old age, which means he must've been quite a ferocious pirate back in his prime days.
7 Kaido
Kaido is currently one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, however, before the Great Pirate Era, he wasn't as strong as he is right now. He served as an apprentice on Rocks' ship for the most part and then went on to start his own crew.
He openly admitted to being inferior to Oden when he returned to Wano. Over the years, he built up his strength to the point where he became the strongest creature in the entire world.
6 Kozuki Oden
Kozuki Oden was the rightful Shogun of Wano who left the land to sail the seas with Whitebeard. Eventually, he joined the Roger Pirates and sailed to Laugh Tale as well.
Oden was a monstrously powerful pirate who clashed with the likes of Whitebeard and Roger and held his own. What's more, he even fought Kaido and nearly killed him in battle. It goes without saying that Oden was one of the strongest people in the One Piece world before the Great Pirate Era.
5 Charlotte Linlin
Charlotte Linlin, also known as Big Mom, is one of the most fearsome known pirates in the One Piece world. She was a member of the Rocks crew long ago and after the crew was destroyed, she went on to make a great name for herself.
Right now, she's considered to be a Great Pirate of the seas. Linlin is one of the Yonko right now but she was menacing back during the days of Roger as well.
4 Shiki
Also known as the Flying Pirate, "Golden Lion" Shiki was one of the strongest pirates of the age before the Great Pirate Era. He was considered to be a pirate close to the level of Whitebeard and Roger by many.
Although his exact level of strength isn't known, he was easily able to destroy half of Marineford and it took the combined effort of Garp and Sengoku to stop him in his tracks. Someone as powerful as him deserves his place among the strongest of the era.
3 Rocks D. Xebec
Xebec was a tremendously powerful pirate in One Piece who, according to Sengoku, might well have been Roger's greatest enemy. He was a force to be reckoned with around 40 years before the current timeline of the story.
He aimed to become the King of the World and every powerful pirate joined his crew, possibly due to his charisma. He was ultimately defeated by the combined effort of Garp and Roger during the God Valley Incident 38 years ago.
2 Whitebeard
The World's Strongest Man, Edward Newgate, famous by the name of Whitebeard, was a phenomenal pirate both during and before the Great Pirate Era. He was a monster who barely anyone could take on in a fight.
Although he didn't hunt for treasure like every other pirate, he was just as great a pirate as the rest, if not greater. To date, he remains to be the only man known to have tied against Roger in a fight.
1 Gol D. Roger
Roger was the King of the Pirates and arguably the greatest of all the pirates in the story. He was exceptionally strong and could be matched by only a few characters in a fight, such as Whitebeard.
Roger conquered everything there was for a pirate to conquer. He became a legend, and before he died, he passed on his flame to the world by announcing that he left the One Piece at Laugh Tale, thus starting the Great Age of Pirates.
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