One Piece is etching closer and closer to the end of another brilliant arc. The strongest fighters have started to appear more frequently, and there's no doubt that towards the end audiences will get to see even more powerful characters. So far only two Yonko remain uninvolved.
One is Shanks and the other is Blackbeard. Blackbeard is undoubtedly the end of the series villain and he will appear during the final arc. He is in possession of two Devil Fruits, which makes him the only person to have accomplished such a thing. Not many characters have a chance of supplanting him. Here are five characters who will surpass Blackbeard in the future and five who won't.
10 SURPASS: EUSTASS KID
Arguably the most ruthless Supernova, Kid made a name for himself and earned himself a massive bounty. He is not afraid to challenge people who are way stronger than him. In that sense, he resembles Luffy quite a lot.
Kid's full power remains to be seen, but audiences will definitely see it before the end of Wano. He has managed to injure a Sweet Commander, which is an incredible feat. Kid's Devil Fruit is quite unique and he possesses Conqueror's Haki as well; he has got what it takes to surpass Blackbeard.
9 WON'T SURPASS: KING
King is the strongest fighter in the Animal Kingdom Pirates after Kaido himself. He is an All-Star; he is respected by everyone within the crew. King possesses the Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Pteranodon, which is an Ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruit.
King can take on most of the fighters in the series and come out on top, however, Blackbeard is in a league of his own. As powerful of a character as he is, King will never beat Blackbeard.
8 SURPASS: MONKEY D. LUFFY
Luffy is the main protagonist of One Piece and one of the few characters who can use all three types of Haki. He possesses the Gomu Gomu no Mi. Luffy's bounty has already eclipsed the 1 Billion mark and the series isn't even finished.
Luffy has continued to train his Haki even at Wano because, in his first tussle versus Kaido, he couldn't do any damage to the Yonko. Luffy has got a long way to before he can challenge Blackbeard, but it's very obvious that he'll be the stronger character by the end.
7 WON'T SURPASS: X-DRAKE
X-Drake is one of the Tobi Roppo and has infiltrated the Animal Kingdom Pirates for the sake of a secret mission. X-Drake ate the Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Allosaurus, but he has yet to be involved in a major fight after the time-skip.
X-Drake was beaten up by Kizaru at Sabaody Archipelago. He may end up becoming an Admiral, but that is as far as he is likely to go. An Admiral's level is way below that of Blackbeard.
6 SURPASS: TRAFALGAR LAW
Law is a part of the Worst Generation. He ate the Ope Ope no Mi, which is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that grants him incredulous abilities. It bypasses Haki as seen in Law's fight versus Vergo.
The creation of ROOMs is another ability of Law's Devil Fruit, and he can manipulate each and every thing inside these spaces. He could very possibly dethrone Blackbeard and his Devil Fruit will have a major role to play.
5 WON'T SURPASS: AOKIJI
Aokiji left the Marines when he was beaten by Akainu at Punk Hazard. He established a connection with the Blackbeard Pirates after his loss. Aokiji has a very powerful Devil Fruit, and his association with the Blackbeard Pirates has made them even stronger than before.
Blackbeard is a Yonko, and for the time being, he can only be defeated by a handful of characters. Aokiji is by no means a weak character, but he is not quite at a high enough level to challenge Blackbeard.
4 SURPASS: MONKEY D. DRAGON
The most wanted man in the world is still a bit of an enigma. The leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon's powers remain a mystery, but it should not be too long before they are explored in more depth.
It is fairly logical to assume that Monkey D. Dragon will prove to be close to the level of a Yonko since he is the leader of a group filled with powerful fighters.
3 WON'T SURPASS: BASIL HAWKINS
Basil Hawkins joined the Animal Kingdom Pirates when Kaido surprised his group by crashing on their base. He possesses the Wara Wara no Mi, which allows him to create and manipulate straw. Basil Hawkins is a headliner for Kaido's crew, but he is not among the strongest fighters.
Hawkins can deflect the damage that he takes to other people; it is a handy ability but it has its own limit. Hawkins' doesn't have the potential or the skill to surpass Blackbeard.
2 SURPASS: SMOKER
Currently, Smoker holds the position of a Vice-Admiral, but he is a big contender for the position of Fleet Admiral. In the story, Smoker is more of a rival to Luffy than Koby, who has a long way to go to challenge the Straw Hat pirate.
Smoker has clashed against Luffy several times and has come to respect him as a person. Smoker has been involved in some top-secret missions for the Navy and he has shown the qualities of a great leader.
1 WON'T SURPASS: SABO
Sabo is the chief of staff of the Revolutionary Army and Luffy's sworn brother. Sabo showed his fighting prowess during the Dressrosa arc. He ate the Mera Mera no Mi, which granted him the ability to create and manipulate fire.
Sabo managed to fight toe-to-toe against Fujitora. He is easily an Admiral-level character, but that's about it. He won't be able to push himself to surpass someone like Blackbeard.