One Piece is arguably the most successful anime and manga series of all time, and after more than two decades, it has managed to maintain a level of storytelling that remains unmatched. The series focuses on Monkey D. Luffy, the young captain of the Straw Hat Pirates who became a rubber human after eating the Gum-Gum Fruit.
Luffy dreams of becoming the next Pirate King, and over the course of his journey, he has traveled to many interesting places, but he has also met an array of interesting characters. Most of the people Luffy has met are good-natured and kindhearted individuals, but he has also come across quite a few villainous characters. Every One Piece villain is dangerous in some way, but Luffy has faced off against some of the most threatening individuals in the series.
10 Enel Was Extremely Dangerous, but Luckily Luffy Is Made Of Rubber
There are definitely characters who are stronger than Enel, but that doesn't mean that he isn't dangerous. Enel was the main antagonist of the Skypiea Arc, and he was considered to be a God because he held the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
This Logia Devil Fruit allows Enel to create and control lightning, but he can also transform any part of his body into the powerful element, which is why most physical attacks simply pass through him. At maximum output, Enel can produce up to 200 million volts of electricity which is enough to kill anyone, and Luffy only survived this encounter because his rubber body is a natural counter.
9 Rob Lucci Was The Strongest Assassin In CP9's History
Rob Lucci may not have the strongest Zoan-type Devil Fruit, but it is still stronger than others. The fruit allowed Lucci to transform into a leopard hybrid at will, and while in this form, his physical strength increases significantly which makes it a great fruit for close-quarters combat.
CP9 is the Cipher Pol division that conducts assassinations on behalf of the World Government, and Lucci was considered to be the strongest member in the group's history. Under normal circumstances, Lucci would have ripped Luffy to shreds, but even he underestimated the Straw Hat captain's endurance and strength.
8 The World Nobles Consider Themselves To Be Gods Who Can Do Whatever They Want
Luffy's first encounter with the World Nobles occurred during the Sabaody Archipelago Arc, and it ended with him punching one of these nobles in the face for trying to kill one of his friends. These nobles are the descendants of the 19 kings who originally founded the World Government, and most of them are despicable human beings who have done terrible things.
Since these nobles consider themselves to be gods, they consider every other living being to be insignificant bugs, which is why they openly engage in slavery. They also murder innocent people without consequence because they are the embodiment of the law.
7 Big Mom Can Withstand Gear 4th & Her Devil Fruit Power Allows Her To Steal People's Lifespans
Big Mom is one of the Four Emperors, which means that she is considered to be one of the strongest pirate captains in the world. Luffy briefly faced off against her in the Whole Cake Island Arc, but he is now battling her in earnest over in Wano.
In her encounters with Luffy, she showed that she can match and even overpower him even if he is using Gear 4th, but that is not what truly makes her terrifying. She possesses the Soul-Soul Fruit, which allows her to bring inanimate objects to life and pull out a person's entire soul, killing them instantaneously.
6 Doflamingo's Awakened Devil Fruit Nearly Destroyed An Entire Kingdom
Doflamingo went through a very traumatic experience when he was a child, but that does not justify all the terrible things he did as an adult. The former Warlord possesses the power of the String-String Fruit, which allows him to create and manipulate strings.
This may not sound like a powerful or terrifying ability, but Doflamingo can use his strings to sever limbs, and he nearly wiped out the kingdom of Dressrosa by enclosing the island in a constricting cage made of unbreakable string. He was also a capable fighter whose Haki almost rivaled Luffy's.
5 Katakuri Took Luffy To The Limit
Every One Piece Arc has a defining battle, and Luffy's fight with Katakuri capped off the Whole Cake Island Arc. Katakuri is Big Mom's son and the strongest member of her crew, and he managed to become a feared pirate while wielding a Devil Fruit that gives him the ability to create, control, and transform into mochi.
What made Katakuri truly terrifying is the fact that he could look slightly into the future with his Observation Haki, which gave him an incredible advantage in battle. His Armament Haki is also strong enough to severely injure Luffy, and he would've likely beaten Luffy if he didn't seriously injure himself in order to make their fight equal.
4 Crocodile Almost Ended Luffy's Dream In Alabasta
Crocodile was the main antagonist of the Alabasta Arc, and he is the first truly evil Logia user that Luffy encountered. The former Warlord is able to create, control, and transform into sand thanks to the power of the Sand-Sand Fruit, and he can also use this power to absorb all the moisture from a living being's body.
So far, Crocodile has not shown that he is capable of using Haki, but he didn't need it during his first fight with Luffy. Crocodile was able to overpower the Straw Hat captain with ease, and after he drained the moisture from his body, he impaled Luffy with his hook, and he would have died if Robin did not save his life.
3 Magellan's Poison Was Almost Too Much For Luffy To Handle
When Luffy learned that Ace was being held at Impel Down, he decided to voluntarily enter the prison so he could break him out. At that time, Magellan was the warden of Impel Down, and most of the prisoners were terrified of him because of his Venom-Venom Fruit.
This fruit allows Magellan to produce and control different types of poison, and if someone touches him while he is covered in poison, that person will be poisoned immediately. Luffy nearly died while fighting Magellan, but he was saved by Ivankov's Devil Fruit power.
2 Akainu Would Have Killed Luffy If It Wasn't For Ace
Akainu is currently the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, and he first encountered Luffy at Marineford during the Summit War. The whole point of that war was to save Ace from being executed, but he died anyway when he sacrificed himself to protect Luffy from one of Akainu's attacks.
The Fleet Admiral ate the Magma-Magma Fruit, and this Logia allows him to create, control, and transform into magma. Akainu is a strong and capable leader, but he also happens to be incredibly ruthless, as evidenced by the fact that he destroyed a refugee ship filled with innocent people and Marines because there might have been just one enemy amongst them.
1 Kaido Threw Luffy Around Like A Rag Doll
Like Big Mom, Kaido is one of the Four Emperors, and he is considered to be the strongest creature in the world. Kaido is merciless, aggressive, and very confident, and he has a reputation for being unkillable because of his nigh-indestructible durability.
He is capable of withstanding some of Luffy's strongest Haki infused attacks, and he possesses a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit which allows him to transform into a massive dragon that can wipe out an entire mountain with one attack.