The world of One Piece has some very intriguing villains, with each of them having their own specialty. While some, like the Four Emperors of the Sea, are known for their majestic and unparalleled strength, others are known for their vast knowledge, cunning strategies, and evil plans. The smartest ones can set themselves apart from the average One Piece villains.
Some of these characters are charismatic and know how to manipulate entire countries to get their way. Others show their intelligence and win their battles with quick thinking and brilliant strategies.
9 Captain Kuro Was Known As A Master Of Strategy
Kuro was the captain of the Black Cats Pirates and one of the main antagonists in One Piece's East Blue Saga. He was an exceptionally smart villain on top of being strong. Kuro faked his own death masterfully three years before the events of the Syrup Village arc and then planned to gain great wealth by taking over everything that Kaya owned. The Marines fell for his plan and believed he was dead while he started a new life and almost brought his three-year plan to fruition. If not for Luffy and Usopp, Kuro would very well have succeeded.
8 Hogback Was A Genius Doctor According To Many In The Story
Dr. Hogback was a secondary antagonist of the Thriller Bark arc. He was renowned as a legend among doctors, including Chopper. At some point in his life, he was approached by Gecko Moria, who wanted his services. Hogback created hundreds of corpses for him to reanimate using his Kage Kage no Mi powers, and he played a crucial role in achieving Moria's dream. Although he was an utterly despicable villain, Hogback was one of the smartest people in the entire story.
7 Sengoku Was Widely Known For His Intelligence
The former Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Sengoku was among the smartest characters in the story. He was one of the biggest antagonists during the Marineford arc where he led the Marines in the war against the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies. Sengoku was known to be incredibly powerful, but one of his most underrated qualities was his mind. He was an extremely shrewd character who used countless strategies to trick Whitebeard during the Paramount War. Thanks to him, the Marines cornered the Whitebeard Pirates in the war and eventually went on to win.
6 Sir Crocodile Almost Ruined An Entire Country By Himself
Sir Crocodile was the first major character Luffy fought in the Grand Line. As a Shichibukai, Crocodile made use of his position to gain the trust of the people of Alabasta and become their hero.
Slowly, he destroyed the relationship that King Cobra had with his people and turned them against each other. Eventually, Crocodile managed to start a civil war in Alabasta from behind the scenes, which was extremely impressive. His plan to destroy the country was almost successful and he would've gotten his way if Luffy hadn't stopped him.
5 Donquixote Doflamingo Took Down Dressrosa In One Night
Donquixote Doflamingo is one of the former Shichibukai who wanted to take over a nation just like Crocodile. While Luffy was able to stop Alabasta's fall into chaos, he was not there to save Dressrosa, and Doflamingo struck the country in a single night. He became the country's King and soon gained the trust of the people. While Dressrosa looked pretty calm and passionate on the surface, it actually carried a dark secret with the Donquixote Family takeover and the emergence of toys. Doflamingo also had connections to the Gorosei and had their power at his disposal as well.
4 Caesar Clown Possessed Tremendous Knowledge
Caesar Clown was the main antagonist of the Punk Hazard arc where he was revealed to be a genius scientist. Although he possessed incredible knowledge that could benefit humans, he chose to use it in harmful ways and created several weapons of mass destruction. Caesar even attempted gigantification and experimented on kids for this purpose, nearly succeeding in the process. He could also create his own pet, Smiley, by compressing H2S gas and then animating it using a Zoan-type Devil Fruit. While Caesar was undoubtedly an evil character through and through, he had quite a smart mind.
3 Queen The Plague Possesses Incredible Scientific Knowledge
Queen the Plague is one of the three right-hand men of Kaido, and he's one of the most special people on the crew. Having worked with Judge and Vegapunk in the past, Queen is extremely knowledgeable.
He has enhanced his body with a lot of cybernetics and created technology that he claims even Vegapunk cannot match. Queen has also developed countless viruses and other weapons of mass destruction, some of which are seen in Wano Country itself. He is certainly one of the smartest villains in the story.
2 Vinsmoke Judge Worked With The Genius Vegapunk
Judge and Vegapunk were both on the MADS team long ago. Together, the two discovered the blueprint of life known as the lineage factor. Their discovery was so important that the World Government came for them and took Vegapunk with them. Judge, managing to escape, created his children using their work and established the Germa 66. Judge's scientific knowledge was extremely advanced, and he developed the likes of the Raid Suits and even perfected cloning, which was extremely impressive.
1 Vegapunk Is The Smartest Person In The One Piece World
Vegapunk has yet to be formally introduced in One Piece, but his name has been mentioned on several occasions in the story. According to Franky, his mind is 500 years ahead of humanity, and he's on a completely different level. He is responsible for creating the Marine Battleships that cross the Calm Belt and feeding Devil Fruits to inanimate objects. Vegapunk also created the artificial Devil Fruit that Momonosuke ate. On top of everything, he created the Pacifistas who, when incomplete, could've destroyed any member of the Straw Hat Pirates before the timeskip. Since then, he's worked on the SSG and created another massive power. While Vegapunk isn't entirely a villain, his current allegiance to the Marines certainly makes him a secondary antagonist.