The seas of the One Piece world have been ruled by the pirates long before the Great Pirate Era even began. Before Roger brought about the new age, pirates with tremendous power and authority still existed.

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These pirates were just as fearsome as the ones that we see in the "New Era," as some like to call the current age. While some of them are long dead, others are still active as pirates and rule the New World with absolute authority. Here are the 10 strongest pirates of the old era in One Piece, ranked by how powerful they were back then.

10 Scopper Gaban

Scopper Gaban  in One Piece

Scopper Gaban was the left-hand of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and one of the most fearsome people in his crew. Although little is known about how he fights, he seemed to wield dual axes in battle.

Gaban, being one of Roger's most powerful men, was likely as capable as the commanders of the Yonko in the current era, if not stronger than them.

9 Silvers Rayleigh

Silvers Rayleigh and Admiral Kizaru square off on Sabaody Archipelago in One Piece.

Also known as the Dark King, Rayleigh was Roger's right-hand man and the First Mate of the Roger Pirates. Unlike Gaban, Rayleigh has been seen in action quite enough. He is a wielder of all the types of Haki, and his usage of this power is very refined.

Rayleigh is strong enough to hold Kizaru at bay even in his old age. Back during the days of the Roger Pirates, he was likely much stronger than that.

8 Douglas Bullet

Douglas Bullet, the antagonist of One Piece: Stampede, leering at his enemies off-screen

Also known as the Demon Heir, Douglas Bullet was the only survivor from Galzburg, a country in the Grand Line. At some point in his life, he joined the Roger Pirates, however, he left the crew just three years after joining them.

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Bullet is known to have been an equal to Rayleigh in terms of power back during his days on the ship. After being captured and sent to Impel Down, Bullet trained further and attained power great enough to be called the strongest of all.

7 Kaido

Kaido standing off against Killer, Eustass Kid, and Scratchmen Apoo in One Piece.

Kaido served as an apprentice on the ship of Rocks D. Xebec initially. However, 33 years before the current story events, he finally began to assemble his crew by displaying his might and superiority over others.

By the time of the Great Pirate Era, Kaido had already established himself as one of the strongest pirates on the seas, and possibly even a Yonko. Few characters are as strong as him right now if any.

6 Kozuki Oden

Kozuki Oden was a member of the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates before that. Being the strongest samurai of Wano, he possessed tremendous strength, enough to clash against Roger and Whitebeard.

By the time Oden got back to Wano, he was several times stronger than when he left. In his fight against Kaido, Oden almost killed him, however, he ended up losing due to a distraction.

5 Charlotte Linlin

Also known as Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin was on the ship of Rocks D. Xebec, just like Kaido, however, her role was more profound. She was already an elite pirate before the Great Age of Pirates even began.

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Linlin is known to have had a Road Poneglyph in her grasp by this time, meaning she was one of the rivals of Gol D. Roger and Whitebeard.

4 Shiki

Garp Sengoku vs Shiki

Shiki, also known as the Golden Lion, was one of the elite pirates of the old era. Like Big Mom, he was a member of the Rocks Pirates as well and began to form his own crew about 33 years ago.

Shiki is known to be one of the three greatest pirates of the old era, the two others being Roger and Whitebeard. He led the biggest fleet in the New World, known as the Golden Lion Armada.

3 Rocks D. Xebec

Rocks D. Xebec in One Piece.

Xebec was quite a powerful man, possibly the greatest in the world of One Piece. He was the captain of the Rocks Pirates and his aim was to become the King of the World. Unlike any other pirate crew, Rocks challenged the World Government directly, acting as a terrorist group in the process.

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He was finally defeated by the collective effort of the Navy, led by Garp, and the Roger Pirates, led by Roger. It is important to note that neither Garp, not Whitebeard were in their prime during this time.

2 Whitebeard

Whitebeard using his Devil Fruit to create a quake in the air in One Piece.

Also known as the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard was one of the greatest pirate of his time, and an equal to Gol D. Roger. In his prime, he was known as the only person to match Roger in a fight that lasted over three days.

Whitebeard had the power of the Gura Gura no Mi at his disposal, using which he could cause quakes at will. He sits one step below Roger due to the latter's 'Pirate King' status.

1 Gol D. Roger

Gol D Roger grinning in One Piece.

Famed as the King of the Pirates, Roger is the greatest known pirate to ever sail the seas of One Piece. He led the infamous Roger Pirates and reached the Final Island, naming it Laugh Tale in the process.

In terms of power, Roger was equal to Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world. Hid ambition, however, was much greater than that of Whitebeard's, which is what made him an unbelievable pirate.

NEXT: One Piece: Top 10 Strongest Members Of The Whitebeard Pirates