The Yonko are the four most powerful pirates in the world of One Piece. With absolute authority, they rule over the other half of the Grand Line, known as the New World like Kings, as Garp puts it. Their power is such that not even the Marines dare to enter their domain, although that has started to change under Akainu's aggressive rule.

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Nonetheless, the Yonko are currently the strongest and the most influential characters in the entire series, with few being capable of matching them in power. Here are 10 facts that you didn't know about the Yonko of the Seas in One Piece.

10 One Of The Three Great Powers

The Yonko form one to the Three Great Powers, the other two being the Shichibukai and the Marine Headquarters. As mentioned by Garp, the Three Great Powers are essential for the World Government to maintain the balance in the world of One Piece.

While all the details of the functioning of the Three Great Powers aren't known, it has been made clear that the Yonko are matched by an alliance of the Navy and the Shichibukai. With the dissolution of the Shichibukai system, the SSG will likely become one of the Three Great Powers.

9 Their Bounties

The bounties of the Yonko have remained unknown for the majority of the One Piece series. However, Eiichiro Oda saw to it that we got know the figures placed on the heads of these elite pirates. Among the Yonko, Blackbeard possesses the lowest bounty of 2.247 billion berries, followed by Shanks at 4.048  billion berries, then Big Mom at 4.388 billion berries, and finally, Kaido at 4.611 billion berries.

Together, the bounty on the Yonko amounts to a staggering 15.2956 billion berries, which just goes to show how incredible a threat they are to the World Government in One Piece. It is likely that this figure will go even higher once the events of Wano are over.

8 Oda's Initial Plan

Shanks the Red-Haired Pirate talking the Edward Newgate in One Piece pre-timeskip

Prior to the beginning of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda, the author of the series, had intended for the manga to be rather short; one that he could wrap up within a handful of volumes. As such, the manga was going to be about Luffy fighting against a bunch of Pirates, known as the Yonko.

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However, when Oda started illustrating One Piece, he introduced the Shichibukai and lots of other things that built up the world of the series. The series has become so incredibly vast that only recently did the 'Yonko Saga' begin.

7 Their Authority

Edward Newgate and the Whitebeard Pirates during One Piece.

The Yonko possess immense authority, as is expected of someone of their stature. So far, they have influenced the events of the story greatly, such as Whitebeard being directly involved in the Summit War. Following his death, Blackbeard usurped the position and along with it, the territories formerly under Whitebeard during the time-skip.

Meanwhile, Shanks has been involved in making peace several times in the series, while Big Mom's subsequent arrival at Wano is likely to trigger the biggest war in the world of One Piece.

6  The Fifth Yonko

Angry Luffy One Piece

The Yonko is a group of four pirates, namely Blackbeard, Shanks, Kaido, and Big Mom. However, after the events of Whole Cake Island, Monkey D. Luffy was portrayed by the World Economy News Paper as the Fifth Emperor of the Sea.

Although much of what was mentioned in the newspaper was fabricated to make Luffy appear better, the position still stands, and by the end of the Wano Country war, it could end up playing a huge role in the shift of power in the world of One Piece.

5 The Remnants of the Rocks

The Yonko system doesn't appear to be all that old despite being featured in the series right from its very beginning. Prior to the beginning of the Great Age of Pirates, the seas were ruled by Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki. Long before that, there existed a group so powerful that they ruled the seas single-handedly, known as the Rocks Pirates.

After the demise of their Captain at God Valley, the members split up and started gaining more fame and power. Surprisingly, the members of the Rocks featured three of the four future Yonko in Edward Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaido.

4 The Yonko at Wano

Although the Yonko are four pirates who are considered to be each other's enemies, something peculiar has happened at Wano Country which could end up shaking the balance of the entire world. With Kaido and Big Mom forming an alliance, a new pirate crew has risen, the likes of which has already been termed as the strongest crew in the history of the series.

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Luffy, along with the other members of the Pirate-Ninja-Mink-Samurai alliance will be looking to fight against this monstrosity of a crew at Onigashima in Wano. While the crew does appear to be infallible, it is likely that the events of Wano Country will see one, or maybe even both of them fall.

3 Their Devil Fruits

Charlotte Linlin, also known as Big Mom, in One Piece

The Yonko are exceptionally powerful pirates and as such, they possess some of the most incredible Devil Fruits in One Piece. Whitebeard, the 'World's Strongest Man', had the strongest Paramecia type of Devil Fruit known as Gura Gura no Mi, while Big Mom possesses an equally impressive Paramecia type Soru Soru no Mi.

Meanwhile, Kaido wields a Mythical Zoan dragon Devil Fruit, while Blackbeard possesses not one but two Devil Fruits, the strongest Logia, Yami Yami no Mi, and the strongest Paramecia, Gura Gura no Mi (taken over after Whitebeard's death). Shanks is the only known person in their ranks without a Devil Fruit.

2 Their Fleets

The Big Mom Pirates assemble to attack Luffy in One Piece.

Although the Yonko themselves are incredibly powerful, their rank is further maintained by the fact that they have huge numbers on their backs. Whitebeard's own crew consisted of 1616 members, along with 43 allied crews from the New World which likely pushed the numbers beyond, 10,000.

Big Mom's crew is extremely vast as well, numbering over tens of thousands of crew members. Kaido himself has more than 20,000 people working under him. Meanwhile, Blackbeard's influence is ever-growing, but the exact number of his crewmates and allies isn't known. Shanks' fleet hasn't been seen yet, but just like the others, his numbers will be fairly impressive as well.

1 Their Ferocity

Kaido Haki

All the Yonko captains are fearsome pirates whose strength can barely ever be matched by anyone. However, the Yonko are even more ferocious than usual at particular points, as mentioned by Eiichiro Oda himself. According to Oda, Whitebeard is fiercest when someone does an act of dishonor, Big Mom when she's in a bad mood, and Shanks when he is enraged.

Meanwhile, Kaido is said to be fierce at all times. It is unknown when Blackbeard is the most fearsome, but we hope that the future of the story will reveal that to us.

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