The One Piece world is filled with Pirates, all of which are aiming for the grand treasure located at Raftel. With the exact location of the treasure and the island not being known, pirates from all over the world have set out to seas to find it. As expected, they're all rivals to each other as their goal is the same, although some rivalries are more prominent than others.
Further, to put an end to the pirates, there exists the Navy, most of whose members are at odds with some pirates as well. Here are the 10 best rivalries in the One Piece series.
10 Luffy and Koby
Luffy and Koby's rivalry dates back to the beginning of the series when Luffy saved the timid boy from Alvida's grasp. With Luffy announcing his dream of becoming the Pirate King to Koby, it didn't take Koby long to let Luffy know that he aims to be the guy who captures them all.
Despite this, Luffy and Koby are on great terms with each other and there's mutual respect and understanding between the two. Koby highly admires Luffy for how far he's come, and at the same time, Luffy believes that Koby can make it to the position of a Navy Admiral, just as he wishes.
9 Luffy and Smoker
Another rivalry involving the Strawhat Captain, Luffy vs Smoker began at Logue Town, where Smoker had made a reputation of not letting pirates from the East Blue pass into the Grand Line. This little feat had earned him the moniker of 'The White Chase'. Ever since Luffy broke free of his grasp, Smoker has been on his tail and wants to capture him at all costs.
Luffy and Smoker have clashed a couple of times since their first confrontation, and it's needless to say that there's more left in the store for the two. Interestingly, Luffy has gotten much more powerful than Smoker over the time-skip, and the latter needs to catch up if he wants to capture Strawhat.
8 Trafalgar Law and Donquixote Doflamingo
One of the biggest rivalries we've witnessed in the New World, Trafalgar Law and Donquixote Doflamingo have a huge history between them, and most of it has to do with the death of Donquixote Rosinante. With Doflamingo responsible for his killing, Law made it his aim to take down everything that Doflamingo stood for.
Thanks to Luffy's help, Trafalgar Law got to take down Doflamingo and avenge the death of his benefactor, Rosinante. Law and Doflamingo have had quite a few skirmishes between themselves and it goes without saying that there was no love lost between the two characters.
7 Roronoa Zoro and Dracule Mihawk
With the aim to become the strongest swordsman in One Piece, Roronoa Zoro set out to sea in search of the man who holds the title currently, Dracule Mihawk. The two crossed paths at Baratie where Zoro was humbled by Mihawk quite easily, although he managed to earn the latter's respect in the process.
Zoro went on to train in the ways of the sword and haki under Mihawk, setting his pride aside for his captain. Nonetheless, their rivalry is still alive and Zoro aims to get stronger to be able to surpass Dracule Mihawk one day and earn the title of the strongest swordsman in the world.
6 Shanks and Mihawk
One of the most popular rivalries in the One Piece world, Shanks vs Mihawk echoed across the Grand Line at one point. The two are said to have fought several times in the past, and even legends, such as Whitebeard, had heard of their legendary battles. It is important to note that the two fought prior to Shanks becoming a Yonko, so whether they're still relative in terms of strength or not remains up in the air. With Shanks having lost an arm, Mihawk considers this rivalry as good as dead, and has, since then, found a new rival in Roronoa Zoro of the Strawhat Pirates.
5 Akainu and Aokiji
Akainu and Aokiji have always had animosity between them, primarily due to a difference in their philosophies. While both believe in justice, Akainu's absolute justice is much worse than Aokiji's sensible form of it. After the events of the Paramount War, the two fought for the spot of the Fleet Admiral and Akainu defeated Aokiji in a battle that lasted 10 days.
Consequently, Aokiji left the Marines and has, since then, joined up with the Blackbeard Pirates for some reason. Although their rivalry seems to be over, Aokiji is still wary of the threat that looms over the Navy, due to the unstoppable swell of the new era.
4 The Yonko
The Yonko refers to the four strongest pirates in the world of One Piece who rule the other half of the Grand Line, known as the New World, with great authority. Each of the Yonko is apparently looking for the One Piece, and as such, are always at odds with one another. The Yonko have clashed several times in the past, such as Kaido and Shanks clashing just before Marineford, and Big Mom and Kaido fighting for twelve hours at Onigashima recently. The race for One Piece is among these four pirates and therefore, it is apparent that their rivalry is one of the biggest in the series.
3 Blackbeard and Shanks
A rivalry that's much more sinister than what we've seen on this list so far, Blackbeard and Shanks have quite a bit of history among them. According to Shanks, he received his scar in a fight against Blackbeard sometime in the past. Shanks was one of the few people who were aware of the threat that Blackbeard posed right from the beginning, and he's tried warning people about him before. At Marineford, another impending fight between the two was teased, and it's is theorized that the two will clash again sometime in the future.
2 Roger and Garp
Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp's rivalry bears a lot of resemblance to Luffy and Koby's rivalry, with Garp being a Marine, and Roger being a pirate. Akin to Koby and Luffy, these two seem to have had mutual respect for each other, as Roger openly claimed that he trusts Garp as much as any member of his crew.
The two have fought several battles in the past and nearly killed each other many times as well. Despite that, the respect between the two was incredible, and as such, they didn't hesitate to team up when they needed to, such as when they fought together to defeat Rocks D. Xebec.
1 Roger and Whitebeard
Roger and Whitebeard's rivalry dates back to the time before the Great Pirate Era when the two were the strongest men on the seas. It is said that Roger's only equal in the entire series was none other than Whitebeard. According to Whitebeard, the two clashed several times in the past and even wounded each other in their battles.
Inspite of that, Roger and Whitebeard actually shared a good relationship. The two even drank together at a place identical to Wano Country at one point where Roger unveiled the truth about the Will of D to Whitebeard. With both having passed already, this rivalry will remain etched in the hearts of the fans forever.