In a world filled with pirates, it is nigh impossible to find characters who are respected by others, as most of the pirates only care about plunder. Most characters in One Piece have committed heinous crimes, which makes it very difficult to respect them.
However, the series isn't completely devoid of honorable characters who put their principles above materialistic needs. The most honorable characters in One Piece have earned the respect of both viewers and their fellow characters with their noble and selfless actions.
7 Whitebeard
Whitebeard was the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates. In the past, he sailed with Rocks D. Xebec, but, after the God Valley incident, Whitebeard went his own separate way much like the rest of his crewmates. Whitebeard was believed to have enough power to destroy the entire world, and this was a fact that was acknowledged by the Marines as well.
Whitebeard was the rival of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, but there was a lot of respect between the two. Roger even asked Whitebeard to let him borrow Oden for some time. Monkey D. Garp and Sengoku respected Whitebeard a lot and even considered him to be the "King of the Seas." His death shook the entire world, and it even made someone like Silvers Rayleigh tear up.
6 Shanks
Shanks is one of the Yonko and the leader of the Red Hair Pirates. Shanks met Luffy when he was still a kid and the latter was so influenced by Shanks that he decided to become the Pirate King. Shortly after leaving Luffy, Shanks managed to become of the most distinguished pirates in the world. Shanks has only appeared a handful of times in the series, but every time he has made an appearance it has left some kind of impact on the viewers.
After the deaths of Whitebeard and Ace, Shanks turned up at Marineford and stopped the Summit War because it was disrespectful to the people who had died. Shanks' appearance forced Sengoku to stop the far and the latter openly admitted that he only called a ceasefire because it was Shanks' request. It is also worth pointing out that Shanks is also respected by the Five Elders, who made time for him when he came to Mary Geoise.
5 Monkey D. Garp
Hailed as the "Hero of the Marines," Garp serves as Vice-Admiral of the Marines. He's been offered a promotion on countless occasions, but he turned it down each and every single time. Despite serving the Marines, Garp did not want to end up becoming a lapdog for the Celestial Dragons.
Garp is among only a handful of characters who are respected even by their enemies. He used to be rivals with Gol D. Roger, yet there was a great deal of respect between the pair. Before his death, Roger even told Garp about his unborn son, which shows just how much Roger trusted him.
4 Sengoku
Sengoku was the Fleet Admiral of the Marines for many years. Under his guidance, the Marines were able to eliminate Portgas D. Ace, who was the son of Gol D. Roger. Sengoku's strength was acknowledged by his allies as well as his enemies.
Currently, Sengoku is the only Marine who is known to possess all three types of Haki. In addition to this, Sengoku also possesses the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu, which is a mythical zoan-type devil fruit. Sengoku showed his honor when Shanks came to Marineford. At the request of Shanks, Sengoku agreed to stop the war and bring an end to the killings.
3 Dracule Mihawk
Dracule Mihawk is a former Shichibukai. He was introduced in the Baratie arc and fans were immediately drawn toward him. During the arc, he managed to defeat Roronoa Zoro with a tiny blade, which helped to solidify his reputation as one of the coolest characters in the series.
Mihawk was also involved in the war that took place in Marineford and was among the few people who did not suffer any kind of injuries. Mihawk is a very respectable man, and he appreciates the talent and resolve of others. When Zoro begged to be trained, Mihawk complied with his request even though he knew that Zoro would become a problem for him in the future.
2 Silvers Rayleigh
Also known as the "Dark King," Silvers Rayleigh used to be a member of the Roger Pirates. He was the right-hand man of Gol. D Roger and, over the years, Rayleigh became a legendary figure. He made his debut in the Sabaody Archipelago arc, where fought Admiral Kizaru.
Despite his old age, Rayleigh was easily able to keep Kizaru at bay. Furthermore, Kizaru openly admitted that he could not have taken down Rayleigh on his own. Rayleigh cares about the younger generation and he was willing to get involved with the Marines to protect them.
1 Jimbei
Jimbei is an extremely honorable character. He used to be a member of the Shichibukai, but when they ordered him to fight against Whitebeard, Jimbei refused because the Yonko had helped to keep Fish-Man Island safe from any kind of threat by declaring it as his own territory.
Jimbei allowed himself to be imprisoned instead of fighting Whitebeard. Jimbei is also immensely loyal, and he keeps his oath at any cost. When the Sun Pirates were holding back the members of the Big Mom Pirates, Jimbei refused to abandon them. Instead, he fought alongside them in order to allow the Straw Hats to escape from Totto Land.