Highlights

• Akainu, the Fleet Admiral, gained his position by defeating Aokiji in a brutal duel, and now has the power to impose draconian laws and change the world of One Piece.
• There are not many One Piece characters who can match up to Akainu's strength and feats, making him a formidable opponent in battles.
• While there are characters like St. Figarland Garling, Imu, St. Jaygarcia Saturn, Kaido, Monkey D. Luffy, and Monkey D. Garp who may have the potential to challenge Akainu

Akainu is the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, a position that he gained after winning a gruesome duel against his fellow Admiral, Aokiji. The fight between the two was so intense that it evenly split the climate of Punk Hazard. As the new Fleet Admiral, Akainu has the opportunity to impose draconian laws on the Marines and change the world of One Piece.

Akainu hasn't shown his new powers, but it would be preposterous to assume that he must have become more powerful now. Given his status and his feats in the Summit War, there are not many One Piece characters who can stand their ground in a fight against the Fleet Admiral.

Updated on March 21, 2023, by Suzail Ahmad: Since the time-skip, Akainu's screen time has gone down significantly, but there is no reason to be worried. Akainu is the Fleet Admiral, which means he is one of the final villains that Luffy and his group will fight, so it makes sense to keep him away from the spotlight. As the story progresses, fans will get to see Akainu in action regularly. For now, the fiery leader of the Marines has too much on his plate, so he can't leave the headquarters to catch some pirates. Akainu possesses​​​​ an incredible amount of power​​, and there are not many characters who can successfully defend themselves from his attacks. However, the Final Saga of One Piece has revealed some individuals who can beat Akainu in a fight.

14 Sengoku

Former Fleet Admiral Of The Marines

Sengoku was in charge of the Marines for a long period of time. Under his guidance, the Marines achieved many great things. Sengoku's leadership was put on display in the Summit War, where he successfully defeated the Whitebeard Pirates.

He is not callous like Akainu, but Sengoku is very close to him in terms of strength. The former Fleet Admiral possesses the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu, a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit that allows him to transform into the Golden Buddha. In his transformed state, Sengoku can emit shockwaves from his hand that are strong enough to nullify attacks from the Gura Gura no Mi. Sengoku is an experienced fighter, so he would have no problem facing someone like Akainu in battle.

13 Silvers Rayleigh

Master Of All Three Types Of Haki

Silvers Rayleigh was the right-hand man of Gol D. Roger. Roger and Rayleigh were very close; in fact, Rayleigh was the first person to join the would-be Pirate King on his adventure. Just like his captain, Rayleigh is considered one of the most powerful pirates of his era.

Rayleigh does not possess any Devil Fruit ability; instead, he relies completely on his Haki. He has control over all three types of Haki, and he can use the advanced version of at least two of them. Even in his old age, Rayleigh managed to stop and injure Kizaru, one of the three Navy Admirals. Furthermore, his presence was enough to scare Blackbeard and force him to leave Boa Hancock alone. The fight between Rayleigh and Akainu would be close, but the Dark King is likely to emerge as the winner.

12 Big Mom

As Strong As Kaido

Big Mom was a Yonko who ruled Totto Land along with her children. She was an extremely ruthless person who would kill her own children when enraged. In terms of strength, Big Mom was equal to Kaido, and this is supported by the fact that they fought for several days without there being a winner.

Big Mom possessed the Soru Soru no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allowed her to steal the souls of other people. She used its power to create powerful homies who would serve her loyally. If Big Mom ever fought Akainu, the Yonko would easily defeat the Marine.

11 Shiki

Roger's Rival

Shiki used to be a member of the Rocks Pirates before starting his own crew. He was involved in the God Valley Incident, where he competed against some of the biggest names in the One Piece world.

Shiki ate the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, which enabled him to levitate himself and inanimate objects. While the power may not be flashy, it was indubitably strong. The combination of his Devil Fruit and physical abilities was enough to fight Garp and Sengoku at the same time. While fighting, Shiki destroyed a good chunk of Marineford and injured Garp severely. Given his feats, it is obvious that Shiki can defeat Akainu.

10 St. Figarland Garling

Extraordinary Swordsman

St. Figarland Garling is the leader of the God Knights, who are responsible for maintaining law and order in Marijoa. He was involved in the God Valley Incident, in which the Rocks Pirates were defeated.

St. Figarland Garling wields a sword, which implies he is a talented swordsman. In addition to his physical strength, he also has a great deal of authority. St. Figarland Garling was able to execute Donquixote Myosgard because of his actions against a fellow Celestial Dragon.

9 Imu

Ruler Of The World

Imu is the sovereign of the World Government. They belong to the Nerona Family, which is one of the twenty founding families of the World Government. Imu is a ruthless individual who only cares about protecting their image.

Imu also seems to be in possession of an unnamed Devil Fruit. Considering they are the most important person in the World Government, it is safe to assume that their Devil Fruit is extremely powerful. Akainu does not know about Imu's existence, so a showdown between them seems unlikely. However, Imu would emerge on top if the fight did occur.

8 St. Jaygarcia Saturn

One Of The Five Elders

St. Jaygarcia Saturn is one of the Five Elders and the Godhead of Science and Defense. He is one of the primary antagonists of the Egghead arc. St. Jaygarcia Saturn arrived on the island with the mission to exterminate Dr. Vegapunk.

It is highly likely that he possesses a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit that allows him to transform into a spider Oni hybrid. Aside from granting him ridiculous strength, the Devil Fruit also grants him increased recovery and stamina.

7 Kaido

Strongest Creature In The World

Kaido is a former member of the Rocks Pirates. After the God Valley Incident, he started his own crew and became a famous pirate. Eventually, Kaido was named among the Yonko.

Kaido possesses the Uo Uo no Mi, Model Seiryu, a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit. With its power, he could turn into an enormous azure dragon capable of destroying an entire town with ease. There is a great chance that Kaido and Akainu may have clashed in the past, considering the former's reckless nature.

6 Monkey D. Luffy

Armed With Nika's Power

Monkey D. Luffy is the youngest pirate to be named one of the Yonko, a position that he gained after his exploits in the Wano Country arc. The arc was important to Luffy's development, both as a character and a fighter. Since the Punk Hazard arc, Luffy's only goal was to take down Kaido so that he could free Wano from his terror, and he finally managed to achieve this goal in Wano.

Presently, Luffy is able to use all three advanced versions of Haki, which is extremely rare, and only a few characters have shown such refined control over their Haki. In addition to his Haki, Luffy also has the power of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, which increases his strength by several folds. Luffy has an unsettled score with Akainu, as the latter was responsible for the death of Ace, so they might face each other in the future.

5 Shanks

Haki Monster

Shanks is the leader of the Red Hair Pirates and arguably the strongest character in the series at the moment. He has clashed against other characters, albeit most of them have either been off-screen or they have never escalated into a proper fight.

Shanks is a Haki specialist, and his burst of Conqueror's Haki managed to scare Admiral Ryokugyu. The Admiral admitted that he did not want to face someone so powerful and left. Shanks and Akainu have clashed in the past, but Akainu was only an Admiral, and he was aware that he stood no chance against Shanks. Needless to say, Shanks is still comfortably stronger than him.

4 Blackbeard

Has Two Devil Fruits

Blackbeard rose to fame in the Summit War as he managed to steal the Gura Gura no Mi, which belonged to Whitebeard. After gaining the Gura Gura no Mi, Blackbeard became the first person with two devil fruits. He tested the power of the Gura Gura no Mi at Marineford by launching attacks at the Marine HQ. The attacks damaged the buildings even more, which forced the Navy to change its base of operations.

Blackbeard fought against Marco in the Payback War, which he managed to win, thus earning a spot in the Yonko. Blackbeard had an opportunity to fight against Akainu while negotiating the relinquishment of Bonney, but the Yonko decided it was better to retreat. There is no doubt that after the time-skip, Blackbeard has become much more powerful, and he can defeat Akainu without any problems.

3 Monkey D. Dragon

Worst Criminal In The World

Monkey D. Dragon is the leader of the Revolutionary Army. It is unclear why Dragon started his rebellion against the World Government, which made him their worst enemy. Unsurprisingly, Dragon amassed a huge following in a short period of time. The World Government has tried everything in its power to capture but all to no avail.

Dragon's strength is unknown, although, considering the fact that he has people like Sabo, Koala, Karasu, etc., working under him, it is reasonable to surmise that he is very strong. With One Piece heading into the final saga, it won't be long before he gets an opportunity to show what he is capable of. A showdown between Akainu and Dragon remains unlikely, but it would be foolish to rule it out completely.

2 Dracule Mihawk

Strongest Swordsman In The World

A person with the epithet of the "World's Strongest Swordsman" should not be taken lightly, especially when that special someone has fought against Shanks in the past. With his strength, Dracule Mihawk has earned the respect of his foes. The Marines are aware of his threat as he used to hunt them in the past, and after joining the Cross Guild, they put a bounty of 3,596,000,000 berries on him.

Mihawk is yet to be involved in a serious fight in the series, but the fact that he managed to remain unscathed during the Summit War is rather impressive. A single slash from his sword is able to slice a giant iceberg into two, which suggests that he possesses a lot of destructive power. Now that Mihawk is once again a normal pirate, it is possible that he will start hunting Marines again, and he might even go after their leader, Akainu.

1 Monkey D. Garp

Hero Of The Marines

Monkey D. Garp might only be a Navy Vice-Admiral, but he is known as the "Hero of the Marines" because of his feats in the past. Garp allied with Roger and took down Rocks D. Xebec on God Valley. In his prime, Garp was able to flatten Chinjao's head with just a single punch.

By coating his fists with Haki, Garp was able to demolish mountains with ease, which is a very impressive Haki feat. Even though he is past his prime, Garp has shown that he could injure Marco. He was also confident that he could have killed Akainu at Marineford. So, it would be fair to presume that Garp can still take down the current Fleet Admiral.