Highlights
- Non-Devil Fruit users in One Piece can gain tremendous power through various means, such as Haki and martial arts techniques.
- Characters like Don Chinjao, Cavendish, and Denjiro prove that strength in the story doesn't solely rely on Devil Fruit abilities.
- Legendary figures like Ryuma and Gol D. Roger were among the strongest non-devil fruit users, showcasing their incredible skills with swords and Haki.
Devil Fruits are known to be the treasure of the sea in the One Piece world. They offer tremendous power to those who eat them but, in exchange, take their ability to swim forever.
One Piece: 15 Characters Who Deserve Higher Bounties
A character's bounty in One Piece is a great way of gauging how strong they are. Despite their track record, these pirates' bounties are way too low.Nonetheless, the Devil Fruits always make a person stronger than they were before eating them, making them an incredible power to have. While almost all the strongest characters in the story possess Devil Fruit powers, there are certain characters who have gained tremendous power without having to rely on this power whatsoever, known as the Non-Devil Fruit users in One Piece.
Updated on October 30, 2023, by Rei Penber: Devil Fruits are the primary power system of One Piece and it only makes sense that the strongest of One Piece characters make avid use of these mystical abilities. However, Oda has built such a world where Devil Fruits are not the only source of power. There are multiple ways to acquire tremendous power in One Piece and even those who do not possess these mystical fruits can reach great heights, even conquering the entire world if they really want to. Fans have seen quite a lot of powerful non-devil fruit users in One Piece over the years and while this list already goes over the vast majority of them, there are others who deserve a mention of their own. With that, this list has now been updated.
20 Don Chinjao
Power: Haki, Hasshoken
Chinjao was one of the strongest fighters in the One Piece world at one point. He had acquired an amount of 542 million berries and this bounty is active even today. Even though Don Chinjao does not have a Devil Fruit, he is still quite strong for most to take on in battle.
He could use three types of Haki to great perfection, although only the basic forms of them. His biggest strength lies in the usage of Hasshoken, a special martial art style that is incredibly difficult to block and can even penetrate the hardest of armors, because it is based on shockwaves. Chinjao could split a continent with his Drill and this just goes to show how mighty he truly was without ever relying on a Devil Fruit ability.
In his old age, he was still strong enough to push Luffy to the limits of his Gear Second and Gear Third forms. Had he been in his prime, he could certainly have pushed Luffy even to Gear Fourth, and that, once again, goes to show that he is quite an impressive fighter.
19 Cavendish
Power: Observation Haki, Armament Haki, Hakuba
Cavendish is most certainly the strongest member of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet and he has a bounty of 330 million berries on his head. He is still growing in terms of strength and he will one day reach admirable heights. However, even now, he is certainly one of the strongest swordsmen in the story. Cavendish does not have a Devil Fruit. Instead, he relies on his swordsmanship skills in battle and he also has an altar ego, called Hakuba, which manifests itself sometimes, making him even stronger.
Cavendish is one of the strongest non-devil fruit users in One Piece and the fact that the story is in the Final Saga right now only means that he has likely gotten that much stronger.
18 Denjiro
Power: Observation and Armament Haki
Denjiro was a member of the Nine Red Scabbards who is currently serving as a vassal to none other than Shogun Momonosuke. He possesses quite a lot of strength up his sleeve and his swordsmanship is refined too. He possesses great control over two types of Haki and he can also manifest an advanced form of Armament Haki.
Denjiro is quite strong, enough to wound even Kaido in combat. Even though he was not strong enough to significantly injure him, Denjiro still put up quite an admirable fight. Later on, he even crushed the likes of Orochi in a fight.
17 Jinbe Is The Straw Hats' Fourth Strongest
Power: Fishman Karate, Haki
The Helmsman of the Straw Hat Pirates, Jinbe is an extremely powerful fighter in the One Piece world who doesn't rely on any Devil Fruit power. Jinbe is a master of Fishman Karate and Merman Jujutsu and few are as good as him when it comes to this art. He is also a skilled user of Armament and Observation Haki. In the Onigashima section of the Wano Country arc, Jinbe fought Who's Who and defeated him rather easily. Jinbe still has a lot of room to grow and will eventually get stronger.
16 Inuarashi and Nekomamushi
Power: Ryuo, Sulong
Out of all the members of the Nine Red Scabbards, Inuarashi, and Nekomamushi are believed to be two of the strongest, thanks to their Sulong transformation. This transformation raises their power quite a lot during a full moon and makes them powerful enough to take down even Yonko Commanders.
One Piece: 6 Devil Fruits That Can Rival The Five Elders
These devil fruits can rival those of the five elders’ in One Piece.They are incredibly strong users of Haki without even relying on Sulong, however, when they go into this transformation, their powers are brought up multiple times. It goes without saying that these two powerful fighters are some of the strongest non-Devil Fruit users in One Piece. It must also be remembered that, currently, they are without a limb each. Inu lost his leg while Neko lost his arm. At full power, they could have been even stronger.
15 Vista Could Fight Mihawk
Power: Observation and Armament Haki
"Flower Sword" Vista is an incredibly powerful pirate who once worked as the Fifth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. He is known to have been the best swordsman of the crew and during the Marineford arc, he proved to be strong enough to take on even Dracule Mihawk in battle. Vista is extremely skilled with the sword and he is also a Haki user, as confirmed by Akainu himself. The fact that even Mihawk respects him just goes to show how skilled he really is.
14 Yasopp Is The Strongest Sniper
Power: Observation and Armament Haki
Usopp's father, Yasopp is a member of the Red-Hair Pirates and is one of Shanks' three strongest executives. Yasopp is a sniper whose skill can hardly be matched by others in the story. According to Brannew, Yasopp has made a name for himself individually as well and he boasts an incredibly high bounty too.
One Piece: 7 Things Zoro Learned During The Timeskip
Roronoa Zoro learned many skills during One Piece's Timeskip. Which of them proved the most useful?Although his true strength hasn't been seen so far, the fact that he is one of Shanks' strongest three certainly means that Yasopp is one of the very strongest non-Devil Fruit users in One Piece.
13 Lucky Roux Is A Powerful Executive
Power: Observation and Armament Haki
Another executive of Red-haired Shanks, Lucky Roux is an exceptionally powerful pirate who, just like Yasopp, is known to have made a name for himself in the world and also has a very high bounty on his head. Roux is certainly powerful and although his fighting style hasn't been seen yet, he deserves to be among the strongest One Piece characters. Roux was seen using a flintlock pistol in the very first arc of One Piece but his true style of fighting remains to be seen.
12 Sanji Is Stronger Than A Yonko Commander
Power: Lineage Factor Manipulation, Haki
Sanji is one of the two Wings of Monkey D. Luffy and one of the three strongest members of the Straw Hat Pirates. He possesses incredible strength and the best demonstration of that was provided to the fans in Wano Country.
Sanji possesses incredible hold on both Observation and Armament Haki, using which he could hold off both King and Queen for quite a while on Onigashima. Despite not using his Raid Suit, he is strong enough to overpower Queen's hybrid form and draw blood. At his full power, Sanji is certainly comparable to Kaido's strongest right-hand men.
11 Roronoa Zoro Defeated King The Wildfire
Power: Observation, Armament, and Conqueror's Haki
Just like Sanji, Zoro is Luffy's Wing who possesses tremendous power. As the swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates, he is extremely capable, as seen on when he managed to scar Kaido, although the wound itself didn't bother Kaido much.
Later, Zoro clashed against King the Wildfire and defeated him in combat. Zoro possesses great control over both Armament and Observation Haki. He also possesses the power to use Conqueror's Haki and coat his blades in it.
10 Scopper Gaban Is Roger's Former Left-Hand
Power: Observation and Armament Haki
Scopper Gaban is a former member of the Roger Pirates and was once known to be one of the two most trusted men of Gol D. Roger. Just as Rayleigh was the right-hand man of the Pirate King, Gaban was likely known to be the left-hand man. Being one of the strongest fighters under Roger, Gaban likely has a very high bounty that crosses a billion berri mark. In battle, he wielded two axes, as seen when the Roger Pirates took on the Whitebeard Pirates in Oden's flashback. In the anime, Gaban was strong enough to tie against Oden.
9 Ben Beckmann Is The Vice Captain Of The Red Hair Pirates
Power: Haki
Introduced in the very first arc of the story, Ben Beckmann is an extremely powerful pirate who is known to have a high bounty. Beckmann doesn't have any Devil Fruit power that the fan know of, meaning he relies solely on Haki during battle.
Unfortunately, his skill with this power hasn't been seen at all yet. In the future, Ben Beckmann will be focused on quite a lot and his true powers will be further highlighted by Eiichiro Oda.
8 Edward Weevil Possesses Strength Comparable To Young Whitebeard
Power: Observation and Armament Haki
Edward Weevil is one of the strongest pirates in the One Piece world. He was a member of the Shichibukai after the fall of Donquixote Doflamingo but shortly afterward, lost it during the Reverie.
11 Things The One Piece Anime Does Better Than The Manga
There are quite a few things that the One Piece anime does better than the manga. Here are some great examples.As a fighter, Weevil is incredibly skilled and according to Admiral Kizaru, his power is comparable to a younger Whitebeard, which makes him tremendously powerful. He was able to single-handedly wipe out 16 allies of the Whitebeard Pirates, which is just a tiny demonstration of his true strength.
7 Dracule Mihawk Is The World's Strongest Swordsman
Power: Observation and Armament Haki
Mihawk is one of the strongest people in the One Piece world currently, as is indicated from his title of the World's Strongest Swordsman. He wields one of the 12 Saijō Ō Wazamono swords, called Yoru, which is a Kokuto.
Mihawk possesses extremely great Armament and Observation Haki, as seen during Marineford. His true skill with a sword hasn't been seen yet, however, he is certainly close to the level of the Yonko of One Piece world.
6 Silvers Rayleigh Is A Legendary Figure
Power: Observation, Armament and Conqueror's Haki
Rayleigh was the right-hand man of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and held the position of the First Mate in the crew. Despite not having a Devil Fruit, Rayleigh was strong enough to take on the likes of Kizaru in battle, which is extremely impressive.
His skill with all three Haki types is nothing short of impressive. Despite being old, Kizaru couldn't capture him on Sabaody Archipelago and Garp suggested the Navy wasn't ready to take him on without preparations. In his prime days, he was likely much stronger than when he fought Kizaru.
5 Shimotsuki Ryuma
Power: Observation, Armament Haki
Undoubtedly, one of the strongest characters to have ever lived in the One Piece world, Ryuma is a legendary figure, by all means. He is known as the God of the Blade and, in Wano, he is hailed as one of the strongest to have ever existed. His legend of slaying a dragon is only one of the many legends that he has acquired over the years. Ryuma certainly did not have a Devil Fruit and all he had at his disposal was his mighty sword.
It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Ryuma would have been a swordsman comparable to the likes of Mihawk. Fans will likely get to see glimpses of this character in the future of One Piece, however, they certainly don't need that to confirm the fact that he was one of the strongest non-devil fruit users to ever exist.
4 Kozuki Oden Almost Defeated Kaido
Power: Observation, Armament and Conqueror's Haki
Oden was the Daimyo of Wano Country's Kuri region and the rightful heir to the position of Shogun. Ever since he was a kid, Oden possessed tremendous power and by the age of 11, he had already mastered the usage of both Ame no Habakiri and Enma, two of the strongest O Wazamono swords.
Oden possessed a great hold over all the Haki types, especially Ryou. He proved himself by fighting both Whitebeard and Roger, however, he reached his prime after returning to Wano as he was said to have grown several times stronger on his journey. Oden was able to fight Kaido on equal footing and almost kill him, which is an incredible feat.
3 Shanks Is An Emperor Of The Sea
Power: Observation, Armament and Conqueror's Haki
Red-Haired Shanks is one of the Yonko, which automatically makes him one of the four strongest One Piece characters alive currently. He is the captain of the Red Hair Pirates, leading which he has gained a bounty of 4,048,900,000 berries.
Shanks possesses all the Haki types and while his skill with them hasn't been properly revealed, it goes without saying that he holds great command over this power. Out of all the Haki types, Shanks' specialty is said to be Conqueror's Haki, which earned praise from even the legendary Whitebeard.
2 Garp Could Rival Gol D. Roger In Comba
Power: Observation, Armament and Conqueror's Haki
Garp is the strongest member of the Marines that the fans know of and he has earned the title of "The Hero of the Marines." He is extremely powerful and is especially known for his Armament Haki. Garp could fight Gol D. Roger and, according to the man himself, the two almost killed each other on countless occasions.
Together with Roger, Garp even defeated Rocks D. Xebec, which is an incredible feat. While old age certainly will have taken a toll on his body, in his prime, Garp is still among the strongest One Piece characters.
1 Gol D. Roger Was The Pirate King
Power: Observation, Armament and Conqueror's Haki
The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger is the strongest One Piece character and the only people who could match up to him in strength were Garp and Whitebeard. Roger possessed all three Haki and could use advanced forms of both Armament and Conqueror's Haki.
He was able to hold Whitebeard in a draw despite not having a Devil Fruit, on top of battling a deadly disease. Roger also wielded one of the Saijō Ō Wazamono swords, called Ace. It goes without saying that he was a pirate like no other.