Summary
The Yonko have always been at the coreofOne Piece. These are the four strongest planets that ruled the New World like absolute Kings. In fact, not even then Marines dare to mess with the business of the Yonko, which just goes to show how frightening they truly are. Over the years, the order of the Yonko has changed significantly inOne Piece.
At the beginning of the story, the Yonko were made up of Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, and Shanks. Since then, this order has changed considerably, and the one that fans see active in the story currently, consisting of buggy, Luffy, Shanks, and Blackbeard is certainly stronger than ever before, and there is a good reason for it.
The Difference In Commanders Of The Old And New Yonko
When it comes to the Yonko’s crew, fans know that a big element of these powerful pirate crews is the commanders they have under them. Any Yonko needs to have significantly capable pirates within their ranks, and for one to become the Pirate King, their level must be even higher. The fact is, in the current Yonko order, all of them are serious contenders for theOne Piece. Meanwhile, the likes of Big Mom and Kaido were Yonko for years upon years and never actually managed to get even close to this treasure. The same could be said for the likes of Shanks, but fans know that he was sitting out on purpose, and that if he did actually get to work, things would be much different.
These pirates rule the seas like kings! – Garp
Regardless, coming back to the topic at hand, the power level of Commanders has significantly grown within the ranks of the Yonko ever since the beginning of the series. At the beginning of the series, the strongest first commanders that fans had at their disposal were Marco, King, katakuri, and Ben Beckman. It is clear for the fans to see that these are four powerful individuals, however, their level of strength, while incredibly impressive, is not even close to that of the current Yonko commanders. This is something that Oda has highlighted time and again in One Piece, and despite that, it might have flown under the noses of the fans.
For instance, the current the Yonko Commanders are all made up of Yonko level individuals or, they are made up of characters who will go on to reach Yonko levels in the future of the story. This is what sets them apart from the former Commanders. The current Yonko commanders are made up of Zoro, Kuzan, Dracule Mihawk, and Ben Beckman. These are four powerful fighters, and all of them are all likely close to the level of a Yonko. The only one here whose level of strength might not be close to a Yonko is Ben Beckman, but, at the same time, he mirrors Rayleigh in many ways. As fans know, Rayleigh was the Dark King and a legendary figure that Garp compared to Whitebeard. Beckman and Rayleigh hold the same position in their crews, and as such, it is clear for the fans to see that he will most likely be close tothe level as a Yonko as well, which means at the current order of the Yonko is, overall, much higher.
Don’t you know us Yonko will have to tear each other to shreds if we are to claim the One Piece? – Blackbeard
The fact that the right-hand men are close to the level of the Yonko themselves means the difference between a Yonko and their right hand has never been this close. Of course, out of these men, Zoro is clearly the weakest and, in terms of average strength, he isn’t that far off from an old Yonko commander. But, Zoro has the potential to go even higher, and come the end of the series, he will be as strong as the Yonko themselves, which is what truly matters.
The Current Levels Of The Yonko In One Piece
The Yonko Are Incredibly Powerful Right Now
Just as the level of the Yonko Commanders has gotten higher over the years in One Piece,so has the level of the Yonko themselves. Now, a similar case cannot be made for the Yonko because fans knew for a fact the former order included the Yonko Whitebeard.
Fans know that Whitebeard was, at the peak of his strength, an equal to Roger. But, at the same time, it must also be remembered that Whitebeard was old and dying when fans saw him as a part of the Four Emperors, and he certainly wasn’t anywhere close to his prime levels. As such, once again, it can clearly be stated that the current order of the Yonko is significantly stronger overall than the former order, with the exception of Buggy, of course.
Shanks, Blackbeard, and Luffy are all stronger than the previous order of the Yonko, which include Kaido, Big Mom, and Whitebeard. Now, fans might not want to believe that Blackbeard and Luffy are a significant level of threat or on the same level as the likes of Kaido or Whitebeard, but, the fact is that Oda is building Blackbeard to be the ultimate villain in One Piece, and someone powerful enough to rival Luffy for the title of the Pirate King. Luffy has to face stronger challenges, and the fact is that he has already beaten someone as strong as Kaido. Meanwhile, Blackbeard has to be at a level higher. Luffy himself has not reached a pinnacle of strength, and fans know for a fact that he has to reach similar levels to Joy Boy, which fans know to be much higher than that of any Yonko.
Shanks, on the other hand, cannot be equated to the previous version of himself, because only now is he seriously fighting for the One Piece and before that, his level of strength was hidden. This is another clear implication of the fact that the current level of the Yonko is much higher. Essentially, what this means is that the Yonko have gotten stronger and the first commanders have as well. In fact, the entire Yonko crews in One Piece have gotten significantly stronger, and that is what is needed of them if they are to truly go and claim the One Piece. For instance, the likes of Sanjiin the Strawhat Piratesare likely going to get close to reaching Yonko level at the end of One Piece.
How The Current Yonko’s Strength Went Higher
The Quest For One Piece Made The Yonko Stronger
There is a very simple reason for whythe strength of the current Yonkowent a tier higher. The fact is that these Yonko need to be significantly stronger if they are to truly go and claim the One Piece. The Yonko that existed previously were very strong, but they were never any closer to getting the One Piece. Now, however, especially after Vegapunk’s message, everything is on the line. The battle for the One Piece has now truly begun, and only the strongest can survive in this era. Blackbeard claimed himself inOne Piecechapter 1126 that the Yonko will have to rip each other to shreds if they are to claim theOne Piece, and that is precisely why their level needs to be higher than ever before.
What A monstrous showing of Haki! Who was that? – Jinbe
Blackbeard will be at his very best soon, while Luffy continues to grow stronger and stronger despite having already beaten Kaido. Shanks is a monster whose true strength hasn’t even been revealed and fans know will be close to the likes of Roger, or potentially even higher. And finally, there is Buggy, who readers know to be incredibly weak and an outlier here, but he could still go on to shock the fans at some point later down the line.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and theManga Plusapp. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1126, is set to be Jun 11, 2025.
