Every Warlord of the Sea in One Piece, Ranked Worst to Best

In the One Piece anime and manga universe, the Warlord of the Sea, or the Shichibukai, has been a major part of the narrative and held the benchmark position of the best and most terrifying pirates in the series. However, not everyone in them was strong and competent, despite being an elite faction.

If you are wondering who the best Warlord was, this list should clear things up for you. Here are all the Warlords of the Sea from One Piece, ranked from worst to best based on their reign, influence, and power.

TITLE	One Piece
CREATOR	Eiichiro Oda
RELEASE DATE	October 20, 1999
IMDb RATING (As of May 10, 2026)	9/10
WHERE TO WATCH	Crunchyroll

11 Gecko Moria – The Most Underwhelming Warlord in the Series

Among all the Warlords of the Sea, Gecko Moria is probably one of the most underwhelming, partly because the entire Triller Bark Arc looked so weird. Despite having an amazing Devil Fruit, the Kage Kage no Mi (Shadow-Shadow Fruit), he barely showed any of its true, terrifying potential.

Unfortunately, his laziness and overreliance on zombies made him feel underwhelming compared to the monsters around him. What makes him even worse is that even after years of preparation in Thriller Bark, he still lost badly to pre-timeskip Luffy.

10 Buggy – A Recurring Funny Gag Character of the Series

This one shouldn’t really come off as a shock to anyone: Buggy as a Warlord of the Sea is as comedic as the One Piece series gets. His Warlord status was essentially a gag that was swiftly overtaken by a bigger comedic gag when Buggy became a Yonko.

His reputation snowballed entirely because of misunderstandings, luck, and the chaos of Impel Down and Marineford. While he’s undeniably entertaining and now one of the most influential figures in the world, he never truly earned the title through strength or leadership during his time as a Warlord; he will never stack up to characters like Doflamingo and Mihawk.

9 Edward Weevil – The Self-Proclaimed Son of Whitebeard

The self-proclaimed son of the legendary Yonko Whitebeard, Edward Weevil, assumed the mantle as the final Warlord introduced before the system was abolished. Weevil possesses immense power, causing significant destruction, and he wiped out several allied pirate groups of Whitebeard in search of his fortune. Even Admiral Kizaru mentioned that Weevil’s strength is comparable to Whitebeard’s when he was young.

However, he barely had any meaningful screen time before the Warlord system was abolished – and that is the sole reason why his character never reached the same narrative weight or emotional impact as the others.

8 Sir Crocodile – The First Truly Powerful Villain of One Piece

Sir Crocodile isn’t just a name that hits us as we mention the former Warlord of the Sea; he’s a nostalgia factor, being one of the very first powerful villains in the series during the Alabasta Arc. His control over Baroque Works, manipulation of Alabasta, and mastery of the Suna Suna no Mi (Sand-Sand Fruit) made him terrifying early on.

The only reason Sir Crocodile is so down on this list is that other Warlords outshine him in power, influence, and complexity. However, it’s worth mentioning that his redemption during the Marineford Arc was truly satisfying.

7 Bartholomew Kuma – The Tyrant With a Devastating Story

Bartholomew Kuma has always been one of the driving forces behind the One Piece narrative, and very recently, he went from a silent government weapon to one of the most tragic characters in the entire story. His Nikyu Nikyu no Mi (Paw-Paw Fruit), even without awakening, is absurdly versatile, capable of repelling attacks, people, pain, and even abstract concepts.

While he played the role of a tyrant, bouncing between the Revolutionary Army and the World Government quite intriguingly, his backstory exploration during the Egghead Island Arc was his peak. As far as characterization goes, he is one of the finest Oda has ever created.

6 Jinbe – The Powerful Fishman Who Joined the Straw Hat Pirates

Jinbe is the definition of honor among pirates – even as a Warlord, he had a stern sense of righteousness that eventually led him to turn on a good route. He stood against the World Government, rejected Big Mom’s intimidation, and protected Luffy through some of the darkest moments, eventually joining the Straw Hat Pirates as their helmsman.

Jinbe combines strength, wisdom, and emotional maturity better than almost any former Warlord, and it shows as he guides Luffy and the rest of the crew through some tough situations with his quick thinking and wise demeanor.

5 Donquixote Doflamingo – The Warlord Who Subjugated Dressrosa

Doflamingo was the perfect embodiment of corruption within the Warlord system – ruling Dressrosa like a tyrant, manipulating the underworld, running one of the darkest businesses in the anime, and having direct influence over world politics. What makes him so iconic is just how cruel, evil, and at the same time, charismatic he was.

Even after the abolishment of the Warlord system and his landing in Impel Down after being defeated by Luffy, Doflamingo continues to influence the narrative from the sidelines, particularly through the secrets he holds about the Celestial Dragons.

4 Trafalgar D. Law – The Worst Gen Pirate Who Delivered 100 Hearts

Trafalgar D. Law became a Shichibukai during the One Piece timeskip period after he delivered 100 pirate hearts to the World Government, following the Rocky Port incident, which also turned Koby into a Marine Hero. Arguably, Law gained more popularity than several Straw Hats during the post-timeskip era.

He was a major focus of the Dressrosa Arc that revealed both his phases of childhood happiness with Corazone and trauma with Doflamingo. Beyond just power, Law helped reshape the world balance by taking down Doflamingo and challenging the Yonko themselves.

3 Boa Hancock – The Proud Queen of the All-Women Amazon Lily

One of the reasons Hancock makes it to the third place is how balanced she is to the narrative; a rounded character who balances comedy, elegance, and overwhelming strength better than other Warlords. Despite often being reduced to her obsession with Luffy, she’s genuinely terrifying in combat, possessing all three forms of Haki and one of the deadliest Devil Fruits, the Mero Mero no Mi (Love-Love Fruit), in the world.

Her backstory as a former slave also gives her emotional depth that hits incredibly hard once revealed – a depth mirrored by Bartholomew Kuma on this list.

2 Dracule Mihawk – The Strongest Swordsman in the World in One Piece

There is no argument that Darcule Mihawk, the Strongest Swordsman in the World from One Piece, makes it number two on this list. Mihawk has maintained an unmatched aura since his very first appearance – the moment he slashed Zoro and became a massive part of his journey.

What makes Mihawk special is how effortless everything feels for him – from slicing ships apart to casually dueling legendary Yonko like Shanks. Even though Mihawk barely made it to the screen both before and after his tenure as a Warlord, he commands aura and respect whenever he does.

1 Blackbeard – The Former Evil Warlord Who Became an Emperor

Marshall D. Teach, popularly known as Blackbeard, is one of the darkest and most broken characters in the entire One Piece series. If his overpowered and broken Yami Yami no Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit) wasn’t enough, add in the Gura Gura no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit) into the mix, which he stole from Whitebeard’s body.

He secures this position as a Warlord by defeating and capturing Portgas D. Ace, handing him over to the World Government to fill the vacancy left by Crocodile. However, this was just a ploy as Blackbeard used this new status to infiltrate Impel Down and recruit Level 6 prisoners before abandoning the title.

RANKING	WARLORD OF THE SEA
1	Blackbeard
2	Dracule Mihawk
3	Boa Hancock
4	Trafalgar D. Law
5	Donquixote Doflamingo
6	Jinbe
7	Bartholomew Kuma
8	Sir Crocodile
9	Edward Weevil
10	Buggy
11	Gecko Moria

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The One Piece anime series is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.