One Piece: Every Older Generation Character Stronger Than Gear 5 Luffy, Ranked

Gear 5 completely changed Luffy’s place in the One Piece world. After defeating Kaido in the Wano Arc, he finally proved that he belongs among the strongest pirates alive. But even with the power of the Sun God Nika, Luffy probably hasn’t reached the very top just yet.

One Piece is full of legendary fighters from the older generation who made history long before Luffy set sail. Some ruled the seas with unbelievable Haki, while others still have powers that the current generation can only dream of matching. Here are seven older-generation characters who are probably still stronger than Gear 5 Luffy.

Series Title	One Piece
Manga Author	Eiichiro Oda
Anime Rating (MAL)	8.73/10
Manga Rating (MAL)	9.21/10

7 Prime Sengoku Had the Power to Challenge Roger

Prime Sengoku is one of those characters whose strength is easy to overlook because Eiichiro Oda has never fully shown him in action. Even so, Roger himself once said the Marines should bring Garp or Sengoku if they wanted to capture him. That alone puts Sengoku in very rare company.

Unlike Garp, Sengoku doesn’t have many on-panel feats from his prime, which is why he starts this list at No. 7. Still, with his Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, top-level Haki, and years of experience leading the Marines, he probably had enough power to push Gear 5 Luffy to his absolute limit.

6 Prime Garp Could Overpower Gear 5 Luffy

Garp reached the top without a Devil Fruit. He built his reputation with nothing but monstrous strength and incredible Haki, becoming one of the few people Roger truly respected. Their rivalry lasted for years before they eventually fought together during the God Valley Incident against Rocks D. Xebec.

The Egghead Arc reminded everyone why Garp is called the Hero of the Marines. Even in his old age, attacks like Galaxy Impact destroyed huge parts of Hachinosu. That makes it easy to imagine how terrifying he was in his prime. What gives Garp the edge over Sengoku is that we’ve actually seen his overwhelming power, even decades after his best years.

5 Prime Whitebeard Was a Force of Nature

Whitebeard wasn’t called the World’s Strongest Man for nothing. During Kozuki Oden’s flashback, he clashed evenly with Roger, splitting the sky with nothing more than their Haki. On top of that, he possessed the Gura Gura no Mi, one of the strongest Devil Fruits in the entire series.

Marineford proved that even an old and sick Whitebeard could still threaten the whole world. His younger self was on another level altogether. Unlike Garp, Whitebeard combined legendary Haki with unmatched destructive power, making him just a little more dangerous in a one-on-one fight, which is why we are putting him at the 5th position.

4 Roger Reached the Top With Haki Alone

Roger conquered the Grand Line without ever relying on a Devil Fruit. Every victory came from his incredible Haki, swordsmanship, and fearless spirit. Even years after his death, he remains the standard every pirate dreams of reaching.

Whitebeard may have matched Roger blow for blow, but Roger became the Pirate King through Haki alone. Kaido later repeated this idea during his final battle with Luffy in Wano, saying that Haki is what truly conquers the seas. Until Luffy reaches that same level, Roger probably still has the advantage.

3 Rocks D. Xebec Needed Roger and Garp

Rocks D. Xebec led monsters like Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and Shiki, yet none of them stood above him. If that crew followed Rocks, his strength must have been truly unbelievable.

Roger sits just below him for one simple reason. The God Valley Incident wasn’t a battle Roger could win alone. It took both Roger and Garp fighting together to finally stop Rocks, making him one of the most dangerous pirates in One Piece history.

2 Joy Boy’s Haki Is Still on Another Level

One Piece shows that Luffy now shares the same Devil Fruit as Joy Boy, but that doesn’t mean he has reached the same level. In Chapter 1188 of One Piece, when confronting Gear 5 Luffy, Imu says something shocking: “Joy Boy was not this weak”, and these words become one of the biggest reveals in the Final Saga.

As the sole ruler who directly waged war against the Ancient Kingdom and fought Joy Boy 800 years ago, Imu is the single most qualified judge of Joy Boy’s true combat capability. This confirms that Luffy’s Gear 5 in its present form has not yet unlocked the full depth of the Sun God persona or the requisite Haki abilities needed to challenge the absolute top tier.

The Egghead Arc also gave fans the biggest reminder of that when Emeth released Joy Boy’s Haki after carrying it for more than 800 years. That single burst of Conqueror’s Haki instantly dismissed the Five Elders’ summoned forms and sent them back to Mariejois. No one else has shown Haki on that level. Luffy’s Haki is already among the best in the world, but moments like this show he still has another level to reach. Even Roger’s greatest feats haven’t matched that display, which is why Joy Boy deserves the No. 2 spot.

1 Imu Is the Strongest Threat in One Piece

Every new chapter of the Final Saga makes Imu look more terrifying than the last. The recent Elbaf chapters have revealed frightening new abilities, from overwhelming top-tier fighters to displaying mysterious powers that don’t seem to follow the normal rules of Devil Fruits or Haki.

In Chapter 1188 and 1189, Luffy activates Gear 5 and confronts Imu while revealing the new genie form. However, even with all that, Luffy’s powers were not enough to stop Imu. Instead, Imu used his mysterious abilities along with the Blade of Nothingness – Bohu and totally overpowered Luffy.

A flashback in Chapter 1189 of One Piece showed Red-Haired Shanks warning Prince Loki about Imu. Shanks explicitly called Imu the secret “King of the World” and warned that Imu’s true strength is “beyond measurement”.

What makes Imu even scarier is how the story keeps connecting them to Joy Boy. Recent chapters make it clear that Luffy still hasn’t become the Joy Boy Imu remembers. Until the future Pirate King closes that gap, it’s hard to put anyone above the ruler of the world.

Here is a quick overview of all the characters we have discussed above –

RankCharacter

1	Imu
2	Joy Boy
3	Rocks D. Xebec
4	Gol D. Roger
5	Prime Whitebeard
6	Prime Garp
7	Prime Sengoku

Now the big question: Which older-generation One Piece character do you think would give Gear 5 Luffy the toughest fight? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

One Piece anime is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.