One Piece: Oda Reveals The Four Strongest Pirates Before The Great Pirate Era

The Great Pirate Era is the most important time period in One Piece after the Void Century. This is the era in which Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates set sail along with thousands of other pirates in search of the One Piece in order to conquer the seas. While the Great Pirate Era is the highlight of One Piece, it is also clear that the era that existed before this time period was very important in shaping the world the way it is now. Before the Great Pirate Era, the legendary figures of the One Piece World laid their mark on it.

The ongoing flashback of One Piece in the Elbaf Arc is focusing extensively on these powerful Pirates. In One Piece chapter 1167, Oda explicitly confirms the four most powerful pirates that existed long before the Great Pirate Era began, and they are comprised of Roger, Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom.

Roger, Whitebeard, Big Mom, And Kaido Became The Strongest Pirates Before The Great Pirate Era

When it comes to the four most powerful pirates that existed before the Great Pirate Era, Roger and Whitebeard are always at the forefront of things. Fans know Roger to be the absolute peak of what a pirate should be like and he possessed strength the likes of which could not be rivaled by many. In fact, the only pirate rival of Roger in the entirety of his time on the sea was Whitebeard.

Even for Whitebeard, rivaling Roger was considered to be a big achievement, and that just goes to show how strong Roger truly was, despite actually being sick. Whitebeard, on the other hand, was just as strong, feared just like the Pirate King.

After these two, however, fans were often confused as to who the strongest pirates truly were. Now, in One Piece chapter 1167, Oda has put it beyond any doubt that Kaido and Big Mom were the two strongest pirates alongside Roger and Whitebeard during this era. This means that these two were even stronger than Shiki or Silver Axe during this time period. Kaido continued to grow in terms of strength and eventually took over Wano Country. Similarly, Big Mom created her own empire and established Totland, one of the most fearsome countries in the whole world.

Roger Became The Pirate King

Out of these four pirates, Roger was the one who conquered the most and became the Pirate King. He was the only one who managed to complete the circumnavigation of the entire globe, and that set him apart from the others, making him the Pirate King. To this day, no pirate has ever achieved what Roger did and for that, as well as his strength, Roger is the greatest pirate to ever exist. Even Whitebeard can’t match Roger in this aspect.

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A New Generation Of Yonko Came After Roger’s Death

Right now in the story, all four of these former pirates have fallen in one way or another. Roger was executed, Whitebeard died in the Paramount War, while Kaido and Big Mom fell in the Wano Country Arc. Now, a new generation of Yonko is upon the fans. The current Yonko are made up of Luffy, Shanks, Blackbeard, and Buggy.

Of course, they have yet to put their mark on the era, but with each passing chapter, they are establishing their dominance on the current age. Fans will most definitely get to see why they were chosen as the Yonko of this era, and it will certainly be exciting to see Oda show the fans their achievements as time passes.

Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece will be featured in this week’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1167 is November 30, 2025. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday, which is 11:00 AM EST, or 8:00 AM PT. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump apps.