One Piece: 10 Best Rivalries From The Old Pirate Generations

It’s weird thinking that once Monkey D. Luffy’s journey ends, there will still be so much of the story that the fans haven’t seen. In terms of One Piece‘s narrative, only so much is being said and revealed within the immediate story. While fans are captivated with every discovery and rivalry from the Straw Hat Pirates, there is so much that has happened within its past.

Whether it’s the mysterious Void Century, the adventures of Mont Blanc Noland, or even how “Red Haired” Shanks found his crew, there is so much captivating history within One Piece‘s narrative; and as exciting as it is to see the Worst Generation scramble for pirate supremacy, that also means that some of the series’ best rivalries are from the old, pirate generations.

10 Roger & Garp

Before Smoker or Akainu tried to hunt down Luffy, the most famous rivalry between pirates and Marines was between Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp. Garp may not seem like the stern visage of justice that the rest of the Marines try to look like, but he’s still a focused and vicious fighter when he wants to be; and when it came to Roger, he was famous for hunting the Pirate King to the ends of the planet.

However, there isn’t just heat between these two. Roger and Garp likely trusted and respected each other more than anyone else, and this is evident in both their team-up against the Rocks Pirates and Roger trusting Garp with his son.

9 Crocodile & Whitebeard

There’s not much known between the old feud (if it was even that) between Sir Crocodile and Whitebeard; but given Crocodile’s determination to get at Whitebeard’s head during the Paramount War and his mysterious exchange with Emporio Ivankov, there’s a lot of speculation behind it and what exactly has gone down in Crocodile’s past.

At most, the fans know that Whitebeard gave Crocodile a humiliating defeat during Crocodile’s early pirate career. Much like his plan on Alabasta, Crocodile had likely been waiting and planning for some time to take his strike against Whitebeard. When Newgate eventually did die, Crocodile felt vindicated and ready to begin his pirate career anew.

8 Shanks & Blackbeard

It’s weird knowing that Marshall D. Teach is the main villain of the franchise, yet there’s still so much that the fans don’t know about his life or plans. It’s that ambiguity and his ruthlessness that make his rivalry with Shanks all the more tantalizing.

Shanks is one of the strongest pirates in the world; yet in his early years, he suffered his iconic scar at Blackbeard’s hands. That altercation apparently had a lot to it given that Shanks tried to warn Whitebeard about him after Blackbeard defected from Whitebeard’s crew. The two even tease a grand battle during the Paramount War, hopefully setting one of the most action-packed battles in the series.

7 Brogy & Dorry

Brogy and Dorry were the first giants to ever appear in the story, and they’re somehow the most important ones in the world. As the co-captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, Brogy and Dorry became infamous across the world and were central, cultural figures back on Elbaf.

However, because one little girl had to egg them on, Brogy and Dorry have been locked in an eternal fight to decide who’s strongest, forcing the Giant Warrior Pirates to temporarily disband. They have apparently been fighting every day for more than a century, and neither one has let up (as far as fans know now), making this one of the longest and most storied feuds in the series.

6 Roger & Shiki

For those who don’t watch the One Piece movies or have read One Piece Chapter 0, Shiki the Golden Lion was an old rival of Roger whose feud with him helped propel Roger to Pirate King status. Before there was the Worst Generation or even the Four Emperors, the toughest pirates in the sea included Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki.

Shiki had apparently been trying to team up with Roger for some time; and after Roger’s constant refusals, the two engaged in the Battle of Edd War, presumably the biggest battle in One Piece until the Marineford Saga. Shiki apparently looked up to Roger so much that his execution inspired him to escape Impel Down (the first guy to ever do it) and plot to destroy the entire East Blue.

5 Roger & Douglas Bullet

Douglas Bullet is the most recent villain to come out of the One Piece movies. He was a soldier that was trained by the trains but grew too wild and unruly for even them. He challenged Roger to a fight during his younger years and lost for the first time, encouraging him to keep trying time and again.

After repeated losses, Bullet grew to admire Roger and joined his crew with the hope of one day surpassing his captain. When Roger’s illness started really affecting him, Bullet challenged him one last time and still lost. Years after his captain’s execution, Douglas Bullet set out to claim the title of Pirate King for himself by challenging both the Worst Generation and the Marines to one, big fight.

4 Gecko Moria & Kaido

The entirety of one of One Piece‘s weirdest arcs, Thriller Bark Arc is, in so many ways, due to Gecko Moria’s feud with the King of Beasts, Kaido. During Gecko Moria’s early, pirating career, he apparently crossed paths with Kaido. He not only suffered a humiliating loss but lost his entire crew. His grief and humiliation inspired Gecko Moria to form his undead army in hopes of having a crew strong enough to defeat the Animal Kingdom Pirates.

While it was fun to see Luffy’s crew defeat the Thriller Bark Pirates and free the souls of their victims, it’s a little disappointing to think that fans will now never get to see a grand battle between Moria’s zombies and Kaido’s army of half-animal soldiers.

3 Shanks & Hawkeye

Shanks doesn’t get enough attention today for being a candidate for World’s Greatest Swordsmen. While this is due to an obvious impairment, his status as Emperor and ability to ward off Kaido during the Paramount War should more than tell people that he’s probably still handy with a sword.

Long before he became an Emperor or even met Luffy, he was apparently a heated rival with the current greatest swordsmen, Hawkeye Mihawk, who’s currently being hunted by and defeating challengers from all over the world. There may likely never be another fight between these two eventual friends; but if Oda is a benevolent writer, he’ll hopefully give fans a taste of what the duels between these two must’ve been like.

2 Kaido & Big Mom

Long before Kaido and Big Mom decided to make life significantly harder for the Straw Hats and samurai and technically just a little before that, Kaido and Big Mom were pirating rivals who have been feuding since their days in the Rocks Pirates.

After Rocks D. Xebec was defeated and the crew disbanded, Kaido and Big Mom independently rose up to be the two most wanted pirates in the world, but their rivalry would continue and force them to respect each other’s territories, though the two were likely hoping to stock enough firepower to take the other out. Their current alliance now is just a means of getting rid of the competition while waiting out the eventual final fight between themselves.

1 Roger & Whitebeard

Before Luffy and Blackbeard, before Kaido and Big Mom, the biggest rivalry in the pirating world was between the future King of the Pirates and the World’s Strongest Man. The rivalry between Roger and Whitebeard was a friendly one, but it commanded a lot of power, fear, and intensity between two essential gods of the pirating world.

It’s fortunate for the World Government that these two never collaborated to take over the world because they’d likely be able to do so. However, they wouldn’t be the legends they were if they didn’t each seek to climb their own mountain or, better yet, push the other off to collect their treasure.