Although Devil Fruits are the most well-known artifacts in the history of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece series, the swords in One Piece are almost as important due to the sheer number of excellent swordsmen in the series. One Piece swordsmen are some of the best swordsmen in the manga and anime world, not only because their skills far surpass those of a regular anime swordsman, but also because of the amazing techniques we've seen used over the years. This article is going to be dedicated to these great fighters as we bring you a ranked list of the 20 best swordsmen in One Piece.

20. Kawamatsu

As a gyojin, Kawamatsu is ten times stronger than a normal human, being even stronger underwater. Kawamatsu possesses superhuman strength and precision, being able to knock down one of the prison guards simply by shooting fish bones through his neck. When his sword was returned to him, he was able to easily take down several guards at once. Kawamatsu's stamina is also enormous, being in peak fighting condition even after thirteen years of unsanitary conditions.

He appears to possess a resistance to poisons due to his anatomy, having been fed poisoned fish for a long time with no apparent drawbacks other than the "horrible taste" of them. Kawamatsu uses a personalized fighting style, the Kappa Style, in which he specializes in a mixture of swordsmanship and sumo wrestling skills.

19. Nekomamushi

As the highest authority of the Guardians of the Whale Forest, Nekomamushi held complete authority over the forest's inhabitants. During the night, he also became the highest authority in the entire Mokomo Duchy. His fighting skills are similar to those of his daytime counterpart and former friend, Inuarashi. In fact, together, they were able to defeat one of Emperor Kaidou's three most powerful subordinates, Jack. His mere presence was enough for Sanji to feel safe and leave his teammates under his protection, and for a member of the Worst Generation to escape a battle with him despite his injuries.

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18. Kikunojo

As a samurai and member of the Nine Red Scabbards, Kikunojo is an extraordinarily skilled swordsman. Her strength was recognized by Orochi himself. She managed to cut off Urashima's ponytail quickly enough for him to remain unnoticed, and she easily defeated numerous Gifters, earning Luffy's recognition.

17. Ashura Doji

Ashura was one of the most powerful samurai in Wano Country, having fought a long battle with Kozuki Oden in his youth. In his duel with Jack, in addition to inflicting considerable injuries, he managed to break one of his shotels. Witnesses of the incident highly rated him. He also had a brief confrontation with Inuarashi, one of the most powerful swordsmen in the Mink Tribe. Ashura, like other vassals of Oden, learned Oden's two-sword style, which he first used to attack Kaidou.

16. Denjiro

Along with Kawamatsu and Ashura Doji, Kin'emon considers Denjiro one of Oden's most powerful retainers, worth a hundred men in combat. Denjiro in particular is the most skilled swordsman of all the Red Scabbards, being able to parry an attack from a swordsman as skilled as Roronoa Zoro aimed at the shogun with no apparent difficulty; while also rivaling his two-sword style with a single sword.

He further demonstrated his skills by easily cutting through part of a giant Beast Pirate ship with his katana. Denjiro, like other retainers of Oden, managed to learn Oden's Twin Swords style, which he first used to attack Kaidou.

15. Kinemon

His torso was able to fight Brook, who eventually fled in fear. During his brief fight, Kin'emon is seen using the Dual Sword Style. After restoring his body, Kin'emon quickly demonstrates his sword skills, attacking Smiley around him using a style he calls the Fire Fox Style. By attacking with his burning slashing power, he was able to clear the slime's path and even cut through the subsequent explosion caused by the detonation after being powered up.

He also later showed the ability to cut and slash iron. He was able to slice through the flames of Kaidou's Bolo Breath and even make a clean cut across the Sea Emperor's mouth. Kin'emon, along with some of Kozuki Oden's retainers, managed to learn Oden's Dual Sword Style, using them for the first time to attack Kaidou.

14. View

As the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Fifth Division, Vista holds authority over his lower-ranking subordinates. Within the Vista gang itself, he was responsible for firsthand testing of the strength of new members. He is a veteran with extensive experience, as he was shown as a member of the Whitebeard Pirates during the Gol D. Roger era.

Vista is a great swordsman, renowned as one of the most powerful dual-sword users in the world. His strength is such that he can somewhat hold his own against Dracule Mihawk. During Marineford, he demonstrated great physical strength, as well as fairly high reflexes and speed.

He was able to easily repel an attack by Vice Admiral Lonz. Another demonstration of his strength is that during the Battle of Marineford, despite fighting individual members of the Sea Warlord and an admiral, as well as numerous Marine officers, he suffered no significant injuries.

13. Kaido

Due to his natural size, Kaidou possesses enormous superhuman physical strength and is able to swing a massive steel mace with remarkable ease and send an average-sized person flying with it. On one occasion, he single-handedly sank nine massive prison ships.

Kaidou's strength is such that he was able to split the heavens when he collided with Charlotte Linlin, in a manner equivalent to what happened to Edward Newgate and Shanks, two other emperors of the sea. This fight with Big Mom lasted at least an entire night, being able to withstand her blows and even injure her. Twenty years ago, his strength was great enough to knock out Kozuki Oden, a man who since birth had displayed superhuman strength, and leave him seriously injured.

12. Charlotte Linlin / Big Mom

Big Mom possesses formidable superhuman physical strength, capable of scaling buildings, throwing punches with enormous destructive power, and throwing her friends with great force. During her rampage in Sweet Town, it was calculated that she could soon even bring down her own mountain-sized castle if left unchecked.

She also managed to break the metal door of the treasure room Brook had locked himself in with a single punch. Even while she slept, Big Mom shattered the floor of her room with a single blow while trying to kill a fly. At only five years old, Linlin was strong enough to cause destruction and chaos in her homeland and instantly kill a gigantic bear with a single slap. She also managed to immobilize a fishman child in the orphanage where she grew up.

11. Trafalgar D. Law

Law is a formidable pirate who, along with most of his crew, proved resistant to Rayleigh's Haki while almost everyone in the slave auction house fainted. He is also a skilled fighter. He is courageous, having taken the liberty of attacking several Marines at close range on the Sabaody Archipelago, despite being a long-range fighter.

While on the Sabaody Archipelago, the Kid Pirates and the Heart Pirates were attacked by a Pacifista. The battle was never seen; however, the Heart Pirates reappeared during the Marineford arc, suggesting that they were able to defeat the Pacifista or at least escape it. Trafalgar Law proves to be a very capable and opportunistic leader.

Despite being a former Supernova and a skilled pirate captain, Law is considered one of the most powerful pirates of his generation and is also the only one to have stayed in the latter half of the Grand Line, at least for a few months, rather than venturing into the New World, as he is cautious.

After a two-year time skip, Law has become so powerful and infamous that even the G-5 Marines, renowned for their cruelty, are deeply afraid of him. Before becoming a Warlord of the Seas by bringing 100 pirate hearts to the World Government, Law had acquired a higher bounty than Luffy, further proof of his power.

He managed to defeat Vice Admiral Smoker, who possessed a Logia-type Devil Fruit, without seriously injuring him. It is also said that in the deal between Caesar and Law, Law is more powerful than Caesar. Furthermore, he was able to defeat Vergo, a very powerful fighter, and was even able to counter the attack of a marine admiral (Issho).

10. Issho / Fujitora

As Admiral of the Marines, Issho has complete authority over all soldiers below him and has the ability to summon a Buster Call on any territory he deems appropriate, as well as remove any warlord of the sea from office. Befitting his position, his leadership ability is exceptional, as seen during the events on Dressrosa.

As an admiral, Issho is considered one of the three most powerful individual fighters (four if you count the current Fleet Admiral) in the government and the Marines. His skill is such that Sakazuki trusted him to eliminate Monkey D. Luffy and Trafalgar D. Water Law, two pirates of exceptional prestige and skill.

According to Doflamingo, he and Ryokugyu are considered two "monsters" in terms of strength. Alongside Sengoku and Tsuru, he managed to defeat Jack, one of Emperor Kaidou's three most prominent lieutenants. One of the greatest testaments to the admiral's exceptional fighting skills is that he was able to fight Sabo, Chief of Staff and second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army, and emerge virtually unscathed. He was also able to largely outmaneuver Luffy towards the end of the Dressrosa arc, despite Luffy not using his more advanced techniques.

9. Silvers Rayleigh

Rayleigh is capable of using Haki at a high level. He has mastered all three different types of Haki and taught them to Luffy to some extent during the timeskip. The spiritual power of the Fluid can be concentrated by the most experienced, and Rayleigh is able to render a specific target completely unconscious without direct eye contact or harming anyone near the initial target.

Rayleigh also countered an attack from a Marine Admiral, the Logia-type Devil Fruit user Kizaru. He also taught it to Luffy. He also appears to have extensive mastery of this Haki, allowing him to use it as a distant wall, projecting what appears to be a shockwave. He also masters an even more advanced level of this process by destroying objects like Camie's explosive necklace from the inside.

Rayleigh was able to stop the trunk blows of a huge, terrifying elephant and can sense the presence of all creatures on an entire island, indicating their exact number and degree of power, as demonstrated during Luffy's training.

8. Edward Newgate / Whitebeard

He was the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, one of the most powerful crews to ever exist. He was the only pirate capable of fighting on equal terms with the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. This individual power is reinforced by the fact that Kaidō, nicknamed "the most powerful creature," believes that Whitebeard would be one of the few people capable of facing him in combat.

As mentioned, Newgate was, along with Shanks, Kaidou, and Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors: the four most powerful pirates who dominated the second half of the Grand Line, yet he was the strongest of the four. Newgate's reputation was so great that his mere declaration of Fish-Man Island as his territory was enough to keep slave traders and pirates away from the place, making Edward Newgate far more effective than the treaty signed with the World Government two hundred years ago.

Newgate controlled a massive pirate fleet (like Don Krieg) consisting of 1,600 pirates, divided into sixteen divisions, each led by an incredibly powerful division commander. He was so powerful and feared that the entire Navy, including the highest command, would rally to fight him and his fleet. Further testament to his incredible power is the fact that the Seven Warlords of the Sea were also called upon to aid him in the fight.

7. Gol D.Roger

Gol D. Roger, better known as Gold Roger, was the former and only pirate lord and the former owner of the legendary treasure, the One Piece. Roger was the captain of the Roger Pirates, the only crew to have reached the end of the Grand Line and to possess the islands of Lodestar and Laugh Tale.

He was also the father of Portgas D. Ace, a child he had with Portgas D. Rouge. He was executed over 20 years ago in Loguetown, his hometown. Roger can use and has demonstrated mastery of two types of Haki.

Roger is capable of using Armament Haki to a very high level, which is evident when he attacks Whitebeard by imbuing his sword with this Haki. Roger is capable of using Kings' Haki, as demonstrated when he unleashed a massive burst of Kings' Haki during his clash with Whitebeard.

6. Kozuki Oden

As daimyo of Kuri, Oden held great power and influence over the region before his death. As a former division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates and a former member of the Roger Pirates, Oden was considered an extremely powerful pirate, highly respected and well-liked by both crews.

His influence even extends to members of the Zou Mink Tribe, with the leaders Inuarashi and Nekomamushi as members of the Nine Red Scabbards. Furthermore, the rest of the Mink Tribe has shown enough respect and loyalty to the Kozuki family that they are all willing to die rather than allow any of Oden's retainers to be captured even long after Oden's death.

5. Roronoa Zoro

Zoro is an exceptional swordsman who didn't wait until he joined the Straw Hat Pirates to build a solid reputation. At the beginning of the series, he was the famous Pirate Hunter of the East Blue, already feared and respected. To quote the members of the Supernova crew on the Sabaody Archipelago, he's not the kind of person to be under someone's orders. To quote the workers of Water 7 and Zambai, he has the strength to be a captain.

Zoro is adept at a kendo style he created himself, called Santoryū. Few people misjudge his abilities, as unlike Luffy or Sanji, he inspires fear from the start with his cold demeanor and hard stare, and resembles, according to Ryuma the Zombie Samurai, a wild beast. Brook, along with Ryuma, describes him as possessing the power of destruction.

Zoro, who is undeniably one of the most powerful characters revealed so far, owes his strength to his training and willpower alone, while the other big names in the series generally rely on a Devil Fruit. He even received an offer to be part of the Baroque Works, which he refused.

4. Hocks

Shanks is the first emperor to appear in the story and the great pirate leader of the Red. He is a man of average height with a scar over his left eye, missing his left arm, and red hair, which is why he is nicknamed "the Red." He is carefree, friendly, respectful, and devoted to his friends; the only thing he does not tolerate is disrespect or threats to him.

The author stated that in describing Shanks's calm and cold personality, he was inspired by himself. He is the first character to reveal the use of Haki, with which he is even capable of damaging the environment, and is also known for his great swordsmanship, allowing him to face Dracule Mihawk, his good friend and rival, on equal terms.

2. Dracule Mihawk

Drakul Mihawk, nicknamed "Hawkeye" because of his intimidating stare, is universally regarded as the greatest swordsman in the world. He is a thin man with a thin beard and mustache; by temperament, he is solitary, taciturn, with a stern and proud demeanor and a strong sense of honor.

His weapon is a gigantic black sword, called the Black Sword, belonging to the category of the supreme Wazamono, the best in the world: with it, he can deflect bullets and cut entire galleons in two, as he did with the fifty ships of the Creek fleet.

Although he belongs to the Fleet, he does not seem to care much about the problems of the World Government, so much so that he abandoned Marineford after Shanks' arrival, stating that he had agreed to fight Whitebeard but not Red-Hair: in fact, when they were young, the two were bitter rivals in swordsmanship and the battles between the two are considered memorable.

1. Shimotsuki Ryuma

Ryuma was a highly skilled swordsman. In real life, his swordsmanship was reminiscent of the typical Japanese style of swordsmanship. His sword techniques were so excellent that he was able to cut through bronze. For this reason, he was recognized as the most powerful swordsman of his time. It was also for this reason that Ryuma was called, especially by those he saved, the king, the swordsman who possessed the greatest "warrior soul" in the world.

As a zombie possessing Brook's shadow, Ryuma is capable of performing all of Brook's techniques. However, Ryuma has a much more powerful body, so the effects of his techniques are amplified to a greater extent. The difference between the two is enough for Ryuma to defeat Brook with only a fraction of his full strength. In addition to Brook's signature techniques, Ryuma possesses the "Power of Destruction," a product of his superhuman strength.

With this immense power, he can cut things from a distance (like Zoro with his 36-pound cannon), cut an entire building in half, and destroy an enemy's sword in a few swings—all things Brook cannot do. As Brook warned, a battle between two "power of destruction" users like Zoro and Ryuma always ends quickly.