In my previous post, I proved how Oden’s 9 Red Scabbards are stronger than Kaido’s Tobi Roppo.
If we look at them as a group, we can also say that the Scabbards are at the level of the Lead Performers or the 3 Calamities of the Beasts Pirates.
The power of the Scabbards lies in their number, their collective combative tactics and their will to avenge their leader, Kozuki Oden.
But what happens when we look at the Scabbards individually? How competent are their skills? What are their feats? And most importantly, who is the strongest among the 9?
9“Evening Shower” Kanjuro
Spoiler Alert! If you’re reading this you probably know that during the Fire Festival, Kanjuro reveals himself to be a traitor. He is actually part of Orochi’s clan and doesn’t deserve a place among the rest of Oden’s loyal Scabbards.
But until Izo officially replaces him, we have to deal with Kanjuro – and how strong he is.
Kanjuro’s Devil Fruit powers are pretty bomb. The Fude Fude no Mi or the Brush-Brush Paramecia-type Devil Fruit allows him to paint objects into reality.
The power can be extremely dangerous, but on account of him being a traitor, he never really shows the others what he is truly capable of.
In Dressrosa, he paints birds so poorly that they can barely fly. But in Wano, his crane carries him and helps him escape to Onigashima when Kawamatsu intercepts him.
His artistry is so amazing that he creates a perfect replica, voice and everything, of Oden, which is able to fool most of the Scabbards. He also makes a clone of himself that is so realistic that Kinemon mistakes it to be him and decapitates it.
He can also use his ink as a layer of disguise, as we see when Kanjuro shrouds himself in the guise of Oden in chapter 1014.
He clears several soldiers of the Beasts Pirates on his way to Orochi, and creates a burning fire demon called Kazenbo that burns walls and people alike. He eventually passes out due to the injuries dealt to him by Kiku and Kinemon.
Kanjuro might be strong, but he is the weakest Scabbard. His greatest skill is his showmanship; in the end O-Kiku destroys him with her sword technique, even though Kanjuro was finally at his 100%.
8Raizo of the Mist
Raizo is a mean-looking dude who looks like he should be able to deal some heavy damage, but unfortunately, we haven’t seen much of him.
He ate the Maki Maki no Mi, or the Scroll-Scroll Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, that lets him create and control scrolls. He uses this power to capture Kaido’s fire attack with a large scroll and then unfurls it so that it backfires on Kaido.
The scrolls can also generate life-size clones of Raizo, as we see in his battle with Fukurokuju, the former captain of the Orochi Oniwabanshu.
This Devil Fruit power has the capacity to be killer, but he’s still weaker than Kiku when it comes to 1v1 battles.
Raizo possesses a vast selection of shuriken, including the Flower shuriken, and the Thunder Shuriken. He uses the latter to electrocute his targets. He also possesses Armament and Observation Haki.
Since Raizo is a skilled ninja, he knows a number of ninjutsu techniques that he can execute swiftly and stealthily, despite his size.
He is sent to help Luffy break out of the Udon Prisoner Mines during the Wano Country arc, before the beginning of the Fire Festival. Here, he frees Caribo and rescues Kawamatsu, before squaring off with Fukurokuju.
All in all, Raizo is great at sneaking operations and helping out his mates; he’s good at getting the job done, but that doesn’t necessarily include fighting.
7Kikunojo of the Lingering Snow
Kiku is a samurai from Wano, and is former Whitebeard commander Izo’s younger sister. Luffy calls her “pretty strong” looking at her swordsmanship, when she fights alongside him and Zoro to save Tama.
After the fight in chapter 985, it’s evident that Kiku, is stronger than Kanjuro. She is the only person to have apprehended Kanjuro, and uses a technique called the Fallen Snow Blade to cut him down.
She was not even at her full power then, neither was she in the right mindset; hell, she doesn’t even have any Devil Fruit abilities that we know of, while Kanjuro was flaunting his.
She has Observation and Armament Haki like the other Scabbards, and she uses the advanced version of the latter to pierce her sword right through Kaido’s right hand.
Yeah, she not just broke his skin, but actually penetrated it. Kiku’s sword skills are what puts her above both Raizo and Kanjuro in 1v1 battles.
6“Foxfire” Kinemon
Kinemon is the leader of the 9 Red Scabbards and is Oden’s first retainer along with Denjiro.
Kinemon gets his epithet from the fact that he can cut through flames. Using his own Foxfire style of swordsmanship, samurai Kinemon slices the fire from Kaido’s Bolo Breath.
His fire-enhanced blade can cut through dragon-skin and steel, and also upgrades Kinemon’s regular attacks. This style is also later learned by Zoro to advance his sword fighting skills.
Kinemon can emulate Oden’s signature sword style – the Two Sword style, which he also uses against Kaido during the Wano arc.
He ate the Paramecia-type Fuku Fuku no Mi or the Garb-Garb Devil Fruit that gives him the non-offensive power to transform objects into articles of clothing. He uses this as a good defensive technique to create armor during combat.
More significant than his Devil Fruit ability though, is Kinemon’s Haki. After Law disembodies him, Kinemon is able to “speak” through his legs and feel aura without his head. He does this using Observation Haki.
He also shows a potent form of Ryuo or advanced Armament Haki, through which he can slice cannon balls like butter. This is also how he is able to pierce Kaido’s skin.
Although Kinemon is not the strongest Scabbard, his tactical skill sets him apart from the rest. He is the one that keeps the group together, realizing that it is useless going up against Kaido if they do not all strike him together.
Kinemon really shines during Punk Hazard, and even gives a tough fight to Queen along with Raizo, Kiku, Inu, Ashura, and Shinobu.
5Kawamatsu the Kappa
Kawamatsu is a fan-favorite, although a lot of power listings disregard him. He is a fish-man and a Yokozuna-ranked sumo wrestler, possibly the strongest in Wano.
Kinemon states that he, along with Denjiro and Ashura Doji, are the strongest Scabbards and worth 100 men in battle.
Kawamatsu is extremely fast in water because he’s a fish-man – he was able to rescue Hiyori from Oden’s Castle 20 years ago. He also survived on rotten fish for 13 years on end when he was stuck in the Udon prison.
We haven’t seen Kawamatsu fight as much but Oda has definitely hyped him up. I mean, he was able to kill a guy with a fishbone.
His swordsmanship has its own name: Kappa-ryu – in which he combines his training as a sumo wrestler with his fish-man strength to overpower several opponents at once.
His Ryuo is immensely powerful. With an attack called Yagura Ryuo, he repels an onslaught of Beasts Pirates without even touching them.
4Duke Inuarashi, “Ruler of the Day”, and Master Nekomamushi, “Ruler of the Night”
Inu and Neko are always spoken of together, and this is not without reason. Both of them are as powerful as one another, and are literally two sides of the same coin.
Inu is a canine while Neko is a feline, both part of the Mink Tribe, rulers of the Mokomo Dukedom.
They are both former members of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates. Inu and Neko are known for their fight against the All-Star, Jack, where they seriously injure him, even without their Sulong forms.
As Minks, both of them can use the Electro technique and channel vast amounts of electricity through their bodies and electrocute anyone or anything. They can also imbue their weapons with Electro, which can further be enhanced with Ryuo.
Inu with his sword and Neko with his spear can also perform the Oden Two Sword style, despite having lost one leg and one arm respectively.
3Ashura Doji, the Strongest Monster of Kuri
It’s pretty obvious that Ashura Doji has insane power. His fighting prowess is spectacular, as we see when he fights Jack. He slashes Jack’s chest single-handedly, leaving a large bloody scar.
Ashura has fought against Kaido as well as Oden and survived. He went from being the most dangerous criminal in Kuri, to one of Oden strongest Scabbards, to a Yakuza boss.
After Oden passed, he became the leader of the Mt. Atama Thieves and took on the name of Shutenmaru of Atamayama.
He was already a monster 20 years ago, so much so that it took Oden himself to defeat him. Ashura is swift despite his size, and has great endurance – he doesn’t even flinch when Jack cuts his shoulder.
Like the others, he can also use Ryuo to harden his swords, perform the Oden Two Sword style, and use Observation Haki. The guy doesn’t even have any Devil Fruit powers and he’s still on #3.
2Denjiro or “Napping Kyoshiro”
Denjiro is so badass that he doesn’t even need an epithet.
Like Kinemon, Denjiro was among Oden’s first retainers and has more training and experience than the others.
After Oden’s execution, Denjiro takes on the title of Kyoshiro and becomes a Yakuza boss, forming a family of his own called the Kyoshiro Family.
He uses his rage to fuel him but never grows bitter; under the moniker Ushimitsu Kozo, he turns into a Robin Hood of sorts, and gifts the poor citizens of Ebisu money stolen from the rich residents of the Flower Capital.
As Kyoshiro, Denjiro goes up against Zoro, and is able to fight toe-to-toe with him.
He is the most skilled swordsmen of the 9 Scabbards, and is able to cleanly slice a ship into half, like Mihawk, who is the greatest swordsman in the world. Ashura also once said that Denjiro is “a demon with the blade.”
Denjiro is not just crazy efficient physically, but is also among the cleverest in the group. He was able to gain Orochi’s trust and fool the Beasts Pirates. He’s also a tactical genius.
Denjiro has fought against King, Queen, and Zoro, not to mention Orochi, and Kaido.
1Sulong Inuarashi and Nekomamushi
Inuarashi (Duke Dogstorm) and Nekomamushi (Cat Viper) in their Sulong forms are strongest among the 9 Red Scabbards.
Under full moon, their powers magnified their inherent abilities (Electro, strength, speed) enough for them to defeat Jack the Drought (Kaido’s Lead Performer).
Sulong can be awakened by looking up at the full moon. It was really lucky that the fight in Onigashima took place on a full-moon night. Though, even without it, they were able to fight Jack 5 days on end.
Sulong is a short-term power-up, but it stills boosts Inu and Neko’s power so much, that it warrants their top place on this list.
Honorary Mention
Izo is probably as strong as Inu and Neko, but he is not officially part of the 9 Red Scabbards. He is just one of Oden’s 10 vassals, and was a former commander of Whitebeard’s crew.
After Kanjuro betrays the Scabbards, Izo joins in as the ninth member to fight against Kaido. Shinobu also is a self-proclaimed retainer, but is not part of the Scabbards.
Izo and Shinobu do however deserve this honorary mention for their fight against the Beasts Pirates alongside the Scabbards.
About One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since July 22, 1997.
The man who had acquired everything in this world, the Pirate King, is Gol D. Roger. The final words he said at the execution tower were “My treasures? If you want it, I’ll let you have it. Look for it; I left all of it at that place.” These words sent many to the seas, chasing their dreams, headed toward the Grand Line, in search of One Piece. Thus began a new age!
Seeking to be the greatest pirate in the world, young Monkey D. Luffy also heads toward the Grand Line in search of One Piece. His diverse crew is joining him along the way, consisting of a swordsman, marksman, navigator, cook, doctor, archaeologist, and cyborg-shipwright, this will be one memorable adventure.
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