Vice-admirals in One Piece are often neglected although they are some of the strongest characters in the series. They might not be the highest-ranking members in the Marine Headquarters, but they still hold an impressive amount of power.
These guys are in charge of carrying out general military orders and have varying amounts of jurisdiction over other commissioned officers.
Vice-admirals fall under the authority of the 3 admirals, who in turn follow commands from the fleet admiral. Officials from the latter two posts have all at some point been vice-admirals.
In this list, I rank the top 15 current strongest vice-admirals in One Piece.
P.S.: This list does not mention deceased vice-admirals. So, special mention to the dead-ly Vergo and Jaguar D. Saul.
15Lacroix
We haven’t really seen Lacroix do much other than eat, but he is, after all, a giant, so we can deduce that he must be very strong.
He fought alongside the Giant Squad – the group of 8 Marine giants selected to guard Ace’s execution platform. He battled the Whitebeard Pirates and charged at Little Oars Jr. with his saber.
Lacroix possesses Haki and can easily survive attacks like cannon balls and gunshots. Hopefully, he plays more of a role in the future arcs, especially if Oda covers Elbaf, the land of giants.
14Yamakaji and Stainless
Both these guys are capable of commanding a Buster Call, which is a maximum powered military attack headed by 5 vice-admirals. Aokiji says a Buster Call is equivalent to the entire country’s military.
Yamakaji was one of the five to lead the Buster Call on Enies Lobby. Both of them fought in the Summit War of Marineford against Whitebeard and his crew and allies.
Additionally, Stainless also had a confrontation with Buggy’s Delivery during the Wano arc.
13Comil
We first saw Comil during the cover story, Ace’s Great Blackbeard Search, when Ace infiltrates the Marine base impersonating an officer.
Comil commands the Marine base, G2, and is in charge of a top-secret Marine intelligence ship and at least 8 high-ranking officers.
He, too, fought with against the Whitebeard Pirates in Marineford.
12Lonz
Lonz, another giant, guarded the execution platform along with Lacroix and the other members of the Giant Squad.
He carries a huge axe and attacks Whitebeard during the Marineford battle and is strong enough to have survived Whitebeard’s Devil Fruit-powered punch.
Being a giant, he is more durable than the other vice-admirals. He also possesses Haki like his comrades, but we are yet to see it.
11Doberman
You probably remember Doberman – the dude that looks like an actual Doberman. He has 6 scars on his face and neck, which proves that he’s been in a lot of high-intensity battles.
He was another one of the 5 vice-admirals to lead the Buster Call against Enies Lobby. He’s ambidextrous, flinging his katana from one hand to the other, fighting equally with McGuy, Whitebeard’s ally.
He also has a strong will as he resists Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki. At the end of the Marineford war, Doberman doesn’t have any new scars, which means the fights he was in prior to this one must’ve been worse.
10Dalmatian
This dog sure has some bite. He was the third vice-admiral to command the Buster Call and fight Whitebeard and Luffy.
Unlike Doberman, Dalmatian actually is a dog – or can turn into one with the help of his Zoan-type Devil Fruit.
He is skilled at Rokushiki, the main style of superhuman martial arts mastered by World Government officers. He uses Soru and Shigan, techniques that increase his speed and then pierce his enemy with his finger. He even adds a pointed nail to the finger so as to crack Luffy’s rubber skin.
Dalmatian can combine his Rokushiki with his Devil Fruit power which is a great advantage for him in battle.
9Strawberry
Strawberry is quite the opposite of his sweet-sounding name. He is the fourth vice-admiral to lead the Buster Call’s assault on Enies Lobby.
We saw him during Fisher Tiger’s flashback as the leader of the group responsible for inflicting fatal wounds on the legendary Fishman. In the anime, Strawberry fights Jinbe on screen, and we a bout of Haki-powered punches being exchanged, after which Strawberry is defeated.
Strawberry is known for his huge-ass head which he uses to headbutt his opponents. He carries twin Japanese swords and wields them in reverse like the infamous New World pirate and Whitebeard’s subordinate, Doma.
8Smoker
Probably one of the most-known vice-admirals, Smoker is the commander of the G5 Marine base and the primary antagonist during the Loguetown arc.
When Smoker appeared in Loguetown, he was just a captain, but he was quickly promoted to commodore and then vice-admiral after the events in Arabasta.
Smoker does have a losing streak but he was defeated by pretty respectable opponents, including Ace, Whitebeard, Boa Hancock, Law, and Doflamingo.
This double-cigar-smoking vice-admiral is the mentor of Tashigi. He’s one of the few Marines who has captured and defeated Luffy (although Luffy was young and also injured).
His Observation Haki countered that of Law’s and his Advanced Armament Haki allowed him to land a punch on Vergo’s face.
He can combine his Haki with Nanashaku Jitte, a weapon tipped with Seastone that can affect Devil Fruit users like the sea does. He himself is a DF user, having consumed the Logia Moku Moku no Mi which lets him create, manipulate, and transform into smoke.
Smoker also transports himself across land and sea alike with the help of his Billower Bike, which he powers through his DF.
7Momonga
Momonga is the fifth vice-admiral to lead to Buster Call against Enies Lobby. He’s the commander for G1 in Marineford, which is where the 4 Yonkos are supposed to challenge the Marines in the second half of the Grand Line.
Momonga is incredibly resilient and is complimented by Boa Hancock herself when he stabs his own hand to distract himself with pain so he doesn’t fall prey to her DF powers.
He is strong enough to kill a Sea King from the inside. He combines his physical strength with his swordsmanship, Rokushiki techniques, and Haki to slice Panz Fry’s giant metallic ladle in a single slash.
6John Giant
John Giant is – yeah, you guessed it – a giant. He was the first giant we actually saw in the series, and the first one to be enlisted in/sold (by Mother Carmel) to the Marines.
He seems to have special authority since he’s the first in HQ to receive the Buster Call report and command the other 5 vice-admirals on the Buster Call to set out the fleet.
He’s a great believer in Absolute Justice and attacks Whitebeard with all his might. Other subordinate pirates flee watching his rampage, but Whitebeard and his Gura Gura no Mi defeat him with a punch to his chest.
5Onigumo
Onigumo, like John Giant, is also in charge of the 5 vice-admirals commanding the Enies Lobby Buster Call. He also had enough authority to order nine battleships to fire on Ship Four, where Rob Lucci and Luffy were fighting.
He’s best known as the guy to pin down Marco the Phoenix by handcuffing him with Seastone, disabling his regenerative DF abilities.
Onigumo is actually pretty scary, kind of like Akainu, but obviously weaker. He’s also the Spiderman of the One piece-verse, having the ability to transform into a spider with the help of his Zoan Devil Fruit.
He holds sabers in each of his 8 appendages, and wields them with extreme precision.
Onigumo also has a pistol, which he shoots his own subordinate with, just for questioning the Absolute Justice doctrine.
4Chaton
Chaton or Tokikake was one of the two vice-admiral candidates considered for the position of admiral but Fujitora and Ryokugyu got the promotion instead.
The fact that he was considered for the admiral position means that he is at least as strong as them – potentially, since we haven’t really seen him do anything.
Chaton seems to be in the same group as Garp, as he was seen talking to him about Big Mom and Kaido’s alliance during the Levely arc.
3Momousagi
Momousagi or Gion was the other candidate along with Chaton considered for the admiral position. Going by the same logic, she is probably as strong as Fujitora and Ryokugyu, but again, we haven’t seen her in action.
Momousagi and Chaton are always seen together, and are as strong as eachother. Fun fact: both these characters were made by fans following an SBS question-answer session with Oda.
I put her above Chaton because we know through One Piece: Gold that she has incredible mastery over her Meito sword called Konpira. She also has the audacity to scold Garp for his lack of concern over Big Mom and Kaido, two Yonkos who were targeting his grandson, Luffy.
It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say that Tsuru is a female Garp. Known as the “Great Staff Officer”, Tsuru is a veteran and a former associate of fleet admiral Sengoku and the legendary Garp.
2Tsuru
As we know, old doesn’t mean weak in Oda’s world. We’ve seen it with Garp first-hand. Tsuru’s knowledge and expertise make her a formidable force to handle, no matter who you are.
She instilled fear in pirate and Warlord Doflamingo. Along with Sengoku and Fujitora, she also led the Marine fleet against Kaido’s third Yonko commander, Jack.
Her Paramecia DF lets her transform people and objects alike into malleable fabric that she can wash and hang out to dry.
1Garp
Monkey D. Garp, the Hero of the Marines, is the strongest Marine vice-admiral in One Piece. His rival was the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger himself. Alongside Roger, he prevailed against the Rocks Pirates. Garp was offered the admiral position several times but he declined it.
In Marineford, we can say Garp won against current fleet admiral Akainu, even though he was physically weaker. Garp’s will was enough to threaten Akainu’s existence itself, and were it not for Sengoku, he would have finished him.
I won’t talk about Garp’s feat in his youth because they are too many. But even now, at 78, Garp is one of the strongest characters in the series. He’s semi-retired, but still retains his rank, choosing to train new recruits.
Garp has no Devil Fruit but his Haki is enough. His Advanced Armament Haki could defeat Marco with a single punch, even though the latter was in his regenerative phoenix form. Garp also has mastery over Conqueror’s Haki.
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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