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Discover 4 One Piece pirate captains who have a larger fleet than Luffy and 4 whose fleets are much smaller than his.
Throughout One Piece, we watch Luffy gradually increase his influence as he inspires other pirates to join him. Resultantly, after the Dressrosa Arc, Luffy’s followers decide to identify as the Straw Hat Grand Fleet and travel the seas in his name.
With seven crews and multiple allies, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet has over 5640 members currently and keeps increasing with time. Fans of One Piece might wonder where exactly this ranks among the various other fleets in the series.
Hence, we will look at 4 pirate captains with a larger fleet than Luffy and 4 who don’t come close.
4 One Piece Pirate Captains With a Larger Fleet Than Luffy
Luffy’s fleet is certainly one of the biggest in the series, but several pirate veterans have spent a much longer time than him sailing the seas. Resultantly, these One Piece pirate captains have managed to gain influence that surpasses Luffy.
1) Whitebeard Pirates
Led by Edward Newgate, the Whitebeard Pirates were one of the most threatening fleets in One Piece. The main crew under Whitebeard consisted of 16 divisions with 1,600 members, further reinforced by 43 allied divisions. Each pirate was fiercely loyal to Whitebeard, and the strength of his fleet earned him the title of the strongest man in the world.
The group was so powerful that they could singlehandedly face the entire force of the Marines in the Marineford Arc. While they ended up disbanding after Whitebeard’s death, a majority of the crews are still active and hold the legendary pirate’s name in their hearts.
The fleet featured talents like Marco the Phoenix and Jozu, making its legacy unparalleled in One Piece.
2) Big Mom Pirates
The Big Mom Pirates are a vast fleet that is constantly hungry for power. With its captain, Charlotte Linlin, the fleet controls several islands in Totto Land and also previously protected areas such as Fish-Man Island.
Big Mom’s fleet’s size and reputation echo across the Grand Line, making most shudder at the thought of challenging them. With powerful combatants like Katakuri, Cracker, and Smoothie, they serve as the main antagonists in the Whole Cake Island Arc. Recognizing their strength, Luffy had to sneak into the island to rescue Sanji without alerting the fleet.
3) Beasts Pirates
Kaido – The Strongest Creature in the World, leads the Beasts Pirates, a terrifying group with both raw strength and numbers. While the fleet’s complete strength has not been seen yet, the entire organization has over 20,000 members.
Adding to this, Kaido made use of his artificial Zoan Fruits to create 500 Gifters who have unique powers aimed at making the strongest crew in the world. As Kaido cared about little else but strength, he was on the constant lookout for more individuals to add to his crew. Groups such as the Drake Pirates and Hawkins Pirates forcibly became his subordinates to avoid the consequences of refusal.
While Kaido’s strength was also spread across the world and played a role in developing the SMILE fruit, a major portion of it was in Wano. Hence, even with the alliance between multiple pirate groups and samurais, the protagonists faced a challenge against the Beasts Pirates.
4) Golden Lion Pirates
The Golden Lion Pirates are not spoken about much in One Piece, but they were regarded as one of the most powerful fleets in the past. With over 50 divisions, the captain – Shiki, wished to conquer the world using the Ancient Weapons.
While they might not have as many individually gifted members, their numbers made up for it. Shiki, in particular, had the ability to levitate both living and non-living things. In a battle at sea, this would prove to be extremely advantageous. Unfortunately, the group was eventually defeated by the Roger Pirates and faced heavy losses due to the Pirate King’s immense battle prowess.
In the One Piece Film: Strong World, the crew gathered again with the goal of world domination, but were defeated by the Straw Hats. While Shiki himself is currently captured by the Marines, the size of his fleet at one point in the series far outmatched Luffy.
4 One Piece Pirate Captains With a Smaller Fleet Than Luffy
We have seen captains with a larger fleet than Luffy, but the protagonist has still had very impressive growth. The size of his fleet is nothing to scoff at, as there are several notable figures with fewer allies than him. These include:
1) Red Hair Pirates
Despite being extremely renowned in One Piece, the Red Hair Pirates Fleet is mentioned to be much weaker than that of the other Emperors. Most allies of the fleet admit to simply being protected by Shanks and carrying his flag as a badge of honor.
Nevertheless, Shanks doesn’t see this as a burden but welcomes them. As one of the Four Emperors, this simply means that the main combat unit lies among Shanks and his senior officers. Since the crew could hold its own against the Marines as well as the Beasts Pirates in an earlier clash, it is extremely powerful.
2) Blackbeard Pirates
Similar to Luffy, Blackbeard is a figure in One Piece who rapidly made his name after introduction. Ever since the start, the Blackbeard Pirates had only 5 members and made their name in the world. After breaking into Impel Down, they got more additions.
Currently, the Blackbeard Pirates’ main force is the Ten Titanic Captains, who lead crews of their own. The former Marine Admiral Aokiji is also part of these ranks. While the exact number of his fleet is unclear, it is unlikely that 9 Divisions and the newly joined Aokiji have anywhere close to the numbers of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.
That being said, the Blackbeard Pirates grow larger by the minute since they accept anyone, regardless of crimes. Additionally, Blackbeard uses his fleet more actively than Luffy. This is indicated by his expansion into islands such as Hachinosu.
3) Krieg Pirates
The Krieg Pirates were one of the first Pirate Fleets we met in One Piece and were notorious for being a strong force in the East Blue. With 50 ships and 5000 pirates, their leader, Don Krieg, was a notorious man.
Unfortunately, the fleet ended up getting decimated upon running into Dracule Mihawk, while Krieg himself was beaten by Luffy. Since Don Krieg used intimidation and fear to rule over his men, their camaraderie was very low. Therefore, even though they lacked individual power, they couldn’t make use of their numbers either.
4) Trump Pirates
The Trump Pirates were the main antagonists of One Piece Movie 2: Clockwork Island Adventure. They were led by Bear King, while the group itself was under the command of all Trump siblings.
With five bounty pirates and Devil Fruit users, the group posed a threat at the beginning of One Piece but is still comparatively weaker than the other fleets. Each of its captains headed multiple ships, and their main weapon was the King Cannon – a cannon with enough power to cause shock waves.
Despite this, each member was unimpressive in combat and was defeated by Luffy and his crew.
Conclusion
Luffy’s Grand Fleet proves his ability to inspire loyalty and camaraderie across the seas. Similar to him, there are other pirate captains in One Piece who gathered both small and large fleets. While a few went with the protagonist’s approach of winning over followers, others did it by force. This is also shown through the strength of their bond during the heat of battle.
Luffy has yet to use the full might of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, but many fans are expecting the group to gather for the final showdown in One Piece.
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