The world ofOne Piecehas seen quite a number of capable swordsmen take the stage over the course of a 1000 chapters. Everyone’s favorite Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro, is one of them, but he’s definitely not the only. From the East Blue all the way to the Land of Wano in the New World, some very capable swordsmen who are incredibly skilled in the way of the sword have appeared.
In a plethora of sword wielders, though, only a handful can be called master swordsmen and are strong enough to be considered among the elites of theOne Pieceworld. Those below are the best of the best, ranked by their relative strength.
Updated on July 17, 2025, by Rei Penber:The world of One Piece has seen the rise and fall of some of the mightiest swordsmen over the years. Oda is a fond admirer of swordsmen, and the art of swordsmanship is prevalent in One Piece. Fans have seen quite a lot of strong individuals who wield the blade with tremendous might emerge in different eras. While this list already goes overthe mighty swordsmanof the One Piece world, the Final Saga has seen to it that the swordsmanship skills of many strong individuals get revealed to the fans. As such, this list needs reshuffling, and, with that, it has not been updated.
33Kyros
Sword Name: Broadsword
Kyros was the champion of the Corrida Colosseum once. His skill with the sword was impeccable and he could even defeat the Diamante, one of Doflamingo’s strongest underlings, with a single swing of his sword.
All this was when he had just one leg and, in his prime, he would have been even stronger. While Kyros is certainly not the strongest swordsman inOne Piece, he’s certainly exceptionally powerful.
32Brook
Sword: Cane Sword
Brook is one of the few powerful swordsmen in the Straw Hat Pirates. Although he is not as skilled as Zoro, he’s still exceptionally powerful.
He makes use of fencing swordsmanship style and he can also incorporate this with the chill of the underworld that he can utilize through his Devil Fruit.
31Basil Hawkins
Sword: Warabide
Basil Hawkins Is a member of the Worst Generation who primarily relies on his Devil Fruit while fighting. However, he’s also a swordsman, and he makes use of his Warabide while in combat.
Hawkins also combines his Devil Fruit ability with his sword often. He was seen making use of it while he fought against Zoro, and, later, when he fought against Killer and lost.
30Shimotsuki Ushimaru
Sword: Two Unnamed Katanas
Ushimaru was one of the few swordsmen inOne Piecewho attained the title of Daikengou. In terms of power, he was quite reliable and made great use of Haki.
He fought using two swords, however, his strength wasn’t all that great, given that he was crushed by Kaido effortlessly, even though he was alongside other Daimyo of Wano.
29Pedro
Sword: Unnamed Rapier
Pedro is a Mink from Zou who served as one of the guardians of the Whale Forest. He could make exceptional use of a sword and, being a Mink, he could also utilize Electro.
Although fans never got to see it, Pedro could also utilize the Sulong transformation and since he taught it to Carrot, one can assume that he had perfect control over it.
28Cavendish
Sword: Durandal
Cavendish is a skilledOne Pieceswordsmanfrom the New World’s Burgeoise Kingdom. He’s a member of the pirate generation that set out to the sea before Luffy and the Worst Generation.
Cavendish has acquired a bounty of 330 million berries, which is an impressive figure. When it comes to swordplay, Cavendish is extremely powerful, and using his Durandal, he can take on nearly anyone in combat. When Hakuba awakens, Cavendish gets even stronger and his swordplay gets even more ferocious than before.
27Vinsmoke Niji
Sword: Lightning Sword
Niji is a member of the Germa Family and he is certainly an exceptional fighter. He makes use of a sword in combat, using which he can channel his electrical powers.
He can also cut with lightning-enhanced attacks and slice at the speed of light. He is certainly an exceptional swordsman, who primarily relies on speed while fighting.
26Prime Hyogoro
Sword: Flower Katana
Hyogoro was the leader of the Yakuza of Wano for quite a long time. He was exceptionally strong in his prime and fans got a glimpse of his prime powers during the Raid of Onigashima.
He took control of the Performance Floor all by himself, which goes to show his incredible powers. He could make great use of Ryuo, which indicated his true skill in combat.
25Bogard
Sword: Unnamed Katana
Bogard is a character that fans do not know much about. However, he is Garp’s right-hand man and that alone makes him a dangerous fighter. More recently, he was seen engaging in combat in the God Valley Incident.
In fact, he was the second strongest marine on the island and he still managed to survive this encounter. While his full strength isn’t known, he was likely among the strongest One Piece swordsmen.
24Okiku
Just like Kawamatsu, Okiku is another retainer of Kozuki Oden and was trained in the ways of the blade by him. Kiku was an orphan and used to perform on the streets with her brother, Izo, when Oden took them in. Years later, she managed to become an incredible samurai.
Kiku’s sword style is said to be quite unique and according to the tales, the wounds that it leaves behind linger even in the afterlife.She is a great user of Ryuo, just like any other member of the group. She’s also among the strongest of the lot, as evident from the fact that she defeated Kanjuro without even going all out.
