The world of One Piece is absolutely massive and fans have seen quite a lot of powerful characters show up to stand in the path of Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates at one time or another. There are also other characters who were involved in the story for short stints in significant ways and made quite an impression, only to return much stronger later down the line.

Related

One Piece: The Haki Specialty Of Every Yonko

Each yonko has their own talent when it comes to haki in One Piece.

These One Piece characters are iconic, in one way or another and their return only makes them more special. With the story now entering the Final Saga, quite a lot of One Piece characters are making their return, this time, stronger than ever before.

9 Sentomaru

A Navy Rebel

Sentomaru was working as Vegapunk’s assistant when he was first introduced in One Piece. He worked in the Navy science division and was responsible for the Pacifistas during the Sabaody Archipelago arc. During this arc, he created all sorts of problems for Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates.

He was overwhelmingly strong at that point in the story. After the timeskip, Sentomaru returned once again, this time, stronger than ever before. He was now officially a member of the Marines and his strength had increased even further.

8 Gecko Moria

A Former Warlord

Gecko Moria stood in Luffy's path during the Thriller Bark arc and, in this arc, he showcased the tremendous might of his Kage Kage no Mi. It took the effort of Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates to defeat Moria, with Luffy doing the vast majority of the job towards the end by himself.

Moria was utterly defeated in this arc, however, he did not simply sit by. After the timeskip, he returned once again, this time, likely stronger, given that he is in the New World now. Moria was captured by Blackbeard and later down the line, freed by Koby. His current fate remains unknown.

7 Koala

An Officer Of The Revolutionary Army

Koala was a former slave who was freed by Fisher Tiger when he raided Marijoa. Koala was delivered safely to her home by the Sun Pirates and the fans thought that would be the last they would ever see of her.

Koala later returned in the story during the Dressrosa arc as a member of the Revolutionary Army. This time, she was stronger than ever before and fought for justice, which makes her a very incredible character in the story.

6 Koby

A Marine SWORD Captain

Koby is one of the first few characters that Luffy befriends after setting sail. He was rescued by Luffy from Alvida’s ship and, from there onwards, he went on to join the Navy. Koby trained relentlessly under Garp and his progress can be seen in the many arcs of One Piece.

Related

One Piece: 9 Child Geniuses, Ranked

These One Piece children are prodigies.

After the timeskip, Koby returned stronger than ever before, having become a Marine Captain. He currently has a five-star bounty on his head, which just goes to show his tremendous strength as a Marine.

5 Rob Lucci

A Member Of The CP0

Rob Lucci is one of the strongest enemies that Luffy has ever faced. He was the main antagonist of the Water Seven Saga and he gave Luffy all sorts of trouble in this arc, forcing him to push beyond his limits.

Eventually, Lucci was crushed by Luffy. However, after the timeskip, he returned in the Dressrosa arc, where it was revealed that he was now a member of CP0. He returned once again in the Final Saga, in the Egghead Island arc. He is still one of the antagonists in Luffy's way currently.

4 Sabo

The Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army

Luffy's sworn brother, Sabo was first mentioned by Ace moments before his death. In the ASL flashback, fans got to see Sabo spend his entire childhood with Luffy, only to be shot by the Celestial Dragons moments before he left on his journey to become a pirate.

While many believed Sabo to be dead, he was actually rescued by Dragon and, thereafter, inducted into the Revolutionary Army. Sabo built his strength up over the years and, currently, he's the Chief of Staff of the group. He returned in the Dressrosa arc, where he met Luffy once again.

3 Crocodile

A Top Officer Of The Cross Guild

One of the strongest and most cunning pirates in the entirety of One Piece, Crocodile stood in Luffy's path as the leader of the Baroque Works during the Alabasta Saga. During this Saga, Crocodile caused all sorts of problems for Vivi and the Straw Hat Pirates, pulling the strings for the civil war that was going on in this country.

Eventually, he was defeated and exposed by Luffy. Crocodile was locked in Impel Down, however, was later freed by Luffy. After the timeskip, Crocodile has now returned stronger than ever before and he is one of the leading figures in the Cross Guild now. He has a bounty of 1.965 billion barriers on his head.

2 Buggy

A Yonko Of The Sea

Buggy is one of the first few antagonists that stood in Luffy's path when he set out on his journey to becoming the Pirate King. At the time, Buggy had a 15 million berry bounty, which was quite high for the East Blue. Over the years, Buggy has been involved in the plot here and there, however, in the Final Saga, his involvement is bigger than ever before.

Buggy has now returned as a Yonko of the Sea. It must be noted that Buggy isn't necessarily as strong as the other Yonko. However, he is still stronger than he was in the East Blue Saga. Buggy has a bounty of 3.189 billion berries and he will surely play a major role as he's aiming actively for the One Piece.

1 The Straw Hat Pirates

A Yonko Crew

The Straw Hat Pirates all returned stronger than ever before after the 2-year timeskip. On the island of Sabaody, this crew was utterly decimated by the Marines and eventually, it was Kuma who split them up. The Straw Hat Pirates then decided to train as hard as they possibly could and, two years later, they met once again on this island.

This crew went through tremendous hardships and returned so strong that no obstacle can stand in their path now. Currently, the Straw Hat Pirates are an Emperor Crew in One Piece.

One Piece (1999)

Studio

Toei Animation

Creator

Eiichiro Oda

Number of Episodes

1082+

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Netflix , Hulu

See at Hulu

MORE: One Piece: The Haki Of The Best Swordsmen, Ranked