Summary
As time has gone on, the stakes ofOne Piecehave only increased and the condition of the world has only gotten worse in the eyes of many fans. To combat this, the heroes have had to take astronomical leaps in strength by mastering their proficiency in Haki or using their Devil Fruit powers to their utmost limits. Because of this, some fans believe that most of the characters in the modern day are among the strongest of all time.
However, around 40 years before the start of the main story, the most powerful characters in the entirety of theOne Piecestory converged on God Valley. While much of their strength and legendary status are mired in mystery, the biggest players during this event were the mostpowerful and important charactersof their time, so let’s take a look at who these legends were.
Designation
Supreme Commander of the Gods' Knights
It can be stated that the World Nobles were the very reason the God Valley Incident happened in the first place since they stolethe secret treasure of Hachinosu. Here, St. Figarland Garling was the Supreme Commander of the Gods' Knights and the frontrunner in the Native Hunting Competition, due to which he and his comrades served as the most important protectors of the Celestial Dragons during the event. In the God Valley Incident, he was one of the most important players.
Anyone who protects scum is lower than the scum they protect!
Garling is thought to be incredibly strong, to the extent that Oda has clearly built him up as one of the most powerful warriors of the old generation. It was strongly implied within the story that it was he who scarred Whitebeard despite fans always thinking it to be Roger, which itself shows that Garling was on a similar level of strength to the greatest pirates of all time. Although his powers are currently a mystery, Garling can easily be stated to be one of the strongest characters inOne Piece.
Vice Admiral of the Marines
Among the most legendary and notable characters present on God Valley, none is more beloved by the fandom than Garp. While the entire community always viewed him as a powerful Vice Admiral who just went about doing whatever he wanted, his true strength and importance were teased during the first mention of God Valley, where it was revealed how he got the title of ‘Hero of the Marines’. Here,Garp was the one who finally took downthe legendary Rocks D. Xebec.
No one could stop the advancement of the evil, but Navy HQ Vice Admiral Garp was able to!
However, the reason why he doesn’t want to talk about what happened here is because the situation forced him to temporarily ally with his long-term rival, Gol D. Roger. Through their combined efforts and incredible power, they managed to defeat Rocks and completely disperse the forces of the Rocks Pirates. Garp is revered as one ofOne Piece’sstrongest characters, and his recent showing in Hachinosu proves this fact.
Affiliation: Roger Pirates
First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 1, “Romance Dawn - The Dawn of Adventure”
Captain of the Roger Pirates
When it comes to the conversation of the most important figures in the entireOne Piecestory, Gol D. Roger easily ranks among the top. This legend was the only man in history to ever becrowned the King of the Pirates, which allowed him to start the Golden Age of Piracy atop his execution platform, ensuring that Joyboy’s plan would be fulfilled and the world could see a new dawn. So, it should be noted that such a level of power and influence cannot be reached without having incredible strength.
Inherited Will. The tide of the times. People’s dreams. These things cannot be stopped.
Roger’s strength was as legendary as he was, since he conquered the Grand Line and made it to the final island with Haki alone, which goes to show just how powerful he was. He has always been portrayed as the pirate counterpart to Garp, who also owed his power solely to Haki. During the God Valley Incident, Roger and Garp were forced into a team up to defeat Rocks and his crew, which they ended up doing.
Second-in-Command of the Rocks Pirates
After Roger, there is no other pirate in history with the same level of presence and relevance as Whitebeard. Known as the ‘World’s Strongest Man’, Whitebeard ruled the seas ever since Roger’s death, to the point where much of the world said that the time before the Marineford War was known as the Age of Whitebeard. He was always said to be so powerful that he could destroy the entire world if he chose to do so, and many fans believe thathe was even stronger than Rogerdue to them having equal Haki but him having a legendary Devil Fruit.
I have nothing to fear! I am Whitebeard!
During the God Valley Incident, Whitebeard stood as Roger’s enemy, but many fans believe that he fought Garling instead. The Rocks Pirates were always said to be a rowdy bunch with no clear command structure, only that Rocks was the captain and everyone else was below him. Despite this, Whitebeard spoke to Rocks on an equal level and never considered himself to be subservient to him, only allying with him to achieve his own goals.
Captain of the Rocks Pirates
The Rocks Pirates have always been stated as a pirate crew only in name, since the strongest pirates of the age only came together to work towards their own goals, similar tohow the Blackbeard Pirates are today. However, what was clear within this crew was that Rocks was at the top both in terms of authority and strength, and only Whitebeard could stand up to him as an equal. Despite this, Rocks is still remembered among the legends of the old generation as the most powerful of them all.
He was Roger’s first foe, and perhaps his greatest.
The finer details of the God Valley Incident and what all transpired here remain a mystery, but what is known is that Rocks was so powerful that Roger and Garp, who are remembered as the strongest pirate and Marine of the time respectively, had to team up to defeat him together. What exactly happened is still a complete mystery until Oda eventually reveals the God Valley Incident completely, but the details available right now all point to Rocks being perhaps the strongest pirate since Joyboy himself.
