Of all the pirate crews in One Piece, the one that stands out as the strongest is undoubtedly the Roger Pirates. Not only are the individual members some of the strongest pirates in the series, but they’re famously the only pirate crew to make it to Laugh Tale, which helped kick off the entire story, making them equally famous and infamous to people all across the world.
Few pirate crews in One Piece have as much presence as the Roger Pirates, and much of that comes down to their individual members. The overwhelming power of most of their members is one thing, but more than that, the Roger Pirates are such an iconic part of One Piece because of the incredible charisma they show off in the few appearances they’re afforded across the story. Not every member has been explored at the time of writing, but the most important members, at least, have all gotten time to shine and are all plenty worth discussing.
11
Shanks
First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 1 & Episode 4
The first member of the Roger Pirates to ever be introduced was Shanks, although that wouldn’t be revealed for almost a decade after the fact. Shanks was Roger’s adopted son and fought in the Roger Pirates as an apprentice up until Roger’s death and the crew’s disbandment, and in his adult years, he would eventually become a father figure to Luffy and give him his iconic straw hat.
While Shanks started as just an apprentice, as an adult, Shanks stands as one of the strongest pirates in the world as one of the Four Emperors, a group Luffy was recently inducted into, as well. Shanks is poised to be one of the major players in One Piece’s final saga after spending years largely in the background, and however that plays out will be great to see.
10
Buggy The Clown
First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 9 & Episode 4
Shanks’ fellow apprentice in the Roger Pirates was Buggy the Clown, one of Luffy’s first enemies and One Piece’s most prominent recurring character. Despite growing up with Shanks, Buggy hates Shanks for both accidentally making him eat the Chop-Chop Fruit before he could sell it and for not immediately wanting to go after the One Piece, and over 20 years later, he still hasn’t gotten over it.
Unlike most of the Roger Pirates, Buggy is famously weak and has gotten by through a combination of charisma and pure luck. That reached its peak in the final saga where Buggy, through a variety of circumstances, became recognized as an Emperor following Kaido and Big Mom’s defeat, and there’s no telling where things will go from there.
9
Crocus
First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 102 & Episode 62
Crocus was the doctor of the Roger Pirates, although he didn’t join until their final voyage through the Grand Line. After Roger came down with a terminal illness, Crocus was asked to join to help prolong it as long as possible, and it was thanks to Crocus’ medical expertise that Roger survived long enough to reach Laugh Tale and kickstart the Great Age of Piracy.
The main reason Crocus joined the Roger Pirates, however, was to try and find the Rumbar Pirates, the pirate crew who left Laboon in his care decades prior. After his journey, Crocus was forced to accept their deaths, but unbeknownst to him and Laboon, Brook, the last surviving member of the Rumbar Pirates, has become the musician of the Straw Hat Pirates, and their reunion will surely be a great one.
8
Kozuki Oden
First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 920 & Episode 910
Kozuki Oden was a legendary samurai from Wano who left to become a pirate and sailed with both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates, even helping the latter find the way to Laugh Tale. Following his adventures as a pirate, Oden returned home to find Wano under the tyrannical rule of Kaido and Kurozumi Orochi, and while he failed to defeat them, his mission was completed decades later by Luffy and a wide assortment of allies in and out of Wano.
As a high-ranking member of both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates, Oden is one of the strongest fighters in One Piece with his incredible sword skills and Haki, and it’s to the point that Oden almost singlehandedly defeated Kaido, albeit a Kaido who was weaker than the one Luffy fought. Oden’s story ultimately ended in failure, but his power can’t be underestimated, in the slightest.
7
Kozuki Toki
First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 919 & Episode 893
Kozuki Toki was Oden’s wife whom he met in his early days with the Whitebeard Pirates. Curiously, Toki was born in the Void Century and ended up in the then-present day thanks to her Time-Time Fruit, although it’s currently unknown why, exactly, she was forced to travel forward in time.
Like Oden, Toki sailed with both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates, although she was forced to retire before the trip to Laugh Tale due to illness. Years later, Toki, along with Oden, died in a failed attempt to take down Kaido and Orochi, but in her last moments, Toki used her Time-Time Fruit to send Momonosuke and Oden’s retainers to the future to give them another chance of saving Wano, thus making her a key player in Kaido and Orochi’s defeat.
6
Dogstorm
First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 808 & Episode 756
Dogstorm is a dog mink and a former apprentice of both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates. After washing up on Wano in a failed voyage through the seas, Dogstorm became one of Oden’s retainers and followed him through his life of piracy, although he didn’t go to Laugh Tale due to needing to take care of a sick Toki.
20 years after Oden’s death, Dogstorm has become one of the rulers of the Mokomo Dukedom, and after befriending Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, Dogstorm helped lead the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance in the raid on Onigashima that led to Kaido and Orochi’s ultimate defeat. From there, Dogstorm retired to Wano to help support Momonosuke as the new shogun, with Carrot becoming the next Duchess of the Mokomo Dukedom.
5
Cat Viper
First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 809 & Episode 756
Cat Viper is a cat mink who served as an apprentice for both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates alongside Dogstorm. Like Dogstorm, Cat Viper ended up on Wano after a sailing voyage gone wrong, after which he became one of Oden’s retainers and followed him as a pirate until returning to Wano to take care of a sick Toki.
Just like Dogstorm, Cat Viper became one of the rulers of the Mokomo Dukedom following Oden’s death, and in the present, Cat Viper helped lead the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance to their ultimate victory against Kaido and Orochi. Cat Viper then joined Dogstorm in retiring to Wano to help Momonosuke become the new shogun, with Carrot succeeding the two of them as the duchess of the Mokomo Dukedom.
4
Douglas Bullet
First Appearance: One Piece Stampede
Douglas Bullet is the non-canon apprentice of Gol D. Roger and the main villain of the 2019 film One Piece Stampede. While the Roger Pirates were a crew that believed in friendship and camaraderie, Bullet believed that a person could only be strong on their own, a belief he maintained up until Roger’s death.
Douglas Bullet was one of the Level 6 inmates who escaped from Impel Down thanks to Blackbeard, and two years later, Douglas Bullet concocted a plan to become the Pirate King by killing the strongest pirates and Marines of the current generation all at once. Naturally, Luffy and his friends put a stop to Bullet, but he nonetheless left a mark on the series, even if he’s non-canon.
3
Scopper Gaban
First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 19 & Episode 0
Scopper Gaban, also known as the “Mountain Eater”, was the left-hand of the Pirate King and one of the most enigmatic members of the Roger Pirates. Every flashback to the Roger Pirates has him featured as one of their most prominent members, but for most of the series, there was never any word of his whereabouts in modern day.
All the mystery surrounding Gaban’s character has finally been resolved as of the Elbaph arc, however. Following Roger’s execution, Scopper Gaban retired to Elbaph and married the giant Ripley, eventually fathering Collun, and as shown in his brief fight with Luffy, he’s still an incredibly powerful fighter. Gaban is set to be one of the major players of the Elbaph arc, and that will be great to see after so many years of mystery surrounding his character.
Scopper Gaban had a brief cameo in a cover story as the mysterious figure sharing a drink with Crocus.
2
Silvers Rayleigh
First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 19 & Episode 8
Silvers Rayleigh, also known as the “Dark King”, was the first mate of the Roger Pirates. Following Roger’s execution, Rayleigh retired to Sabaody Archipelago with his wife, Shakky, and he spent 20 years working as a coating mechanic before meeting Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates shortly before the Paramount War.
Following the Paramount War, Rayleigh made Luffy realize that he and his crew weren’t ready for the New World, so he got Luffy to postpone the Straw Hats’ reunion by two years, during which time Rayleigh trained Luffy in mastering Haki. After that, Rayleigh has occasionally gotten involved in current events; most recently, Rayleigh intervened when Blackbeard tried to kill Hancock for the Love-Love Fruit, and he’s bound to have even more appearances in One Piece’s final saga.
1
Gol D. Roger
First Appearance: One Piece Chapter 1 & Episode 1
Gol D. Roger, better known as “Gold Roger”, was the captain of the Roger Pirates. Roger led his crew to be infamous among pirates and Marines alike, and after finding Laugh Tale, he became recognized as the undisputed King of the Pirates.
While Roger has been dead for decades, Roger’s legacy lives on in One Piece through fathering Ace, Luffy carrying on his will, and, of course, for being the one to kickstart the Great Age of Piracy as the world searches for the One Piece. Gol D. Roger has always been depicted as someone larger than life in One Piece, and overall, it’s always felt plenty justified.