The One Piece manga has been in circulation for over twenty years now, and with the conclusion of its Wano arc, fans still find themselves arguing over many of the same issues. Eiichiro Oda has done a great job of not answering certain questions that readers have had for years.
Mihawk, The Yonko, and the admirals have all been characters thrown into the mix of arguments revolving around power-scaling, incoherence to the plot, etc. These arguments are certainly entertaining and some get significantly more heated than others.
Shanks Losing His Arm
The Red Hair Pirates are one of the most powerful modern pirate crews in the world of One Piece. Shanks himself is a Yonko, one of the four most legendary pirates on the sea. It may seem a little absurd that Shanks is strong enough to split the sky with his conqueror's haki, but lost his arm while saving Luffy from a sea monster.
According to Reddit user pink_souffle, "Shanks losing arm" is certainly an argumentative source for fans as it feels like a plot hole. Apparently, this event was added into the manga by Oda to make the chapter more interesting, but it wasn't his original plan. If this is true, then it certainly explains why this scene seems a little off, but we can't be sure.
Who Is The Strongest Original Yonko
A common argument in the One Piece community revolves around whether Whitebeard, Kaido, Shanks, or Big Mom is the strongest of the original Four Emperors of the Sea. It is difficult if not impossible to determine the winner.
Reddit user element, "prefers Kaido" as he's probably the most powerful villain and Yonko, as he has earned the title of the "strongest creature." It's truly hard to say if Kaido is stronger than the rest of the Emperors as we've only seen him playfully fight with Big Mom. Many insist that Whitebeard was the strongest as he was the man dubbed with the power to destroy the entire world.
Are The Admirals Or The Yonko Stronger
This is an argument that remains unsettled to this day and fans get passionate about it. Many believe that the admirals match the Yonko in power, as Blackbeard ran away from Akainu after the Paramount War. However, others argue that if it were so simple, the Navy would have dominated the seas by now.
According to Reddit user shiroyaksha01, the "Yonko are portrayed as monsters beyond human imagination." They consist of individuals who have reached the pinnacle of strength and power, earning the fear that other's feel towards them. A good point is brought up that Doflamingo looked at the former Admiral Aokiji as an inconvenience while he was completely terrified at the thought of angering Kaido. It's likely that the Yonko are at a higher tier of power than the admirals, but we also need to consider how individual matchups might determine an unexpected winner. The victor isn't always the stronger character as Monet told Luffy on Punk Hazard.
How Powerful Is Mihawk
It seems fans are always bickering about where Mihawk ranks in comparison to other powerful characters like the Four Emperors and the admirals. Many place him at the same level as the Yonko commanders such as Katakuri, while others assume Mihawk is as powerful as a Yonko since he used to clash with Shanks.
Reddit user agile_flounder_1162, feels there are too many people "disrespecting and questioning Mihawks strength as the WSS." Mihawk's slash that was blocked by Diamond Jozu during the Paramount War was only a test on Mihawk's part. Similarly, Dracule wasn't actually trying to kill Luffy at Marineford, otherwise Luffy would be dead. As the "world's strongest swordsman," Mihawk is capable of defeating any other character who is a swordsman, potentially even Rayleigh.
Was Haki Planned From The Beginning
This is an interesting debate because it truly impacts Oda's image as a writer. Many One Piece fans believe that Oda has planned everything out and refer to him as a genius.
Reddit user jreefski argues Oda had a "clear idea for what he wanted but refined it later on." Oda introduced logia devil fruits early on in the series and must have considered a plan for taking them down. Also, when Luffy fought Crocodile and successfully landed a punch, Crocodile said "could it be..." hinting at his astonishment at what seemed like armament khaki.
Is Garp A Top-Tier Powerhouse
One Piece fans have mixed feelings about how strong Luffy's grandfather is. Garp is known as the "hero of the marines," but we have no way of knowing if Garp is the most powerful marine anymore. The biggest feat we've seen from him was delivering a hefty punch to Marco during the Marineford arc.
Reddit user ok-pie6756 believes that Garp is not only as strong as a Yonko, but that "The story is just screaming out loud that he's Roger's equal." In the Oden flashback, Roger specifically states "if you want to catch me, bring Garp or Sengoku." It's interesting to consider that Garp might have been on the same level as Whitebeard during the Paramount War and that he just chose to sit on the sidelines instead of getting involved in the conflict.
Was Enel Admiral Level
During One Piece's Skypeia arc, Enel was the first antagonist to utterly destroy all the Straw Hats in combat. The only reason Luffy stood any chance against him was due to rubber being the perfect counter to Enel's Goro Goro no Mi. It's interesting to consider what tier Enel would fall under if he sailed on the Grand Line.
Reddit user kukuru73 simply states "he can reach 1bil". Oda stated that Enel's bounty would have been around 500 million if he sailed on the Grand Line. If Enel learned armament haki and trained against opponents stronger than himself, he could eventually reach a level close to that of a Navy Admiral. His devil fruit is simply too overpowered.
Is Buggy Only Pretending To Be Weak
With massive revelations in the most recent chapter of One Piece, readers have been blown away by Buggy's achievements and progression to the status of an emperor. It's mind-blowing to think that the goofy and bombastic clown we've grown to both love and hate has reached such a high status with his ridiculous devil fruit.
Reddit user goofy_aryan mentions that his friend truly thinks "Buggy is actually really strong." His friend believes that Buggy has already awakened his devil fruit, granting him the ability to chop up other people's bodies and even his surrounding environment. In this scenario Buggy also has access to forms of haki. Many fans refuse to accept that Buggy may be a top tier powerhouse, but it is important to remember that he was trained by Rayleigh, just like Shanks.
Will Blackbeard Be The Final Villain
One Piece is heading into its final saga and speculation is at an all-time high as to who will be the final opponent of the Straw Hats. The two most popular answers are the Blackbeard Pirates and the World Government.
According to Reddit user top-ad1327, Blackbeard may be Luffy's rival as he also seeks the one piece and freedom. However, the World Government stands for the complete opposite of freedom, as it seeks to subjugate those who oppose its reign. It's likely that Imu and the Five Elders will be the final villains of the story, although many fans remain convinced it will be Blackbeard and his combative devil fruits.
Zoro Vs. Sanji
This is by far the biggest argument that One Piece fans find themselves getting into. It's rare for someone to be both a Zoro and Sanji supporter. The community is highly polarized between these two characters, and both groups view their favorite to be the stronger Straw Hat.
Reddit user xuanluick says that "Zoro is definitively and has always been definitively stronger than Sanji." Zoro being able to scar Kaido should be proof enough that he is superior to Sanji. Making a Yonko dodge is a serious feat and if the two Straw Hats ever got into a serious confrontation, it is highly probable that Zoro would emerge as the winner.