One Piece Pre-Luffy Fights Guide: PS5, Xbox, PC Release Date

The world of One Piece has always been huge, packed with fights that can reshape reputations, borders, and even eras. While the Great Pirate Age brought a fresh wave of captains chasing the One Piece, the struggle for dominance never really stopped—and the period before the story truly began was already filled with battles that felt too big to belong to a “prelude.”

Some of the wildest showdowns happened before Luffy ever set foot on his own journey. A few of these clashes look like the kind of encounters players expect from One Piece, but others are the sort of historical events that people still reference long after the dust settles.

For a long time, the Yonko represented the scariest concentration of power at sea. That said, they aren’t the strongest force the series has shown—at least not when you zoom out and look at the battles that came before.

9 Whitebeard Vs Roger

One of the most legendary battles that occurred before Luffy began his adventure was the clash between Roger and Whitebeard. When it comes to the strongest individual figures in the One Piece universe, both men are treated like top-tier legends, and their meeting was essentially the collision of two absolute titans.

These were, in their respective moment, arguably the two most powerful figures of their time, and their fight lasted for at least three days. The outcome? A draw. What made the battle so memorable was Roger testing his own skill and exceptional Haki directly against Whitebeard, the so-called “World’s Strongest Man.”

8 Kaido Vs Oden

Over the years, fans have seen Kaido take on plenty of threats, but his fight against Oden stands out for pure intensity. The odds were absurd: it was described as a battle of nine men against 11,000. Even so, Kozuki Oden’s power was so overwhelming that the smaller force still managed to hold their ground.

Eventually, Oden ended up facing Kaido directly—and he did well enough that he could have killed him in combat. The problem was that Kaido leaned on dirty tactics. Oden got distracted, which gave Kaido a chance to land a brutal injury and ultimately defeat him. The confrontation spanned more than 20 years, meaning it definitely took place before Luffy’s first appearance in the opening chapter of One Piece.

7 Roger Vs Shiki

Before the Great Pirate Era fully took shape, Roger already dominated the seas. But he wasn’t the only major force out there. Shiki, for instance, was commanding the largest armada in the Grand Line at the time, making his presence a serious threat even against someone as formidable as Roger.

Roger and Shiki crossed paths repeatedly. Still, the battle involving Edward is widely believed to be among the most intense they ever fought. It’s likely the Roger Pirates were outnumbered, but a storm hit at just the right moment, shifting the tide in Roger’s favor. After a massive, grinding fight, the result ended in a tie with no clear winner.

6 Shiki Vs Garp And Sengoku

Another major pre–Straw Hat era fight centered on Shiki, this time clashing with the pairing of Roger and Garp. Shiki arrived at Marineford after hearing that Roger had been executed—once the news was officially announced.

Shiki was devastated by what he learned, and instead of waiting for anything to change, he decided to challenge the Marines head-on by himself. The battle he fought was brave and destructive: he managed to wreck half of Marineford in the process and left many injured, potentially even those directly involved on the opposing side. Despite all of that, he still lost, and he was eventually locked away in Impel Down.

5 Shanks Vs Blackbeard

Among the most brutal fights in One Piece before Luffy set out was the showdown between Shanks and Blackbeard. The series has made it clear that when Shanks took his injury, he was already on guard—this wasn’t a sneak attack meant to catch him off-guard.

It also highlights just how strong Blackbeard was even before the events tied to the Whitebeard Pirates’ fallout. At the same time, Shanks was still very young back then and far from his prime, which makes it easier to understand how Teach was able to land a damaging hit.

One Piece is full of striking power-ups and dramatic transformations, even when you ignore the Straw Hat crew entirely.

4 Shanks Vs Mihawk

If there’s one rivalry fans treat as especially hyped, it’s the supposed battle between Shanks and Mihawk. The common belief is that the two were rivals at one point and fought their share of major battles. Their clashes were so notable that they echoed across the Grand Line—and even Whitebeard, a man who hears everything, had knowledge of them.

They fought on multiple occasions, which suggests at least an even matchup. Unfortunately, the story has yet to show a single direct clash between Shanks and Mihawk on-screen. Still, fans expect that the final saga could finally fill in the gaps.

3 God Valley Incident

When people talk about legendary fights in One Piece before Luffy’s journey, the God Valley Incident is almost always the first name that comes up. This event was led by Rocks, and it pulled together his major underlings—Kaido, Big Mom, Shiki, and even Whitebeard—who rushed to God Valley with the mission of rescuing Shakky and, secretly, the Davy Clan.

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At God Valley, they ran into the Marines and the Roger Pirates. The island became a chaotic battlefield where each fight was treated as top-tier. In the end, Captain Rocks was Domi Reversed by Imu. That result forced Roger and Garp to combine their strength to free him from his misery. Rocks was crushed completely and sank with the island, while most of his underlings scattered across the ocean and went on to build their own reputations.

2 Loki Vs Harald

Fourteen years ago, one of the largest battles in One Piece took place when Harald, the King of Elbaf, agreed to a Depths Covenant with Nerona Imu. The agreement turned Harald into something of a puppet under Imu’s control. Then, when Harald finally lost his senses and was about to hand his country over to the World Government, Loki stepped in to stop him.

After Loki ate the Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Nidhoggr, his strength rose to a level where he could match Harald in battle—and even overwhelm him.

1 Shanks Vs Loki

About six years before the current events of One Piece, Shanks officially rose to Yonko status. That moment lined up with a massive conflict in the Grand Line: Shanks vs Loki. The fight became significant enough that it’s still discussed in Elbaf even now. In the battle, Shanks poured his power into fighting Loki, and despite Loki’s overwhelming abilities, Shanks defeated him.

Afterward, Shanks chained Loki up and brought him back to Elbaf, where Loki was kept in the Underworld until Luffy freed him.