Why Akainu Might Be Stronger Than Luffy, Explained

This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.

Key Takeaways

• Akainu’s bounty of 5 billion berries indicates his strength and rank in the Marines.
• Akainu’s power is immense with a destructive Devil Fruit and incredible stamina.
• Despite Akainu potentially being stronger, Luffy has the ability to surpass any obstacle in battle.

Although One Piece was on a very long break until recently, fans got to enjoy quite a lot of exciting content through supplementary sources of information, such as the Vivre Cards and the SBS. Oda revealed a ton of exciting information for all the fans, especially when it comes to the Admirals and the Marines. Given that the previous arc in the One Piece series was Egghead Island, Oda revealed a ton of information about characters who took an active role in this arc, such as the Marines, and of course, the members of the SWORD, and of course, the Cross Guild.

When it comes to Cross Guild, one of the most exciting things that fans know Oda revealed was their bounty system. Now, their entire bounty system has been explained in the story, and more importantly, fans have gotten some of the highest bounties of the Marines confirmed. It goes without saying that these bounties also indicate a certain level of strength of these powerful Marines, which means that at the very least, the Fleet Admiral might be more than just a match for Luffy.

Oda Reveals Akainu’s New Bounty

• Akainu Has Has The Highest Reward In The Marines
• Akainu Becomes The Third Person To Break The 5 Billion Mark

The Cross Guild introduced their own bounty system in One Piece not so long ago. As fans know, bounties are usually placed on the heads of criminals, such as pirates and revolutionaries, among others, by the Government, who seek to put an end to their acts of rebellion or crime. Fans have seen pirate and criminal bounties through the vast majority of One Piece. However, in the Final Saga, Oda decided to flip the script when he introduced the Cross Guild to the fans. Composed of pirates themselves with huge bounties, the Cross Guild decided to take things a step further and put bounties on the head of the Marines. Essentially, this meant that the Marines were now just as hunted as the pirates, given that famous bounty hunters of the world now started hunting down Marines, and even found some success in it, as was confirmed when Vice Admiral T-bone was killed by people and his bounty was successfully claimed from the Cross Guild.

There is no place in the world for pirates! – Akainu

Naturally, fans were curious to see what the highest bounties issued by the Cross Guild would look like. In the Egghead Island Arc, Oda introduced quite a few legendary bounties. For instance, the bounty of the Admirals was clearly stated to be 3 billion berries to the fans, and at the same time, Garp, despite being a Vice Admiral, was also stated to have a 3 billion berry bounty. Undoubtedly, this was one of the most impressive bounties in the entire series, and that goes without saying. But, fans were always more interested in Akainu’s bounty. Given that Akainu is currently in his prime and also at the top of the entire Marine, currently serving as the Fleet Admiral, fans were curious to see what his Bounty would be.

Thankfully, Oda has finally revealed the bounty of Akainu in a Vivre Card. As was revealed recently in One Piece, Akainu has a bounty of 5 billion berries, which is absolutely staggering. His bounty is certainly an indication of his high rank within the Navy, given that he is in command of the entire unit. However, at the same time, it is also an indication of his terrific level of strength, which Oda is indicating is higher than any other Marine in One Piece right now.

Is Akainu A Major Endgame Villain?

Akainu Will Stand In Luffy’s Path Once Again

Akainu served the role of a major antagonist in One Piece around the timeskip. In the Summit War, specifically in the war itself, Akainu was a big antagonist, and he fought against many pirates, including the likes of Whitebeard. His role as a villain was first hinted at during the Enies Lobby Arc, and his terrific powers of the Magu Magu no Mi were also revealed to the fans. The scope of Akainu’s power is absolutely immense, and few individuals in the One Piece World can stop him.

It goes without saying that Akainu is a monster in combat, and fans know that even now, his full strength has not been revealed. This is because Akainu has most definitely grown stronger ever since the two years that passed, and, right now, he must be a force to be reckoned with.

No matter who they are, I will chase them to the ends of the earth! – Akainu

Oda has been saving Akainu for the Final Saga of One Piece, and it is only a matter of time before he starts getting more involved. Naturally, some fans might assume that Akainu is not going to be as relevant, because usually, he is simply in his office, or, at other times, he’s simply not involved in any major arc. However, they would be mistaken. The main reason why Akainu has not been involved directly in the plot is because the circumstances are not right. It was too early for Oda to introduce him, given that the vast majority of the characters were simply too weak for him.

Now that Luffy is a Yonko, One Piece has entered the final saga, which means that Luffy is strong enough to deal with the vast majority of the threats he faces. Now is the time for characters such as Akainu to make their move, as he is now going to be able to get an impressive fight from the likes of Luffy. Undoubtedly, Akainu is one of the endgame villains of One Piece, and fans will most definitely get to see more of him in the final saga.

Why Akainu Might Be Stronger Than Luffy

Akainu’s Bounty And Power Could Be Higher

Naturally, fans are now wondering whether Akainu might be stronger than Luffy, and the answer to the question is quite easy for the fans to see. For one, Akainu possesses a more powerful Devil Fruit. It goes without saying that Luffy’s devil fruit is the most ridiculous in the world, the powers of which depend upon Luffy’s imagination, but, in terms of offensive firepower, Akainu is more destructive. In fact, Oda has explicitly stated his Devil Fruit to have the attacking power of the highest order, matched only by the Gura Gura no Mi. On top of that, Akainu is also a Logia, which means that he possesses the strongest class of Devil Fruit in One Piece. If that isn’t enough, then fans should also keep in mind that Akainu possesses incredible stamina and physical strength, considerably more than that of Luffy.

In a direct battle between these two, Akainu would most likely hold the upper hand, but one cannot count out Luffy, as he has shown time and again that he can go on to surpass his opponents during the battle. He surpassed Kaido, and he will most likely do it against Akainu too if they fight. Luffy’s imagination makes him a very unique individual as he can do impossible things, but, in terms of offensive output, he’s not as strong as Akainu. That said, in a battle, Luffy will still go on to defeat him, as he has the ability to surpass all obstacles by growing in the midst of battle.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1131, is set to be November 10, 2024.