Holy Knights is a major antagonist group, which has been recently introduced in chapter #1138. Holy Knights has made its reputation as a major contributor to the antagonists in the One Piece series, and now that Shanks’ evil twin, Figarland Shamrock is the leader of Holy Knights, it won’t be wrong to consider him as the most dangerous hurdle of Luffy’s journey in Elbaf Arc. He seems powerful enough to go head-to-head with Gear 5 Luffy. However, Shamrock is not alone on Elbaf, he’s accompanied by his partner, Gunko, who is also a force that can be a threat.
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Gunko gives fans a taste of how dangerous the Holy Knights can be. Unlike Shamrock, she has the powers of the Aro Aro no Mi, a mysterious Devil Fruit that hints at the incredible abilities typical of this elite group. Gunko’s actions like how she handles Loki, the powerful ruler of Elbaf, and her bold attitude alongside Shamrock. The fact that she even tried to recruit Loki into the Holy Knights suggests just how confident and strong she is. She has lately been showing that she can easily bring down any character whose strength is lesser than that of Marine Admirals.
Yamato, A Yonko’s Child
Yamato, as a child of Kaido-a Yonko, possesses the same amount of strength a Yonko’s child is expected to have, emphasizing the weight of his lineage. He has command over all three forms of Haki and wields a Kanabo. Yamato’s way of combat is similar to that of his father, including his way of using Advanced Conqueror’s Haki. He’s a consumer of Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami Zoan-type Devil Fruit which increases his physical abilities like strength and speed as well as ice-based powers.
Before the unlocking of Luffy’s Gear 5, Yamato was stronger than Luffy, as displayed in their respective battles against Kaido. Although Yamato stands toe-to-toe with his father in battles and fights formidably, he’s still lacking power to defeat a Holy Knight. Gunko’s speed, precision, and sheer potency in battle put her on a higher tier of combat, and while Yamato could certainly hold his own against many powerful adversaries, bringing down someone like Gunko would require more than his current capabilities.
Roronoa Zoro, Greatest Swordsmen of One Piece
Roronoa Zoro has come a long way from being just a pirate to becoming one of the most fearsome fighters in the world, especially among the crews of the Yonko. He’s an unofficial first mate of Luffy’s crew. Being a student of Draculae Mihawk, he has emerged as the greatest Swordsmen of One Piece world and has mastery over all three forms of Haki. He showed his real talent after the training during the two years of time skip during the Wano Country Arc.
Not only did he defeat King, one of Kaido’s formidable All-Stars, but he also managed to deal significant damage to Kaido himself—more than anyone except Luffy. While Zoro has certainly reached a point where he could injure an Admiral significantly, he isn’t yet at the level where he could take one down in a full fight. He sacrificed everything he had during his fight with King. Zoro is not stronger than Gunko for now, but he’s strong enough to at least injure her, and this encounter is expected to take place in the upcoming chapters of Elbaf Arc.
Bartholomew Kuma, Officer Of Revolutionary Army
Bartholomew Kuma stands as one of the most powerful figures among the former Warlords of the Sea, ranking only behind Dracule Mihawk and Blackbeard in terms of strength. He’s a former officer of the Revolutionary Army and a user of Nikyu Nikyu no Mi Devil Fruit which grants him the ability to send anything or anyone to any location across the world, compress air to create massive explosions, and transfer pain from one person to another.
Although, Kuma doesn’t have access to his entire strength because he was transformed into a cyborg stripped him of his free will, but still the weakened power of Kuma is still strong enough to bring many antagonists to their knees. His durability has increased due to his cyborg enhancements, and he has the ability to fire energy beams from his mouth, further expanding his combat capabilities.
Moreover, his Giant lineage also contributes to the increase in his durability and power. If Kuma manages to restore his mind, he could easily fight and defeat Gunko. However, his current drive to protect Bonney and his single-minded focus on her safety might hinder him in a battle against Gunko.
Trafalgar D. Law, Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai’s Member
The main reason for Trafalgar D. Law’s fame is his status as a member of the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance most instrumental in the defeat of one of the four emperors of the Sea, Big Mom. Moreover, he’s the user of the most powerful Devil Fruit of One Piece series, Ope Ope no Mi, which grants him the ability to manipulate anything and anyone within his “Room.” After the awakening of his powers, Law even proved capable of bypassing Yonko-level Haki.
During the Wano Country Arc, Law showed rapid growth but lost badly in his next battle. Despite his growth since the Dressrosa Arc, Law was brutally defeated by Blackbeard. This defeat demonstrated that while Law can stand firmly against some of the strongest fighters, there are still some opponents who can outmatch him in raw power and resilience. Gunko, being a member of Holy Knight can prove to be more dangerous for Law than Blackbeard. Her incredible speed and agility would make it nearly impossible for Law to maintain control within his room.
Eustass Kid, The Egoistic Warrior
Eustass Kid is also a formidable warrior, though he often overestimates his abilities. He has command over all three forms of Haki and possesses the Awakened powers of the Jiki Jiki no Mi, which grants him control over magnetism. Throughout much of One Piece, Kid is depicted as a rival to Monkey D. Luffy. It wasn’t until the Wano Country Saga that he truly showcased his true magnetic potential by teaming up to bring down Big Mom—a feat that cemented his place among the top fighters.
However, his victory over Big Mom was inflated due to his extraordinary ego which caused him to challenge Shanks and ended up making him lose before Shanks. While Gunko may not match the extreme power of Shanks or Shamrock, her strength is formidable and comparable to theirs. Although it’s not possible for her to win against Kid in a single blow but it wouldn’t take too long for her to have victory over him.
Boa Hancock, The Pirate Empress
Boa Hancock is one of the strongest supporters of Luffy and his crew. She’s also known as the Pirate Empress and commands all three forms of Haki, possessing the Mero Mero no Mi Devil Fruit, which allows her to turn anyone attracted to her into stone. Although the bounties don’t determine the strength of an individual currently, she has a bounty of 1.659 billion berries. Hancock ranks above every Yonko’s top Commander.
She made her appearance during the Amazon Lily Arc, as the strongest and most powerful woman of One Piece World. However, her title was lost during the post-time skip era. Big Mom and Jewelry Bonney have surpassed her, and Gunko now emerges as yet another superior female combatant. When she was defeated by Blackbeard, this defeat revealed the limitations of her Haki. Additionally, her Mero Mero no Mi powers wouldn’t be effective against someone like Gunko, who likely isn’t attracted to her or doesn’t even see her fully as a human.
Sanji, A Threat to Admirals
Among the Straw Hat Pirates, Sanji has shown remarkable growth both as a character and a fighter during the Post-Timeskip era. During the initial days of post time skip era, he was too weak to defeat Vergo, however, things changed after he donned the Raid Suit, which greatly enhanced his abilities. His flame kicks became powerful enough to defeat Queen the Plague, Kaido’s second-strongest All-Star. He even managed to bring down Admiral Kizaru, dodging his attacks during the Egghead Arc.
Despite the great strength possessed by Sanji, it’s still difficult for him to win against Admiral Kizaru in one-on-one combat. This implies that Sanji’s power is still not enough for him to win a fight against Gunko. Moreover, his unwavering code of chivalry prevents him from hitting any woman, no matter how evil she may be. Because of this vow, he wouldn’t even attempt to fight back against Gunko, placing himself at a clear disadvantage against the dangerous Holy Knight.
Marco, The Phoenix
During the Marineford Arc, Marco, the Phoenix made his appearance as the First Mate of Whitebeard. He’s one of the four Yonko and the strongest man in the world. His power came from the Tori Tori no Mi, Model Phoenix, a rare Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit that gave him the ability to transform into a blue-flamed phoenix with remarkable healing powers. He fought fiercely to protect both Luffy and Ace, even clashing with powerful Marine Admirals.
After the time skip, Marco retired from the position of a pirate. His dominance in the world’s power rankings decreased. He was defeated by Blackbeard, unable to avenge his surrogate father’s death, and struggled to take down either King or Queen during the Wano Country Saga. While Marco’s regenerative flames allow him to endure long battles, his strength is no longer enough to threaten top opponents. Against Gunko, with her dangerous abilities and sheer strength as a Holy Knight, Marco wouldn’t stand much of a chance.
Conclusion
Gunko, being a member of Holy Knights, is a formidable fighter who’s not strong just physically but is sharp enough to trick or manipulate, his target. Her immense speed, precision, and capabilities in battle field make her a threat for her opponents, even for the formidable fighters like Kuma, Yamato, Zoro.
Although, warriors like Boa Hancock, Zoro, Kuma have done remarkable displays of their power as well as social status, still, these characters won’t be able to stand strong before Gunko’s agility and combat skills. Despite being on lower level of power in comparison with that of Shanks’ and Shamrock’s, Gunko is certainly a force to be reckoned with, one who could outmatch many of the series’ top-tier fighters. She’s sharp enough to attack her opponents physically as well as emotionally.
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