Top 10 Biggest Flexes in One Piece

Dracule Mihawk is the world’s strongest swordsman. His introduction has already established his clout and abilities, given that he single handedly destroyed Don Krieg’s fleet. However, when Zoro challenges the man he hopes to surpass, Mihawk delivers a monumental flex on the Straw Hats’ swordsman. Rather than use his massive, ship-slicing blade, Mihawk instead pulls out a tiny blade hidden in his necklace. After lamenting that he doesn’t have a smaller one, Mihawk proceeds to utterly dominate Zoro in a duel, despite his apparent handicap. While Zoro’s determination ultimately wins Mihawk’s approval, he first must endure the Warlord’s disrespect.

Speaking of a Warlord’s disrespect, when Luffy and company are being pursued by the Warlord Crocodile, the Straw Hat captain stays behind to buy time. After trading barbs, Crocodile starts to get impatient. But, in a show of contempt and confidence, he throws down an hourglass timer in the sand. He lets Luffy try to fight him for 3 minutes. Crocodile’s utter certainty that Luffy can’t hurt him in a few minutes is such a huge flex. And he’s right! Try as he might, Luffy can’t so much as injure Crocodile in that time. Meanwhile, Crocodile pokes holes in Luffy’s dreams - and his body.

Few things can set Luffy off, since he’s generally happy-go-lucky. But when Kaido, one of the 4 Emperors, destroys the castle where his friends and allies are and supposedly kills them, Luffy loses all his chill. Attacking the draconic pirate head-on, Luffy uses all his most powerful forms and moves, pummeling Kaido with punch after punch. But - it doesn’t hurt him. Although the anime extends the fight to have a bit more back and forth, Kaido essentially gets up, dusts himself off, and knocks Luffy out with one well-placed Thunder Bagua! He even ridicules Luffy’s ambition to be Pirate King! Defeating the protagonist in one blow and kicking him while he’s down? Oof.

Despite receiving ridicule at the hands of Bellamy, a “big time” rookie pirate, Luffy returns to confront him when his new friend Cricket’s gold is stolen. Bellamy tries to flex on Luffy, mocking his dreams as he shows off his spring-based powers by bouncing around town in an apparent blur. However, Luffy angrily recalls Bellamy’s question and throws it back at him “can he throw a punch?” Then, when Bellamy goes in for a final attack, Luffy punches him to the ground - making Bellamy lose consciousness and gain a new dent in his face! He didn’t even use his Devil Fruit powers or name the attack! Luffy doesn’t flex often, but when he does it’s always impressive.

Jinbe is a staunch ally of the Straw Hats, who wants to join their crew. However, to protect his own people, the Fishman pirate allied with Big Mom. Upon meeting her during the most chaotic tea party ever, Jinbe decides to resign. The only problem is that Big Mom can suck out people’s souls. But, when the enormous Emperor matriarch tries it on Jinbe - it doesn’t work. The caveat to her powers working is that the victim has to fear her - and Jinbe doesn’t. A man who wants to join the crew of the future Pirate King can’t be scared of a measly Emperor! No wonder everyone calls him “Boss!”

The war at Marineford is rife with characters showing off their ridiculous powers, amid all the devastation and shocking developments. When Admiral Akainu takes action, things start to look dire, with the magma-spouting Marine launching meteor magma fists down on the pirates. However, while some of the Whitebeard Pirates’ ships are lit aflame by Akainu’s attacks, Whitebeard himself catches one on the tip of his enormous halberd. Not only that, he blows out the magma with his breath alone! The legendary pirate has quake powers, and yet he used only his lung capacity to extinguish molten rock! Whitebeard even trash talks the Admiral for good measure! Akainu may be made of magma, but Whitebeard gave him a burn!

Marine Admirals can do plenty of flexing themselves! Borsalino, codename Kizaru, immediately shows why his title isn’t for show. When Luffy causes an international incident, Kizaru arrives on the scene via cannonball to help suppress any pirates in the area. After casually and accidentally blowing up a tree the size of a mountain, Kizaru runs into Luffy’s peers, fellow up-and-coming rookie pirates, Hawkins, Apoo, Drake, and Urouge. With lazy, unfocused disregard, Kizaru steamrolls these Supernovas of the pirate world using his light-based abilities. Their attacks do no damage, he kicks Hawkins at the speed of light, and then all full of laser holes. Kizaru isn’t all there, which makes his easy defeat of the Supernovas an even bigger flaunting of his strength.

The war at Marineford doesn’t go well for almost everyone. Whitebeard and Ace die, Blackbeard is ascendant, the Marines and pirates die by the droves, and Luffy’s life is in danger. But at the eleventh hour, who should appear to intervene, but Luffy’s mentor, Shanks. The Emperor steps in to save Koby and buy time for Luffy to escape. He then makes a speech to all the hardened pirates, battle-hungry Marines, and the wild card that is Blackbeard about how pointless their fighting has become. Shanks then challenges anyone who still wants a fight to go up against him and his crew. And none of them want to mess with him! If stopping a war nearly singlehandedly isn’t a flex, what is?