A pirate is nothing without their pirate ship. In both One Piece as well as real-life history, pirate ships were the most important part of being a pirate! They were homes for the crew and transport vessels, and the loss of a pirate ship was a massive and traumatic event. All of these ships varied in size, shape, purpose, and form, but all were able to protect their crews.
While we don’t see too many naval battles in One Piece, many people still ask what ships are stronger than others. Well, that is what this article is going to take on as we set sail with the strongest ships in One Piece!
6. The Nostra Castello
Many pirate ships are very interesting, but they have a weakness. If you can get to land and get out of the range of the ships’ guns, you will mostly be fine. Not so with the Nostra Castello, which is the ship of Capone Bege. The entire ship’s design looks like a fortress with several massive cannons, including two on the figurehead.
But the most interesting thing about this ship is that it had retractable tank treads on both sides. This allowed for the ship to move and fight on land like a traditional tank, and travel across all types of terrain. Big Mom and Prometheus destroyed the ship during the Whole Cake Island arc, but it was cool while it lasted!
5. Thriller Bark
The Thriller Bark ship was an island that turned into a pirate ship. It is one of the largest pirate ships in the series. Able to hold multiple mansions, labs, graveyards, and an entire amusement park, this ship was not lacking in cargo space!
Crewed by Zombies as well as the Thriller Bark Pirates, this ship was very impressive. Still, it was no match for the Straw Hats when they came to the island during the Thriller Bark arc. Despite facing heavy damage during the ensuing conflict, Gecko Moria would reclaim it in order to travel to Pirate Island.
4. Island Ship
Focusing on islands for a moment, let’s talk about the Island Ship. The Flying Pirate Shiki needs to have an equally impressive ship. This ship is half ship and half island, with trees as masts and a base of pure solid earth. Plus, it has a massive golden lion as its figurehead.
This island ship was an epic concept, especially since the captain’s Devil Fruit powers powered it. It was later replaced by the equally epic island fortress Merveille by Shiki. This takes the idea of a floating island to the extreme by making it a floating archipelago.
3. The Ark Maxim
This ship was used by Enel whenever he subjugated Skypiea as its God. Enel’s own electrical energy, along with backup jet dials, powered the ark. Additionally, the entire ship uses gold to conduct its lightning-based attacks. This is one of the ships in the series that actually engages in combat. It can create massive lightning storms that are strong enough to destroy entire islands.
Additionally, it is also a ship that can go into space. Let’s repeat that really quickly the Ark Maxim can function in space! Enel left his battle with Luffy and looked for the Endless Vearth on the moon. He took his ship with him.
2. The Going Merry
If we are going to talk about strong ships, we need to speak about the Going Merry. The first ship of the Straw Hats, this carvel ship was the home of the crew for many of their adventures. It is armed with four cannons and has plenty of amenities that support the crew. Eventually, with the love shown to the Going Merry by the crew, it eventually developed a life of its own. Possessing fierce loyalty to the Straw Hats.
However, it would take quite a lot of damage over the course of the various adventures. Eventually, despite the repairs the Straw Hats made. The Keel would be damaged and irreparable. This would kick off one of the sadder moments in the Enies lobby arc, as well as one of the most triumphant. When the Straw Hats needed to be saved, the spirit of the Going Merry manifested, repaired the ship enough for it to go out one last time, and saved the crew.
1. The Thousand Sunny
The second ship of the Straw Hats, the Thousand Sunny is a brigantine ship that focuses on maneuverability. It is armed with sixteen cannons. While most of these are traditional, it also has the Gaon Cannon in the figurehead and the Coup de Burst cannon in the back. Both of these cannons have gotten the Straw Hats out of countless scrapes.
It is a ship that caters to all the various needs of the Straw Hats, and it is also made of Adam wood. The Thousand Sunny has been just as instrumental to the crew as the Going Merry, and the true capabilities of the ship haven’t been seen yet! As the crew explores more and more islands around the Final Saga, we might see what this ship is truly capable of!
There Are Still More Ships To Find!
With the New World and all of its pirate crews waiting to be found, you can bet there will still be many strong pirate ships. All ships that the Straw Hats will need to find and deal with! A pirate ship’s design can tell you a lot about its crew and captain. Plus, part of the fun is watching how much the ship reflects the personality of the captain!
As One Piece gets deeper into the Final Saga, you can bet that there will be some amazing ships to find. It will be interesting to see what the abilities of these new ships are, as well as how the Thousand Sunny and its allies will overcome them all!
