Who is the closest to claiming the legendary treasure in One Piece?

The Egghead Island saga has made one thing abundantly clear: that the race for the One Piece is no longer the exclusive domain of pirates. By the time the Straw Hats set sail from Egghead, the entire balance of the world had shifted. The Marines, the Celestial Dragons, the Yonko crews, and bounty-hunting syndicates are all now in play.

Why? Because the latest developments confirm that whoever claims the One Piece will not just earn the title of Pirate King, they will hold dominion over the entire world. This isn’t a race for treasure anymore. It’s the opening act of a global war for supremacy.

The ancient mural on Elbaf in One Piece foreshadows it perfectly: a final, all-encompassing conflict that will pull every major faction into a climactic struggle over one prize. The One Piece has gone from a distant dream to the inevitable focal point of the series’ endgame.

But in a battlefield this crowded, who is actually closest to reaching Laugh Tale? The answer isn’t as straightforward as counting how many Road Poneglyphs each faction has. To find the One Piece, a crew needs three critical elements:

1. The Road Poneglyphs - All four are required to chart a course to Laugh Tale.
2. A Poneglyph Reader - Without someone who can decipher the ancient text, even the full set is useless.
3. Military Strength - The journey is as much about surviving enemy forces as it is about navigating the seas.

A crew missing any of these three are only fooling themselves. You can’t read what you can’t understand, and you can’t keep what you can’t protect. With that in mind, here’s how the major factions stack up in the race for One Piece, from the hopeless to the heavy favorites.

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Not in the Running: The Revolutionary Army

Before we start ranking, it’s worth noting that the Revolutionary Army in One Piece isn’t competing at all. Their mission is to overthrow the world government, not claim the seas. Despite having Nico Robin in their company at one point, they never tried to learn Poneglyph reading from her. That alone says they have no interest in Laugh Tale. They’re the “wild card” in this war, capable of attacking the strongest player, but not aiming for the prize themselves.

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Last Place: Kid & Law

Eustass Kid and Trafalgar Law are the cautionary tales of the One Piece race. They are proof that owning Road Poneglyph rubbings doesn’t guarantee anything.

Before their downfall, both had two Road Poneglyphs each. Kid had one from Whole Cake Island and one from Wano. Law had the Zo and Wano Poneglyphs thanks to alliances with the Straw Hats. But without top-tier military strength, they were sitting ducks.

The moment they operated without Luffy’s shadow for protection, disaster struck. Kid was obliterated by Shanks, and Law crushed by Blackbeard. Their Poneglyph rubbings were stolen in a matter of days.

Could they make a comeback? Possibly. Killer is rumored to be part of the Three-Eyed Tribe, which could grant him the ability to read Poneglyphs. But for now, they have no rubbings, no confirmed reader, and barely any crew left. They’re spectators in the race they once dreamed of winning.

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Cross Guild: Potential but underdeveloped

Buggy, Mihawk, and Crocodile’s Cross Guild in One Piece is an odd case with big names and ambitious goals but nowhere near ready to take the prize.

Current status:

• Road Poneglyphs: 0
• Poneglyph Reader: None
• Military Strength: One confirmed Yonko-level fighter (Mihawk), Crocodile possibly at first-mate strength, and a handful of competent subordinates.

Buggy’s fleet isn’t the powerhouse some imagine. Many of its strongest members left, and the remaining forces have been shown struggling against average Marine squads.

Cross Guild’s only real hope is to grow quickly. If they can recruit a Poneglyph reader and bolster their ranks with powerful commanders, they could enter the conversation. For now, they’re dangerous but incomplete.

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Red-Haired Pirates: The experienced hunters

Shanks’ crew in One Piece is the first true contender on the list. They already possess two Road Poneglyphs, taken from Kid’s defeat, putting them halfway to Laugh Tale.

Strengths:

• Unmatched Crew Quality: Even among Yonko, the Red-Haired commanders are considered exceptional.
• Shanks’ Knowledge: Though he never set foot on Laugh Tale with Roger, his time on the Pirate King’s crew and ongoing relationships with Rayleigh and Gaban mean he likely knows more about the One Piece than most.

Weaknesses:

• No Reader: Without someone like Robin or Pudding, their rubbings are just paper. Their friendship with the giants of Elbaf could connect them to Jaguar D. Saul, but there’s no confirmation of such an alliance.

Shanks is clearly biding his time, playing a longer game than others. His timing and motives remain mysterious, but for now, the lack of a Poneglyph reader keeps them from the top two spots.

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Blackbeard Pirates: Ruthless and resourceful

Blackbeard’s crew has both the Poneglyphs and a potential translator, and that is a dangerous combination. After defeating Law, they took his Zo and Wano rubbings. That gives them two, just like Shanks.

Their ace in the hole is Charlotte Pudding, a member of the Three-Eyed Tribe. Once her “third eye” awakens, she should be able to read the ancient script. The catch? She’s unwilling to help, and her awakening timeline is unknown. Torture or coercion is likely.

In terms of strength, the Blackbeard Pirates in One Piece are formidable but flawed. Their roster has Yonko-level power on paper, but incidents like Garp’s assault on Hachinosu suggest they’re not as cohesive or dominant as the original Yonko crews.

Aokiji’s presence could tip the scales if he were loyal, which he isn’t. His true allegiance lies elsewhere. Still, with two rubbings, a reader-in-waiting, and the sheer audacity to attack anyone, Blackbeard is in striking distance.

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The World Government: The sleeping giant

The World Government has not openly declared a pursuit of the One Piece yet. But when they do, they could become the most dangerous player overnight.

Likely Assets:

• The Final Road Poneglyph: Heavily implied to be in the possession of the mysterious “man with the burn mark,” a figure likely connected to the Government. This one is the rarest and hardest to steal.
• Poneglyph Reader: York, a Vegapunk satellite, has inherited the ability to read the text. Unlike Pudding, she can do so immediately.
• Overwhelming Military Power: From Imu and the Gorosei to the Seraphim, the Admirals, and the God’s Knights, no single faction matches their might.

Theoretically, they could crush weaker crews to obtain the remaining three Poneglyphs. But in practice, their forces in One Piece are stretched thin, putting down revolts, fighting the Revolutionaries, and clashing with Yonko allies. Mobilizing enough power to take on Shanks, Blackbeard, and Luffy in succession would be a monumental task.

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The Straw Hat Pirates: The current front-runners in

One Piece

No crew is closer to Laugh Tale than the Straw Hats right now in One Piece.

They possess:

• Three Road Poneglyphs: Zo, Whole Cake Island, and Wano.
• The Best Reader Alive: Nico Robin, whose skill is unmatched and immediately usable.
• Yonko-Level Strength: Luffy’s crew has grown into one of the most balanced and powerful on the seas.

What truly sets them apart, however, is their network of allies:

• The Grand Fleet
• The nations of Wano and Zou
• Zunisha
• Fishman Island
• The Ancient Weapon Poseidon (Shirahoshi)

No other pirate crew can call on such overwhelming support.

The challenge ahead is clear, as locating and obtaining the final Road Poneglyph from the man with the burn mark. While this may be difficult, it’s arguably easier than the World Government’s task of seizing three from other Yonko crews.

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Final thoughts

The race to One Piece is no longer just a pirate’s dream. It’s a multi-faction war, with shifting alliances, betrayals, and sudden upsets inevitable. One major battle could see the entire ranking reshuffled, as the Straw Hats could lose their advantage overnight, or the World Government could sweep the board with a decisive strike. The only certainty is that the final war for the seas will be fought by everyone, and only the strongest will stand on Laugh Tale.