One Piece is an anime that certainly has its share of strong and powerful characters. And while its protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, is certainly one of them, some characters could be even more powerful than the manga's cheerful and quirky protagonist. In this article, we'll analyze one of those potential characters, pitting Luffy against Whitebeard, but with a twist. Namely, we won't simply be using the standard Luffy, but rather a special version of Luffy known as Nightmare Luffy, which we've seen in the series. In this article, you'll find out if Nightmare Luffy could defeat Whitebeard.

Despite all the improvements, Nightmare Luffy was unable to defeat Whitebeard. First, there's the fact that he could only fight Whitebeard for 10 minutes in this state, which wouldn't be enough, but regardless, he was nowhere near the incredible power level possessed by the late emperor, who was by far one of the strongest characters in the entire series.

The rest of this article will expand on the answer given above, as we'll compare Nightmare Luffy and Whitebeard in more detail. Across several categories, you'll see who is stronger and why our answer is the way it is—that is, why Whitebeard would, according to our analysis, win against Nightmare Luffy regardless of his upgrades.

Physical powers

Luffy possesses immense physical strength, enough to lift gigantic boulders and shatter steel with his bare hands. His physical strength comes in part from the training his grandfather Garp subjected him to as a child, during which he survived critical circumstances and faced enormous ferocious beasts. Even as a child, he defeated adults and endured torture at the hands of Polchemy.

His physical strength is capable of defeating the strongest fugitives of the Eastern Sea and rivaling even that of the fishmen, as demonstrated in the battles against Arlong and Hody Jones, whose strength was even superior to that of the average of their race. Especially against Hody, after two years of training, he clearly proved superior, so much so that he defeated him despite being fed energy steroids.

In Nightmare Mode, Luffy combined his own strength and powers with those of the 100 Shadows within him, gaining a massive boost in strength (and speed). Using these powers, he could stop a giant Gomu Gomu no Rifle attack launched by Oars with one hand while simultaneously counterattacking.

Whitebeard was known as the strongest man in the world. He had been the strongest for over twenty years, and despite his aging, his physical strength was still far superior to that of a giant.

He also possessed immense stamina, allowing him to survive Squard's stabbing, struck by Akainu, who used the same weapon Ace used to kill him, a Kizaru bolt, and countless gunshots, cannonballs, and sword strikes from the Marines while he was still able to defeat the Admiral. At his peak, he could take on Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, in a three-day-and-three-night hand-to-hand fight.

Despite his failing health, Whitebeard was still considered the strongest and most dangerous pirate in the world, which raises the question of how powerful he was at his peak. He could move at considerable speeds, having managed to sneak up on Akainu, who only noticed when some soldiers warned him to look behind him. The fact that he launched a surprise attack on the admiral, who had very keen hearing, shows that Whitebeard could be incredibly stealthy, despite his gigantic size.

Regardless of how powerful Luffy had become here, he still wasn't on Whitebeard's level. Whitebeard could withstand bullets and swords, and Luffy couldn't really throw a punch hard enough to knock Whitebeard down.

Points: Nightmare Luffy 0, Whitebeard 1

Devil Fruit

Luffy ate the Devil Fruit Gomu Gomu, which allowed him to stretch his body parts and strike his enemies from long distances. Although he struggled to fully control its power as a child, after over a decade of intense training, Luffy was able to use the fruit to exponentially improve his physical strength and agility, making him a dangerous opponent. It was later revealed that his Gomu Gomu no Mi is actually the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, which gave Luffy even more powers and abilities.

Despite his fighting style appearing improvised at times, it is precisely his creativity that makes him an unpredictable opponent, capable of turning critical situations around by occasionally adapting to the fight. His rubber body also makes him extremely durable and immune to sea bullets, normal blows, and even electricity. However, he is not immune to swords and knives, nor to dehydration or poison, although, after the fight with Magellan, he becomes immune to a wide variety of them.

In Nightmare Mode, Luffy also received some of the powers of the Kage Kage no Mi. While he could not fully utilize the Devil Fruit's powers, he was still able to partially utilize them. This allowed him to contain 100 shadows within himself for a limited time and combine their powers with his Gomu Gomu no Mi powers.

Whitebeard gained the ability to slice through the air and anything in his attack path after consuming the Gura Gura no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. Then, by grasping the air with his fingers and slicing through very large areas of land and sea, he could cause them to shudder and trigger earthquakes and tsunamis. By combining it with his Bisento, he could also use this ability to perform slashing attacks. He can also resist Aokiji's freezing with his noisy tremors. Furthermore, the Sabaody Archipelago experienced tsunamis thanks to Blackbeard, who never mastered the fruit's powers and abilities after stealing Whitebeard's powers.

Nightmare Luffy has the combined power of two Devil Fruits, but their combined power still isn't greater than Whitebeard's Devil Fruit, so we decided to split the points here.

Points: Nightmare Luffy 1, Whitebeard 2

RIGHT

Rayleigh trained Luffy to become an expert Haki user. He knows how to use Observation Haki, which he first instinctively used against Mihawk, avoiding a blow that would have severed his arms. He also masters Armament Haki to a high degree, making it an essential component of Gear Four. Using this ability combined with the powers of his own Devil Fruit, Luffy can also ignite his fists with friction.

He also knows how to use the rarest form of Haki, Royal Haki, which is his favorite. With it, he could knock out fifty thousand fishmen in one blow. During his confrontation with Kaido, he proved to be one of the few individuals capable of using it to enhance his attacks. His third fight against the emperor also tore the sky apart.

Whitebeard skillfully mastered all three varieties of Haki. His highly developed mastery of Observation Haki is shown in flashbacks with Ace, where Whitebeard easily defeats him while he dozed off. Additionally, it appears he could integrate his Armament Haki into his Bisento, allowing him to demolish ships or even small settlements. Whitebeard frequently used his Armament Haki against admirals. Whitebeard was using Conqueror's Haki at the time of the Battle of Marineford, according to Fossa. They used it when Newgate and Gol D. Roger clashed while traveling together.

Nightmare Luffy doesn't seem to have any changes when it comes to Haki, so we can only tell you what we would tell you in another case - as skilled as he was, Luffy was nowhere near Whitebeard's level when it came to Haki.

Points: Nightmare Luffy 1, Whitebeard 3

Weapons

Luffy rarely uses weapons in combat, mainly due to his inexperience and inability to use them. As a child, he wielded a metal pipe, which is probably the most sophisticated weapon he has successfully wielded. In Arlong Park, Luffy briefly attempted to fight with swords but failed miserably. However, Nightmare Luffy could use weapons, which was a major improvement for Luffy as a fighter, as he could now freely use a sword without looking hilarious.

Edward Newgate's favorite weapon was his Bisento, a massive Japanese halberd, which he used constantly and called Murakumogiri. Murakumogiri was an exceptionally large weapon that matched Whitebeard's nearly five-meter height. By concentrating his Haki into his Bisento, Whitebeard could send dozens of opponents flying with a single blow. The Bisento is a completely frightening weapon, but when combined with Whitebeard's enormous strength and fighting skills, it is nearly lethal to anyone. As proof, it allowed him to go toe-to-toe with Shanks's sword, which caused an atmospheric-like tear in the sky during their exchange of blows.

And even though Luffy could suddenly use weapons, his skill and mastery were nowhere near Whitebeard's. So, despite the improvement, the Emperor gets that last point.

Points: Nightmare Luffy 1, Whitebeard 4

Regardless of the obvious power increase, Nightmare Luffy still easily loses to Whitebeard.

This analysis was quite simple; we must confirm it. Sure, Nightmare Luffy was an improved version of the original Luffy, but despite all these improvements, he was far from Whitebeard's level, as the former emperor is one of the strongest characters in the entire series.