One Pieceis one of the most iconic and long-running anime series of all time. Since its debut in 1999, it has captivated audiences with its grand adventure, rich world-building, and diverse cast of characters. The story follows Monkey D. Luffy, a young and ambitious pirate with the ability to stretch like rubber after eating the Gum-Gum Fruit.
His dream? To find the legendary treasure known as the One Piece and claim the title of Pirate King. The world of One Piece is vast, and its ships are more than just a means of transportation; they are extensions of their crews, playing a crucial role in battles, escapes, and heartfelt moments.
10Utan Sonar
Shoujou Pirates
While the Shoujou Pirates don’t appear often in One Piece, their ship, the Utan Sonar, is one of the most striking vessels in the series. The ship is themed around orangutans, featuring a large orangutan figurehead and massive trees growing from the deck, which serve as its masts. Additionally, the Utan Sonar is equipped with two large paddles on either side, allowing the crew to navigate more effectively during their underwater treasure-hunting operations.
The Shoujou Pirates specialize in treasure hunting, using echolocation to aid in their searches. Their captain plays a crucial role in underwater sonar operations as part of the Saruyama Alliance. His unique voice-based ability allows him to use echolocation to locate hidden treasures or unleash his Havoc Sonar as a devastating attack in battle.
9Numancia Flamingo
Donquixote Pirates
They say pets often resemble their owners, but pirate ships seem to follow the same rule… just look at the Numancia Flamingo! The Numancia Flamingo is the flagship of the Donquixote Pirates, captained by Donquixote Doflamingo himself. True to its captain’s flamboyant nature, the ship is designed to resemble a giant pink flamingo. Its figurehead even sports a replica of Doflamingo’s iconic sunglasses.
While we don’t get a full tour of the ship’s interior, we do know that it features an ornate dining room, fitting for Doflamingo’s luxurious and theatrical lifestyle. This space serves as a meeting hall for his top executives and a venue for high-stakes business dealings.
8Perfume Yuda
Kuja Pirates
Perfume Yuda is a unique ship that stands out not only for its elegant design but also for its impressive engineering. Styled after a traditional Chinese junk ship, Perfume Yuda is the pride of the Kuja Pirates.
Perfume Yuda is specifically built to traverse the Calm Belt, the notoriously difficult stretch of sea that borders the Grand Line. Its lack of wind or currents makes traditional sailing nearly impossible. To solve this, Perfume Yuda is equipped with massive paddle wheels and is drawn by two giant Yuda, venomous sea serpents that are native to the Calm Belt. While most would consider these creatures terrifying threats, the Kuja have managed to domesticate and train them.
7Victoria Punk
Kid Pirates
Captained by Eustass Kid, Victoria Punk is a large, double-masted pirate ship with a red, orange, and black color scheme. It draws inspiration from heavy metal shows, with a patterned deck, skull motifs, and even has a large dinosaur skull as a figurehead. The dinosaur skeleton theming continues to the dinosaur ribs extending up from Victoria Punk’s keel.
Victoria Punk makes several appearances throughout One Piece, up until the Egghead Arc, when the Kid Pirates engage with the Red Hair Pirates. In the battle, after Shanks defeated Kid and Killer, Dorry and Brogy used Hakoku to split the Victoria Punk in half, sinking the ship and scattering the Kid Pirates.
6Island Ship
Golden Lion Pirates
The Island Ship is a truly unique vessel in One Piece, appearing more like a floating island of solid earth than a traditional pirate ship. It is covered in lush trees and shrubs and overpowered animals, giving it the appearance of a natural landmass adrift in the sky. Instead of a standard mast, the ship’s sails are attached to its massive trees, which act as makeshift masts. The entire ship remains airborne due to Shiki’sFuwa Fuwa no Mi powers, allowing it to float effortlessly through the skies.
The Island Ship’s lion figurehead is similar to Shiki’s original ship, which he captained before the Great Pirate Era.
Despite its immense size, the Island Ship boasts remarkable maneuverability, capable of making sharp turns on a dime to avoid hazards. While Shiki himself acts as both captain and helmsman, he is backed by a skilled crew, including expert navigators and meteorologists, who help predict and withstand the unpredictable weather patterns of the sky.
5Flying Dutchman
Flying Pirates
Inspired by legendary ghost ship tales, the Flying Dutchman is a massive, ancient vessel with tattered sails and a decayed hull, giving it an eerie, haunted appearance. Originally captained by Vander Decken, the ship’s legend is steeped in madness… Decken was said to have gone insane, ultimately murdering his entire crew. Since then, the ship has been passed down through generations, with its current captain being Vander Decken the Fourth.
The Flying Dutchman is one of the largest ships in all of One Piece, and is as large as Wadatsumi, a massive sea giant.
Unlike ordinary ships, the Flying Dutchman possesses the unique ability to traverse both the ocean’s surface and its depths, thanks to its Fish-Man crew, who are naturally suited for underwater travel. The Straw Hat Crew encountered this ghostly vessel whileon their journey to Fish-Man Island, marking yet another legendary encounter in their grand adventure.
4Thriller Bark
Thriller Bark Pirates
Thriller Bark, much like the Floating Island, originally began as a regular island in the West Blue. But instead of staying stationary, it was transformed into the largest pirate ship in the entire One Piece series: the monstrous, mobile fortress known as Thriller Bark. The island-ship is surrounded by a massive wall that encloses the entire structure, complete with huge gates that allow entry for other ships. At the heart of Thriller Bark is the Mast Mansion, a towering structure that acts both as the ship’s central mast and as the home of its captain, Warlord Gecko Moria.
Thriller Bark is thesetting for the Thriller Bark Arcand the ninth island visited in the first half of the Grand Line, called Paradise.
What really makes Thriller Bark stand out, though, is its eerie crew. Unlike traditional pirate crews, only four living members make up the core of the Thriller Bark Pirates: Gecko Moria, Dr. Hogback, Absalom, and Perona, a group referred to as the Mysterious Four. The rest of the crew? They’re all zombies, reanimated corpses brought back to life through Moria’s Kage Kage no Mi Devil Fruit, which lets him steal and implant shadows into dead bodies.
3Thousand Sunny
Straw Hat Crew
Thousand Sunny, a brigantine-type ship crafted from Treasure Tree Adam, a legendary wood known for its unparalleled durability.
With a bold red-and-white color scheme and a lion figurehead, the Sunny is far more than just a standard pirate vessel.Franky designed it specifically to cater to the needs of its crew. Beyond the essentials, living quarters, a galley, a hold, and a sick bay, Sunny boasts:
Essentially, the Thousand Sunny is a floating luxury cruiser, perfectly tailored to its crew’s unique needs. It has proudly carried on the legacy of the Going Merry, ensuring the Straw Hats continue their adventures across the seas.
2Moby Dick
Whitebeard Pirates
The Moby Dick is the flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates, a massive vessel that resembles a white sperm whale, complete with a distinctive figurehead that mirrors the legendary creature. As one of the oldest and most iconic pirate ships in One Piece, the Moby Dick served Whitebeard and his crew faithfully from the early days of his journey through the New World.
The Moby Dick was originally blue in the anime, but was later changed to white to match the manga.
The ship’s final journey took place during the Marineford Arc, when the Whitebeard Pirates launched a desperate battle to rescue Ace from execution. During the intense fight, Admiral Akainu unleashed devastating magma-based attacks, striking a fatal blow to the Moby Dick. As she sank beneath the waves, Whitebeard, ever the captain, mourned his ship, apologizing for being unable to protect her in her final moments.
1Going Merry
The Going Merry was the Straw Hat Crew’s first pirate ship. At first glance, it appeared unremarkable compared to larger, more formidable vessels. It was a simple caravel with a ram figurehead and a few of Nami’s tangerine trees planted at the back. However, what set the Going Merry apart wasn’t its design; it was the bond it shared with its crew.
Going Merry was a gift to the Straw Hat Crew from Kaya, Usopp’s childhood friend. The ship was designed by Merry, Kaya’s loyal servant.
Through countless adventures, the Going Merry became more than just a ship; she became a beloved companion. In her final days, she even manifested a physical form, a klabautermann spirit, to help with her own repairs so she could carry her crew a little farther. Her loyalty and dedication made her an irreplaceable part of the Straw Hats’ journey.
