Smartest Plays By Non-Straw Hat Characters

From cunning warlords to quick-thinking marines and secret agents, ‘One Piece’ is packed with brilliant maneuvers that didn’t come from the Straw Hats. This roundup spotlights the sharpest moves pulled off by allies, rivals, pirates, and government operatives—schemes that shaped arcs, tipped battles, and rewired the balance of power across the Grand Line and the New World. Each entry focuses on what happened, how it worked, and why it mattered in the story. No fluff—just crisp, useful context on the smartest plays that defined key turning points.

Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard) – Breaking Level 6 and crashing Marineford

Blackbeard used his new Warlord status to access Impel Down, then engineered a Level 6 jailbreak to recruit top-tier criminals. He arrived at Marineford late, letting Whitebeard and the Marines exhaust each other before striking. After Whitebeard fell, he obtained the Gura Gura no Mi powers under chaotic cover. That sequence instantly elevated his crew’s power and set up his rapid rise in the New World.

Trafalgar D. Water Law – Targeting SMILE to topple Kaido

Law formed an alliance with Luffy specifically to collapse Kaido’s supply chain rather than charge head-on. He traced the pipeline from SAD on Punk Hazard to SMILE production in Dressrosa and aimed to cut it at the source. Capturing Caesar Clown gave him leverage over Doflamingo and the Yonko’s artificial-Devil-Fruit flow. That plan destabilized Kaido’s forces long before the final Wano battles.

Donquixote Doflamingo – Running Dressrosa and the underworld as “Joker”

Doflamingo controlled Dressrosa through puppet rule, falsified narratives, and the Birdcage failsafe. In the shadows, he acted as “Joker,” brokering weapons and SMILE to Yonko crews and warlords. He exploited the Tontatta and toy transformations to erase resistance without open warfare. The network let him influence conflicts far beyond his borders until his system was exposed.

Rob Lucci – Years-long CP9 embed at Water 7

Lucci and CP9 embedded themselves in Galley-La to locate the Pluton blueprints and secure Nico Robin. Their undercover work earned the trust of shipwrights, giving them access to restricted spaces and plans. When the moment came, they seized Iceburg and used judicial authority to move Robin toward Enies Lobby. The deep cover nearly handed the World Government an ancient weapon.

Sir Crocodile – Orchestrating Alabasta’s civil war via Baroque Works

Crocodile built Baroque Works as a layered front to destabilize Alabasta while posing publicly as a hero. He used dancing powder, staged attacks, and agents provocateurs to incite conflict between the royal army and rebels. The chaos masked his real goal: seizing the Pluton blueprint’s trail under the palace. His plan nearly succeeded before his identity and scheme were exposed.

Caesar Clown – Weaponizing gas and industrial SAD

On Punk Hazard, Caesar leveraged his Gas-Gas Fruit to create area-denial weapons like Smiley and lethal clouds. He ran SAD production, the precursor to SMILE, tying his research directly to Yonko power structures. By controlling oxygen and toxins, he neutralized stronger opponents and dictated engagement ranges. His capture later became the bargaining chip that enabled anti-SMILE operations.

Sakazuki (Akainu) – Turning Squard against Whitebeard

Akainu exploited Squard’s resentment by feeding him false intelligence that Whitebeard had sold out his allies. The staged betrayal wounded Whitebeard and fractured coordination among the allied captains. That moment opened defensive gaps and forced Whitebeard to expend energy stabilizing the field. The ploy shifted tempo at Marineford before Whitebeard reasserted command.

Sengoku – Using Ace’s execution to shape the battlefield

Sengoku staged a public execution to force Whitebeard into a predictable confrontation zone. He pre-positioned Pacifistas, Admirals, and fortifications to funnel pirate forces into kill lanes. Battlefield broadcast and timing amplified psychological pressure and global legitimacy. Even when variables changed, the formation allowed the Marines to manage the flow of combat.

Shanks – Ending the Paramount War on his terms

Shanks arrived after both sides were depleted and proposed a ceasefire that the remaining powers accepted. He ensured Ace and Whitebeard received proper burials, preventing further clashes over their bodies. His crew’s positioning deterred immediate retaliation or pursuit. The intervention capped casualties and reset postwar power dynamics overnight.

Bartholomew Kuma – Scattering the Straw Hats to survival training

Kuma used Ursus Shock and Paw-Paw teleportation to send each Straw Hat to a location suited for growth rather than capture. He avoided Marine custody outcomes while maintaining the appearance of compliance. Each destination offered targeted training opportunities and potential mentors. The move preserved a future threat to the World Government under the guise of a defeat.

Nefertari Vivi – Infiltrating Baroque Works as Miss Wednesday

Vivi embedded herself in Baroque Works to identify the mastermind destabilizing Alabasta. Her intel tied sabotage, dancing powder incidents, and rebel movements to Crocodile’s network. She navigated coded hierarchies to map agent roles and operations. That groundwork enabled the coalition that ultimately dismantled the organization.

Basil Hawkins – Banking extra “lives” with straw dolls and probability

Hawkins stored damage offsets in straw dolls linked to other bodies, allowing him to survive lethal hits. He calculated engagement odds and changed tactics when the numbers dipped. In hostage scenarios, he redirected harm to keep bargaining power. The mechanics let him extend fights and escape when alliances shifted.

X Drake – Double agent inside the Beast Pirates

Drake entered the Beast Pirates while secretly aligned with Marine intelligence (SWORD). He fed information on weapons, numbers, and movements while maintaining his cover as a Headliner. When exposure loomed, he pivoted on the battlefield to support the alliance at Onigashima. His infiltration yielded precise timing for coordinated strikes.

Kurozumi Kanjuro – Long-term spy within the Kozuki retainers

Kanjuro embedded with the Scabbards for years, transmitting plans to Orochi while playing the loyal ally. He sabotaged rendezvous logistics by leaking port and timing details ahead of the raid. On the day of action, he abducted Momonosuke to compound confusion and split forces. The deception nearly collapsed the rebellion before contingencies kicked in.

Kurozumi Orochi – Preemptive strikes and survivals via Yamata no Orochi

Orochi used a network of informants to destroy ships and sabotage ports ahead of the raid on Onigashima. He relied on his mythical Zoan to survive decapitations and reappear after presumed deaths. The layered security and false alarms drained insurgent momentum. His policies delayed open confrontation long enough to secure Kaido’s backing.

Queen the Plague – Battlefield control with Ice Oni

Queen released the Ice Oni virus to turn close-quarters combat into a liability for enemies. The infection forced opponents to split time between fighting and treatment, fracturing attack waves. He used ammo distribution to pressure friend and foe, daring insubordination. The tool bought him time and forced medical resource allocation mid-battle.

Charlotte Perospero – Sea slug surveillance and candy engineering

Perospero deployed sea slugs to monitor and intercept ship traffic around Totto Land. He used candy structures to create instant obstacles, bridges, and restraints during naval engagements. The surveillance net let Big Mom Pirates respond quickly to intrusions. His constructs repeatedly stalled invasions and chases long enough for reinforcements.

Vinsmoke Judge – Securing power through a political marriage

Judge arranged a marriage alliance with the Charlotte Family to boost Germa 66’s territory and tech reach. The ceremony masked a weapons partnership and strategic foothold in the New World. He synchronized clone army logistics with the event to project force instantly if needed. The plan would have cemented dominance if the betrayal sequence hadn’t unfolded.

Charlotte Pudding – Memory edits to hide and reveal critical actions

Pudding used her Third Eye and Memo-Memo Fruit to erase and rewrite memories at Whole Cake Island. She removed evidence of operations by editing witnesses, including key figures within the Vinsmoke plot. Later, she selectively restored or altered memories to facilitate escapes and protect targets. The control of perception shaped how multiple confrontations played out.

Mr. 2 / Bon Clay (Bentham) – Opening the Gates of Justice at Impel Down

Bon Clay impersonated Magellan’s subordinates and leveraged communication lines to open the Gates of Justice. He coordinated with jail resources to keep pursuit off Luffy’s escape route. His disguise managed lockdown timings and redirected guards mid-crisis. The maneuver allowed the prison break to reach Marineford waters.

Magellan – Retaking Impel Down with Venom Demon

After the initial breach, Magellan flooded corridors with Venom Demon to reclaim control levels quickly. The sweeping area-effect neutralized large groups without precise targeting. Survivors were funneled into chokepoints where antidote access was restricted. The tactic stabilized the prison long enough to limit the overall breakout.

Gecko Moria – Weaponizing stolen shadows and Oars

Moria harvested hundreds of shadows to mass-boost his zombies and animate Oars as a siege engine. The accumulation let him field a giant-class fighter without risking his own body in direct combat. He rotated shadows to exploit matchups and fatigue enemies. That approach transformed Thriller Bark into a fortress with a mobile superweapon.

Silvers Rayleigh – Neutralizing the auction crisis and enabling escape

Rayleigh used Haki to remove a slave collar safely during the Sabaody auction chaos. He stalled Admirals by coating ships for undersea routes and disrupting pursuit options. His presence stabilized panicked allies and coordinated departure timing with the shipyard under pressure. The actions allowed multiple crews to break from the archipelago blockade.

Benn Beckman – Deterring Admiral action at Marineford

Beckman took position and targeted Kizaru at a decisive moment, halting the Admiral’s immediate advance. The standoff bought crucial seconds for allied movements around the bay. His deployment signaled the Red-Hair crew’s readiness to escalate if provoked. The pause helped lock in the ceasefire conditions that followed.

Spandam – Leveraging the Golden Den Den Mushi threat

Spandam wielded the Buster Call authority to pressure compliance during the Enies Lobby operation. By brandishing the Golden Den Den Mushi, he forced timelines and heightened stakes for Robin’s transfer. The threat reshaped how both sides positioned assets around the island. Even misused, the tool shifted negotiations and movements toward the government’s advantage.

Share your favorite non-Straw Hat masterstroke in the comments and tell us which play you think changed the game the most!