Summary
- Portgas D. Rouge, despite lacking supernatural strength or powers, is one of the strongest characters in One Piece.
- Rouge's choice to prolong her pregnancy by almost a year to protect her son is a mind-boggling feat.
- Rouge's sacrifice and her selfless love for her child demonstrate that strength comes in different forms in the world of One Piece.
With powers of every kind imaginable, One Piece has a plethora of powerful characters; however, its strongest character may actually be a woman, and she's criminally ignored. In the presence of monstrously strong characters like Kaido and Big Mom and outrageous devil fruit powers like Luffy's, it is often easy to overlook characters like Portgas D. Rouge, whose strength is of a distinct yet more remarkable nature.
Though One Piece has many strong female characters, Portgas D. Rouge is arguably the strongest woman in One Piece with one of the most mind-boggling feats in the series. According to chapter #550 of One Piece, Rouge carried Ace for twenty whole months, prolonging her pregnancy by almost a whole year to save Ace from being discovered by the Marines.
Rouge may not be the strongest in of her physical prowess or Haki like other typically strong characters, but the strength necessary to make the choice she does is in a class of its own, and makes her more than worthy of being among One Piece's strongest. In fact, her lack of any supernatural strength or devil fruit powers makes the feat all the more impressive.
One Piece Reveals The Most Powerful Devil Fruit May Not Be Luffy's
One Piece reveals a surprising devil fruit is possibly much stronger than even Luffy's and can even copy his strongest transformation in the series.
Rouge's Strength Aligns with the Will of D
Although Rouge is one of the less conspicuous of One Piece's D clan, her fearlessness, even when hunted down by the full might of the Navy and the World Government, and her resolve to protect Ace, even at the cost of her life, are classic hallmarks of the will of D. Rouge may not have caused as much of a stir or acquired great power like many others of the D Clan but the lengths she goes to for her child is truly irable and worthy of respect.
Rouge's backstory and her sacrifice may not appear extraordinary or particularly exceptional in the grand scheme of things in One Piece. Yet, it is because of its ordinary nature that it manages to resonate among viewers universally and evoke strong emotions. Rouge's story emphasizes the beauty of parental love and the otherworldly strength this selfless love can grant, proving that even something as simple as protecting one's child can have a profound impact. Characters like Bellemere and One Piece's latest tragic character Ginny are also excellent examples of this kind of strength, which may not be anything special within the world of One Piece but resonates exceptionally well outside of it.
One Of The Straw Hats Has One Piece's Saddest Backstory, And It's Not Robin
While One Piece fans usually look at Robin's tragic past as the saddest backstory in the series, another Straw Hat has her beaten in that regard.
Nevertheless, characters like Rouge prove that strength comes in every shape and size in One Piece and that physicality need not be the only measuring stick of strength. In a world filled with otherworldly powers, Portgas D. Rouge is proof that the simple strength of a parent can be the most powerful thing of all.
One Piece is available from Crunchyroll.
