While many of the villains in One Piece tower over the Straw Hats, some of them are quite small, and are often underestimated as a result.

HIGHLIGHTS

 One Piece villains like Wapol may not be giant in size, but their Devil Fruit abilities make them extremely powerful in battle.
 Characters like Buggy and Niji may be smaller than other villains, but their combat expertise and ruthless nature make them dangerous foes.
 Despite their small stature, villains like Perona and Sugar possess Devil Fruits that give them unique and formidable abilities in combat.

Eiichiro Oda has been well-admired for his long-term storytelling and incredible world building, but he’s also an astonishingly talented character designer. The wackiness of One Piece’s universe allows Oda to get pretty creative when coming up with the appearances of his characters, and this is especially true of the villains. Though some might already look terrifying from the get-go, such as the behemoths Kaido and Big Mom, there are others who don’t look quite as intimidating, but that are still dangerous in their own unique ways.

There have been plenty of giant characters that have appeared throughout One Piece’s story, but these individuals are on a whole different level.

Because of how powerful Devil Fruits are, it means no matter how small or large a One Piece villain might be, they can still be immensely strong if they’ve chowed down on a particular fruit in the past. As a result, although the antagonists listed below may be among the smallest of the bunch, this certainly doesn’t mean they should be taken lightly.

7Wapol

Height: 6′ 9″

Admittedly, Wapol could actually be considered pretty tall when compared to a regular human, but compared to most One Piece villains, he’s really not that big at all. Despite this, though, Wapol still has a very stocky frame that suits his Devil Fruit ability, which allows him to snack on literally anything in the world. What’s more is, Wapol is also capable of turning into the object or item he consumes, which, needless to say, makes him quite a cause for concern in battle.

By the time fans first meet Wapol in the Drum Island arc, there aren’t too many villains that he can be compared to, but a good indication of how much smaller he is comes when he re-appears at the Reverie. When surrounded by iconic characters like Rob Lucci, it’s easy to see just how massive a lot of the antagonists are, whereas Wapol relies more on his wide frame to deal with his opponents.

6Buggy

Height: 6′ 4″

Buggy has been a thorn in the Straw Hats’ side for as long as the One Piece story has been going on. He may not be the smartest antagonist out there, but what makes Buggy a true force to be reckoned with is his Devil Fruit, the Bara Bara No Mi, which lets him separate his body into smaller parts. This means he’s essentially immune to physical attacks, and he’s even learned how to throw parts of his body at the enemy to deal some extra damage while he’s chopped into a million pieces.

Events surrounding Captain Buggy are one of the funniest in the One Piece series. Here are some of the best comical moments for the gag character

Buggy does grow a few inches after the timeskip, but within the wider world of One Piece, he’s still considered quite small when taking the other villains into account. Buggy may not be too intimidating at first glance, but as he’s shown on numerous occasions, he’s more than capable of causing some real chaos when he wants to.

5Niji Vinsmoke

Height: 6′ 1″

Niji is one of the smallest members of the Vinsmoke family, being just slightly taller than Sanji, yet he’s also considered to be the most ruthless of them all. Though he only makes a few brief appearances throughout the Whole Cake Island arc, he makes it very clear that he’s not someone to be messed with, and openly mocks his own brother after he returns to his family.

Due to his genetic modifications, Niji doesn’t possess any feelings of sympathy or empathy, turning him into a deadly member of the Vinsmoke family who will gladly carry out any of his father’s orders without a second thought. Though he may not stand as tall as his siblings, Niji can still dish out plenty of damage thanks to his combat expertise and superhuman speed and strength, which allow him to get the drop on his enemies before they suspect a thing.

4Kalifa

Height: 6′ 1″

Fans might remember Kalifa as the CP9 member who took on Sanji during the mission to save Robin at Enies Lobby. This fight was already tough enough for Sanji, considering his personal promise to never attack a woman, but things got even more difficult when Kalifa revealed her Devil Fruit, which allows her to “Clean” the power from her enemies through the use of soap bubbles. Unlike her CP9 allies, who are capable of transforming into big and horrifying beasts, Kalifa doesn’t rely on her size to help her out in battle.

Instead, she uses her powerful Devil Fruit and mastery of the Rokushiki fighting style to beat her enemies into submission. It was only through Nami’s Clima Tact and its ability to summon rain that Kalifa was able to finally be defeated, making her a truly tough opponent who almost managed to kill off Sanji for good.

3Capone Bege

Height: 5′ 5″

Capone is a strange character, as, although he does decide to work with the Straw Hats on some occasions, such as during the attack on Big Mom’s island, he ultimately does all of it for his own gain. To even set up this temporary alliance, Bege went as far as to kidnap Sanji and force him into an arranged marriage, which just goes to show how cruel this mafia boss can really be.

Capone’s stocky build means he’s not exactly the quickest on his feet when in combat, but this isn’t much of a problem, since the Fire Tank Pirates Captain can often be seen using his guns to deal damage from range instead. Capone and the Straw Hats may have worked together once upon a time, but since they are both still out to get the One Piece for themselves, there’s no doubt Capone would take the chance to blow away his competition with a few well-placed shots if given the chance.

2Perona

Height: 5′ 3″

When the Straw Hats first run into Perona after embarking on the spooky ghost ship known as Thriller Bark, she initially seems like little more than one of Gecko Moria’s lackeys who wouldn’t be too much of an issue. As Usopp would come to find out first hand, Perona has more than a few abilities up her sleeve which make her one of the most dangerous members of Moria’s crew. Therefore, while she might be dwarfed by the likes of Absalom or Gecko Moria himself, this doesn’t make Perona any less powerful.

Perona’s Devil Fruit, the Hero Hero No Mi, grants her the ability to create and control ghosts. Once these ghosts pass through another human, they will drain away their self-esteem and confidence, turning them into a shell of their former self. Perona acts as one of the Straw Hats’ main antagonists during the Thriller Bark arc, but she does eventually begin to begrudgingly warm up to them after being stranded on an island with Zoro for two years.

1Sugar

Height: 3′ 7″

On the surface, Sugar can seem like a sweet and innocent young girl who’s randomly found her way into the toy department of Dressrosa, but the truth is, it was her who created all the country’s stuffed creatures in the first place. Sugar’s Devil Fruit, the Hobi Hobi No Mi, grants her the ability to turn living beings into toy servants, which also causes the person’s life to be completely erased from other people’s memories. As a side effect, the fruit also halts Sugar’s aging process, which is why she’s been stuck in her child form for so long.

In fact, by the time the Straw Hats find her in Dressrosa, she’s actually 22 years old, but is stuck in a 10-year-old’s body due to her fruit. Still, looks can be deceiving, and as it turns out, Sugar isn’t only a powerful combatant who’s more than capable of standing her ground in battle, but she’s also one of Doflamingo’s most valued servants. She’s the smallest villain in the series by quite a large margin, yet while she may not boast the same physical strength as Kaido or Big Mom, she’s still far from a pushover.