I don't understand this thread, or the poll options. The Yonkou are not a group. They are rivals. Their combined strength can not be discussed in a canon conversation. That's something for Davey Back Fights. Until something changes drastically, the Yonkou are rivals, locked in a stalemate with each other. The Revolutionary Army's strength is currently unknown. Ivankov is the only current member we have seen in action. We know they pose a threat to the Government, and the balance of power, but we do not yet know how great a threat, or their military capabilities. Comparing them to the World Government and Shichibukai, two organizations we have intimate knowledge of, hardly seems fair. It is baffling how the "weakness" of the Shichibukai has become fan dogma. Look at how strong the known members were, before Dressrosa: Doflamingo, Kuma, Boa Hancock, Hawkeye, and Law. Former members include Blackbeard, Gekko Moriah, and Jinbe. How can the combined strength of those pirates be considered weak? Crocodile is the only known former member (not counting Buggy, who's membership is meant more as a joke) that reasonably can be considered weak. In the context of the story when he actually appeared, before power levels began escalating, he was a fearsome opponent, the strongest yet to appear in the manga.
They're rivals, but they're still part of a group, even if it's only because they're all equal in power, like how pirates are each others' enemies and rivals, but are still put in the same group because they're pirates - same with supernova. And we don't need so much information to determien which group is the strongest.
Isn't the Marine considered the Government's army? IF so, then they still saw the need to have shichibukai, seven warlords of the sea, for aid in case they had to fight the Yonkou (not sure if one or more than one). That alone says a lot about their power, as well as Dragon's/Revolutionary Army considering he's considered the most dangerous man, and Luffy was marked for death ever since that info was released (Akainu was after Luffy's head for who his father was, regardless of Garp being his grandfather).
Those two reactions or actions in regards to or about Yonkou and Revolutionary Army alone, in my opinion, speak volumes of both groups' power, even if the members of Yonkou are each others' rivals.
I guess Yonkou could in a way be compared to you and I. We both belong to staff member group, the main difference being you're red and I'm green. But that doesn't change the fact that we're both staff, and that we can work together whenever the situation arises. The main difference is that there's no rivalry between us, just comradeship, so this isn't really the best example, I guess....
---------- Post added at 01:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:29 PM ----------
The World Government includes the Marine, Cipher Pol organizations, and Shichibukai. If we only consider fighting capabilities, they are by far the strongest group. Fortunately, the One Piece world does not work that way. The Government was strong enough to defeat Whitebeard, "the strongest man in the world", and his allies. It came at quite a cost, of course, which is why discussions like this can be a little superficial. Unlike generic shounen, the Marine paid a heavy price for victory. Three senior officers (Garp, Sengoku, and Kuzan) resigned in the aftermath. The balance of power was temporarily broken, resulting in considerable turmoil. In the post Whitebeard world, the Government is confronted with issues they did not have to face prior to the timeskip.
I disagree, as even the Marine, possible Cipher Pol, and Shichibukai had difficulty against Whitebeard in the war. Judging by performances of the World Government armies, they'd likely lose to the Yonkou as a group. Let's not forget that Whitebeard was old, sick, and died fighting Blackbeard. The worst damage the Marine managed to inflict was wiping away half of Whitebeard's face.
I'm not sure if you can consider the war as the reason why the senior officers resigned. Kuzan resigned because he didn't want to work under Akainu and his methods, and I think Sengoku was disgusted with how the Government decided to cover up the level 6 prisoners escaping to avoid losing face.
REgardless though, the Marine and their allies had trouble with Whitebeard and with Luffy and his "crew." If another Yonkou like Shanks was there, then I could see the Government losing decisively, especially when a non-Yonkou was able to do a lot of damage.
