One Piecehas entered the final saga, which means all the big names will be involved in the story. Already, the Straw Hats are engaged in a massive battle at Egghead. Elsewhere, Trafalgar Law has been kept busy by Blackbeard. Eustass Kid, another pirate of the Worst Generation, had his dreams crushed by Shanks.
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It was the first timeOne Piecefans saw Shanks in action. His powers have been a mystery for the majority of the series, but it seems that is going to change. Many fans often wonder where he ranks in terms of strength. To understand Shanks' power better, it is imperative to break down his abilities one by one.
Who Is Shanks?
Shanks is the chief of the Red-Hair Pirates and one of the Yonko. Out of the current Yonko,his bounty of 4,048,900,000 berries is the highest. He is highly respected by both pirates and Marines.
Many years before the current storyline, Shanks was an apprentice on the ship of Gol D. Roger. After Roger’s execution, Shanks started his own pirate crew and gained notoriety in a very short period of time.
6Extraordinary Physical Abilities
Shanks is a normal human, but he has extraordinary physical abilities. He has shown that he can match the strength of Whitebeard. Shanks was able to stop Akainu’s Devil Fruit-enhanced attack with his sword without any problem.
Shanks' strength has also been commended by Kaido, who named him among the few people that he considered capable of hurting him in a fight. Shanks' speed is also extremely impressive, as he was able to cover the distance from his ship to Victoria Punk in a very short time.
5Elite Swordsmanship
Shanks is one of the many characters who wield a sword in combat.His sword is called Griffon, and many fans have speculated that it might be a Saijo O-Wazamono grade sword, though, at the moment, it remains unknown. Before becoming a Yonko, Shanks used to be rivals with Dracule Mihawk.
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According to Whitebeard, the battles between the two swordsmen shook the entire Grand Line. It hasn’t been confirmed who had the upper hand, but it is a remarkable achievement nonetheless. Considering Shanks was able to match Dracule Mihawk, it is fair to say that he is one of the most talented swordsmen in the series.
4Future Sight
Kenbunshoku Haki is one of the three types of Haki. Along with Busoshoku Haki, it can be learned through training. Theadvanced level of Kenbunshoku Hakiis called Future Sight. Its use was first demonstrated by Charlotte Katakuri in the Whole Cake Island arc, and it helped him to dominate Luffy in their fight.
Since then, manyOne Piececharacters have demonstrated their mastery over this special Kenbunshoku Haki technique, and one of them is Shanks. His Future Sight enabled him to see the future, in which Kid was going to use his attack to destroy Shanks' fleet. Knowing this, the Yonko immediately took out Kid and saved his underlings from certain death. Aside from being able to see the future, Shanks can also use his Kenbunshoku Haki to detect people from afar.
3Future Sight Nullification
Luffy vs. Katakuri was the perfect demonstration of how advantageous Future Sight really is. In the fight, Katakuri was toying with Luffy until the latter also awakened the ability. Needless to say, the ability to look into the future is extremely powerful, and it makes fighting such characters difficult. Aside from Luffy and Katakuri, there are many characters who can use Future Sight.
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However, Shanks has the perfect counter to Future Sight. He can use Advanced Haoshoku Haki to hide his presence and prevent others from seeing the future. As a result, any character who is overly reliant on their Future Sight will be at a serious disadvantage against Shanks.
2Advanced Busoshoku Haki
Since Shanks is not a Devil Fruit user, it is obvious that he needed something equally powerful, if not more powerful, to defeat those who had consumed the mysterious fruits. For this reason, Shanks was solely focused on developing his Haki and mastering all of the techniques.
Currently, he has the most refined Haki in the series. During the Marineford arc, Shanks used his Busoshoku Haki to block Akainu’s attack. This was a big feat considering other characters like Ace, Marco, and Jimbei had been overwhelmed byAkainu’s Magu Magu no Mi. Shanks' feats with Busoshoku Haki are limited, but that will change once he gets more screen time.
1Advanced Haoshoku Haki
While Shanks has mastered both Kenbunshoku and Busoshoku Haki, it is his refined control over Haoshoku Haki that makes him a truly frightening opponent. Shanks was the first character to demonstratethe use of Haoshoku Hakiwhen he scared away the Sea King. When he arrived at Moby Dick, Shanks' Haoshoku Haki not only knocked out several members of the Whitebeard Pirates but also damaged the ship.
The subsequent clash of weapons between Shanks and Whitebeard caused the skies to split. This particular feat would not be emulated until hundreds of chapters later when Luffy fought Kaido. When Luffy knocked out 50,000 Fish-Men with his Haoshoku Haki, Oda confirmed that Shanks would have knocked out all 100,000 Fish-Men. As expected, Shanks is also able to imbue Haoshoku Haki into his attacks. In his confrontation with Eustass Kid, Shanks used Haoshoku Haki to coat his blade and used Divine Departure. The attack was so powerful that it knocked out both Kid and Killer, leaving them in critical condition.
