One Piece has always been about finding the legendary titular treasure. The Straw Hat Pirates, the pirate crew led by Monkey D. Luffy, set their eyes on this treasure from the moment the series began. But despite the tremendous effort they’ve put in, they are still far from achieving this goal. The task grows more difficult as numerous powerful factions have also begun their attempts in finding the One Piece. Not only does Luffy have to compete with pirates in the same generation as him, but also old veterans like Shanks and Blackbeard. The battle for the Road Poneglyphs — the only clue pinpointing to Laughtale’s location — has grown fiercer than ever.
The Straw Hat Pirates have a few Road Poneglyphs in their hand, most of which they’ve stolen from other Emperors. However, they’ve had to work with other pirate crews and can’t simply hog all the loot. They’ve shared what they’ve won with both Law and Kid, resulting in the three crews making similar progress. Since Shanks and the others have begun to move, the three have also become targets. Everyone aiming for the One Piece will find it hard to ignore their Road Poneglyphs, and Blackbeard has proven that. Now, it’s Kid’s time to face his fair share of troubles.
Captain Eustass Kid Faces Off With Red-Hair Shanks
After defeating Kaido and Big Mom in Wano, Luffy, Law and Kid have gone their separate ways. Luffy sails toward the future island Egghead, where he meets another member of the Worst Generation — Jewelry Bonney. Law is ambushed by Blackbeard, while Kid finds himself in the mythical home of the Giants, Elbaf. However, it turns out that Kid isn’t the only one there. Someone was already docked on the island before the Kid Pirates arrived — and it’s none other than the crew of another Emperor, Red-Hair Shanks. Not only is Shanks with his main pirate crew, but he is also sailing with several others who have sworn loyalty to him.
The thing is, Shanks doesn’t favorably look at Kid. Unlike how he fondly treats Luffy, Shanks just sees Kid as a fellow pirate. Unfortunately for the latter, that means going at him in full force. The moment he gets word of the Kid Pirates’ arrival, he halts his catch-up session with his longtime friends and personally heads out to confront the young pirate and his crew — and even asks the two legendary Giant pirates for help. The only silver lining is that Shanks gave Kid a choice — to surrender their Road Poneglyph and flee or fight his entire fleet head-on. Given that Kid has no plan on tucking tail, does he actually have a chance of winning against One Piece‘s fan-favorite Emperor?
How Strong Is Shanks?
Shanks is one of the most famous characters in One Piece, and arguably one of the strongest. Even so, fans haven’t seen him fight seriously; he has only been shown fighting in flashbacks, anecdotes, or in bits and pieces. Still, it is common knowledge that Shanks can easily mop the floor with the majority of the series’ cast. After all, he is one of the Four Emperors of the Sea — the pirates who stand at the top of the food chain. But to assess Kid’s chances of defeating him, his strength must first be determined.
Shanks’ greatest weapon is his overflowing amount of Haki. It’s so strong that some members of the Whitebeard Pirates fall unconscious in his presence, and that was prior to the Marineford War. Even before that, Shanks was said to be on par with Mihawk. The Strongest Swordsman has only lost interest in him after the Emperor lost his arm, though it’s never been confirmed whether Shanks losing an arm has actually decreased his fighting ability. Clearly, Shanks has earned the title of an Emperor, and he is at the very least on par with Kaido and Big Mom.
Is Kid Strong Enough to Defeat Shanks?
Like Luffy and Law, Kid has been powering up like crazy during the past years — and fans finally witnessed the results of his journey during the “Wano” arc. Luffy did eventually end up facing Kaido on his own, but Kid and Law duked it out with Big Mom. That’s when Kid unleashed his Devil Fruit Awakening, turning Big Mom into a giant magnet. Interestingly, Kid’s Awakening rendered even Big Mom’s incredulous amount of Haki useless. The two pirate captains ultimately succeed in eliminating the villain, their greatest feat yet in One Piece.
While that arc made it seem like they are on par with Luffy, this is far from the truth. Luffy managing to take down Kaido on his own is proof that the Rubber Man is already at Emperor level. Kid and Law, however, had to work together and unleash everything at their disposal just to take down Big Mom. Not to mention the veteran Emperors, both Law and Kid undeniably remain inferior to Luffy in terms of battle prowess. Following that logic, Shanks should also be leagues above Kid at present.
The gravity of Kid’s current situation is worsened by the fact that his pirate crew is greatly outnumbered. Kid only has his main crew, while Shanks is supported by his fleet and the Giants of Elbaf. Assuming the two sides will clash without reservation, the Kid Pirates currently have zero chance of winning against the Red Hair Pirates. After all, Kid could only take down an Emperor with the help of another Awakened Devil Fruit user. But given One Piece‘s knack for dishing unexpected plot twists, there is a chance the two sides won’t end up fighting in the end.
