One Piece is finally in its ultimate saga, and fans know that this is where the strongest are going to gather.

At the same time, this is also where characters that Oda has been saving for years upon years are going to become more relevant than ever before, and when one speaks of such characters, Shanks, naturally, comes to mind. Shanks is a beloved character that Oda introduced in the Romance Dawn Arc, which was at the very beginning of the series. Yet, this is one character that fans have hardly seen anything from.

Granted, Shanks has been getting more involved in the latest arcs, but he is still a big mystery and fans can only hope that he starts getting more involved in the series. However, at the same time, fans also know that Shanks’s involvement in the plot of One Piece moving forward is a guarantee. This is because the story is now headed to the Elbaf Arc, which is where fans know Shanks will most likely show up properly and even go on to fight against Luffy. There is a lot that fans expect from Shanks in Elbaf, and hopefully, this part of the story will do justice to this majestic Red-haired Emperor.

Luffy’s Strength As Of Egghead Island Arc Of One Piece

Luffy Has Awakened His Devil Fruit

Luffy Has Mastered All Haki Types

When speaking of the battle between Luffy and Shanks, fans would naturally compare the two. When it comes to stature, both Luffy and Shanks are Yonko of the Sea. This means they are both seen as somewhat equals in the eyes of the people of the world, but, whether they are truly equals or not remains to be seen. For one, Shanks has been a Yonko for 6 years overall, while Luffy hasn’t been a Yonko for even a month. These two are very different in terms of battle experience, but at the same time, also how they look at fights in general. While their personalities might be somewhat similar, Shanks and Luffy are, at the end of the day, different characters, and they fight in different ways. Because of that, what they excel in also differs, which would, naturally, make a big difference in how their fight will go about in the latter half of One Piece’s Elbaf arc.

That’s the sound! Beat loudly, heartbeat! – Luffy

When it comes to Luffy, fans know that he has taken a major step towards becoming the Pirate King by defeating Kaido. More than that, Luffy has awakened the power of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, also known as the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. Luffy has become a master of this power, and now, he possesses a majestic body that can do just about anything that he wants it to do. Luffy is only limited by his imagination, and that truly sums up his biggest strength. He can do anything that he wants, and, at the same time, he liberates those who face oppression, among many other things.

Luffy’s Devil Fruit is, right now, his biggest source of power. Fans have seen how this Devil Fruit buffed him greatly in the Wano Country Arc, allowing him to defeat Kaido for good. At the same time, in Egghead, Luffy was able to defeat an Admiral of the Navy, and hold back even an Admiral and an Elder at the same time. Truly, Luffy is a monstrously powerful pirate right now, and his performance recently certainly goes to back that up very well.

While Luffy’s Devil Fruit powers are truly immense, he also excels at the usage of Haki. Luffy is a user of all three types of Haki, all of which have been advanced by him to a great degree. Luffy can use the ability to see into the future using Observation Haki, the ability to deal internal damage using Armament Haki, and, above all, the power to infuse Conqueror’s Haki and completely destroy his opponents. All in all, Luffy is a very balanced pirate and is certainly among the strongest in the world.

Shanks’s Biggest Powers So Far in One Piece

Shanks Is A Monstrously Powerful User Of Haki

When one compares Luffy to Shanks, they know, first of all, that Shanks is not a Devil Fruit user. Luffy has various advantages when it comes to physicality. Shanks is just a normal human. Meanwhile, Luffy has a Devil Fruit power which boosts his physical attributes tremendously. Zoan types are specifically known to boost physical attributes, and Shanks certainly doesn’t have that. In terms of stamina, strength, recovery rate, and just about any other physical stat, Luffy is likely the superior pirate of the two.

However, leaving aside Devil Fruit abilities, Shanks has other powers that Luffy does not and this is where things get very interesting. Shanks, as fans know, only has one weapon, and this is his Haki. In fact, Oda has showcased his Haki to be frightening in the past, with even the Five Elders drawing comparisons to him. Furthermore, Oda directly compared Shanks’s Haki to that of Joy Boy, which goes to show that Shanks might be comparable to him in some way, Even if he might not be equally as strong as him.

What A monstrous showing of Haki! Who was that? – Jinbe

Shanks Has What Luffy Lacks

Shanks’s Conqueror’s Haki is most definitely superior to that of Luffy, and that is going to be a big factor in their upcoming duel. Shanks will likely show him what it truly means to wield the Color of the Supreme King, and how this Haki is the only weapon that he needs in battle. Shanks will also showcase other applications of the Color of the Supreme King. This essentially means that Shanks might showcase his ability to kill Observation Haki using his color of the Supreme King, and this would cripple Luffy in battle greatly. So far, Shanks is the one who’s currently a user of this ability.

What makes Shanks even more intriguing is the fact that he hasn’t even showcased the full potential of his powers. Shanks has hardly showcased what he is truly capable of, and only on two occasions has he shown a glimpse of his powers. The first time, Shanks tried to subdue Admiral Greenbull from outside Wano Country. He sent his Haki remotely from miles away and still managed to injure and subdue him. The second occasion was when Shanks fought against Kid and Killer outside of Elbaf. In a single swing of his sword, he destroyed both of them at the same time, and once again, this was a proper showing of his strength.

But, fans can rest assured that Shanks has many powerful techniques up his sleeve that he has not revealed yet. This means that Shanks might be at a level far beyond Luffy, and that his Haki is likely on an entirely different tier.

In Egghead, it was clear for the fans to see that Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki is not all that impressive. Whereas Joyboy was able to negate the powers of the Elders, and at the same time, deal deadly damage to all the Marines around the island, Luffy was not able to replicate this feat. Shanks, on the other hand, drew direct comparison to Joy Boy and this essentially means that he can do something similar with his Haki. When Luffy and Shanks fight in Elbaf, it will likely be a lesson for Luffy, and Shanks will most likely go on to dominate this battle. However, at the end of it, Luffy will have to learn from Shanks, and surpass him, taking his Haki to the next level, and ensuring that his crew can go even beyond. As of now, however, Shanks is even stronger than Gear 5 Luffy.