This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.
The Final Saga of One Piece has truly brought out the strongest forces that Oda has set up in the story in full swing. The Marines are more aggressive on the seas than ever before, and the pirates are more ambitious than ever, while the Revolutionary Army continues its war against the World Government. Given that One Piece is primarily a pirate story, it is no surprise to see that pirates are central to this part of the story more than ever before.
One Piece: Oda Drops A Big Hint About The Identity Of Imu's Son
Imu might have a son, and his identity has been heavily hinted at in One Piece.
As promised by Oda himself, One Piece's Final Saga is bigger than any other, with more focus on side characters than ever before. This means Luffy isn't the only pirate that is central to this part of the story. Along with him, other pirates get their fair share of attention too. Among them also happens to be the newly established strongest pirate in the One Piece world who leads the Red Hair Pirates, Shanks. While on the sidelines for years upon years, Shanks has now made his move and his true powers are only just being revealed.
Shanks Is The New Strongest Pirate Of The Current Era
Shanks Is The Inheritor Of Roger's Powers
- He is the Child of Destiny
- Shanks is the opposite of Blackbeard
Out of all the pirates that exist on the seas of the One Piece world right now, Shanks is by far the strongest, and there's a big reason why. Shanks was built up by Oda to be Luffy's idol, and in many ways, his goal. When Luffy set out on the path to become the Pirate King, it was immediately clear that Shanks would be a sort of final test for him.
Are you that afraid of the new era? — Shanks To Green Bull, One Piece
Despite having become a Yonko and unlocking Gear 5, Luffy still isn't on Shanks's level, as is clear by the fact that he doesn't know how to handle his Haki properly, something Gaban highlighted recently. Shanks is a master of Haki unlike any other in One Piece.
It's Time To Welcome The Next Joy Boy in One Piece
A new Joy Boy has risen, and he will be the one to liberate the One Piece world.
The fact is that Shanks has pulled off things nobody in the One Piece world can, and his portrayal is that of the current strongest. For one, Shanks was the apprentice of Roger. All the Roger Pirates expected him to be the King of the new era. Shanks was called the Child of Destiny by Gaban, and above all he inherited the powers of Rocks D. Xebec and Roger himself.
To never doubt yourself, that is true strength! — Rayleigh to Luffy
If all this wasn't enough, then fans should also take into consideration that Shanks is the opposing end of Blackbeard. Fans know that Shanks and Blackbeard are the biggest of rivals. Blackbeard carries the Will of Davy Jones, and he will surpass even Rocks. This tells the fans that Shanks, his counterpart, is most certainly going to be at a level where old legends like Joy Boy and Davy Jones were.
Shanks Might Be Joy Boy's Descendant
Shanks And Joy Boy Could Share A Blood Connection
Shanks inherited the power of Roger, but he might even go beyond the Pirate King simply because he could be related to Joy Boy by blood. Now, Shanks isn't supposed to be Joy Boy, as that is Luffy's role. But, that doesn't mean he can't carry his blood. Shanks is from God Valley which is heavily connected to Davy and possibly even Joy Boy, as Imu themself confirmed on the island that he wanted those two to never emerge again. Yet, on the same island two survivors in particular made it out, Shanks and Blackbeard.
Moreover, Shanks looks exactly like the Joy Boy that Oda showed in One Piece’s Fishman Island arc, and above all, his Haki directly drew comparisons to Joy Boy’s. Shanks's father might be Garling, but his mother could carry the blood of Joy Boy, especially since she resided on the island of fate, God Valley.
One Piece Chapter 1165 will be out this week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on November 9. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1165 is November 9, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga's popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
