In the world of One Piece, few names carry more weight than that of Red-Haired Shanks. The Emperor of the Sea is one of the strongest characters in the entire series, and with connections to the Celestial Dragons, the Roger Pirates, and the Straw Hat Pirates, Shanks has every reason to be one of the most influential individuals sailing the Grand Line.
However, even Shanks is not all-powerful, and as recent One Piece chapters have shown, there may very well be characters with offensive firepower that exceeds his own.
King Harald Was Too Strong for Scopper Gaban and Shanks to Defeat By Themselves
14 years before the Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Elbaph, King Harald’s acceptance of the Depths Covenant marked a turning point in the history of the Grand Line. The Imu-controlled Ancient Giant was a massive threat to the entire world, and were it not for the teamwork of a trio of One Piece‘s most powerful characters, he may very well have subjugated the inhabitants of Elbaph all by himself.
Thankfully, Scopper Gaban, Shanks, and Loki were all present to try and stop King Harald, with the former fighting him all by themselves while Loki attempted to eat the forbidden Devil Fruit of Elbaph. Together, they dealt their near-immortal opponent several grievous wounds, and although much of their fight wasn’t shown, it’s clear that they posed a legitimate challenge to Harald.
For longtime Shanks fans, this fight is a fun glimpse into the future Emperor of the Sea’s journey as a pirate. As impressive as Shanks is in his clash with Harald (his attacks are imbued with Conqueror’s Haki), it’s also clear that the pirate is a far cry from the powerhouse who handles Admiral Ryokugyu and Eustass Kid in a matter of moments.
In the end, Gaban and Shanks are unable to defeat their opponent, as evidenced by the fact that Harald makes his way to Loki shortly after his son has consumed Elbaph’s forbidden Devil Fruit. Luckily for them, Loki’s combination of Ragnir, Conqueror’s Haki, and Elbaph’s forbidden Devil Fruit proves to be a potent enough combo to overcome Harald’s healing factor, allowing him to bring an end to his father’s reign of terror before it truly began.
It’s an incredible display from Loki, and it’s made even more impressive by the fact that the combined efforts of Scopper Gaban and Shanks were unable to do the same thing moments earlier.
Loki Took Out Harald With a Single Attack, But Is He Still Stronger Than Shanks?
With the specifics of Imu’s Covenants and Domi Reversi ability still largely unknown, it’s hard to scale Loki’s defeat of King Harald. That said, even if it didn’t take as much Conqueror’s Haki for Loki to defeat Harald as it did for Garp and Roger to defeat Rocks, it’s still incredibly impressive nonetheless. An Ancient Giant enhanced by the Depths Covenant should have been capable of dominating the entire Grand Line — something even Imu themselves stated.
The fact that Scopper Gaban and a young Shanks were unable to defeat Harald with their combined strength seems like undeniable proof that, at this point in the story, Loki was stronger than the Roger Pirates’ former apprentice. In fact, it’s such an impressive feat that it even brings into question whether or not Loki is stronger than Shanks in the modern day as well.
There’s one major issue with the idea that Loki is currently stronger than Shanks: the fact that Shanks captured Loki six years before the current events of One Piece. Loki has been imprisoned since being brought back to Elbaph by the Red Hair Pirates, and it’s entirely possible that he was defeated by Shanks in one-on-one combat before being captured.
That said, like many aspects of Shanks’ backstory, One Piece hasn’t shown the specifics of how Loki was brought in by the Red Hair Pirates. Loki has called Shanks a coward, potentially hinting that Luffy’s childhood hero
Author
Eiichiro Oda
Artist
Eiichiro Oda
Release Date
July 22, 1997
Chapters
1081
Volumes
105
