Shanks had a vital role in the evolution of Monkey D. Luffy throughout the adventures of One Piece. A true inspiration for the young Straw Hat Pirate, Red Shanks is the captain of the crew of the same name and is one of the four Emperors ! A curriculum vitae all the more remarkable since he is the youngest of the four. But Shanks, despite his exceptional aura , has always retained his spirit of freedom-loving adventurer, preferring to sail to the four corners of the Grand Line 🌊 rather than rushing into conflicts that he loathes above all else.
Shanks' Bounty
When you're one of the four emperors, you can of course expect the bounty on your head to skyrocket. Shanks, due to his status, is considered one of the most dangerous pirates in One Piece. However, the sum offered to anyone who would put him out of harm's way has long been secret. It was only in volume 95 of the Manga and chapter 957 that it was finally revealed: four billion forty-eight million nine hundred thousand Berrys! 💲
This monstrous sum makes him the fifth most wanted pirate of all time , 🏴☠️ just behind ocean monsters like Gol D. Roger, Whitebeard, Kaido and Charlotte Linlin , but far ahead of the next one, Marshall D. Teach, Blackbeard, whose value is equivalent to 2,247,600,000 Berrys, almost half that of Red Shanks!
Who is Shanks' father? (theory)
The myth surrounding the authorship of Shanks still remains solid and Oda has still not provided the answer to this subject. ⁉️ Several theories have emerged, with some claiming that Shanks' father is a Tenryubito , also known as celestial dragons.
Another beginning of an answer appeared in chapter 907, when Shanks met the five elders wanting to talk to them about a "certain pirate". Many believe that this famous pirate is the “hidden legend” that Oda spoke of several times. We quickly discover that this legend is linked to Shanks, 👨🦰 and when we base ourselves on their potential respective ages, this link could only be made through paternity.
Whitebeard's speech during his meeting with Shanks reinforces this impression. He explains that every time he sees Shanks' face, the wound he received from "that famous pirate" hurts him. 🤕 Why, when he looks at Shanks, does he need to say these words? Because Shanks reminds him of that Pirate, quite simply. We must now remain patient and wait to discover who is behind this hidden legend, and the answer to the identity of Red Shanks' father will come by itself!
The loss of Shanks' arm
The tale of losing Shanks' arm dates back to Monkey D. Luffy 's childhood. While Shanks was already watching over the latter, he still wouldn't let him board his ship. One day, a band of bandits, led by Higuma, broke into a bar where Shanks was and caused a fight. A few days later, while Shanks was at sea with his crew, Higuma returned to kidnap Luffy for revenge .
This is where it gets interesting! While Higuma planned to have Luffy killed, Red Shanks and his pirates intervened. The fight did not last long, Shanks being far too powerful . Higuma, in his escape, threw Luffy into the water even though he didn't know how to swim (well yes, that's what it costs to eat a devil fruit without knowing it!) Unfortunately for Luffy, in addition to not not knowing how to swim, 🤿 he was also at the mercy of the bay monster. Shanks, while throwing himself to save the life of his protégé, had his arm bitten and torn off by the monster . As the situation began to get dire, Shanks looked the monster straight in the eye, intimidating it enough to make it leave.
But then a question arises? If Shanks knew how to scare away a monster just by looking (could it be his Haki?), why did he let him get close enough to tear off his limb? It seems that in fact Shanks voluntarily lost his arm, in order to build Luffy's character. The idea behind this extraordinary sacrifice was therefore to prepare the new generation of pirates and to endow Luffy with immense willpower 💯.
All this makes it easier to understand Shanks' quote when reassuring Luffy after the attack of the monster in the bay 👹: “Don't worry, one less arm is not a tragedy. What's important is that you are safe and sound ! »
Shanks' scar
There is still a lot of mystery surrounding this scar, but we know some things about it and can draw conclusions from there. The first thing is when Shanks found himself scarred for life. 😖 He already had this scar even before meeting Luffy, 12 years ago, in Fyusha village. Furthermore, considering the way Shanks presented his scar to Whitebeard , saying he got it from one of his men, and not from a fight between crews, it seems reasonable to say he got it after Roger's death, about 20 years earlier .
We also know that by the time Shanks arrived in Luffy's village, he was already considered much more important and influential than a simple pirate. However, we don't know if he was Yonko level at the time. 💪 All we know is that there was no way a pirate could come from Roger's ship as strong as a little sailor...So he was fit to fight famous pirates like Whitebeard or even Kaido from back in the day.
Which brings us to the reason for the scars. We don't know much, but at that time Blackbeard was still on Whitebeard's ship while Shanks was alone: perhaps Whitebeard's pirates had a skirmish with Roux's pirates, 💢 in memory of the good old days. And let's not forget that Blackbeard was in the second division, and we know that the position of commander of the second division has since been abandoned... Did you make the connection?
As for the shape of these scars, as far as we can tell, Blackbeard would have inflicted them on Shanks using a wolverine-type claw, which he used when he was a pirate in Whitebeard's pay. . 🎅 The clues speak for themselves and there are lots of matches. The situation between Blackbeard and Shanks could very well be similar to that of Enel and Luffy, in which one individual's abilities work very well against another, even if he is weaker overall.
How did Shanks become emperor?
Shanks is the youngest of the four Yonkos. 👑 He became one after the disbandment of Gol D. Roger's crew and specialists estimate that he was only 27 years old at the time. Emperor at 27 , it's amazing! However, how it came to be remains a mystery, and several theories exist on the internet.
Some say he was already Emperor when he met Luffy , others think he became Emperor after leaving Fushia and while Luffy was training on Mount Corvo. 🏃 In this regard, Shanks' meeting with Ace suggests that he already had enormous influence.
His relationship with Whitebeard is also a source of information. When Whitebeard saw Shanks returning with one arm missing, he declared that "everyone was amazed", implying that for an Emperor, losing an arm in battle was completely unexpected . The bounty estimated at more than four billion Berrys 💸 placed on Shanks' head assures us that he had indeed become emperor , no other pirate of a lower status having ever exceeded 2,000,000,000 Berries...
Shanks' powers
A former member of the Roger Pirates, captain of the Red Hair Pirates, and one of the four emperors of the New World, Shanks is recognized as one of the four strongest emperors of this world . 🏋 However, not much is known about Red Shanks' abilities.
Shanks has enormous physical strength, as he was once a rival of Mihawk, a sword master with enormous power who could overwhelm Zoro in terms of raw strength with immense ease. Even with only one arm , 🦾Shanks can apply enormous power to his swordsmanship, able to easily match Whitebeard, a gigantic man, who could single-handedly crush giants and an entire army of officers of the Marine.
With his physical strength combined with his Busoushoku Haki, Shanks could defend himself against Akainu's magma fist. Shanks also possesses immense endurance and pain tolerance. Even after having his arm torn off by a sea monster that tried to devour Luffy , Shanks didn't flinch despite the heavy bleeding and simply used his Haoshoku Haki to scare the sea monster away. 😱 Shanks is also an excellent swimmer. He once dove into the depths of the ocean to save Buggy from drowning and when he had to swim to save Luffy, his speed was equally impressive.
Shanks seems to have always favored his left arm before losing it, as he is always seen holding his sword ⚔️ in his left hand during flashbacks. We can therefore without much difficulty conclude that he was originally left-handed .
Shanks' Crew
The Roux crew, as they are known, are among the most powerful pirate crews sailing the New World. With Red Shanks at their head, the Red Pirates have no need to fear comparison, as they are each stronger than the other . 🥊 It was they, through their dedicated and enthusiastic personality, who unconsciously made Monkey D. Luffy and Usopp want to become pirates.
It is also from episode 0 that we can see Shanks asking the latter to join his crew. ⛵ Luffy will not have the opportunity... Shanks the Redhead and his men nevertheless maintain an element of darkness and mystery throughout the chapters. Only a few members of the crew have already been mentioned, such as Yasopp, Lucky Roo, Rockstar and Ben Beckmann.
Overall, everyone gets along well with their captain. New proof of this emotional bond, for Shanks, his men always come before the rest. Living together and the well-being of his crew are his main desire and this is why he refuses to allow children to come on board (hello Luffy!). 👶
This is not the only testimony of this unity which resided within the crew of Le Roux. No men from Whitebeard's crew were allowed on board either, because they had attacked Rockstar and his honor. Respect. 💯 Especially since in the end, Shanks' crew does n't really resemble the ideas we have of typical pirates : they don't like to pillage or kill for no reason, what they like is what they like. is traveling around the world, according to their desires and especially their moods!
Ben Beckmann
Ben Beckmann is Shanks' second in command in the Roux crew. Although he always seems to have less fun than the others during the crew's leisure times, he is probably the most trustworthy pirate. Shanks understands this well and admires Ben Beckmann's composure 🩸 in all circumstances. The latter always appears at his side when the situation degenerates. There is no one more relaxed than him during moments of extreme tension.
He is also the spokesperson for the crew . He is always the first to speak when they appear.🗣️ This is also what pushes him to sometimes question the own actions of the crew and its captain. He is also surprised each time to see Shanks panic in emotionally strong situations, such as during Luffy's kidnapping. His ability to take a step back from a given situation allows him to better analyze future dangers and attempts at manipulation.
According to Eiichiori Oda himself, Ben Beckmann is quite simply the pirate who has the highest IQ of all the sailors that we have observed in the East Blue saga. 🔵 But his intelligence is not his only weapon, and as Emperor Shanks' loyal number two, he of course also has great physical power .
We could see him at work during the Battle of Marineford, during which Admiral Kizaru preferred to avoid fighting him, while Kizaru was already tired from his previous fight against Marco, the commander of Whitebeard's first fleet. . His status second to an emperor 🤴 also implies that he masters, at least, two of the usual forms of haki, namely that of reinforcement and that of observation.
And to conclude, Ben Beckmann also single-handedly defeated a whole band of bandits during Higuma's attack on Luffy. It was in these words that he revealed the full extent of his strength, advising Higuma to offer better than that if he wanted to defeat him: “if you wish to fight me, bring me a warship! ". 💣 Like his captain, he really hates when people attack his friends.
Lucky Roo
Lucky Roux is easily recognizable: he has a round body and we always see him eating a rack of meat. 🍗🍖 He is seen wearing protective glasses over his eyes at all times. Of the entire crew, he seems to have changed the least over the years, and he shows few signs of aging. At each of his appearances, Roux smiled happily, no matter how serious the situation , even when Shanks was confronting Whitebeard!
Little is known about Roux's abilities, but being an officer of a crew of the Four Emperors, it is easy to assume that he is very powerful. He is also closely followed and well known to the services of the world government and the Navy. He also once demonstrated his qualities in combat during the fight between the Roux crew and mountain bandits . Despite his round body, he had sneaked up behind a bandit without anyone noticing. He also managed to use a flint 🪨 to shoot another bandit, who was threatening Shanks at point blank range.
Yasopp
As an officer of an emperor's crew, it can be assumed that Yasopp is very powerful. He is also well known by the world government services and the Navy. Nicknamed “the hunter”, 🔪 he claims to be able to reach the antenna of an ant more than thirty meters away.
He is an extremely precise sniper and few pirates have ever had the opportunity to see him miss his target. His reputation is so great that it was on the basis of it that Shanks absolutely wanted to hire him 👈✍️ when he was looking for potential pirates for his crew. At first his weapon of choice was the flint, but he has since used a musket.
He also shares many personality traits with his son , Usopp, including being able to encourage the rest of his crew to join in his fun. He is very proud of his son, 🤩 to the point that he talked a lot about him to Luffy, which led the latter to recognize Usopp visibly, just from Yasopp's stories. During his stay in Luffy's village, Yasopp felt close to Luffy because he was the same age as his son whom he had to leave at home.
The flag of the Roux crew
Classic and elaborate at the same time, the flag which is the pride of the redhead's crew symbolizes a skull on which we can observe three scars on the left eye . 👁️ These three marks obviously refer to the injuries that marked their captain for life following a fight with Blackbeard.
On the other hand, they are sabers in the shape of a cross ⚔️ which replace the traditional shin bones that are usually found behind the skull. This time, it is not the physical characteristics, but the technical characteristics of the captain that are highlighted, as Shanks has become an expert in the art of swordsmanship.
Red Shanks at Marineford
“I am here to end this war” ! It was with his words that Shanks made his intentions clear during the famous Battle of Marine Ford. 🏝️After the death of Ace and especially Whitebeard, Red Shanks suddenly appeared in Marineford and prevented Admiral Sakazuki from ending Koby's life.
This arrival changed the course of the battle, with the Marines being stunned by the suddenness of the appearance. 👻 How could Shanks and his pirates have arrived so quickly, when they had to face Kaido less than a day before?
But Shanks was less after the Navy than after Blackbeard, Teach, whom he had disliked for a while. But when he encouraged the latter to confront him, Shanks saw his enemy refuse, under the pretext that it was still too early to confront him. 👊 Shanks therefore turned his attention to the bodies of his allies , Whitebeard and Ace, which he claimed in order to pay them the tributes they deserved.
Sengoku, the Chief Admiral, accepted this request. His great respect for his eternal rivals made him tell Shanks that he would fully take responsibility for his decision to let the Roux pirates leave with the corpses. ⚰️ He did the same with his own allies and officially proclaimed the end of the War . An era had just ended.
Be like Shanks the Yonko!
At the end of this presentation, you were able to learn more about the mysteries surrounding the crew of Le Roux, and more particularly its captain, Shanks of the same name! This man, ready to risk his life for his fellow men , is much more than a simple pirate . 🏴☠️ It's no wonder he's One Piece fans' favorite Emperor! The one who can end his reign as quickly as he ended the Battle of Marineford has not yet been born...
And you, do you feel ready to join the Roux crew? Do your values and your desire to explore the oceans seem to correspond to the ambitions of Shanks le Roux? So, don't hang around any longer and embark on the adventure by coming and discovering all of our Shanks le Roux goodies 👨🦰 to make his fame resonate across the seas. Check out our article on who can beat Kaido ?
