Shanks reveals his true power in One Piece’s latest episode.

One Piece anime has been focusing on the aftermath of the battle of Onigashima. Luffy and his crew were at the epicenter of the action, and it was due to their hard work that Wano was liberated from the clutches of Kaido. While the heroes were busy celebrating their victory, a new enemy made his way to the land of samurai. This foe was none other than Ryokugyu, one of the three current Admirals in One Piece. He traveled to Wano following his disappointing effort to stop Sabo and the rest of the Revolutionary Army from freeing Bartholomew Kuma. The loss might have motivated Ryokugyu to go to Wano and make amends. Either that or he wanted to get into Akainu’s good books by handing over Luffy to him.

Upon entering Wano, Ryokugyu’s first course of action was to attack and nullify the threat of the Beasts Pirates. They were already beaten badly, but the Admiral wanted to make sure that they wouldn’t pose a threat to him later on. As he continued to move toward the Flower Capital, the Scabbards sensed his presence and lunged into action. They knew that they could not let the Straw Hats and the other allies bear the burden of protecting Wano yet again. So, they decided to take matters into their own hands and attacked the Admiral.

Ryokugyu managed to overwhelm them with his Mori Mori no Mi. Yamato and Momonosuke joined the fray as well. But surprisingly, Momonosuke asked Yamato to step down. He kept insisting that Yamato should not fight at any cost. Slowly, the Scabbards and Momonosuke began to push back the Admiral. However, they gained an unexpected ally in Shanks, who was on the outskirts of Wano. Shanks was not impressed by Ryokugyu’s behavior, so he decided to unleash a burst of Haoshoku Haki that sent shivers down the Admiral’s spine. Ryokugyu knew that he could not compete with Shanks, so he decided to retreat.

Shanks’ Power

This small instance proves that Shanks is not an ordinary pirate. He is in a class of his own, and there are not many characters who can fight him. Fans have already seen how dangerous an Admiral is and how they can cause trouble for the most powerful criminals. For Shanks to scare Ryokugyu like that was exemplary. He didn’t even attempt to attack the Admiral, as he just wanted to stop him. So, it is fair to assume that if he were serious, Ryokugyu would have been defeated easily.

From the very beginning, fans have speculated that Shanks’ Haki is among the very best, and it is slowly being proven. Shanks has fully mastered Haoshoku Haki, and he might even be a better user than Kaido. Aside from Haoshoku Haki, Shanks also has access to Kenbunshoku Haki, with which he can see the future. This is a very big advantage in fights against strong opponents, as it allows Shanks to effectively dodge all incoming attacks. He can also attack the spot where his opponent might move.

Why Shanks Is Near Wano

Shanks unexpectedly turned up outside Wano after being away from the action in Onigashima. Fans were surprised to see the Yonko near Wano and, naturally, questioned what he wanted to do in the country. Not long afterward, Shanks told Ben Beckman, his right-hand man, that it was about time that they made their move to claim the One Piece. This was a shocking admission on Shanks’ part, as he had never expressed any desire to claim the treasure. This confirms that he is in contention to get the One Piece. There are many questions in the minds of the viewers, such as why Shanks is making a move so late.

The most plausible answer is that Shanks knows that the competition is heating up, and it won’t be long before the other big names try to lay their hands on the One Piece. So, if he decides to be passive in his approach, then someone will take the treasure belonging to his late captain.

For now, Luffy seems to be the person who is closest to the treasure, as he has three of the four Road Poneglyphs. He just needs to find out the location of the final one, and then he can make his journey to Laugh Tale. But it won’t be easy to find the fourth Road Poneglyph, as it was moved from its last known location and its current whereabouts remain unknown. There is a chance that it may be on Elbaf, the land of giants. So, Luffy may decide to head in that direction soon to get his hands on the piece that will guide him to the treasure that he has dreamed of taking ever since he was a kid.

Shanks traveled with the Roger Pirates when they found all four Road Poneglyphs, so there is a chance that he may know about the writing on all of them. He may even know about the location of one that has gone missing. One thing is for certain: things are heating up, and it won’t be long before fans get to see Shanks in action yet again.

One Piece is available to watch on Crunchyroll.

Src: gamerant.com