One Piece Officially Sets Up A New Pirate Stronger Than Gol D. Roger

The Elbaf arc of One Piece has introduced us to a plethora of powerful characters. In the process, the author of the story, Eiichiro Oda, has introduced characters on a completely new level of strength, some of which have even gone on to surpass the level of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. While Roger stood at the pinnacle of strength, surpassing even the likes of Rocks D. Xebec, as confirmed in One Piece chapter 1167, the next generation has some individuals on an even higher level.

Specifically, Roger's very own protégé, Shanks, has surpassed him by matching him both in terms of Haki as well as potentially wielding a Devil Fruit sword and showcasing feats on a scale never seen before.

Eiichiro Oda Sets Up Shanks Surpassing Gol D. Roger In One Piece Chapters 1079 And 1138

The Pirate King Gol D. Roger was confirmed to stand at the pinnacle of strength by Eiichiro Oda on many occasions in the story. Specifically, One Piece Chapter 577, portrayed the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard, as being an equal to Roger as the biggest accomplishment of his life.

“He was a man who stood as an equal even to the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. The Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, the Great Pirate, Edward Newgate, Whitebeard.” — Narrator, One Piece Chapter #577

One Piece Chapter 966 once again showed a sick and dying Roger being able to casually match Whitebeard in combat. Most recently, the Loki flashback in Elbaf, specifically in Chapter 1165, Eiichiro Oda confirmed that even when Roger managed to grievously wound a Domi Reversed Rocks D. Xebec, he had not reached his prime level of strength yet. This confirms once and for all that Roger was the strongest pirate in the world in his era.

When it comes to the pirates that have been set up to surpass Gol D. Roger, Eiichiro Oda has done a brilliant job of portraying Shanks as the perfect fit for this role. One Piece Chapter 1079, which was released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue #17 on March 27, 2023, showcased the immense power of Red-Haired Shanks as he went up in battle against Eustass Kid and his pirate crew. With a single casual attack from his blade, Shanks was able to take out both Kid and Killer with ease, and Dorry and Broggy then proceeded to finish off the Kid Pirates. This chapter showcased Shanks' Haki to be on a similar level of strength as that of the Pirate King Roger.

Furthermore, when coupled with Shanks' Haki showing against Aramaki in One Piece chapter 1155, which was released officially on August 1, 2022, it is clear that he is the strongest user of Haki in the current era. At the same time, Shanks has also been confirmed directly by Eiichiro Oda to have Haki abilities that even Roger did not possess, such as Observation Killing, which was directly confirmed in Volume 4 Billion, written by Oda himself. As a user of Haki, Shanks is every bit as good as Roger, if not even stronger.

Added to that is the fact that Shanks might potentially wield a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit sword named Griffon. In One Piece SBS Vol. 87, Eiichiro Oda confirmed that Shanks has a special sword called Griffon, which largely affects his fighting style.

What's the name of Red-Haired Shanks's sword?

A: Apparently it's called “Griffon”. We've known Shanks ever since the very first chapter, but how does he actually fight?

— Exchange between Oda and a fan, One Piece Volume 87 SBS

One Piece Chapter 1138, which was released in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #10 on February 3 2026, showcased Shamrock wielding the Cerberus sword, which is identical to that of Shanks. As is clear, his sword possesses a Mythical Zoan ability which he utilized against Loki in combat, grievously wounding him in the process. Shanks, being a twin brother of Shamrock, likely has a similar power in his sword Griffon, which he utilizes in combat, and this sword could potentially put him on a level even above that of the Pirate King.

How One Piece Chapter 1170 Confirms Shanks Above Roger's Level

One Piece Chapter 1170, which came out on January 5, 2026, in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #6-7, officially implied that Shanks had surpassed the power level of Gol D. Roger. This was confirmed as King Harald was shown to have reached a level far above the likes of the legends of the old era, such as Roger and Rocks, after attaining a Depths Covenant from Nerona Imu. In fact, Harald's strength was confirmed in One Piece Chapter 1169 to have reached such a level that he could have gone on to destroy the entire world.

“If Harald left the castle in that state, he would've brought a great calamity upon the whole world. I had a taste of a hopeless future in that fight. No matter what we did to him, his body kept regenerating. I still can't believe that someone actually managed to stop him.” — Scopper Gaban on King Harald's true power, One Piece Chapter #1171

Despite that, Loki, after consuming the power of the Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Nidhoggr in Chapter 1170, was able to completely overwhelm him in combat and defeat him effortlessly. Fast forward eight years, Shanks was able to defeat the very same Loki that easily overwhelmed King Harald, who was already stronger than Rocks and Roger. Clearly, Eiichiro Oda is setting up Shanks to be on an even higher level than Roger and Rocks, making him one of the strongest in the entire world.

“6 years ago, a man named Red-Haired Shanks was able to stop Loki. Before him, nobody had ever been able to stop him.” — Scopper Gaban, One Piece Chapter #1139

Shanks's Overall Power Level In The Current One Piece Era

In the current era of the One Piece world, Shanks easily ranks among the strongest characters. As one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, he stands tall among the mightiest pirates. He has the strongest Haki of any pirate alive in the story right now, as has been extensively showcased through his feats that are unmatched by any other character. He might also potentially have a Devil Fruit sword rivaling Shamrock Figarland's Cerberus, which puts him on an even higher level of strength. All his powers combined make him a force to be reckoned with.

Primarily, Shanks relies on his powerful Supreme King Haki in combat, and having trained it relentlessly over decades, he has attained a power level where only a select few can stand on equal footing with him. The only characters stronger than Shanks in the current timeline of One Piece are the likes of Nerona Imu, the King of the entire world, and in the future, Monkey D. Luffy, who is sure to surpass him to claim the throne of Pirate King. While Shanks has already showcased immense strength in combat, the true power of this fearsome individual has yet to be unleashed by Eiichiro Oda. Following the Elbaf arc, the focus is likely to shift to all the other Emperors, including Shanks, and this is where we could finally get to see what he is truly capable of in combat.

All the latest One Piece chapters by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.