Luffy’s Gear 5 is a powerful form, but is it enough to defeat Yonko Shanks?
Shanks is one of the Four Emperors of the Sea in the world of One Piece and an influential figure for the main character of the story, Monkey D. Luffy. Shanks is the sole reason why Luffy is a pirate right now and, one day, Luffy aims to be just like him. In more ways than one, Shanks is Luffy’s goal. However, the fact that they are both pirates aiming for the One Piece means that they are on opposing ends.
Shanks and Luffy may be very close to each other but that does not mean that they are not enemies. At some point, Luffy and Shanks will have to clash with each other. However, the question of how strong Shanks is when compared to Luffy’s Nika state, which he recently awakened during the one or country arc in his fight against Kaido, remains.
Nika Luffy’s Powers
Luffy possesses the powers of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, a Devil Fruit formerly thought to be a Paramecia type, but later revealed to be a Mythical Zoan type. Luffy mastered the abilities offered by his Devil Fruit slowly and it was during the Wano Country arc that he managed to push it beyond all limits and finally awakened it. When Kaido took him out, Luffy finally gained the true powers of Nika, the Sun God, and came to be known as Nika Luffy among the fans. In his Nika state, Luffy is, undoubtedly, one of the strongest characters in the entire series, if not the strongest. First and foremost, his rubbery body gains even more strength, and durability, along with giving him a great boost to all the other physical stats that he possesses. At the same time, the toughness of the rubber he possesses is also improved.
Furthermore, Luffy is known to be able to spread even more laughter and joy in this state. Nika is known to be the embodiment of freedom in the world of One Piece and in this state, Luffy becomes the Warrior of Liberation. He liberates country after country and is able to fight and laugh to the best of his abilities. Perhaps one of the most fearsome aspects of his abilities in this state is the fact that it is only limited by his imagination. Anything that Luffy imagines, he can make real. This was evident from when he was running in the air during his fight against Kaido or seemingly made sunglasses from absolutely nothing during his fight against Rob Lucci. As Kaido put it, Luffy possesses a free-wheeling style of combat, combined with the Color of Armament and the Color of the Supreme King, making him exceptionally powerful.
Shanks’ Powers
Shanks is one of the Four Emperors of the Sea and certainly the strongest in their ranks right now. He possesses a bounty of over 4 billion berries right now, which is certainly the highest active pirate bounty that the fans know of. Shanks does not possess any Devil Fruit power, unlike Luffy. Despite that, he is feared all across the world. This is mostly down to the ferocious Haki that he possesses. Shanks is known to be a wielder of all three types of Haki, and that is where his true strength lies. He has also seemingly advanced all three of his Haku types to an advanced state.
When it comes to the Color of Armament, Shanks certainly possesses advanced mastery. When it Comes to the Color of Observation, Shanks can see the future for 10 seconds or more, as evident from his clash against Eustass Kid. On top of this, he is also known to be the Killer of Observation Haki and, in battle, his enemies cannot make use of this skill to its fullest. This is somehow linked to the way Shanks disrupts their focus, making him incredibly dangerous in battle. His biggest strength, however, is Conqueror’s Haki. When it comes to the Color of the Supreme King, Shanks reigns supreme. His Haki is such that he can project it from miles away, as seen towards the end of Wano, where scared away Green Bull from his ship by sending a blast of Conqueror’s Haki. Against Kid, the true power of his Haki was displayed to the fans when he absolutely demolished the entire pirate crew in a single swing of his sword, coated in the Color of the Supreme King.
Who Is Stronger?
When comparing the two, it is very hard to ascertain who the stronger pirate is. Both Luffy and Shanks possessed the title of Great Pirate right now, which indicates that both of them have reached the pinnacle of piracy. Kid, on the other hand, did not possess the title nor did he possess the ability to infuse Conqueror’s Haki. As such, Kid was certainly not strong enough to fight against Shanks, but Luffy is. When the two fight in the future, Luffy will not be one-shot like Kid was. Instead, he will fight an impressive battle because when Luffy meets Shanks, he has to be at a point where he lives up to the expectations that Shanks has for him. Luffy can also use every ability that Shanks uses as well, other than the power to kill Observation Haki of his enemies.
That said, Shanks’ Haki will certainly be on a different level altogether. When the two fight, Shanks could have the upper hand in battle, however, that is not to say that he will win. It must be remembered that Luffy has the power of Nika at his side and that is his biggest strength in battle. Despite Kaido claiming that Haki conquers all, Luffy managed to defeat him with a combination of his Devil Fruit and Haki. Against Shanks, even if Luffy possesses weaker Haki, the Devil Fruit abilities of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika can make up for the deficit and see him emerge victorious. Currently, however, Shanks is likely stronger than Luffy, simply due to the fact that the plot demands that of him. Luffy has not surpassed Shanks just yet, otherwise, their future fight would hold no significant value. Luffy is close to Shanks in terms of power and it is only after their fight that he will officially be able to call himself stronger than Shanks. For now, Red Hair reigns supreme.
