Elbaf Arch One piece focused quite a lot on the character of red-haired Shanks, who was introduced by Eiichiro Oda in the very first chapter of the story on July 19, 1997. Loki's flashback Elbaf, which began in One piece Chapter 1152 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #30 dated June 23, 2025 focused a lot on King Harald, Rocks D. Xebec and Loki, but also the twins Shanks and Shamrock on the fateful Island of God Valley. This flashback ended in One piece Chapter 1171 in WSJ Issue #8 dated January 19, 2026.
With Eiichiro Oda drawing a lot of attention to Red-Haired Shanks, he now created the unique Devil Fruit power for the Red-Haired Emperor that most fans were adamant that he did not possess. This new power could officially take Shanks to a whole new level in terms of overall strength and make him one of the strongest in the current era.
One-part chapters 1138 and 1167 officially established the devil fruit ability for redheads
Since its introduction in the overarching narrative of One pieceEiichiro Oda always made sure to paint Shanks as a powerful Haki user. Whether it's his confrontation with Whitebeard One piece Chapter 434, which was published in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 50 on November 13, 2006, or his brief entry into the Paramount War where he stopped Admiral Akainu in Chapter 580 of the story, Shanks always used powerful Haki and never relied on Devil Fruit abilities. However, this does not necessarily mean that the Red Emperor does not have the Devil Fruit ability. The Elbaf arc of One Piece opened up a great possibility for him to hold onto such power starting with One Piece chapter 1138.
In One Piece 1138, which was officially released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #10 on February 3, 2016, Eiichiro Oda revealed Shamrock Figarland's powers for the first time ever. In his brief confrontation with Loki, Shamrock used the power of his sword Cerberus for the first time ever. While Shamrock did not display any Devil Fruit ability, his Cerberus Sword demonstrated the power of an awakened Cerberus, which is a mythical Zoan, probably Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Cerberus. This awakened power was so powerful that a single blow from it could potentially kill Loki.
Loki: Hey, what the hell is that?
Shamrock: That's my sword. If you survive, come kill me. I will be ready for you.
— Exchange between Shamrock and Loki, One Piece Chapter 1138
Even though Loki survived, the power that Shamrock displayed with his Cerberus sword was clearly visible. Additionally, when Shamrock returned to the Holy Land, Eiichiro Oda reconfirmed in One Piece Chapter 1179 on April 6, 2026 that Shamrock was primarily responsible for stopping the chaos in the Holy Land of Marijoa and re-emphasized the power of his Awakened Mythic Zoan Sword.
IN One piece chapter 1167, which takes us up to 15 years ago in Loki's flashback, Shanks and Shamrock are seen together in Marijoa. Garling Figarland officially states in this chapter that Shanks was behind Shamrock due to not having a depth contract with Nerona Imu. At this point, Shanks was carrying a completely different sword. Curiously, the sword he currently carries resembles those wielded by the Celestial Dragons, namely the sword of his brother Shamrock Figarland and his father Garling Figarland. Chapters 1167 and 1138 reveal that Shanks received a powerful sword from none other than his Figarland family that carries the unique power of the devil fruit.
After 4 years, One Piece introduces the Three Devil Fruits of the Gods
At the end of the Elbaph arc, One Piece officially revealed the three God Devil Fruits that will change the course of the upcoming Great War.
Why Shanks' sword Gryphon could have devil fruit power and a parallel clover
The biggest setup for Shanks with the Devil Fruit sword comes from the naming of his blade, which was officially revealed by Eiichiro Oda in SBS Volume 87 on August 17, 2018. In this SBS, Eiichiro Oda was asked about Shanks' sword and he confirmed to us that his sword is actually called Gryphon.
Like Shamrock, Shanks has an animal-themed sword, while Shamrock's sword is called Cerberus, emphasizing the power his sword wields, Shanks's sword is called Gryphon. In mythology, the Gryphon is a creature with the body, tail, and hind legs of a lion, as well as the head and wings of an eagle. Like Cerberus, this would be a mythical Zoan power that Shanks could potentially possess through his sword.
Q: What is the name of Red-Haired Shanks' sword?
A: Apparently it's called “Griffon”. We've known Shanks since the first chapter, but how does he actually fight?
— The exchange between Oda and the fan, One Piece Volume 87 SBs
Shanks' mythical Zoan sword could potentially take him to a whole new level of power and set him apart from the vast majority of fighters that exist in the world One piece. This Devil Fruit sword would likely be awakened in parallel with Shamrock's awakened Cerberus power, and when combined with his incredible control over Haki, Shanks would officially become one of the most powerful on the seas of the One Piece world.
New questions added!
GameRant Quiz
Start
Easy (15s) Medium (10s) Hard (5s) Permadeath (5s)
Shanks' potential devil fruit sword sets him apart from traditional one-piece swordsmen
Shanks wielding the Gryphon sword with the power of an awakened mythical Zoan would also solve one of the biggest mysteries in the One Piece world regarding his status as a swordsman. As officially confirmed in One Piece, the title of the strongest swordsman belongs to none other than Dracula Mihawk. Shanks, on the other hand, is still seen as the stronger of the two, which makes no sense to many. However, Mihawk is only explicitly stated to have better sword skills than Shanks. This means that Mihawk has better swordsmanship and greater skill with the blade.
Hawkeyes Mihawk!! A former Sea Warrior Royal, with better sword skills than even the Red Haired Emperor!! As the strongest swordsman in the world, he is worth 3.59 billion berries! — Marines, One Piece Chapter #1058
If Shanks has an awakened mythical Zoan Gryphon, then that explains why he can be stronger than Mihawk and have worse blade skills, solving one of the biggest mysteries in the world One piece. This would also explain why Shanks isn't a traditional swordsman at all, and why he fits into a whole other category of his own where his sword takes on a life of its own in battle and fights side by side with him – something that traditional swordsmen in One Piece don't usually do.
Either way, we're anxiously awaiting the power of Shanks' sword, as Eiichiro Oda himself has teased this ability on various occasions, and the final saga of the story will surely answer that question.
The latest chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.
