One Piece officially sets Shanks' new power greater than Haki

Red Shanks is one of the most powerful characters in the world One piece and was officially confirmed as one of the four sea emperors in One piece Chapter 432, which was published in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #48 on October 30, 2006. Since then, Shanks has only grown in importance, and Eiichiro Oda, the series creator, has shown great power for the character. Since Shanks does not have the Devil Fruit ability himself, he has always relied primarily on his Supreme King Haki as his primary weapon in battle.

However, the Final Saga of One piece is preparing an even more interesting upgrade for the red-haired emperor in the form of a devil fruit sword similar to that of his brother Shamrock. Shanks wields the power of a special blade known as the Gryphon, which could have tremendous abilities that could officially make him the strongest mortal in the One Piece world at the moment.

One piece consists of a mythical Zoan sword called the Gryphon For Shanks, as does the Shamrock

Image by Toei Animation

IN One piece SBS St. 87, which was officially released on August 7, 2018, Eiichiro Oda confirmed to us that Shanks has a legendary sword called the Gryphon. As the name suggests, the Gryphon is a legendary beast with the lower half of a lion, including limbs and wings, and the head of a giant eagle. This legendary creature is quite popular in mythologies, and right after Eiichiro Oda revealed the name of the sword, many of us started making connections between the two. The connections only got stronger after that One piece Chapter 1138 was published on February 3, 2025 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #10.

Q: What is the name of Red-Haired Shanks' sword?

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

— Oda Teases Shanks' Devil Fruit Blade Volume #87 SBS

In this chapter, Eiichiro Oda revealed the Devil Fruit sword ability of Shanks' brother, Shamrock Figarland. Like Shanks, Shamrock has a creature-based sword, and in his case, that sword is called Cerberus. As we saw in One piece Chapter 1138, Shamrock can use this Cerberus Sword, transform into the real Cerberus, and then attack his enemies with its powers. Cerberus' powers were such that they left mortal wounds on Loki, and when a clean hit was launched, he could potentially kill him. The same logic could apply to Shanks' own Gryphon Sword. Shanks might be a great Haki user, but on top of that, he could also be a phenomenal Devil Fruit Sword user. In his case, he could potentially manifest the power of a Gryphon, making him one of the strongest users of the Mythical Zoan, albeit indirectly.

“I don't need to get my hands dirty. You do it, Cerberus! This is my blade. Come kill me if you survive. I'll be ready for you.” — Trefoil explaining the powers of his Devil Fruit sword, One Piece Chapter #1138

Why Shanks' devil fruit sword could make him a deadly fighter

Eiichiro Oda, creator One piecehas already given us several examples of Shanks' incredible Haki feats. Whether it's bodies dropping like flies when meeting Whitebeard One piece chapter 434 November 13, 2006 Injuring and paralyzing a Marine Admiral with a powerful Conqueror's Haki lightning from miles away in One piece chapter 1055 August 1, 2022, or taking out both Kid and Killer with a single swipe of the blade in One Piece chapter 1079, Shanks went all out when it came to using Supreme King Haki. He has already established himself as a top fighter and has reason to be the strongest in the series right now among mortals. However, to top it all off, Shanks could hold a hidden trump card that he hasn't used in the series so far in the form of the Gryphon Blade.

Marco: He has great Haki, as always!

Shanks: You'll have to excuse me. I'm having trouble staying calm on an enemy ship. I'm not here to fight.

Whitebeard: And yet you pushed your Haki without limit, you fool!

— Shanks' Huge Haki Demonstration Exchange, Chapter #434 in One Piece

As is quite obvious when looking at Shamrock, Shanks could potentially be able to deploy his sword alongside him in combat. The sword was then able to fight alongside Shanks, making him even more deadly, especially when coated in his powerful High King color. Shanks and Gryphon could potentially make one of the best tag teams in the series, working together against all enemies. While Shanks alone is already above the level of the average Yonko, with Gryphon at his side he could reach a whole new level of power. This is what can make him a deadly fighter that surpasses the vast majority in the One Piece world.

The combination of Shanks' sword and Haki powers make him the strongest mortal in the final One Piece saga

Right now, One piece is at the top of the Elbaf Arch. With Nerona Imu's arrival in the Land of Giants in One Piece Chapter 1179, which was officially released on April 5, 2026 in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19, it is revealed that she is currently the absolute strongest in the verses. This means that Nerona Imu is not technically a mortal. Imu is immortal, thanks to the Ope Ope no Mi operation, plus the immense power he wields with his Akuma no Mi ability makes him virtually unstoppable. As far as mortals and those not marked by the Covenant of Nero Im, Shanks is by far the strongest we've seen right now.

“Before Shanks stopped Loki 6 years ago, no one could stop him in his tracks! Do you know what power Loki wields? Or how many casualties there would be on the slightest chance he would go mad?” — Scopper Gaban Promotes Shanks' Power, One Piece Chapter #1139

If Shanks' Gryphon truly works in the same way as Shamrock's Cerberus, then he could potentially become the strongest mortal, surpassing even the likes of Monkey D. Luffy, who has the power of the Sun God Nik, as confirmed in Chapter 1044, which was published in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump #227 Allsu, March 2nd. Shanks is already an absolute force of nature and could continue to reach even greater heights once the Elbaf arc is complete. We all expect Oda to focus more on Shanks once the battle in the land of the Giants is over and show off what Shanks is really capable of by unleashing his full powers.

All new manga chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.