One Piece officially creates a new pirate stronger than Gol D. Roger

Elbaf arc off One Piece has introduced us to a plethora of powerful characters. In the process, the author of the story, Eiichiro Oda, has introduced characters of a whole new level of strength, some of which have even surpassed 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 at 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 displaying feats on a scale never seen before.

Eiichiro Oda sets up Shanks surpassing Gol D. Roger in one piece chapters 1079 and 1138

Pirate King Gol D. Roger was confirmed to be at the peak of strength by Eiichiro Oda at many points in the story. Specifically, One Piece Chapter 577 portrayed the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard, as equal to Roger as the greatest achievement in 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 who could casually match Whitebeard in battle. Most recently, the Loki flashback in Elbaf, specifically in chapter 1165, Eiichiro Oda confirmed that even when Roger managed to injure a Domi Reversed Rocks D. Xebec, he had not reached his peak strength yet. This confirms once and for all that Roger was the strongest pirate in the world during his time.

When it comes to the pirates set up to outdo 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 against Eustass Kid and his pirate crew. With a single casual attack from his blade, Shanks was able to easily take out both Kid and Killer, and Dorry and Broggy then proceeded to finish off the Kid Pirates. This chapter showed that Shanks Haki is at a similar strength to Pirate King Rogers.

Also, in combination with Shanks Haki that shows towards Aramaki in One Piece chapter 1155, which was officially released on August 1, 2022, it is clear that he is the strongest user of Haki in the current era. Meanwhile, Shanks has also been directly confirmed by Eiichiro Oda to have Haki abilities that even Roger did not have, such as Observation Killing, which was directly confirmed in Volume 4 Billion, written by Oda himself. As a Haki user, Shanks is just as good as Roger, if not even stronger.

Add to that the fact that Shanks can potentially use a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit sword named Griffon. In One Piece SBS Vol. 87, Eiichiro Oda confirmed that Shanks has a special sword called the Griffon, which largely influences his fighting style.

What is the name of Red-Haired Shank's sword?

A: Apparently it's called “Griffon”. We've known Shanks 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, featured Shamrock wielding the Cerberus sword, which is identical to Shanks. As is clear, his sword has a Mythical Zoan ability which he used against Loki in battle, seriously wounding him in the process. Shanks, who is a twin brother to Shamrock, likely has a similar power in his sword Griffon, which he uses in battle, and this sword could potentially put him on a level even above 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 hinted that Shanks had surpassed the power level of Gol D. Roger. This was confirmed when King Harald was shown to have reached a level far above the legends of old, such as Roger and the Rocks, after achieving a deep alliance 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 have brought great calamity to the entire world. I had a taste of a hopeless future in that fight. No matter what we did to him, his body continued to regenerate. I still can't believe that anyone actually managed to stop him.” — Scopper Gaban on King Harald's true power, One Piece Chapter #1171

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

“Six years ago, a man named Red-haired Shanks was able to stop Loki. Before him, no one had ever been able to stop him.” — Scopper Gaban, One Piece Chapter #1139

Shank's total power level in the current One Piece era

In the current era of One Piece world, Shanks easily ranks among the strongest characters. As one of the four emperors of the sea, he stands tall among the most powerful pirates. He has the strongest Haki of any pirate in history right now, which has been amply demonstrated by his feats unmatched by any other character. He could also potentially have a Devil Fruit sword that rivals Shamrock Figarland's Cerberus, putting him at an even higher level of strength. All of his powers combined make him a force to be reckoned with.

Shanks relies primarily on his powerful Supreme King Haki in battle, and after training it relentlessly for decades, he has achieved a level of power where only a select few can match him. The only characters stronger than Shanks in the current One Piece timeline are the likes of Nerona Imu, King of the Whole World, and in the future, Monkey D. Luffy, who will surely surpass him to claim the Pirate King's throne. While Shanks has already shown immense strength in battle, the true power of this fearsome individual has yet to be unleashed by Eiichiro Oda. After the Elbaf arc, the focus will likely shift to all the other Emperors, including Shanks, and this is where we'll finally get to see what he's really capable of in battle.

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