Red-haired Shanks is one of the most powerful characters in the world One Piece and was officially confirmed to be one of the Four Emperors of the Sea i One Piece Chapter 432, which was released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #48 on October 30, 2006. Since then, Shanks has only grown in importance, and Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the series, has made great strengths for his character. Given that Shanks does not have a Devil Fruit ability himself, he has always relied primarily on his Supreme King Haki in battle as his primary weapon.
But the last story about One Piece is creating an even more exciting upgrade for the redheaded emperor in the form of a Devil Fruit Sword similar to his brother Shamrock's. Shanks wields the power of a special blade known as the Gryphon, which can have immense capabilities that can officially make him the strongest mortal in the One Piece world at the moment.
One Piece lines up a mythical Zoan sword called Gryphon For Shanks, just like Shamrock
IN One Piece SBS Vol. 87, which was officially released on August 7, 2018, Eiichiro Oda confirmed to us that Shanks has a legendary sword that goes by the name Gryphon. As the name clearly indicates, the Gryphon is a legendary beast with the lower half of a lion, including limbs, and the wings and head of a giant eagle. This legendary creature is quite popular in mythologies, and immediately after Eiichiro Oda revealed the sword's name, quite a few of us started making connections between the two. The connections were strengthened only after One Piece Chapter 1138 was released on February 3, 2025 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #10.
Q: What is the name of Red-haired Shank's sword?
A: Apparently it's called “Gryphon”. We've known Shanks since the very first chapter, but how does he actually fight?
— Oda teases Shanks's Devil Fruit blade, Volume #87 SBS
After 4 years, One Piece is lining up a new mythical god transformation
The climax of One Piece's Elbaf arc sets up a powerful mythical deity transformation similar to the sun god Nika.
In this chapter, Eiichiro Oda revealed Shank's brother, Shamrock Figarland's Devil Fruit sword ability. Like Shanks, Shamrock has a sword based on a creature, and in his case, this sword is called Cerberus. As we have seen in One Piece Chapter 1138, Shamrock can use this Cerberus Sword, transform it into a real Cerberus, and then attack his enemies with its powers. Cerberus' powers were such that it left fatal injuries on Loki, and when a clean hit was launched it could potentially even have killed him. The same logic can also apply to Shank's own Gryphon sword. Shanks can be a tremendous user of Haki, but on top of that he can also be a phenomenal user of a Devil Fruit Sword. In his case, he can potentially manifest the power of a Gryphon, making him one of the strongest Mythical Zoan users, albeit indirectly.
“There is no reason for me to soil my own hands. You do, Cerberus! This is my blade. Come and kill me if you survive this. I will be ready for you.” — Shamrock explains the powers of his Devil Fruit sword, One Piece Chapter #1138
Why Shanks's Devil Fruit Sword could make him a deadly combatant
Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piecehas already given us quite a few examples of Shank's incredible Haki feat. Whether it's dropping bodies like flies when we meet Whitebeard in One Piece chapter 434 November 13, 2006 Injuring and paralyzing an Admiral of the Marines with a powerful bolt of Conqueror's Haki from miles away in One Piece chapter 1055 on August 1, 2022, or by knocking out both Kid and Killer in a single swing with the blade in One Piece chapter 1079, Shanks has done it all when it comes to the use of Supreme King Haki. He has already established himself as a top-tier fighter and has a case to be the strongest in the series right now among the mortals. But beyond all of this, Shanks may have a hidden trump card that he hasn't used so far in the series in the form of his Gryphon blade.
Marco: He has amazing Haki, as always!
Shanks: You must excuse me. I have trouble keeping calm on an enemy ship. I'm not here to fight.
Whitebeard: And yet you bare your Haki without compulsion, you fool!
— Exchange of Shank's immense Haki, One Piece Chapter #434
As is quite obvious when looking at Shamrock, Shanks could potentially deploy his sword alongside him in battle. The sword could then fight alongside Shanks, making him even more deadly, especially when coated in his powerful Color of the Supreme King. Shanks and Gryphon can potentially form one of the best tag teams in the series and work together against any enemy. While Shanks himself is already above the level of an average Yonko, with Gryphon by his side, he can reach a whole new level of strength. It's what can make him a deadly combatant that surpasses the vast majority in the One Piece world.
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Shank's sword and Haki powers combined make him the strongest mortal in One Piece's final saga
right now, One Piece is at the height of the Elbaf arch. With the arrival of Nerona Imu in the Land of the Giants in one piece Chapter 1179, which was officially released on April 5, 2026, in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #19, it has become clear that he is the absolute strongest in the verse right now. That said, Nerona Imu is technically not mortal. Imu is immortal, thanks to the operation of Ope Ope no Mi, and is also practically unstoppable, thanks to the immense power he exerts with his Akuma no Mi ability. When it comes to the mortals and those not branded with the Covenants of Nerona Imu, Shanks is by far the strongest we've seen right now.
“Before Shanks stopped Loki 6 years ago, there was no one who could stop him in his tracks! Do you know what kind of power Loki has? Or how many victims there would be on the off chance that he went berserk?” — Scopper Gaban hypes up Shank's power, One Piece Chapter #1139
If Shanks's Gryphon really works the same way as Shamrock's Cerberus, then he could potentially become the strongest Death League and even surpass the likes of Monkey D. Luffy, who holds the power of Sun God Nika, as confirmed in Chapter 1044, which was released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump #2, March 2, March 2, Shonen Jump. Shanks is already an absolute force of nature and can 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 Giants is over, showing off what Shanks can really do by unleashing his full powers.
All the new manga chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
