This post contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.
SUMMARY
-
Kaido considers Shanks to be one of the top pirates, possibly stronger than him.
-
Shanks has a different fighting style and excels at Haki, making him a strong competitor to Kaido.
-
Shanks taking his time and serious nature may indicate that he is the strongest, even more than Kaido.
As for the mighty Pirates One piecethe four Emperors are supreme. Simply put, these are four brilliant pirates who rule the New World like Kings. Their power is such that the World Government does not even dare to intervene directly in their affairs, which shows what they really are. A Yonko is not just a strong person. They are also very good team leaders, and at the same time, they have countless allies, who, at full strength, can go to war even with Marines.
related
One Piece: Holy Knight Gunko and his power, explained
The restrained Holy Knight member was revealed to be Gunko. His power in One Piece is amazing.
Moreover, the Yonko are rulers of vast territories, and this makes them the most powerful and dangerous pirates in the world. One piece the world. When it comes to all the Yonko in the story, fans know that there is one that stands out the most in terms of strength, and that person is Kaido. Kaido was publicly listed as the strongest pirate One piece at times, however, there might be someone stronger than him, and that person is none other than Shanks.
The problem with statements that call Kaido super powerful
-
Kaido himself has 5 Elites in mind that can fight him
-
Shanks was always taking his time
Kaido has been called the strongest many times One piece. For the first time the fans were properly introduced there One piece chapter 795, titled Suicide, makes it clear that Kaido is a monster that can only be matched by a select few. In fact, the Narrator himself, or, in other words, Oda clearly stated that in the land, air, and sea, Kaido was generally recognized as the strongest being alive. Of course, being called the strongest being means that Kaido is the most powerful.
On land, air, and sea, he is the man known as the strongest creature alive. — Narrator
No one could match Kaido if the statement was to be taken as fact. There is no denying that this statement has value, at least. Oda exalted Kaido as the strongest on many occasions. Even other Yonko who exist in the world of One Piece said that Kaido is a ferocious animal. For example, Big Mom makes it clear that Kaido can never be beaten. Similarly, Kaido was seemingly invincible until the Wano arc of the story, and only a few people faced him. The World Government itself feared Kaido and made his alliance with Big Mom tremble.
The other pirates in the One Piece universe also continue to call Kaido the strongest pirate alive, and both Kid and Killer agree with this statement. The general consensus is that Kaido is a powerful pirate, that no one can defeat in a 1v1 battle. This is again supported by Oda, who says in his manga that all the people of the One Piece world believe in one-on-one fighting, it is always better to run away from Kaido because he will be destroyed. the winner. Of course, there are many claims that Kaido is the strongest. But, that certainly doesn't mean Kaido is invincible.
For one, when a writer sets up the villain as the strongest, more often than not, it's a device that comes into play later when that character is overpowered. For example, Kaido never losing in a 1v1 fight just means that Luffy will be the first to defeat him in one. There was a revelation for Luffy to destroy it, and that's exactly what he did, even though he had help in the first part of the fight.
Our enemy is the most powerful pirate in the world. — Kid and Killer
Another problem that comes up with Kaido being the strongest is that there are some people in the One Piece universe who have never publicly shown their strength. They have kept their power for a reason, and they will not reveal it at the right time.

related
One Piece: This Devil's Fruit is probably the most important thing of the century
This devil fruit played an important role during the Void Century in One Piece. How is it.
For example, the character of Shanks is known by fans to be hiding his true strength and of course he never fought openly and showed his abilities for one reason or another. Shanks only started to deteriorate after Kaido's fall and revealed his quest for One piece.
Why Shanks is a special case
Shanks is Roger's successor and the most powerful Pirate
The strongest Yonko in One Piece right now is, without a doubt, Shanks. Even before Kaido's fall, the strongest Yonko was probably Shanks. The problem with Shanks is that he has never been serious about his quest One piece. Therefore, the story of Shanks as the most powerful pirate alive will not spread. Similarly, even the Government considered Shanks to be a calm pirate who does not jump into danger head first, or cause trouble for them. Similarly, even to other pirates, Shanks does not appear to be bloodthirsty, or violent in any way. Shanks was only dangerous when his friends were injured, and to this day, it continues in his image.
But, that's exactly why Oda used it as the perfect cover to hide Shanks as the most powerful pirate. For one, Kaido himself considers the five Pirates elite and on a completely different level. These five Pirates are Roger, Whitebeard, Rocks, Oden, and Shanks. The fact that Shanks is one of these powerful men is a testament to Kaido's view of him as a super-powered pirate that he may never be able to defeat. In fact, every other player who fought Kaido could have beaten him. Then, we also need to consider the fact that the picture of Kaido's strength and that of Shanks are separate. For one reason or another, Oda portrayed Shanks as a powerful pirate, perhaps even more so than Kaido. For example, Kaido and Big Mom both fought the worst generation on top of Onigashima and failed to defeat them.
Some of Kaido's powerful strikes, such as the Thunder Bagua, failed to take down the likes of Law, or Luffy as he grew stronger. But, on the other hand, a single strike from Shanks killed not only Kid, but also Killer with him. These were pirates that had no problem being bombarded by Kaido and Big Mom, but against Shanks they fell in just one hit. Of course, there's a picture of Shanks on a completely different level here, and the fact that Shanks is just biding his time and coming of age comes back again.
Regardless of what fans think, Shanks and Kaido are two pirates who can be compared in strength. Kaido was a monster in battle and had special advantages in battle. For example, Kaido had great patience, and at the same time, endurance as well. He also probably had higher strength than Shanks, which shouldn't be a surprise, since he has a Zoan Devil Fruit. Moreover, Kaido's physical strength and all physical aspects should be superior to that of Shanks. But, there is one aspect that makes Shanks special, and that is Haki. In Kaido's own words, Haki conquers all, which means that Shanks, with his level of Haki, should continue to defeat Kaido.
One Piece is available to read on Viz Media. The series can be read by fans officially and for free on Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date of the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1137, is January 26, 2025.

- Date of publication
-
October 20, 1999
- Creator
-
Eiichiro Oda
- Number of sections
-
1122