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Shanks is one of the Four Emperors of the Seaand a very important character inOne Piece’soverarching plot. Shanks is the man primarily responsible for Luffy wanting to become the Pirate King, and that certainly says a lot. Over the years, fans have seen glimpses of Shanks’s power, and there is absolutely no denying the fact that he is one of the strongest in the world right now, if not the strongest.
However, Shanks wasn’t always one of the Yonko. In fact, fans know for a fact that Shanks only joined this order rather recently, which makes one wonder who the Yonko before Shanks was and why he hasn’t been mentioned in the story for a while now.
How Shanks Became A Yonko Of The Sea
One of the many things that fans have heavily debated over the years is Shanks’s status as a Yonko. A few years ago, many believed that Shanks was already a Yonko around the time he met Luffy. In fact, even the Vivre Cards supported this claim at the time. However, inOne Piecechapter 957, it was officially confirmed to the fans that Shanks only became an Emperor 6 years ago in the story. This means that only four years before Luffy set out on his journey did Shanks rise to the position of Emperor. As to how he did it, fans don’t know the full truth of it, but the Elbaf arc of the story has most certainly given readers a good idea of how it came to be.
Before Red Hair, nobody was able to stop him. Do you know what kind of ability Loki possesses? — Scopper Gaban
Fans know that 6 years ago, Shanks fought Loki in the New World. Around this time, Loki was already known to be a massive threat in theOne Pieceworld. Having killed King Harald 14 years ago and setting out to the sea to wreak havoc, Loki was given a Special Bounty of 2.6 billion berries, which put him in the Emperor Bounty range. At some point, he crossed paths with none other than Shanks, the captain of the Red Hair Pirates, and the two engaged in a very fierce duel.
Nobody could stop Loki before Shanks,as was confirmed by Scopper Gaban, but the Red-haired Great Pirate did just that. He beat Loki and brought him back to Elbaf, where he was chained up to the foot of the World Tree. Meanwhile, in the same year, Shanks became one of the Four Emperors of the Sea. This leads many fans to wonder who the fourth Emperor before Shanks was.
Who Was The Yonko Before Shanks Entered The Equation?
The Answer Might Lie In A Completely Different System
For a long time, many fans believed that Shanks must’ve beaten the previous Yonko and then risen to the position himself. After all, that’s how Luffyended up becoming one of the Yonko recently. However, that wasn’t the case for Shanks. After all, fans already know that Shanks beat Loki and became a Yonko. Loki was most certainly not a Yonko, so for Shanks to have risen to the position of Yonko, someone else must’ve fallen simultaneously.
Those four shining pirates rule the New World and they’re known as the Yonko of the Sea. Red Hair is one of them! — Garp
The Legendary Names Who Could’ve Claimed The Yonko Position
There are a few legendary names in the One Piece story that fans can see in this position. For instance, Shiki would’ve been a great fit, but his whereabouts have been unknown since he escaped from Impel Down and it most certainly wasn’t him. No former Roger Pirate claimed this position either.If there was a Yonko before Shanks, it must’ve been a former Rocks Pirate. But, then again, Oda specifically highlighted only 4 previous Rocks Pirates members in the Oden flashback and they were Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and Shiki.
Based on the facts that fans are presented with,the most likely person would’ve been Shiki, but there isn’t enough evidence in the story to support that and fans don’t even know what exactly happened to him after his escape from Impel Down. This leads one to believe that the Four Emperors System itself came into being 6 years ago. In other words, before Shanks joined their ranks, there might’ve been just 3 Great Pirates instead of Yonko, and as far as the power balance goes, it is likely that it was maintained by either not having the Shichibukai, or by having fewer of them.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and theManga Plusapps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1144, is set to be Jul 24, 2025.
