Summary
- Shanks, one of the strongest characters in One Piece, is a master of Haki and can use all three forms of iti.
- Benn Beckman, Shanks' first mate, is a talented fighter with devastating physical strength. He is also a confirmed Haki usert.
- Lucky Roux, the cook of the Red Hair Pirates, is a confirmed Armament Haki user.
The world of One Piece is defined by a single quest — the pursuit of Gol D. Roger's legendary treasure, One Piece. An entire generation of pirates set pirates out to sea in search of the King of the Pirate's legacy, and along the way, many of them explore the Grand Line and learns its secrets, many of which were hidden by the World Government itself. Anyone who wants to become a pirate needs to be extremely strong to defend themselves against the Marines, but as evidenced throughout the series, there are more than enough powerful sailors to cause the World Government issues. While some of these sea-faring outlaws are evil, many pirates are kind-hearted and/or well-meaning. Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates, one of the first crews introduced in One Piece, are a great example of this, simultaneously possessing a jolly disposition and monstrous strength to back it up.
As an Emperor of the Sea, Shanks is one of the strongest characters in One Piece, and over the course of multiple decades, he and his crew have become notorious throughout the Grand Line. They end the Summit War at Marineford without fighting a single one of their opponents, instead relying on their reputation to placate the Marines and pirates scattered throughout the battlefield. However, despite their widespread notoriety, very little is known about the Red Hair Pirates, and as a result, most of their crew is a complete enigma. That being said, several of Shanks' crewmates, such as Benn Beckman and Yasopp, have demonstrated their talents on-screen, giving fans a small glimpse of the crew's true power.
Updated on September 18, 2023 by Kennedy King: With One Piece prepared to enter its final saga, the Red Hair Pirates finally seem ready to make their grand post-timeskip debut. One Piece Film: Red and the events that transpire after the Raid on Onigashima have shed some light on Shanks and his crew's abilities, giving fans a better idea of their strength than ever before.
Shanks, The Master Of Haki
Shanks is one of very few One Piece character to reach Emperor of the Sea-level power without using a Devil Fruit. Accordingly, this makes him one of the best Haki users in the entires series, and with a bounty of over 4 billion Berries, he's got the reputation to back it up. However, despite his notoriety and significance to the journey of Monkey D. Luffy, very little is known about Shanks' true powers. Until the events of One Piece Film: Red and the conclusion of the Wano Country Arc, the Red Hair Pirate had yet to give any indication of his fighting style. Thankfully, his appearances in these two instances shed some light on Shanks' abilities, establishing that his mastery of Haki is second-to-none.
Shanks has the ability to use all three forms of Haki — a feat that instantly establishes him as one of the Grand Line's most versatile fighters. In addition to this, the Red Hair Pirate can also use the advanced forms of at least two Haki types, having demonstrated the ability to weaponize Conqueror's Haki and glimpse into the future with Observation Haki on multiple occasions. Presumably, he can also use advanced Armament Haki, given his rivalries with Dracule Mihawk and the other Emperors of the Sea. In fact, Shanks' mastery of Haki is so impressive that he can prevent other individuals from utilizing their own Haki. That allows him to make short work of powerful fighters like Admiral Greenbull and Eustass Kid.
Benn Beckman, Shanks' Right-Hand Man
Benn Beckman is Shanks' first mate, and as a result, it's all but guaranteed that he's a very talented fighter. Like most high-profile New World pirates, Beckman possesses devastating physical strength, as shown when he defeats Higuma's crew of mountain bandits using only his cigarette and the stock of his gun. In addition to this, Beckman is a confirmed Haki user, and if his brief encounter with Admiral Kizaru during One Piece's Marineford Arc is any indication, then he's almost certainly a top-tier combatant.
The events of One Piece Film: Red aren't canon (although Uta's existence has been confirmed in the actual series), but they do provide the best idea of Beckman's fighting style. The character imbues his bullets with Haki, allowing him to use the flintlock pistol that he has been pictured with since the East Blue Saga, and at one point, he even coats his arm in Armament Haki in order to stop a bullet.
Lucky Roux, The Cook
Like most One Piece pirate crews, the members of the Red Hair Pirates play a specific role aboard their ship, the Red Force. Lucky Roux, the pinstripe-wearing pirate seen during Monkey D. Luffy's childhood, serves as the cook for Shanks' crew and is best known for stealing the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika. Like many of his fellow Red Hair Pirates, little is known about Lucky Roux's true strength, but thanks to a few scenes and various pieces of promotional material, fans have an idea about what his fighting style looks like.
Lucky Roux is a confirmed Armament Haki user, so it's safe to assume that he can imbue his bullets with Haki like the other members of the Red Hair Pirates. In addition to this, he is also known to use his rotund body to his advantage in battle by implementing a unique attack called "Self-Bowling." This technique requires him to curl himself into a ball and then roll around with the helping push of an ally — arguably the most comical attack of any pirate on the crew of an Emperor of the Sea.
Yasopp, The Chaser
Yasopp, often referred to by his nickname, "Chaser," is arguably the most famous sniper in One Piece. While most his notoriety stems from his association with Shanks, the series states that Yasopp was well-known even before he joined the Red Hair Pirates, lending him a bit more credibility than his lesser-known crewmates.
According to Monkey D. Luffy and several other characters, Yasopp never misses his target, with some even saying that the sniper could shoot the antennae off an ant from 100 yards away. As a confirmed user of Observation Haki, it's likely this feat is no exaggeration. If Yasopp can imbue his bullets with Armament Haki like many of his peers did in One Piece Film: Red (which is virtually guaranteed given his status as a high-ranking member of the Red Hair Pirates), then he could do some serious damage to even the strongest New World pirates.