One Piece: Shanks Vs Eustass Kid Fight Explained

Finally, we move to Elbaf Island, where the battle between the Kid Pirates and the fleet captains of Red-Haired Shanks has commenced.

The captains inform Kid that they won’t even allow him to catch a glimpse of Shanks. They boast about their allies, Shivering Pururu, Ball Fingers Gentotio, and Dentures Fugar, confident that Kid is doomed.

However, it turns out these captains are essentially fodder. They are not the high-bounty commanders we know from Shanks’ crew. Instead, they are more like the captains in the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, such as Bartolomeo.

Realizing the dire situation, Shanks tells his captains to retreat and personally steps into the battle. Lucky Roux suggests Shanks relax since he and the commanders can handle it, but Shanks insists on not underestimating Kid, who has a bounty of 3 billion berries. Despite defeating Big Mom in a 1v2, Kid remains a formidable opponent, justifying Shanks’ caution.

Shanks inquires with Yasopp about Kid’s condition after the battles in Wano. Yasopp confirms that Kid is fully healed, ensuring Shanks won’t embarrass an injured man. Shanks then receives intel from Hongo, highlighting Shanks’ strategic nature. He learns that Kid is a notorious troublemaker, unlike the more heroic Luffy.

On the battlefield, Kid activates his awakened Damned Punk, claiming that his railgun can destroy any number of ships and people. He and Killer employ the simple strategy of “if we don’t lose, we win.”

However, Shanks’ future sight ability proves a significant obstacle. Minutes before Kid’s attack, Shanks foresees the destruction of all nine ships in his fleet. He then commands the ships to spread out, with Dorry and Broggy covering the rear. Shanks himself leaps into the fray, delivering a supercharged Haki sword slash called Divine Departure. This attack instantly knocks out both Kid and Killer.

This was no ordinary attack; it replicated Pirate King Roger’s technique used against Oden. This suggests that Shanks may have surpassed Roger, especially considering he executed the move with one arm. However, it’s worth noting that Roger was ill and dying when he used this attack, making the comparison debatable.

Most top-tier fights in One Piece are battles of attrition, like Ace and Jinbe fighting for seven days or Luffy’s long battles with Katakuri and Cracker. Kid getting one-shot underscores Shanks’ supreme power in the series. Kid was able to withstand multiple hits from Big Mom, a Yonko on Shanks’ level. So, this one-shot emphasizes Shanks’ immense battle capabilities.

An argument could be made that Shanks caught Kid by surprise with his strongest attack. If Shanks hadn’t finished Kid in one hit, Kid might have fired his Damned Punk, devastating Shanks’ captains. However, considering this Shanks’ strongest technique because it’s an homage to Roger doesn’t make sense, akin to saying Luffy’s ultimate attack is his Red Roc.

Moreover, the surprise factor isn’t applicable since Kid was ready to fight. The reality is that Shanks is simply faster and more powerful. Having the strongest weapon means nothing if you can’t land a shot, much like some teammates in Valorant..

Shanks’ mastery of Haki played a crucial role. Not only did he foresee five minutes into the future, but he is also known as the Observation Killer, enabling him to disable Kid’s Observation Haki and catch him off guard.

But the humiliation doesn’t end there. Seeing their captain and vice-captain almost dead within seconds, Heat and the rest of the crew offer all their Road Poneglyphs to Shanks, begging for mercy. However, Dorry and Broggy unleash their Hakoku Sovereignty attack, destroying Kid’s ship and teaching the young pirates a harsh lesson about the consequences of drawing a loaded gun.

As the narrator states, this marks the end of the Kid Pirates. While they may not be dead (this is One Piece, after all), recovering from such a defeat will be incredibly challenging.

With this victory, Shanks now possesses the Big Mom and Wano Poneglyphs. He likely also has the Road Poneglyph that disappeared from Fishman Island, leaving only the Zou Poneglyph unaccounted for. Given that Nekomamushi and Inuarashi traveled on Roger’s ship alongside Shanks 24 years ago, there’s a chance Shanks already has that as well.