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One Piece is gradually approaching its grand finale, though creator Eiichiro Oda may take a few more years to wrap up the Final Saga. This epic series, which has outlasted most shonen anime, is set to ultimately address many of the burning questions that have gripped its fanbase. Among these are the enigmatic identity of Joy Boy and the true essence of the legendary treasure. A particularly intriguing mystery concerns the offscreen clash between Red-Haired Shanks and the notorious Blackbeard.
The duel between Shanks and Blackbeard was first brought to light in Chapter 434, published in 2006, and it has captivated fans ever since. Despite the passage of two decades, One Piece remains tight-lipped, offering scant details about this pivotal encounter. While Shanks’ conversation with Whitebeard in that same chapter sheds some light, it only fuels speculation as the Final Saga unfolds, leaving specifics shrouded in mystery.
In the distant past, Red-Haired Shanks and Marshall D. Teach crossed paths in a confrontation whose outcomes still thrill enthusiasts. It was notably unexpected that Shanks wasn’t the clear victor, especially considering his impressive feats in recent story arcs. His ability to intimidate the Lord of the Coast with just a glance barely scratches the surface of his formidable capabilities.
Shanks and Blackbeard Fought 15 Years Before the One Piece Timeline
Red-Haired Shanks had an encounter with Marshall D. Teach in the distant past, but the outcomes of that battle continue to excite the fandom. It was even more surprising that Shanks wasn’t the undisputed victor, especially after what fans have seen of him in recent arcs. In fact, Shanks scaring away the Lord of the Coast with a simple glare was just the tip of a much larger iceberg.
Shanks was effortlessly strong enough to singlehandedly decimate Eustass Kid and earn the Kid Pirates’ pleas for mercy. He foresaw Kid’s plan and efficiently subverted it with a single attack, saving countless lives in the process. And this was the same overpowered pirate who earned a 3-billion Berry bounty after defeating Big Mom with Trafalgar D. Water Law’s help, making Kid one of the most powerful One Piece characters until he sank to the bottom of the ocean with his crew.
Likewise, Shanks stopped the Marineford War, terrified Admiral Ryokugyu away from Wano, and was even revealed to be a Celestial Noble by birth. In comparison, Blackbeard appeared to be nothing more than a random miscreant with grandiose hopes destined for failure. Except that wasn’t what happened when Blackbeard and Shanks met on the battlefield.
From Chapter 434, “Whitebeard and Red-Haired,” fans learned a few critical things about this monumental fight. After displaying his enormous Haki as “a bit of a threat,” Shanks proceeds to tell Whitebeard about his prodigal son. Pointing at the triple scar across his left eye, Shanks states that Blackbeard was responsible for the damage. However, he also adds that he was paying attention throughout their fight, highlighting something special about his opponent.
Shanks was famed for his rivalry with Dracule Mihawk, the Strongest Swordsman in the World, with both of them seemingly on par with each other. Against all odds, Blackbeard managed to inflict a wound on Shanks that would never heal, presumably using his iconic claw weapon, a gloved triple-blade known as teko-kagi. The number 3 has been associated with Blackbeard in many ways, and Shanks’ scars bear the proof.
From context and timeline analysis, however, it became clear that Blackbeard challenged Shanks without the powers of the Dark-Dark Fruit, proving that he was an adept combatant long before he stole it from Commander Thatch. Fans have developed several theories about Blackbeard, like the fact that he possessed a Devil Fruit before the Dark-Dark Fruit and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. And yet, One Piece hasn’t confirmed much about this mysterious villain.
Shanks Warned Whitebeard Against Sending Ace After Blackbeard
The reason that Shanks visited the Whitebeard Pirates in Chapter 434 was to issue a warning. Claiming that Blackbeard was “hiding in the shadows of the famous Whitebeard,” Shanks reminded everyone that Blackbeard had always been waiting for the right opportunity. Shanks insisted that he was too dangerous and unpredictable, especially “now that he’s gained power [the Dark-Dark Fruit] and started to take action.”
At the same time, Shanks somehow knew that Ace’s meeting with Blackbeard would topple a stack of dominoes that would supposedly lead to an “era of recklessness.” Shanks begs Whitebeard to stop the hunt and call Ace back, asserting that the latter just wasn’t ready to face someone as cryptically overpowered as Blackbeard.
Unfortunately, Whitebeard refused to heed Shanks and doubled down on his decision to capture Blackbeard. In response, Shanks drew his sword and clashed with Whitebeard, splitting the skies open as a testament of their respective powers. The final scene of Chapter 434 shows Ace catching up to the Blackbeard Pirates, implying that Shanks’ warning was always going to be in vain.
Every One Piece fan knows what happened next. Blackbeard captured Ace and handed him over to the World Government, sparking the Marineford War and the end of Whitebeard’s reign, just as Shanks predicted. Having successfully acquired a powerful crew and stolen Whitebeard’s Devil Fruit, Blackbeard was probably the biggest victor at Marineford. Meanwhile, Luffy and Whitebeard failed to stop Ace’s execution, and the World Government failed when Marineford was utterly destroyed.
A Shanks vs. Blackbeard Rematch May Not Happen in One Piece
According to Shanks, Blackbeard has been “aiming for the top with his own will,” embarking on a journey that seems to have gone his way until now. Despite being an Emperor of the Sea, many of Blackbeard’s impressive feats are offscreened, from his defeat of the Heart Pirates and conquest of Hachinosu to vanquishing the remaining Whitebeard Pirates. This is perhaps so viewers won’t catch on to the full extent of Blackbeard’s secret evolution in the background, which arguably mirrors Luffy’s onscreen development.
Eiichiro Oda has been preparing for Blackbeard’s ultimate showcase for a while, with the most recent revelation painting him as the long-lost son of Rocks D. Xebec and a descendant of Davy D. Jones, the alleged King of the World. On the other end of the spectrum, Luffy has inherited the will and powers of Joy Boy, fundamentally setting both characters against each other.
Fans who want to know the minutiae of Shanks vs. Blackbeard might be disappointed, though, as One Piece is ostensibly heading toward Luffy vs. Blackbeard. How Imu and the World Government are mixed up in this inevitable dynamic remains vague: some fans even suggest that Blackbeard will take over the World Government and become the overarching antagonist of One Piece.
Ultimately, the mystery of Shanks’ unseen clash with Blackbeard may never be fully resolved. However, it also serves as evidence that Blackbeard was dangerous long before the world recognized him. As the story accelerates through the Final Saga, this hidden battle is a reminder that One Piece‘s history is frequently written in the shadows. All things considered, Blackbeard vs. Shanks has already fulfilled its purpose: foreshadowing the rise of a monster and setting the stage for the conflict that will ultimately decide the future of the seas.
- Release Date
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October 20, 1999
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Directors
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Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
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Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
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Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)