With One Piece Film: Red finally screening in cinemas across the US, the latest volume was also released concurrently in Japan. In the new volume, One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda revealed key information about Red-Haired Shanks’ pirate fleet.
Specifically, Oda mentioned in the Volume 104 SBS (Shitsumon o Boshū Suru? or "I'm Taking Questions") new details about Shanks, one of the key figures in One Piece.
In case you’re unfamiliar, the SBS is a special column that’s published at the end of each volume cover.
There, Oda answers fans’ questions in a question-and-answer format.
One Piece Film: Red Shanks’ Appearance
Even before the new volume, fans were treated to a lot of Shanks action and reveals in One Piece Film: Red.
In the 15th One Piece movie, the Straw Hat Crew attends the concert of Uta, a popular singer who is revealed to be Shanks’ daughter.
While Shanks is a major character in the series, his appearances are often short and don’t show him in extended action scenes.
Regardless, his appearances are memorable, and even the most powerful organizations in the world respect or fear him.
In the new movie, Shanks plays a major role. In fact, there’s a big action scene in the film that features him fighting alongside the main members of his crew, including Benn Beckman, Yasopp, Lucky Roux, Bonk Punch, Monster, and more.
This fight scene finally shows fans the extent of Shanks’ impressive power, including his Conqueror’s Haki.
His crew members are also shown fighting, giving fans a taste of their power level.
Though aside from fights, Shanks and the crew are also shown in flashbacks that give viewers a glimpse of them outside the battlefield.
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New Info About Shanks’ Fleet
As for the new info from the SBS, Oda revealed how Shanks’ pirate fleet works.
While Shanks mostly travels only with his own ship and crew, it’s revealed that the Red Hair Pirates have many subordinate pirate crews (via @newworldartur).
While they technically serve under Shanks, they are not under his direct control like the other Emperors.
The dynamic has been likened to Luffy’s Straw Hat Grand Fleet which is composed of multiple pirate crews that act independently.
Oda also mentioned that while we only usually see Shanks’ main crew, the Red Hair Pirates actually have a lot of members, hence why Shanks is called “Big Boss.”
Although, Shanks' whole crew doesn’t travel together.
While Shanks is still yet to make a lengthy manga appearance, Shanks and his crew are going on the move in the series’ latest events.
This solidifies the fact that One Piece is now heading toward an epic conclusion.
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