Yonko is one of the most powerful individuals in the One Piece world. Known as the most influential and powerful pirates, the Four Emperors rule the New World like kings, and their power is so great that even the Marines do not dare to directly confront them. Fans know that the current Four Emperors include Luffy, Buggy, Shanks, and Blackbeard.
What has always been curious is that the Yonko’s identity was replaced by Shanks six years ago. This powerful character remains a mystery. However, Oda seems to have revealed the answer in the Elbaf arc. Based on plot details, the person who held the title of Yonko before Shanks was Loki, the Cursed Prince of Elbaf, and there is strong evidence to support this theory.

Loki Used To Be A Yonko Over 6 Years Ago
Loki is the Prince of Elbaf and an incredibly powerful character. His power is considered unimaginable, which further supports the idea that he was once a Yonko. To understand this clearly, we need to return to the concept of the birth of the Four Emperors.
The Four Emperors did not exist in Roger’s era because there was no Age of Pirates. After Roger dies and Shiki is captured, Whitebeard, Big Mom and Kaido will be the three most influential pirates. It is very likely that Silver Ax – Shiki’s opponent is the fourth person.
But many years later, the Yonko order likely had Loki in its ranks. Because Loki is the Prince of Elbaf and represents great power. After Harald’s death, Loki officially set sail.
The plot makes it clear that Loki has caused unimaginable destruction, following in the footsteps of Rocks D. Xebec. The world has recognized him as a major threat. Even Big Mom thought that an alliance with Loki would make her invincible.
Loki’s Wanted Level Reaches Four Emperor Level
Loki also has a bounty of up to 2.6 billion Bellies. For comparison, when Blackbeard became the Yonko, he only had a bounty of 2.247 billion Belly. Apparently, Loki’s bounty has reached the level of the Four Emperors.
More importantly, the Four Emperors were not chosen by the government. It is the people of the world who call the four most powerful and influential pirates the “Four Emperors”. 14 years ago, Loki was famous and feared by everyone. As an unstoppable force and with Elbaf as his support, Loki must be recognized as one of the four strongest pirates.
Shanks Becomes Yonko After Defeating Loki
The biggest piece of evidence that Loki was the Yonko until six years ago is Shanks. Shanks has been strong for many years, but it was only six years ago that he became the Yonko. This happened after he defeated Loki and chained him up to take him back to Elbaf.
The fact that simply defeating Loki helped Shanks become the Yonko is enough to understand the level of fear and threat that Loki represented at sea at that time. Even Gaban said that Loki was unstoppable until Shanks defeated him. Loki is a national disaster, so it makes sense for him to be considered Yonko before Shanks.











