Shanks, along with the Red Hair Pirates, will play an important role in the final Saga of One Piece – Here's everything we know so far about this pirate crew.
We meet the Red Hair Pirates quite early in One Piece. They often visit Foosha Village, where they meet little Luffy. Thanks to this pirate crew, the main character dreams of becoming a pirate and embarks on a great adventure.
Despite their close relationship, Luffy and the Red Hair Pirates haven't seen each other in a long time. But we know their reunion is coming soon because the pirate crew, led by Shanks, will play a big role in the final war, and possibly the Elbaf Arc. However, we don't know which side they'll be on at this point.
While this group is important to the plot, we know almost nothing about them. Shanks and his crew appear very little in the story. But when they do appear, it is impactful enough to remind us of their status, which is why we need to discuss them in detail.
One of the most dangerous pirate crews in One Piece
Since Shanks is one of the Yonko (aka Four Emperors), his pirate crew is one of the most dangerous groups in One Piece.
The Four Emperors are some of the strongest characters in the series. Before the time skip, the Four Emperors were Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and Shanks. After the Marineford War, Whitebeard was replaced by Blackbeard. Eventually, Kaido and Big Mom were defeated.
That means only Shanks remains from the old crew, and thus, is probably the most dangerous. It seems to be true, as he and his crew are notorious in the pirate world. Even the Marine Admirals are tired of the Red Hair Pirates.
The influence of Shanks and his crew became evident during the Marineford War. When the conflict reached its climax, their mere presence on the battlefield was enough to stop everything. We later saw more examples of their infamy when they destroyed the Kid Pirates during the Egghead Arc.
In One Piece Chapter 1126, the Red Hair Pirates give people another reason to fear them. When the Barto Club, led by Bartolomeo, accidentally passes through one of their territories, they are caught in a bizarre test of loyalty and eventually have their ship destroyed by the Yonko's crew.
Who are the members of the Red Hair Pirates?
The Red Hair Pirates are comprised of notorious individuals and are led by the mysterious Shanks.
Despite the size of the crew (still smaller than most Yonko crews), we only meet a few of them. In addition to the captain (captain), there is a first mate and eight senior officers.
Here are the known members of the Red Hair Pirates:
- Benn Beckman – First Officer
- Lucky Roux – Senior Officer and Chef
- Yasopp – Senior Officer and Sniper
- Bonk Punch – Senior Officer and Musician
- Monster – Senior Officer and Musician
- Build Snake – Senior Officer and Navigator
- Hongo – Senior Officer and Doctor
- Lemonade – Senior Officer
- Gab – Senior Officer
- Rockstar – Crew Member
In addition to the high-ranking officers, there are also many unknown crew members in the Red Hair Pirates. Uta, the world-famous musician and adopted daughter of Shanks – introduced in One Piece Film: Red – was also part of the crew as a child.
As a Yonko, Shanks has a lot of influence in the New World. He protects several pirate crews in exchange for their loyalty (similar to Luffy's Straw Hat Fleet). We meet some of them in One Piece:
- Puddle Pirates – led by Gerotini
- Social Club – led by Fugar
- The Bourgeoise Pirates – led by Pururu
- The Moth Pirates – Linaria
- Anonymous Pirate Crew – Oli
All have high bonuses
In addition to their ship, the crew is also known to have large bounties. We only know the numbers of two members – Shanks and Rockstar – but given their notoriety, it’s clear that Beckman and his senior officers also have large bounties on their heads.
Shanks' current bounty is 4,048,900,000 Beli, which is one of the highest bounties in One Piece. Rockstar, at the time of joining, had 94,000,000 Beli on his head and was still considered a rookie. Therefore, the rest of the crew must have at least 100,000,000 Beli.
The Red Hair Pirates sailed through the New World on their ship Red Force. Although it is unknown when they got it, as they had another ship during their visit to Foosha Village, presumably before the Marineford War.
Shanks is a very big influence on Luffy.
As we know, Luffy was greatly influenced by Shanks during his time in Foosha Village. He was amazed by the adventures of the Red Hair Pirates and wanted to sail with them. Shanks, in turn, saw his former captain Gol D. Roger in Luffy.
Although the two did not spend much time together, they both left a lasting mark on each other's lives. Shanks sacrificed his arm to save Luffy from a Sea King and later gave the boy his beloved straw hat, believing in Luffy's dream of becoming Pirate King.
Luffy still doesn't know that the straw hat originally belonged to Roger. To him, it is a treasure because it was given to him by Shanks. His love and protection for the hat clearly shows how much the red-haired pirate means to him.
Despite Shanks's questionable motives, he always kept an eye on Luffy and celebrated the boy's increasing bounty. He also met Ace and gave him a proper burial after the Marineford War. He recently tested Bartolomeo's loyalty to Luffy in One Piece Chap 1126.
Aside from Luffy and Shanks, the Straw Hat Pirates have another connection to the Red Hair Pirates. Usopp is Yasopp's son, but he left Usopp's mother in Syrup Village to live a life at sea. When the two crews finally reunite, father and son will meet again for the first time in many years.
As we delve deeper into the Final Saga of One Piece, we will see more of the Red Hair Pirates from now on and learn more about them. We will also discover the origins of Shanks and the mysteries surrounding him.
