Warning: Contains spoilers for episode #1112 of One Piece.

One Piece has finally shown fans Shanks’ true power, and it makes him more terrifying than ever. If there’s one character in One Piece who can send the entire fan base into shambles, it is most certainly Shanks, who, despite appearing in the very first episode, has barely made an appearance since, leaving his true power and abilities a secret. That said, the latest episode of One Piece has finally given fans a peek at what makes Shanks worthy of his title as an Emperor of the Sea.

Episode #1112 of One Piece finally depicts the utter annihilation of the Kid Pirates by Shanks, finally revealing Shanks’ true terrifying abilities at last. The episode not only gives fans a good look at Shanks’ powerful Haki and advanced Future Sight, but also his sheer agility.

Shanks not only foresees Kid’s attack but also manages to close the distance between them and instantly put a stop to the attack in the mere blink of an eye. As such, while Shanks’ is already assumed to be powerful due to his status as an Emperor, the battle against Kid in episode #1112 really puts Shanks’ strength into perspective in a way that even the manga could not, despite Eustass Kid’s defeat being equally swift and brutal in the manga.

One Piece Finally Reveals Shanks’ True Terrifying Power and Abilities

Due to Shanks’ absence from the series, most of his abilities have been left up to speculation, and are often judged on the basis of his past rivalry with Mihawk or the one-off occurrences he has been seen in action, such as at Marineford. It was for this very reason that Film: Red garnered the attention that it did, as many hoped it would provide a clue about Shanks’ real power.

As such, the battle against Eustass Kid is quite crucial in establishing Shanks’ abilities and the threat he poses while also solidifying his position as an Emperor of the Sea. While the ending of the Wano Arc revealed a small glimpse of Shanks’ powerful Conqueror’s Haki, episode #1120 has finally revealed his incredibly advanced Observation Haki, which he uses to look ten whole seconds into the future.

The latest episode also highlights aspects of Shanks’ abilities that have otherwise gone unnoticed or faded from memory due to his scarce appearances in the story. Though Shanks was notably quick enough to block Kizaru’s attack at Marineford, episode #1120 reminds fans yet again of just how agile and fast Shanks can be in battle. Shanks darts across ships to reach Kid in mere seconds and slices Kid’s Damned Punk just as quickly, proving he is not an opponent to be underestimated even without a devil fruit.

Shanks Finally Proves His Strength as an Emperor of the Sea

Given the recent defeats of Kaido and Big Mom, it is understandable that Kid would underestimate Shanks to some extent considering his notoriously weak fleet and his glaring lack of a devil fruit. In comparison to monsters like Big Mom, Kaido, and even Whitebeard, it is easy to see Shanks as perhaps the weakest of the lot.

However, Shanks has finally proven why he still holds that title and he might just be the scariest of the lot. Shanks’ overwhelming strength may also finally explain why he is so greatly respected even by the Five Elders, regardless of his implied Celestial Dragon heritage.

Hopefully, fans will get to see much more of Shanks and his scary abilities as One Piece‘s story progresses. Perhaps fans may even get a chance to witness a battle between Shanks and Gear Five Luffy, because as things stand, Shanks has just become a very real obstacle in Luffy’s path towards becoming the Pirate King.

One Piece is available from Crunchyroll and Netflix.