Article summary:
The final saga of One Piece takes no prisoners. After Eustass "Captain" Kid had just defeated the Empress Big Mom in Wano Country, his arrival on the island of giants, Elbaf, ended in the worst humiliation in the history of piracy. Faced with the imminent threat Kid posed to his allied fleet, Red-Haired Shanks decided to show no mercy. Using divine foresight of the future and the signature attack of Pirate King Gol D. Roger, Kamusari (Divine Departure), the red-haired Emperor defeated Kid and Killer with a single sword strike. Let's analyze how this display of absolute power redefines the world hierarchy and brings Kid's pirates' dream to an end.
For more than two decades, Eiichiro Oda took meticulous care to conceal Shanks's true martial abilities. Often portrayed as a diplomatic pacifist, capable of stopping a war through his mere presence, the captain of the Red-Haired crew remained an enigma on the battlefield. Fans wondered how a one-armed man without a Devil Fruit could stand alongside indestructible monsters like Kaido or Whitebeard.
The answer was thrown in our faces with unparalleled brutality on the shores of Elbaf. When Shanks's fleet found itself in the crosshairs of Kid's electromagnetic cannon, the Emperor's usual relaxed, casual tone instantly disappeared, making way for the "Observation Killer." To understand his psychology, read our full analysis: Red-Haired Shanks: Luffy's Friend or Final Enemy?
Emperor Shanks, ready to defend his allies on the sacred territory of Elbaf.
Eustass Kid's Sin of Pride
Eustass Kid had always been a reckless pirate, charging headfirst against established powers. He had already lost his left arm during his first incursion into Shanks's territory, and had been defeated and imprisoned by Kaido. Yet his victory in an alliance with Trafalgar Law against Big Mom gave him a sense of invincibility. Arriving at Elbaf with rubbings of the Poneglyphs, he thought he was ready to claim the throne.
Facing Shanks's allies' fleet (notoriously weak compared to the main crew), Kid did not hesitate: he charged up his most devastating attack, "Damned Punk" (the giant electromagnetic cannon), intending to eradicate dozens of ships in a single blow. It was this gratuitous cruelty toward weaker people that sealed his fate. Shanks, who cannot stand seeing his friends attacked, used his terrifying mastery of Advanced Observation Haki (future sight) to see the colossal damage the attack would cause over the next 10 seconds.
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Kamusari (Divine Departure): The Legacy of Gol D. Roger
Rather than blocking or dodging, Shanks closed the distance in the blink of an eye, leaping directly from the shore to Kid's ship. Wielding his famous Gryphon sword, whose style you can find in our One Piece Swords and Meito collection, he unleashed a technique fans had only seen once before: Kamusari.
Kamusari: A side slash infused with a monstrous amount of Conqueror’s Haki.
Kamusari, or “Divine Departure,” is the technique with which the King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger, repelled the invincible samurai Kozuki Oden several decades ago. It is a slashing attack infused with pure Conqueror’s Haki (Haoshoku Haki), creating massive black lightning bolts. The fact that Shanks has mastered his former captain’s technique is not merely a reference: it proves that he is Roger’s direct martial heir, and potentially the most powerful Haki user in the world. To analyze how Luffy plans to surpass this level, read our article on Luffy’s 3 Haki forms and their evolution.
The result was cataclysmic. Not only did the attack split Kid’s cannon in two (making it explode at point-blank range), but it also knocked out Kid and his second-in-command, Killer, simultaneously in a single “One-Shot.” A display of power confirming the unmatched status of the original Four Emperors of the Sea compared with the Worst Generation.
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The Destruction of the Victoria Punk and the End of the Dream
The humiliation did not end with the captain being knocked unconscious. Terrified by Shanks’s overwhelming power, the Kid Pirates immediately surrendered, handing over their copies of the Road Poneglyphs. But in the waters of the New World, mercy is rare.
Dorry and Broggy’s Hakoku splitting the Kid Pirates’ ship in two.
To complete the lesson, Elbaf's legendary giant warriors, Dorry and Broggy, allies of the Red-Haired, used their combined attack "Hakoku" (the same technique that had killed the Island Eater at Little Garden) to split Kid's ship, the Victoria Punk, in two. The entire crew sank into the depths of the ocean, annihilated, as the manga's voice-over tragically recounts: « On this day, in Elbaf, Eustass "Captain" Kid's crew, worth 3 billion Berries, was eradicated ». If you are mourning this incredible ship design, console yourself with our selection of Miniature Boats and Pirate Ships.
This historic event is not just a simple victory. Shanks is no longer sailing to maintain peace; he officially announced to his first mate, Benn Beckman, that it was time for them to go after the great treasure of Joy Boy. The civil war between the last Emperors (including Luffy and Blackbeard) to succeed Roger has begun. Discover the Straw Hat captain's deeper motivations in this essential article: Luffy's true goal beyond the title of King.
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Conclusion: An unforgettable lesson
Eustass Kid's one-shot by Shanks is not "bad" storytelling, as some fans have shouted; it is the brutal reminder of the colossal gap in power between those who rely on their Devil Fruits and those who have mastered the absolute pinnacle of Conqueror's Haki. By standing atop Elbaf with Roger's Kamusari, Shanks establishes himself as the final boss (or the greatest test) awaiting Monkey D. Luffy.
While awaiting the outcome of this saga, make sure to choose your side with our collection of the greatest One Piece legends!