Red Hair Pirates

The Red Hair Pirates are an extremely infamous and powerful pirate crew ruling in the New World, captained by their chief, Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors and a former apprentice of the Roger Pirates.

The Red Hair Pirates are the first pirate crew to appear in the manga and second to appear (next to the Alvida Pirates) in the anime. They are the main influences of both Luffy (he was inspired by Shanks) and Usopp's (he wants to become a brave warrior of the sea like his father Yasopp) journeys.

Jolly Roger


The former Jolly Roger of the Red Hair Pirates has a realistic looking skull with a pair of crossed sabres behind it. It has two red stripes with black outlines that cross diagonally across the skull's left eye socket, representing the scars that the chief received from Blackbeard. After the Summit War of Marineford, the crew's Jolly Roger was slightly modified to depict the skull's jaw closed shut.

Organization
Though much of the crew's hierarchy remains uncertain, Shanks is identified as the group's Chief and as such maintains overall authority while following as second in-command is the first mate Benn Beckman. Directly below him are the crew's eight Senior Officers (大幹部), each of whom are infamous in their own right. The Red Hair Pirates are also known to have many subordinate pirate crews under their umbrella, though rather than ruling over them, Shanks' actual relationship to them is similar to that of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.

The Red Hair Pirates in general consist of many members with notable bounties themselves, who together share a great deal of trust in their chief, making for a well-balanced and unassailable crew.

Territories
The Red Hair Pirates has an unknown number of islands under their protection; one of which was visited by the Barto Club.

Crew Strength


The exact strength of the crew as a whole is unknown, but since their chief is one of the Four Emperors, they are recognized as one of the four strongest pirate crews in the world. According to Marine Commodore Brannew, the Red Hair Pirates are the most balanced and impregnable as a group, showing little weakness overall. They were also recognized as having a high average bounty. Thirteen years ago, they were already strong enough to raid a World Government ship, defeat a powerful CP9 agent and steal a highly prized treasure that even the World Government feared.

The chief, Shanks, has a bounty of 4,048,900,000 while his officers, Benn Beckman, Lucky Roux and Yasopp, are all noted to be big names themselves. Rockstar, who joined Shanks' crew prior to the timeskip, had a bounty of 94,000,000 and is still considered to be a rookie. The bounties of every other crew member are still unknown.

The first hint at the crew's strength came early on in the story from Luffy's past. The bandit leader Higuma tried to threaten Shanks with his 8,000,000 bounty, but Shanks wasn't the slightest bit afraid of the man and even put up with having a bottle of sake and his plate of food being smashed and spilled over him. Later on, Benn Beckman took on the bandit's men and wiped them all out with ease, telling Higuma that if he and the bandits wanted to take them on, they should bring a warship as back-up. Moments later, Shanks did something shocking while rescuing Luffy from the sea - he scared away a Sea King just by staring at it, even right after the beast took his left arm.

When Dracule Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, brought news of Luffy's rise to fame, the younger, weaker members of his crew appear to be terrified of the great swordsman and approached him with caution. However, the senior members (including Shanks, Benn Beckman, Yasopp, and Lucky Roux) appeared not to be bothered by his visit. In addition, Shanks did not fear Whitebeard, who was another Emperor and known as the world's strongest pirate, as well as a known rival of his former captain, whereas some pirate captains quiver at the mere mention of his name. Rockstar also used his chief's name to convey to Whitebeard the importance of the letter he delivered to him.

The true depth to the crew's strength is that the World Government greatly feared what would've happened if the Red Hair Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates were to form an alliance. Right after their battle with Kaidou in the New World, they sailed to Marineford in just one day. When Shanks and his crew finally showed up at Marineford, they were able to bring the war to halt with words alone. The chief was able to rescue Koby from Admiral Akainu's attack, which was enhanced by the strongest Logia fruit, with only a clash of his sword and even the arrogant Blackbeard (who had just strengthened his crew with four extremely dangerous inmates and a powerful turncoat from Impel Down, and stolen Whitebeard's Devil Fruit ability, which is deemed too be able to destroy the world, in addition to his first power, which can return all to darkness) avoided engaging Shanks' crew, simply saying they were not ready to fight them just yet.

Big Mom also believed that with the combined military force of the Big Mom Pirates and Elbaf's army of giants, which is famed as the strongest in the world, she would have a chance to defeat Shanks and his crew.

It's revealed that the Red Hair Pirates have subordinate crews under their banner, but it's unknown how many or who they may be. However, it was stated that their subordinate crews themselves were notorious and powerful crews known and feared for their strength. The truth to this, however, is that most of the subordinate crews are actually notoriously weak, something that Shanks himself stated, and it’s even stated that most of them are only still alive in the New World because they are under Shanks' protection. However this is not the case with all of their subordinates, as the two captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates; Dorry and Brogy, who have their own fearsome reputations even among the warriors of Elbaf, can easily hold their own in battle, as they were the ones responsible for helping Shanks defeat the Kid Pirates, as well as destroy their ship before they could harm all of their subordinates.

Ships


When the crew first arrived in Foosha Village, they were seen with a ship that was similar in design to the ship used by "Crescent-Moon Gally" during Romance Dawn version 1. Not much is known about its capabilities, but it appears to be a standard pirate ship with no noteworthy features.

It was the first ship introduced in the series as well as the first pirate ship. It was on the figurehead that Luffy cut and scarred his face to prove he was a man to Shanks and his crew.

During Shanks meeting with Whitebeard and Summit War of Marineford, the Red Hair Pirates arrived with their current ship, the Red Force.

Other Information
Not much else is currently known about the Red Hair Pirates. Shanks used to be on the same crew as Buggy the Clown, and Buggy forever resents him for botching one of his treasure hunts by "making" him eat a Devil Fruit.

They are a very laid-back group of pirates who are almost always seen partying and drinking alcoholic beverages whenever they make an appearance. They seem much friendlier compared to other pirates seen in the series: they hung around Luffy's hometown for roughly a year without complaints from the local villagers (aside from the ones that came from Mayor Woop Slap).

They intercepted the attack Kaidou, another Emperor, tried to make against Whitebeard. It is unclear whether they are actually fought against each other or only blocked the path. Afterwards, the crew arrived at Marineford, with the intent of ending the Whitebeard war. By proposing a ceasefire with Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the battle was thus ended.

One of the crew's protectorates is shown in The Stories of the Self-Proclaimed Straw Hat Grand Fleet mini-arc, which the Barto Club visited. After their arrival, the Barto Club burned the crew's flag in a daring act, much to the horror of the local citizens.

Aside from their protected territories, the Red Hair Pirates also frequent Yukiryu Island and use it as a hangout for drinking and partying away from civilization.

Most members also seem to wear capes.

The Beginning of the Red Hair Pirates
24 years ago, after Roger's execution in Loguetown, Shanks started making plans for his own pirate career. He offered Buggy to join his crew, but the latter refused to work for him and the two went their separate ways.

22 years before the current timeline, Shanks heard about a skilled sniper by the name of Yasopp and went to Syrup Village to recruit him. After being urged by his wife, Banchina, Yasopp eventually agreed to join, though did have some regrets of leaving behind his wife and his son, Usopp. Despite this, Usopp held no grudge for his father leaving him and instead admired him as both a sniper and a pirate.

Meeting Monkey D. Luffy


13 years before the current timeline Shanks and his crew had stolen a Devil Fruit, the Gomu Gomu no Mi from a ship owned by the World Government that was guarded by CP9 agent Who's-Who, keeping it in a chest guarded by Roux.

Shortly after stealing the Gomu Gomu no Mi, they landed in Foosha Village, where they spent a whole year in. There, they met Monkey D. Luffy, who became a friend and fan of the crew, which led to him wanting to become part of it. However, his request to join was constantly rebuffed by Shanks on the grounds that he was too young and weak to be pirate yet. He was also constantly annoyed by Yasopp, who often bragged about his son, Usopp, which led to Luffy recognizing the young sniper upon meeting him.



One day, Luffy stabbed himself under his left eye to prove himself to the crew, giving himself his trademark scar. The crew celebrated his bravery at the Partys Bar run by Makino, but still refused to let him join, which angered him. Then Luffy also found the Gomu Gomu no Mi inside Roux's chest and took a bite of it, thus becoming a rubber-man. At the same time as that, a group of mountain bandits led by Higuma came into the bar and began hassling the pirates, though they did not retaliate as they was no need for it. Luffy became disappointed by this, but then he and the others realized that he had gained rubber powers from eating the fruit they stole and Shanks scolds him for it, as eating it cost him the ability to swim.

Sometime later, the bandits showed up again when the crew was away and Luffy overheard them saying bad things about Shanks and his crew. This caused his temper to flare up and he started insulting their leader, enticing the bandits to subdue him and attempt to kill the boy. But then Shanks and his crew arrived to save their young friend, and predictably, the bandits underestimate them until Lucky Roux kills one of them with a pistol and Beckman defeats the rest single-handedly. Terrified by their power, Higuma escapes with a smoke-bomb with Luffy as his hostage. The bandit leader takes the boy out to sea and throws him into the water, and gleefully watches the young Devil Fruit user struggle to swim until he was devoured by the Lord of the Coast. The beast then attempts to eat the helpless Luffy next, but Shanks suddenly arrives in time to save him, but at the cost of his own left arm. Unfazed by this, he then frightened the monster off simply by staring at it and saying, "Get lost", and he comforts Luffy, who was crying over the loss of his savior's limb.

Later, the crew then finally decided to leave the island. Luffy then said he did not want to join Shanks and his crew anymore; instead, he would become a pirate on his own, to which Shanks then said was still impossible. Angered by this, Luffy immediately declared his intention to become an even greater pirate than Shanks as well as the Pirate King. The pirate captain became surprised upon hearing these words, as they were the same words that his old captain, Gol D. Roger, said before. Impressed and amused, Shanks then gives Luffy his prized straw hat, which he himself received from Roger, and asked him to give it back once he became a great pirate. And with that, the Red Hair Pirates set off on their ship in search of new adventures, leaving behind Luffy with his dream.

Encounter with Portgas D. Ace
Four-to-five years ago, the Red Hair crew was residing in a cave on a winter island when they were visited by the Spade Pirates led by Portgas D. Ace, who came to thank Shanks for saving his little brother's life in the past. Shanks responded by throwing a party to celebrate, as he did not know Luffy had a brother.

Loguetown Arc
2 years ago, after Luffy had defeated Arlong, Shanks and his crew were resting on an unknown island somewhere in the Grand Line when the Warlord of the Sea and greatest swordsman in the world, Dracule "Hawkeye" Mihawk paid Shanks a visit, much to the shock of a few of Shanks' weaker crew members. The Warlord brought news that delighted the red-haired pirate, which was Luffy gaining his first bounty of 30,000,000. Hearing that Luffy had finally proven himself a true pirate, Shanks threw another party despite being already hungover from his previous drinking session.

Jaya Arc


Later on, Shanks sent a message to Whitebeard that was delivered by their newest recruit, Rockstar. Whitebeard refused to read it, since Shanks himself did not deliver it. The message's contents were unknown, though Whitebeard assumed that it was about Portgas D. Ace and Blackbeard.

Post-Enies Lobby Arc


Shanks met with Whitebeard later to request him to call Ace back. Shanks revealed that it was Teach that gave him the scars on his face, stating it was not because he was being careless. The World Government feared that the two crews may decide to form alliance with one another, but simply decided to observe their actions for now.

Marineford Arc


Later, in the Whitebeard War, they arrived at Marineford, as Shanks stopped Admiral Akainu from killing Koby, and Beckman stopped Admiral Kizaru from shooting his light laser at Law's submarine which Luffy was aboard. Due to the presence of Shanks and his crew, the Marines chose not to challenge them as the Blackbeard Pirates left Marineford and Sengoku announced the end of war.

Post-War Arc
Shanks and the crew were later seen at Whitebeard and Ace's funeral.

During the Timeskip
During the timeskip, the Red Hair Pirates fought against the Kid Pirates, resulting in Eustass Kid losing his left forearm to Benn Beckman.

From the Decks of the World: the 500,000,000 Man Arc
After the events at Dressrosa, the Red Hair Pirates received the news of the Straw Hats' accomplishment at Dressrosa as well as their increased bounties.

Levely Arc
As the news of Luffy's exploits at Totto Land spread across the world, Shanks read the newspaper. He later went to Mary Geoise to speak to the Five Elders about a certain pirate.

Wano Country Arc
Following Wano's liberation, the Red Hair Pirates were sailing close to Wano's borders. Shanks felt nostalgic about visiting again, thinking about how Momonosuke and Hiyori must be all grown up. The rest of the crew discussed possibly seeing Luffy but Shanks decided against it. Since Bartolomeo was causing trouble in their territory in Luffy's name, a friendly meeting with the Straw Hats would be bad for the Red Hair Pirates' image. Shanks then told Beckman it was time for the crew to make their move and claim the One Piece. When Shanks noticed Admiral Ryokugyu's presence in Wano and his fight with Momonosuke, Yamato, and the Nine Red Scabbards, as well as his ambition to take Luffy's head, Shanks sent out a burst of Haoshoku Haki, freezing Ryokugyu in place and forcing him to retreat. The Red Hair Pirates then departed from Wano.

One Piece Film: Red
The Red Hair Pirates arrived at the island of Elegia in order to stop Uta and her plan to trap many people in a dream world. They fought against the Marines and two Admirals too, Kizaru and Fujitora. In the end, they managed to stop Uta and sail away.

Egghead Arc
After departing from Wano, the Red Hair Pirates were seen dropping off Marco at Sphinx Island. As Marco was getting off the Red Force, Shanks asked him if he's going to join the crew, but Marco dismissed the offer.

Later, the crew was taking a stop at Elbaf to party with the Giants and their fleet. However, the arrival of the Kid Pirates forced them to stop partying and prepare alongside the Giants Warrior Pirates to answer their arrival, with Shanks telling Rockstar to send a message to Kid to either leave their Road Poneglyph copies behind and leave or fight and live with the consequences. Before Kid could launch a massive attack, Shanks sensed the impact, stepping in to stop his attack before it happens striking and defeating him with one attack before taking the copies of the Road Poneglyph.

Trivia

 * A couple of the crew have a common tattoo on their bodies. It is seen on the arm of one member and then on the back of a shirt of another. The symbol however has not been seen since.
 * Perhaps in line with a "Shank" being a part of an anchor, it should also be noted that a number of his crew also had an anchor on their body (at least 4), a note since Luffy himself also bore a larger anchor on his shirt as a child.
 * Sometimes, Oda forgets to put the three scars on the Red Hair Pirates' flag, as stated once in an SBS.
 * According to Luffy, it was Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates who taught him the song "Binks' Sake".
 * The original ship of the Red Hair Pirates in One Piece seems to be based of the ship of Crescent-Moon Gally from Romance Dawn. Their later ship also continues this style.
 * In One Piece Yellow: Grand Elements, the name of the crew is transliterated "Red Haired Pirates", but in the One Piece Green: Secret Pieces, it is transliterated "Red Hair Pirates".
 * Interestingly, the four main members (Shanks, Beckman, Roux, and Yasopp) each hail from one of the four seas.
 * The Red Hair Pirates are the only Emperor crew in the original lineup to have one user of Haoshoku Haki.
 * The Big Mom Pirates and Beasts Pirates had two while the Whitebeard Pirates had three.
 * According to Volume 4 Billion, none of the members of the crew have Devil Fruit powers.

Cultural References

 * A Japanese coast guard vessel, pretending to be a pirate ship during an exercise was caught on video using Shanks' jolly roger.

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