Saiyans vs the Grand Line · City to planet
Piccolo vs Shanks
A Namekian with a beam that pierces anything meets a one-armed pirate who can see it coming.
Tale of the tape
| Dragon Ball | Universe | One Piece |
|---|---|---|
| City to planet | Tier | City to planet |
| Regeneration, stretching limbs and the Special Beam Cannon | Strength | Conqueror’s Haki so strong it stops battles, and a sword with no equal |
| Has to charge his strongest attack for a long time | Weakness | Lost an arm saving a child |
| 0–1 | Record on Versus | 1–0 |
The Arena
Piccolo was meditating above a quiet harbour when he sensed a power unlike anything in his own world: not ki, but something else, a will so strong it pressed on him from across the town. He floated down and found its source in a tavern, a red-haired man with one arm, drinking and laughing with his crew.
Shanks looked up and smiled. “A green man who can fly. Now there’s something you don’t see every day.” Piccolo did not smile back. “What is that power you carry?” Shanks raised his mug. “Haki. Want a drink?” Piccolo’s eyes narrowed. “I want to test it.” Shanks sighed and stood up. “Outside, then. I like this tavern.”
They walked to the edge of the harbour. Shanks drew his sword with his one hand.
Round One
Piccolo attacked with blinding speed, and Shanks was already moving before he arrived. Observation Haki. Shanks saw every punch a moment before it was thrown and stepped aside, casually, as if strolling. Piccolo stretched his arm to grab him, and Shanks tapped it with the flat of his sword. Piccolo’s arm went numb.
Piccolo fired a barrage of ki blasts. Shanks cut them out of the air, one by one, his sword coated in black Armament Haki. Piccolo landed a punch, finally, and Shanks rolled with it and came up laughing. “You hit hard, green man.”
Piccolo realised he was facing someone who could read his every move. He had trained Gohan for years. He knew exactly how to fight someone like that.
The Turn
Piccolo split into four copies of himself, the Multi-Form technique, and attacked from every direction at once. Shanks read all four, fought all four, and cut through three of them. The fourth landed a kick that sent Shanks crashing into a fishing boat. He climbed out, bleeding from the lip, and stopped smiling.
Piccolo pressed two fingers to his forehead and began to charge the Special Beam Cannon, a drilling beam that can pierce anything. The energy built, crackling. Shanks saw it coming, saw exactly where it would go, and knew he could not let it finish charging.
He released his Conqueror’s Haki. A wave of pure will slammed across the harbour, and the sea itself split in two.
The Finish
The Conqueror’s Haki hit Piccolo like a mountain, and his concentration broke. The Special Beam Cannon fired wild, punching a hole through the clouds a kilometre to the left. Before he could recover, Shanks was in front of him, his sword coated in Haki, its point resting against Piccolo’s throat.
Piccolo was stronger. He knew it. He could feel it. But the man in front of him had a will so absolute that it had broken his focus with nothing but a look. Piccolo lowered his hands. “You win,” he said quietly. Shanks lowered his sword and grinned. “No hard feelings?”
Piccolo almost smiled. “Your Haki,” he said, “is something I would like my student to learn.” Shanks laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “Bring him round. I’ll buy the first round.” Piccolo did not drink. But he stayed in the tavern until dawn, listening to the one-armed pirate tell stories, and he enjoyed it more than he would ever admit.
The verdict
Shanks wins
Piccolo has more raw power and his Special Beam Cannon would pierce anything, but Shanks’s Observation Haki reads every move, and his Conqueror’s Haki breaks Piccolo’s concentration before his strongest attack can land.
- Observation HakiShanks sees every attack a moment before it comes.
- Conqueror’s HakiA wave of will that breaks Piccolo’s focus.
- ExperienceShanks has fought Emperors and admirals for decades.
How the rematch could go differently: A Piccolo who struck from a distance without warning, before Shanks could read him, could fire the Special Beam Cannon first.
Who do you think wins?
Who would win in a fight between Piccolo and Shanks?
Shanks wins. Piccolo has more raw power and his Special Beam Cannon would pierce anything, but Shanks’s Observation Haki reads every move, and his Conqueror’s Haki breaks Piccolo’s concentration before his strongest attack can land.