One Piece is a source of many powerful and intriguing characters. Eiichiro Oda's manga series has given us some powerful pirates, and in this article, we'll compare two of them to determine who is stronger. One of them is an Emperor (one of the Yonko) and one of the most powerful characters in the franchise, while the other is a very intriguing character named Bartolomeo. We'll compare the powers and abilities of these two characters to determine who would win in a fight: Shanks or Bartolomeo.

Shanks would easily win this one, no questions asked. He's one of the strongest characters in the entire series, while Bartolomeo is, at best, an intriguing opponent and nothing more. Shanks wouldn't even have to try that hard to defeat Bartolomeo and would certainly defeat him without using all his powers and skills.

The rest of this article will expand on the answer given above, as we compare Shanks and Bartolomeo in more detail. Through several categories, you'll see who is the stronger of the two and why our answer is the way it is—that is, why Shanks would ultimately be able to defeat Bartolomeo in a direct fight.

General overview

Little is known about Shanks' power. According to Buggy, Shanks is a powerful warrior. What is known is that, as one of the Four Emperors of the second half of the Grand Line, his power is similar to that of Whitebeard (who is considered the strongest man in the world). Also of note is the fact that Kaidou, who is known as "the most powerful creature," believes Shanks would be one of the few people capable of facing him in combat.

Before losing his arm, he constantly fought with Dracule Mihawk. Since Mihawk is the world's greatest swordsman, it's safe to assume that Shanks is an extremely brilliant swordsman with superb skills. Furthermore, the fact that he was able to match Whitebeard's strength with just one arm suggests that Shanks possesses excellent physical attributes.

The fact that Shanks lost an arm doesn't seem to have weakened him in any way. While he hasn't yet shown his full power, it's highly likely that Shanks is one of the most powerful characters in the entire series. After saving Luffy from a Sea King, Shanks was able to drive the monster away using Haki. He doesn't have Devil Fruit powers, as he can swim.

He appears to be an excellent swimmer, saving Luffy just as the Sea King was about to devour him. Later, while boarding Whitebeard's ship, some of Edward Newgate's crew members lose consciousness due to the redhead's powerful aura, and even the ship takes some damage. Whitebeard's men attribute this to Shanks' superior Haki. Furthermore, when Shanks and Whitebeard clashed weapons, the sky above them split, hinting at the two emperors' incredible power.

As a pirate captain, Bartolomeo has authority over all his subordinates. He's a rookie who comes from another generation with Cavendish, Caribou, and Coribou. Moreover, even before he revealed his abilities, we could immediately see that he was very strong, easily defeating Vice Admiral Maynard. He was able to win the Block B battle royale without a scratch. He also has a katana, or knife; he used it against Gladius to slit his throat, but it was Gladius's shoulder that he severed.

In the past, he was a gangster who ruled 150 cities. Now, as a pirate captain, he has the power to lead his crew. Bartolomeo is one of the pirates whose bounty doesn't accurately reflect his level of power. Despite having a bounty of 150,000,000 Berries, it's clear that his power is far greater than what the Marines attributed to him in his bounty.

As one of the Yonko and one of the most feared captains in the world, Shanks easily wins this category. Bartolomeo can't compare to him in any way here.

Points: Shanks 1, Bartolomeo 0

Physical abilities

Shanks's true abilities remain unknown, as he has yet to be seen seriously engaged in battle. However, as a member of the Four Emperors of the New World, his raw physical power is considered immense, and he is known to be one of the four most powerful pirates in the world.

Shanks didn't even fear Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world, and even had enough strength to stand up to him, while some pirate captains trembled at the mere mention of his name.

Bartolomeo appears to be in good physical condition and possesses brute strength; on the other hand, he has yet to be seen wielding Haki. In fact, he spends most of the match in the Colosseum, lying on the ground, watching the fights. He possesses great durability, as it has been shown that he suffered minimal damage after being bombarded, as shown when he suffered a point-blank blast during the attack, not only was he still conscious, but he was also able to defeat the officer.

Yes, even though we never actually found out the extent of Shanks' powers in the series – although we probably will – there's absolutely no doubt that the red-haired pirate is stronger than Bartolomeo and would therefore easily take him on as Good.

Point: Shanks 2, Bartolomeo 0

Devil Fruit

Shanks is the only one among the Four Emperors who does not have Devil Fruit powers, as he has never eaten one; from what we can gather, it seems that Shanks has never had any desire to eat a Devil Fruit.

Bartolomeo ate the Bari Bari no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that turns him into a Barrier Man. Thus, he has the power to form defensive barriers to protect himself from attacks, but he can only use them for a limited time. He can also throw them at his opponents to attack them, as seen when the pirate used the "Barrier Crash" technique, and can also use them to immobilize his opponents.

The barriers appear to be extremely strong, as attacks from powerful individuals like Hack and Bellamy failed to break them. They were the ones who were seriously injured. One of the walls even managed to block Elizabeth II's famous punch.

Okay, this one has to go to Bartolomeo simply because Shanks has never eaten a Devil Fruit in his life. On the other hand, he's still become one of the most powerful characters in the series, so he'd definitely be able to counter Bartolomeo's powers.

Item: Shanks 2, Bartolomeo 1

RIGHT

Shanks can use all three types of Haki. Even Whitebeard complimented him on his Haki when he used it during his "visit." He demonstrated the use of both Royal Haki and Armament Haki. When Shanks and Whitebeard clashed, the "heavens" above them split, showing the incredible power of the Armament Haki that both emperors had imbued into their weapons.

During the Battle of Marineford, he imbued his sword with Armament Haki to block a Logia-type attack from Akainu. Shanks can use Observation Haki, and at a fairly strong level, as he spots a strange presence among the inhabitants of Wano Country. Shanks can also use Royal Haki, an ability that only one in a million people can use.

After saving Luffy from a sea monster, he scared the monster off with a furious glare using his Haki. Later, as Shanks boards Whitebeard's ship, many of Whitebeard's men (experienced men who survived in the New World) were knocked unconscious by his overpowered Royal Haki, and the ship itself even began to take physical damage from Shanks' mere presence, indicating that he is emanating great power.

Oda mentioned in an SBS that Shanks was able to eliminate all 100,000 pirates and fishmen opposing the Straw Hats during the Fish-Man Island Arc with his Royal Haki, while Luffy managed to eliminate "only" 50,000 of them.

As far as is known, Bartolomeo cannot use any of the three Haki. He has never shown any Haki skills, and no one has said that Bartolomeo can use Haki.

Since it is unknown if Bartolomeo can use even one Haki, while Shanks can use all three, Shanks easily wins this one. On top of that, Shanks is one of the most powerful Haki users in the world, making him a formidable foe in this regard.

Point: Shanks 3, Bartolomeo 1

Weapons

Shanks is generally described as a great swordsman. Ten years ago, he knew how to swim, so it was assumed he had no fruit, and to this day, there is no evidence that he has consumed any. Before losing his arm, his fights against Mihawk were famous, even reaching the ears of Whitebeard himself. Although he has not been seen fighting with his sword long enough to know its techniques until now, he has been seen in situations where he needed to show his true strength, such as when he faced Whitebeard, appearing practically on his level, even though he only has one arm.

Given that Mihawk is ranked as the best swordsman in the world and Shanks is his former rival, it can be assumed that he is a very skilled swordsman. It is believed that the redhead preferred his left arm before losing it, as he is always seen holding his sword in his left hand during flashbacks, though there is also speculation that he used dual swords, which would explain Mihawk's disinterest in fighting him after losing his arm and would match the dual swords of the redhead's Jolly Roger.

Bartolomeo carries a dagger with him, although he has only been seen twice. The first time was when he cut out the tongue of the nobleman who insulted Luffy, and the second time was when he tried to kill Gladius in an attempt to save Nico Robin.

Shanks only has one arm, but he's still an incredible swordsman and one of the most respected sword wielders in the entire series. He can't beat Mihawk, but he can easily beat Bartolomeo in this category, which is why he wins this point as well.

Point: Shanks 4, Bartolomeo 1

Shanks vs. Bartolomeo – Who Would Win?

As the points clearly indicate, Shanks is the clear winner here, and there was no doubt about it at any point in our analysis. Namely, Shanks is so powerful that Bartolomeo doesn't even have anything to compare him to. Sure, he has a Devil Fruit, and it's a powerful source of energy for him, but Shanks could easily counter that.

Even with only one arm, it shouldn't be forgotten that Shanks is considered one of the best swordsmen in the world. His Haki is exceptional and unmatched by almost anyone. He also possesses enormous physical strength, and all of this places him above Bartolomeo and everything the latter has to offer. This is why the result was so clear.

Ultimately, Bartolomeo wouldn't stand a chance against Shanks, and it would end up being a quick fight. Shanks would just have to figure out how to properly counter Bartolomeo, and since that wouldn't be a problem for the red-haired pirate, Bartolomeo would fall relatively quickly. Everyone is afraid of Shanks, even the Navy and the strongest captains in the world, so Bartolomeo really has nothing to show against Shanks, who takes this one easily, as we've elaborated and analyzed in our article.