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Eustass Kid is one of the most notable members of One Piece's Worst Generation. Emphasized as a prominent Supernova in Sabaody, he has relentlessly faced many challenges since then, showing immense determination.
At one point, Kid and his right-hand man, Killer, teamed up with Luffy and Zoro, the two strongest members of Straw Hat Pirates, as well as Law, the captain of Heart Pirates, to face Kaido and Big Mom, two Yonkos, in a heated battle in Wano.
Exploiting the advantage in numbers, Kid and Law managed to beat Big Mom. After the alliance's disbandment, the Kid Pirates headed to Elbaf, where they now look set to clash with Shanks and his crew. With this being the case, fans have started debating whether Eustass Kid is at the Yonko level.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1076. It also solely reflects the writer's personal views.
Eustass Kid is one of the strongest super rookies in One Piece
Who is Eustass Kid?
Eustass "Captain" Kid is the founder and leader of the Kid Pirates. He has a very close bond with his right-hand man. They grew up in the same harsh environment and set sail together to become pirates and find the One Piece.
At one point, the Kid Pirates challenged the Red Hair Pirates. However, the battle was completely one-sided. Kid was brutally beaten by Benn Beckman, the second-in-command of the Red Hair Pirates, who even cut off his left arm.
Aiming to take revenge against Apoo and Hawkins, who betrayed them, and Kaido, who defeated and imprisoned them during the Wano Arc, Kid and Killer allied with Luffy's group.
Tough as well as physically built, Kid's main traits are his relentless willpower and courage. Unsurprisingly, he was born with the rare Conqueror's Haki. However, he is yet to evolve this ability to its superior stage.
Kid ate the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, which allows him to create magnetic forces and use them to attract or repel metal. Accumulating a large number of metallic objects around his body, Kid can form them into specific shapes and use them for both offensive and defensive purposes.
Kid recently achieved the Awakening of his Magnet-Magnet Fruit, gaining full control over magnetic forces. He then joined his efforts with Law to fight Big Mom. Exploiting the advantage in numbers, they were able to deal significant damage to her.
Eventually, their combined attacks caused Big Mom to fall into the void, leading to her defeat, which was a major event in One Piece. Following the end of the fight in Wano, the Kid Pirates parted ways with the other members of the alliance.
After beating Big Mom in 2v1 with Law, Kid may face Shanks in 1v1 now
After the fight in Wano, even greater challenges await Kid and his crew. They headed to Elbaf in search of the "man marked by flames," an individual who has key information regarding the One Piece. Upon arriving in Elbaf, they met the Red Hair Pirates.
The captain of Red Hair Pirates is Shanks, a mighty swordsman and Haki master. Shanks could fight on equal grounds with Dracule Mihawk, the World's Strongest Swordsman, and force a Marine Admiral into submission without even attempting to fight back.
The Red Hair Pirates are among the strongest crews featured in One Piece. The last time they met, Kid didn't even get to see Shanks' face, as the latter's second-in-command, Benn Beckman, was more than enough to annihilate him, Killer, and the rest of the crew.
Admittedly, fighting the Red Hair Pirates, especially if Shanks and Benn are involved, is not easy for anyone. Despite knowing of Kid's improvement, Killer tried to warn him that, this time, he may lose not an arm but his life against such opponents.
Shanks, who always tries to solve conflicts with diplomacy instead of recurring to brute force, sends Kid a proposal, leaving him with the choice between surrendering and leaving or fighting the Red Hair Pirates.
Based on what is known, there's a massive difference in strength between Kid Pirates and Red Hair Pirates. This means that despite Kid and Killer's recent improvements, the outcome of the battle remains very one-sided.
Should they really fight the Red Hair Pirates, Kid and his men are going to face some challenging moments. While they likely have no chance of winning the battle, they can still entertain One Piece fans by showcasing their powers against high-level foes.
Still, the issue highlighted Kid's pride and audacity. Despite fully knowing that he is risking his life if he fights against Shanks, Benn, and the rest of the Red Hair Pirates, Kid decides to go into battle with his head held high.
How strong is Kid now?
Despite his young age, Kid is a powerful pirate. Combined with his notable endurance and willpower, Kid's Magnet-Magnet Fruit abilities allowed him to withstand direct attacks from Big Mom and clash with her.
Kid was able to push Big Mom, one of the strongest pirates in One Piece, towards her limits, to the point where she ended up losing the battle. However, the merits of this feat have to be split with Trafalgar Law.
Based on his feats, at this point in the One Piece series, Kid is a fighter above the general Commander level. He is strong enough to stand against the Admirals and Emperors, although he is still one step below fully reaching such a level.
However, Kid still has some weak points. For instance, he is too reckless and high-tempered, an attitude that can lead to him being overconfident. When his foes surpass the Commander level, underestimating them is a mistake that can be costly.
Kid also lacks Haki mastery, which is a serious shortcoming, considering how important this power is in One Piece. Despite being born as a Supreme King, Kid can't coat his body and attacks with Conqueror's Haki, unlike his fellow Supernovas Luffy and Zoro.
He has never shown any notable feats with Observation Haki. He seems to lack skill in dodging incoming attacks. Instead, he relies on his physical resilience to endure them, which can be a risky choice against the strongest enemies.
Furthermore, one of Kid's most powerful techniques, the Damned Punk, is very difficult to use, as it needs to be charged for a certain amount of time. During the battle with Big Mom, Kid took advantage of the latter being focused on Trafalgar Law.
In a normal 1v1 fight, no one will distract Kid's opponent, allowing him to charge the Damned Punk. As such, it would be much harder for Kid to perform this technique, which is one of his best, against a competent fighter.
Is Kid comparable in strength to Luffy?
Like Trafalgar Law, Kid is very competitive with Luffy, but the Straw Hat is objectively on a whole different level, making their rivalry completely unbalanced. Kid is an incredibly strong pirate, but he just can't compare to Luffy, who outclasses him in strength and achievement.
Kid received the same bounty of three billion berries that Luffy was awarded. However, more than strength, bounties equate to the threat the criminal poses to the World Government. Moreover, having Luffy, Kid, and Law share the same bounty doesn't make much sense.
Luffy's previous bounty was three times higher than Kid and Law's. With his much superior feats during the Wano Arc, he should have earned a greater increase.
Moreover, Luffy's individual strength far outclasses Kid's. Strength-wise, Luffy equates to Kid and Law summed together. He beat a stronger opponent, Kaido, in a fair and square 1v1 battle, while Kid and Law needed numerical advantage and external involvement to somehow defeat Big Mom, who is weaker than Kaido.
The 2v1 set-up of the battle allowed Kid and Law to perform feats that they would never have been able to replicate if they were in 1v1 against the same opponent. They mutually helped to distract Big Mom, attacking her from her blindsides and ganging up on her.
Luffy overpowered Kaido in a final head-on clash, while Kid and Law weren't able to make Big Mom lose consciousness. She suffered severe damage but endured all of their attacks. While she ended up losing, it was mostly because their moves caused her to fall into the void.
Luffy also leads a far stronger crew than Kid. He has crew members like Zoro, who is more than a match for Kid and Law themselves.
Luffy's other best subordinates, Sanji and Jinbe, are stronger than Killer, Heat, Wire, and Bepo, the best man at Kid and Law's disposal.
Luffy unlocked both the Awakening of Nika-Nika Fruit and the fearsome Advanced Conqueror's Haki. He was also declared a Yonko, while Kid and Law weren't. Luffy's achievements far surpass theirs, and this should have been reflected in his bounty.
However, with the intent to hide Luffy's accomplishments in the eyes of the public, the World Government merely divided the combined amount of bounty of Kaido and Big Mom (roughly nine billion) between the three captains of the crew who formed the alliance.
Summarizing
Kid is very strong, but he still has a way to go before reaching the Yonko level. Considering that Luffy is bound to exceed that tier of power, if Kid somehow manages to remain at least half as strong as the captain of the Straw Hats, he may get to that level in One Piece's final saga.
However, for this to happen, Kid needs to survive the incoming fight with the Red Hair Pirates, which won't be easy. Shanks, Benn, and the rest of the Red Hair Pirates make a much mightier bunch than Kid and Killer.
Kid is a rival to Luffy. However, being a rival isn't absolutely the same thing as being equal. It's just a competition between people with the same goal of finding the One Piece. The two contenders can still have different strengths, and this is clearly the case with Luffy and Eustass Kid.
Kid can likely put up a solid fight against most Admirals and Emperors, but he needs to improve his Haki and hone his skills. Clashing with Shanks in 1v1 is much more difficult than fighting against Big Mom with all the advantages of a 2v1 battle.
Moreover, while Big Mom is powerful, she is clumsy. She lowered her guard and allowed her opponents to flank her more than once. Conversely, Shanks is a competent and collected fighter. His Haki makes him a much more dangerous opponent.
Fans can't wait to see what happens next in One Piece. Kid is expected to put everything on the line, challenging one of the strongest characters in the series. The outcome of the battle seems like a foregone conclusion, but Kid's guts to take on the challenge are certainly worthy of respect.
