This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf arc.
The Yonko are some of the most powerful individuals in the world of One Piece. Known to be the most influential and powerful pirates, the Yonko rule the New World like kings and their strength is such that even the Navy doesn't directly oppose them except under certain circumstances. Fans already know that the Yonko are currently made up of Luffy, Buggy, Shanks, and Blackbeard. Out of the four, two are rather new, those being Luffy and Buggy. These two ended up replacing Kaido and Big Mom shirtless after One Piece's Wano war.
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That said, fans have always wondered who the original Yonko were. Most specifically, Shanks, who became the Yonko six years ago, must've replaced someone very powerful. This figure remains a mystery to this day, but it seems that Oda has finally revealed the answer to it in the Elbaf arc. Based on everything that the story has told the fans, the man who held the title of Yonko before Shanks, six years ago, must've been Loki, the Accursed Prince, and there's a ton of evidence to support this.
Loki Could've Been A Yonko Over 6 Years Ago
Loki is the Prince of Elbaf and a very powerful character at that. Fans know very well that his strength is unimaginable, and that certainly does add to the idea of him being a Yonko at some point. But, to make sense of it, fans need to get back to the conception of the idea of the Four Emperors. The Yonko didn't exist during Roger's era, and that's clear. None of the strongest Pirates were called Yonko simply because there was no Great Pirate Era.
Before Red Haired Shanks, nobody was able to beat Loki! — Scopper Gaban
It was after the Great Pirate Era that the Yonko were born. At this point, Roger was already dead and Shiki was captured. Naturally, at this point, Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido would've been the three most influential pirates. It is highly likely that Silver Axe, who was said to be Shiki’s rival, was the fourth.
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But, many years later, the Yonko order likely had Loki in its ranks. For one, Loki is the Prince of all Elbaf and he represents tremendous might. It is said that after the death of Harald, Loki officially set out to sea. It is clearly said that Loki caused unimaginable destruction, following in the path of Rocks. The world recognized him as a major threat. Even Big Mom, a Yonko, thought an alliance with Loki would make her invincible.
Loki Has A Yonko Level Bounty
A bounty of 2.6 billion was also placed on his head. To put that into perspective, when Blackbeard became a Yonko, he only had a bounty of 2.247 billion berries. Loki's bounty was most certainly Yonko-tier.
I am the Sun God who will destroy the whole world. — Loki
But more than that, one needs to keep in mind that Yonko aren't chosen by the Government. It is the people of the world who call the four most powerful and influential pirates “Yonko.” 14 years ago, Loki already rose to great infamy and he was feared by everyone. Being an unstoppable force and having Elbaf at his back, Loki must've been recognized as one of the four most powerful pirates.
Shanks Became A Yonko After Beating Loki
The biggest evidence that Loki was a Yonko up until six years ago is Shanks. Fans know that Shanks was powerful for years, but only 6 years ago did he go on to become a Yonko. This was after he defeated Loki and chained him up to take him back to Elbaf. The fact that beating Loki made him a Yonko alone is enough to understand the level of fear and threat that Loki represented on the seas at this point. Even Gaban himself said that Loki was unstoppable until Shanks beat him. He's a national-level calamity, so it makes sense that he was seen as a Yonko before Shanks.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece will be featured in this week's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1166 is November 23, 2025. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday, which is 11:00 AM EST, or 8:00 AM PT. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump apps.