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With the release of the full summary, fans now have a better understanding of One Piece 1080. The chapter is set in Fullalead, the island in the New World where the Blackbeard Pirates are based. Together with some members of the secret unit SWORD, the legendary Monkey D. Garp arrived on Fullalead to rescue his beloved disciple Koby, who Teach had abducted.
Jumping from his ship, Garp unleashed a massive punch. The attack destroyed the surrounding town. However, in front of Garp and the other Marines stood some members of the Blackbeard Pirates, led by Shiryu "Of the Rain".
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1080 and reflects the writer's personal views.
Aside from being Blackbeard's strongest subordinate, here are 9 facts about Shiryu that everyone should know, as of One Piece 1080
1) Shiryu is a bloodthirsty psychopath
Shiryu is one of the most vicious individuals in the series. He enjoys killing as many people as he can. During his time as Impel Down's Head Jailer, he exploited his status to massacre prisoners just for the sheer pleasure of murder.
For this reason, Shiryu was sentenced to death. He was imprisoned at the Sixth Level of Impel Down as an insanely powerful individual who committed atrocious crimes and whose mere existence has become a major threat to the World Government itself.
His bloodthirst is limitless, considering he had no qualms about cold-bloodedly killing his former subordinates. He initially gave them a sarcastic apology and then mercilessly slaughtered them.
2) Shiryu is Blackbeard's strongest subordinate
During the Impel Down arc, Shiryu was sent to crush Teach. However, he decided to follow him instead of stopping him. As such, the former Head Jailer of Impel Down joined the Blackbeard Pirates.
One Piece author Eiichiro Oda recently revealed that Shiryu is Teach's strongest subordinate. This was portrayed with the color spread of chapter 1031, which depicted the line-up of the "number two," the second strongest individuals from the most prominent crews, right after the captains.
In a subsequent SBS, the author stated that all the characters portrayed in the color spread of One Piece 1031 are the second strongest men in their respective crews, even if not all of them hold the official rank of first mate.
While not all the number twos automatically hold that formal rank, they still have the ensuing authority. Being stronger than their comrades, the number twos are more influential than them, playing a major role in combat.
3) Shiryu is a powerful swordsman
Shiryu is a formidable swordsman. In combat, he wields a famous sword called Raiu. He was shown using this blade, a nodachi-type, to perform deadly attacks at extreme speeds.
After obtaining the Clear-Clear Fruit, Shiryu obtained the power of invisibility, which further enhanced his stealth skills. Combined with this swordsmanship, this ability makes him a lethal fighter.
4) Shiryu shares a subtle parallel with Oden Kozuki
Interestingly enough, Shiryu's recruitment into the Blackbeard Pirates seems to be a parallel to Oden's recruitment into the Whitebeard Pirates. Both Shiryu and Oden were powerful swordsmen stuck in places too small for their ambitions, i.e, Impel Down and Wano, respectively.
They were waiting to meet someone with enough charisma to involve them in a fascinating project that could satisfy their standards. When they met Blackbeard and Whitebeard, Shiryu and Oden pronounced the same phrase:
"I've been waiting for someone like you."
Considering the evident connection between Blackbeard and Whitebeard, this is telling. Moreover, it may be a coincidence, but both Shiryu and Oden received the formal position of Second Division Commander, despite being stronger than Burgess and Marco, the First Division Commanders.
5) Prior to joining Blackbeard, Shiryu was as strong as Magellan
Before the time skip, Shiryu was the Head Jailer of Impel Down. He was said to be equal in strength to Magellan, the Chief Warden of the prison. Magellan was a fearsome fighter in his own right due to the dangerous powers of the Venom-Venom Fruit.
Considering that Magellan was strong enough to scare away Jinbe and Crocodile, as well as easily beating Emporio Ivankov, it is remarkable for a pre-time skip Shiryu to be already as strong as such an individual.
According to Ivankov, Impel Down was impregnable under Shiryu and Magellan's joint protection. A further testament to Shiryu being a mighty fighter even before the time skip, Magellan was highly confident that the former was strong enough to stop Teach - who was one of the Seven Warlords at the time - and his crew.
However, after meeting Teach, Shiryu became interested in him, considering him a man worth following. Thus, he reneged on Impel Down and joined the Blackbeard Pirates.
6) Shiryu stole the Clear-Clear Fruit
At one point during the time skip, Shiryu obtained the powers of the Clear-Clear Fruit, stealing them from Absalom. The Clear-Clear Fruit is a Paramecia-type that allows its owner to become an "Invisible Man."
Relying on this ability, the user can approach people without being detected, even concealing weapons and other items. Still, the user becomes invisible but not incorporeal. As such, his body can be touched and hurt just like any other person's.
The effects will wear off for a few seconds if the user suffers a blow which causes him to lose focus. Objects that turn invisible as a result of the Devil Fruit's usage will instantly become visible once the user stops being in contact with them.
Some fans were disappointed when it was revealed that Shiryu ate the Clear-Clear Fruit, whose previous user was Absalom, a pretty weak character. While Absalom couldn't bring out the remarkable potential of this Devil Fruit, an individual of Shiryu's caliber may use the item's real power.
7) Fans believe that Shiryu will show the Awakening of the Clear-Clear Fruit
Shiryu employs the Clear-Clear Fruit in combat by turning himself and his sword invisible. Combined with his speed and power, this remarkably enhances Shiryu's lethality, allowing him to cut his enemies without being spotted.
Given Shiryu's status as a master swordsman and Blackbeard's strongest subordinate, One Piece fans immediately speculated that he would be Zoro's fated foe during the clash between Blackbeard Pirates and Straw Hat Pirates.
With Zoro possessing extraordinary reflexes and using the all-powerful Advanced Conqueror's Haki, Shiryu may need something more than the Clear-Clear Fruit to be a worthy opponent for Luffy's second-in-command.
Contrary to many One Piece fans, Shiryu seems to hold the Clear-Clear Fruit in high esteem. He openly claimed that he had a nice power for himself. After all, it wouldn't make sense for a major end-game opponent like Shiryu to have a useless power.
It is also rumored that Shiryu will show the Awakened powers of the Clear-Clear Fruit to turn himself into nothingness, similar to Obito and Kakashi's Kamui intangibility. This would make Shiryu a broken character, allowing him to give Zoro a serious challenge.
8) Shiryu is rumored to be stronger than former Admiral Aokiji
The author stated that Shiryu is the second strongest individual in the Blackbeard Pirates, second only to Teach. However, with Aokiji allegedly being a member of the crew as well, One Piece fans started debating.
Aokiji is immensely powerful. He is a Logia user who served as a Marine Admiral and was able to stand up against Akainu, forcing the future Fleet Admiral into a ten-day-long battle before being able to overpower him.
Additionally, Aokiji was revealed to be a member of the Blackbeard Pirates in One Piece 1064. When the cover of chapter 1031 and the subsequent SBS were released, he wasn't considered to be part of that crew, just an ally.
It can be inferred that Aokiji, who was disclosed to be a full-fledged member of Blackbeard's crew only sometime later, shouldn't be part of that assessment. The author may have depicted the number twos depending on the readers' knowledge of the various crews at that given time.
Moreover, Aokiji is likely not part of the Blackbeard Pirates for real. As an honorable man and a former Marine member, it appears rather odd for him to join a group of evil criminals who aim to make a wicked individual like Teach the next Pirate King.
Most One Piece fans assume that Aokiji is trying to infiltrate the Blackbeard Pirates on behalf of the Marine. If the former Admiral can't be regarded as a true member of the Blackbeard Pirates, he likely wasn't considered when the author estimated the number two of the said crew.
9) Shiryu is a deceitful man
Few One Piece characters are as untrustworthy as Shiryu. He offered Magellan to fight the Blackbeard Pirates on behalf of Impel Down. However, the moment he was given his sword back, he mercilessly killed the jailers who released him, despite them being his former subordinates.
While seemingly becoming a loyal member of the Blackbeard Pirates, he jokingly declared his intent to leave the crew if Blackbeard failed to obtain Whitebeard's power. However, after Blackbeard's success, Shiryu stated that joining him was a good decision.
10) Shiryu took part in the Payback War
A year after the events at Marineford, the remainder of the Whitebeard Pirates, led by Marco, sought revenge against the Blackbeard Pirates. Not much is known about the details of the battle other than Marco and his men being completely annihilated.
It is not known who Shiryu fought with during the confrontation. Considering that Teach clashed with Marco, it's implied that Shiryu beat either Jozu or Vista. Following their victory, the Blackbeard Pirates annexed the former territories of Whitebeard, and Teach was declared to be one of the Four Emperors.
Final Thoughts
Being a man who within the infamous Blackbeard Pirates is second only to Teach and was as strong as the lethal Magellan already two years ago, Shiryu is bound to be a major fighter. He may be able to evolve the Clear-Clear Fruit among the most dreadful powers, achieving the Awakening stage. As a swordsman who can turn himself into nothingness, he would become an interesting opponent even for Zoro.
As the most powerful subordinate of Marshall D. Teach, a man who aspires to become the Pirate King, Shiryu needs to step up his game as much as possible. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to effectively support Teach in his rise to the throne.
Still, an arduous task awaits Shiryu. As One Piece 1080 showed, Garp is going to storm Fullalead. The Marine Hero may be old, but he is still powerful enough to destroy a town with his bare fists. It won't be easy for Shiryu and the other members of the Blackbeard Pirates to contain him.
