This era will spiral into chaos! - Shanks
 
Shanks, Black Clad Emperor (aka Strong World Shanks; SW Shanks; Legend Shanks) is one of my favorite legends, so I couldn't just leave this guy without his own guide. Most players will tell you that SW Shanks ain't that hot, but let me tell you, even though he's limited in what he can boost and clear, when he can clear stuff, he does it better than anybody.
 
Update: Thanks to Touma_Kazusa we now have info on the super-evolution of SW Shanks called Red Hair Shanks, Four Emperors (aka 6+ Shanks). See the Stats section for more information on this unit. This super-evolution is more or less a straight upgrade to its predecessor, and I would be tempted to advise you to super evolve SW Shanks whenever you get the chance, but it's not as simple as that. Read why in the Overview section.

Stats

Credit to u/SandroKiedis for section idea. Info courtesy of the OPTC Database.
Regular Version:

• HP: 3,140 HP
• ATK: 1,400
• RCV: 418
• Cost: 55
• Slots: 5
• Hit Combo: 5
• Class 1: Slasher
• Class 2: Cerebral
• Type: PSY
• Captain Ability: Boosts chances of getting PSY orbs, boosts ATK of PSY characters proportionally to the crew's current HP (The exact multiplier used to compute the damage is proportional to the crew's remaining HP and is higher the higher the HP is. The multiplier is calculated as 2 + 0.75 * (remaining HP) / (total HP). At full health the boost is equal to 2.75x, with 1 HP left to 2x.)
• Special: Deals 35x character's ATK in PSY damage to all enemies, reduces the defense of all enemies by 100% for 2 turns (25 turns → 20 turns).

 
Super-evolved Version:

• HP: 3,204 HP
• ATK: 1,510
• RCV: 464
• Cost: 65
• Slots: 5
• Hit Combo: 5
• Class 1: Slasher
• Class 2: Cerebral
• Type: PSY
• Captain Ability: Boosts ATK of PSY characters by 2.75x and their HP by 1.3x. Boosts chances of getting PSY orbs proportionally to the crew's current HP (rates still unknown).
• Special: Deals 75x character's ATK in typeless damage to one enemy, reduces the defense of all enemies by 100% for 1 turns and changes all orbs to PSY orbs (19 turns → 14 turns).

Overview

Regular Version
First off, let's address the elephant in the room: SW Shanks' special is virtually useless, while his captain ability's HP condition holds him back. The reason why his special is considered to be such is because, although every enemy has natural defense that can be reduced in the same way a defense buff can be reduced, that natural defense is usually not high enough to cause any problems to ordinary teams. Plus, many bosses nowadays put up a debuff immunity, completely nullifying this effect. However, what he lacks there he more than makes up for with his insane orb rate and his access to incredible F2P subs. Most PSY teams have very high RCV, so healing back to full HP isn't that much of a problem, yet even at 65% you still have a 2.5x attack multiplier.
 
Although this limitation makes it so that he can't clear or at least consistently clear non-INT content without particular RR or legend subs, where SW Shanks shines most is speedclearing INT, fortnight and storymode content, and, as u/Frozt72 kindly reminded me, rankings and Restaurant Le Crap as well (he's the fastest RLC captain as far as I'm aware). The great thing about PSY teams is that they're neutral to everything and strong vs INT, which makes them great against all types of bosses, but what makes SW Shanks teams stand out is that thanks to the high orb rate, most of the times you'll be dealing double damage. This is arguably what makes SW Shanks the premiere speedclearing legend, and I say arguably, because Sengoku the Buddha also vies for that spot, and deservedly so. Also, just like Sengoku teams, SW Shanks teams can easily be made with F2P subs.
 
Super-evolved Version:
At first glance, 6+ Shanks seems like a straight, if underwhelming, upgrade to the old version. Well, not everyone seems to think so. Let's look at what he brings to the table:

• Stable 2.75x ATK boost to PSY units: This was one of SW Shanks' most crippling issues, and Bandai did well to fix this in the vein of Sabo, True Power of the Mera Mera no Mi. This is a straight upgrade. However...
• Orb rate is now HP-dependent: This means that the lower your HP is, the less likely you are to encounter PSY orbs. This can either be a good or a bad thing for you, depending on your situation, but in general this was SW Shanks' highlight. This part of his captain ability made carrying orb manipulators redundant in most cases, unless you brought them for consistency or as socket slaves (like Gild. Tesoro. But it seems Bandai has thought about this and revamped his special accordingly:
• Full board of PSY orbs: With his special now providing a full board of PSY orbs, units like the aforementioned Tesoro become obsolete, save for their socket slots, which in turn opens up space for other units. What it also does is allow you to tackle orb shuffles or have a full board for two turns if paired up with a fellow 6+ Shanks. Of course, when up against enemies that reshuffle your orbs every time you shuffle them, this part of the special can become rather useless except in those cases where you wouldn't mind a reshuffle (similar to Neo Mihawk's Powerhouse mission). That being said, consistent full board coverage most certainly opens up the door to clearing harder Colosseum bosses. A major problem of Shanks' success rate in Colosseums was due to the fact that he couldn't handle both a mini-boss and a boss immediately after, both because his ATK multiplier was HP-dependent and because his useless specials occupied two slots of the team, making it very difficult to bring along the necessary units. Well, now you've got that base covered. So, moving on to another change that many find controversial...
• 75x typeless damage to 1 enemy: Now this may be viewed as a straight downgrade, due to the fact that his previous area-of-effect (AOE) damage tended to be more useful in handling weak adds (mobs/enemies). Whether or not you'll miss this part of SW Shanks' special is debatable, because both the Thousand Sunny and the Ark Maxim provide AOE damage (see Ships section below for more information) which covers most needs. Last but not least...
• Defense reduction lasts only 1 turn: Big deal. This part of SW Shanks' special was so irrelevant, it might as well have been removed altogether. However, him retaining his defense reduction capabilities and having opened up his team to other units means that there's a high chance that in the (near) future we might receive a good conditional booster* against enemies with reduced defense. And if that unit allows us to bypass debuffs a la Captain Usopp, Usopp's Great Manly Adventure ~Chapter II~, then both versions of legend Shanks will become a lot more powerful.

Clearly, there's a decision to be had in regards to whether or not your SW Shanks warrants the time and effort needed to super-evolve him. Personally, I think he deserves it, and I've laid out why above, but you should keep in mind that super-evolution skulls are rare and that this, and it pains me to say it, this is a super-evolution that will remain part of the bottom tier (until the right support is added). Also, there might be a better PSY super-evolution in the future, such as Sengoku's, or you might pull legend Sabo, so think carefully before you farm for or use a skull on him.
*A conditional booster is a unit who boosts attack whenever their special's condition is met. For example, Goddess in White Nami, Wedding boosts your team's attack by 1.3x against enemies with reduced defense.

Subs(F2P)

In this and the following section I will list those subs that I consider useful for SW/6+ Shanks teams. I have purposefully omitted the damage dealing aspects of some specials, because they are mostly irrelevant. Whenever a character has a multistage special, I use forward slashes to indicate the difference in effect unless the different stages have notably different effects. You can check these units out on the OPTC Database.

• Usopp, Impact: The foremost essential unit for SW shanks teams. He boosts the ATK of PSY units by 2x for 1 turn, and is the best PSY attack booster on Global save for Nico Robin, Reunion of the Straw Hat Pirates (and he's still arguably better, because of the matching type and more easily found sockets). If you haven't already pulled him, you'll want to farm this guy from Water 7 Ch. 7 as soon as possible.
• Usopp Golden Pound (aka GP Usopp/GPU): Ties with Donquixote Doflamingo, Warlord of the Sea for best F2P character in the game. He delays all enemies for 3 turns on a whopping 10-turn cooldown! And the best part is he evolves straight from story Usopp who is given to you for free after clearing Syrup Village (the correct evolution path is the one that needs a yellow crab, but even if you accidentally evolved him into Usopp Tabasco Star, you can still evolve into Golden Pound from there by choosing the evolution path that only requires a Seahorse). Needless to say, he goes into all sorts of teams. However, the downside here is that you can only have 1 Usopp on your team, so if you need to use this guy, you'll be locked out of Impact Usopp. Fortunately, there are other F2P PSY attack boosters, such as Kami Eneru, Coliseum Dalton and Dosun, Deep Sea Fishman Pirates, all of whom boost PSY attack by 1.5x for 1 turn. If, by some misfortune, you accidentally evolved your story Usopp into Sogeking, you don't have a spare Usopp and you don't want to farm another one from Syrup Village, an acceptable alternative to this unit is the upcoming superevolution of Sogeking - Usopp, Platanus: Shuriken - who has the same special as Golden Pound/Sogeking, but on a 12-turn cooldown.
• Garp the Fist and Mr. 2 Bon Clay Bombardier Arabesque: They go together like macaroni and cheese or, for the more adult readership, like love and marriage (~it's an institute you can't disparage!). While Garp changes all orbs into either PSY or RCV, Mr. 2 changes RCV orbs into PSY, allowing you to have a full board of orbs in case you ever need it. Both of these are relatively easy to acquire for beginners, but most of the times SW Shanks will cover you on that, while the full board coverage of Gild. Tesoro, Gold Ship Casino King and 6+ Shanks make them obsolete.
• Petty Officer Coby (aka Fortnight Coby): He boosts the effect of orbs by 1.5x for 2 turns. Even though I have Señor Pink, Donquixote Pirates who boosts orbs by 1.75x for 1 turn, I still use Coby on my SW Shanks team, because he's easy to socket, his special is on a much lower cooldown, and he has great synergy with Empress Boa Hancock, Kuja Pirates Captain. Even beginners might opt to use Coby, because of his much lower initial cooldown, which is useable right out of the box.
• Dismantler Franky: (aka Fortnight Franky) He allows you to freely swap orbs 2 times. Fortnight Franky is a great unit that I often used in my early months, since he offered good enough orb control so that I didn't need to bring Garp+Mr.2. I highly recommend him for beginners, since all you need is one copy to start using him.
• Kami Eneru: He deals 6000 fixed damage (meaning it can't be reduced) and boosts the ATK of PSY units by 1.5x for 1 turn. Good on both SW Shanks and Sengoku the Buddha teams for those times when you need to use Usopp Golden Pound. An acceptable alternative to this guy are Coliseum Dalton and Dosun, Deep Sea Fishman Pirates, who also boost PSY attack by 1.5x for 1 turn.
• Nico Robin, Straw Hat Pirates (aka Story Robin): She reduces Bind and Despair duration by 3 turns. Useful for beginners, who are not likely to have enough Bind and Despair sockets on their team to deal with them. Her initial cooldown is slightly high, so factor that in whenever you feel like you might need her. I used her to get my first Aokiji, Ice Human (aka Raid Aokiji), so make of that what you will. A slightly worse alternative to her is Nightin, World Pirates, who does the same but reduces by 2 turns instead of 3.
• Momonga, Marine Vice Admiral: He boosts the ATK of Cerebral characters by 1.75x for 1 turn. Works best whenever you pair your SW/6+ Shanks with a Gild. Tesoro, Gold Ship Casino King but he also works well as a secondary booster. Also, there are plenty of PSY Cerebral units, so this guy can be very versatile.
• Goddess in White Nami, Wedding: She boosts the ATK against enemies with reduced defense by 1.3x for 3 turns. Beginners should note that conditional ATK boosters stack with class/type boosters, which is why such units are so valuable. She was designed to be used with SW Shanks, and it used to be that his cooldown was often too high for her special to be viable, but now that his super-evolution is coming, she will gain a lot more value as a sub. However, as u/Gol_D_Chris mentioned, many bosses put up a debuff immunity, rendering defense reduction, and therefore Nami's special, useless. Nevertheless, she is still a good unit to have whenever you can use her.
• Empress Boa Hancock, Kuja Pirates Captain (aka Raid Boa): Another staple of SW Shanks teams. She delays all enemies for 1 turn and locks your chain multiplier at 2.5x for 2 turns. For standard teams that don't work with boosted chain multipliers (like Dark King Rayleigh or Monkey D. Luffy, Crew's Promise: 3D2Y), the maximum your chain multiplier can go to is 2.5x. This means that with Boa, for 2 turns, you get the maximum damage output from your chain multiplier. Although beginners would find her impossible to acquire or get to a useable level, veterans adore her, because she is so good on so many teams, and so it's almost a given that she would be good on SW Shanks, too. Raid Boa, Fortnight Coby and SW/6+ Shanks' captain ability have amazing synergy.
• Thatch, Whitebeard 4th Div. Commander: He reduces Silence (aka Special Bind) duration by 3 turns and recovers 4000 HP. Both parts of his special are great for SW/6+ Shanks teams and he's also a Cerebral character, meaning he works well with the aforementioned Momonga.
• Paulie Galley-La Company Dock One Foreman (aka Colosseum Paulie): He delays all enemies for 1 turn and locks your orbs for 1 turn. He's a very versatile unit that works well with Fortnight Coby and to an extent with Raid Boa as well.
• Brownbeard: He boosts Slasher characters' attack by 1.5x for 1 turn and changes his own orb to PSY. Viable for when you have a full/majority Slasher team, but is ultimately pretty "meh". Not worth the toruble if you can help it.
• Nico Olivia, Archaeologist of Ohara: She reduces Paralysis duration by 3 turns and heals your HP by 4x her RCV at the end of each turn for 3 turns. Fulfills a similar role to the above Thatch.
• Gild. Tesoro, Gold Ship Casino King: He changes all of your orbs to PSY if you are above 50% HP at the time of the activation. Used to be a staple of SW Shanks teams, because of his 5 socket slots and his special which provided consistency. However, 6+ Shanks changes all of that by absorbing Tesoro's special rendering him to be nothing more than a socket slave most of the time. Still, he's worth it even for that purpose alone.
• Mansherry, Princess of Tontatta Kingdom: Her special has 2 stages, reducing Bind duration for one character by 3/7 turns and heals your HP by 7x/15x her RCV. A good unit if you're still lacking in healers/Bind sockets.
• Rebecca, Target from the Former Royal Family's Bloodline: She completely removes the SFX-removal debuff (aka Blindness). Niche, but useful. Makes speed clearing Fortnight Absalom a breeze.
• [Iron Pirate General Franky] (aka Raid Franky): He deals a whopping 100x his own ATK in typeless damage to all enemies which is good enough damage to warrant mentioning in this guide. But, much more importantly than that, he removes enemies' ATK Up, Enrage, End of Turn Damage/Percent Cut, and End of Turn Heal Buffs - all of this on top of boosting the attack of all characters by 1.5x for 1 turn. He blows Eneru and Dalton outta the water as an Impact Usopp substitute and brings a ton of utility to Shanks teams. Unfortunately, he clashes with the 2x PSY orb booster Franky, Reunion of the Straw Hat Pirates (see below), but fortunately there are plenty of alternative 1.75x orb boosters such as Monkey D Luffy, Straw Hat • Heart Pirates Alliance, Señor Pink, Donquixote Pirates, and even Maelstrom Spider Squard.
• Don Chinjao, Happo Navy's 12th Leader: His special has 2 stages: Cuts the current HP of one enemy by 20%/25% and reduces damage received by 50%/70% for 1 turn. Great utility, but difficult to obtain by beginners.
• Nico Robin, Mil Fluer: Campo de Flores (aka 5+ Robin): She reduces Bind, Despair and Silence (aka Special Bind) duration by 3 turns, and reduces the cooldown of all characters' specials by 1 turn. This is the super-evolution of Nico Robin, Straw Hat Pirates. Great utility for bot beginners and veterans alike. Definitely recommend super-evolving her.
• Monet, Snow-Snow Fruit Snow Woman: She recovers 10x her RCV in HP and boosts the ATK and RCV of Cerebral characters by 1.5x for 1 turn. An alternative to the above Momonga and could situationally be even better. Not an amazing unit, but worth picking up.
• [Monkey D Luffy, Straw Hat • Heart Pirates Alliance] (aka 3rd Anni Luffy): He locks orbs for 1 turn, and amplifies the effect of orbs on PSY and INT characters by 1.75x for 1 turn. An amazing orb booster who unfortunately is only obtainable from the 3rd Anniversary celebration event over at Extra Island. However, it's likely that he'll make an appearance at Ray's Bazaar, so fear not!
• [Roronoa Zoro, Rain Soaked Samurai]: He boosts the attack of Slasher and Driven characters by 1.5x for 1 turn. And, if your Captain is a Slasher or Driven character, he changes adjacent orbs into matching orbs and reduces Paralysis and Despair duration by 2 turns. Leagues better than the aforementioned Brownbeard. He's obtainable as a reward during the 3 Admiral event but just like other event units will make his way to Ray's Bazaar one day.
• 'Ruler of Day' Inuarashi, Mokomo Dukedom: He reduces crew's current HP by 50%, deals 50000 Fixed damage to one enemy, boosts his own ATK by 1.75x for 1 turn, amplifies the effect of his own orb by 1.75x for 1 turn and changes his own orb to PSY. Basically a F2P Cavendish who fortunately works with 6+ Shanks, making his Colosseum game that much better. Works as a friend captain just as well as a sub (crew). He's one of the hardest Chaos Colosseum bosses, so if you're a beginner, don't expect to get him anytime soon.
• Donquixote Doflamingo, Warlord of the Sea (aka Raid Doffy/Doflamingo): He boosts the effect of orbs by 2x for 1 turn and lets you freely swap orbs twice. Like I said before, he's hard to get if you're a beginner. However, once you do, and once you get his special to a useable cooldown, you'll start using him in almost every team, including ones that don't boost him, because he's just that good. There's nothing more to add, this guy is pure greatness (and pure evil) all around!

Subs(RR)

• Marco the Phoenix: He heals your team back to full HP. A pretty straightforward unit, who can find a spot on plenty of teams. The downside is that his special starts off at a soul-crushing 30-turn cooldown and maxes out at 20 turns, which is still pretty high. Even so, he's an amazing unit, and you should definitely look forward to maxing him out. He has a farmable version, too!
• Morning Star Rakuyo: He changes his own orb and your captain's orb into PSY. Due to the nature of SW Shanks' captain ability, you won't find yourself needing his special that often. However, his stats are great and he can guarantee you 2 orbs on a low cooldown. Works well with the aforementioned Dismantler Franky. Has a farmable version.
• Monet, Donquixote Pirates: She delays all enemies for 1 turn and boosts ATK against delayed enemies by 1.25x for 2 turns. Another conditional attack booster and the only one that activates their own condition. Does not need much explanation on why she's amazing. Combos well with other 2-turn boosters like Boa and Coby. Has a farmable version.
• Señor Pink, Donquixote Pirates: His special has 2 stages: Stage 1 boosts the effect of orbs by 1.5x for 1 turn; Stage 2 boosts by 1.75x for 1 turn. Much better suited for 1-turn bursts than Coby. Does not yet have a farmable version, though.
• Maelstrom Spider Squard: He offers a straight up 1.75x boost, but unfortunately cuts your HP by 30% and has negative RCV, which may or may not be a dealbreaker depending on what you're clearing and which version of Shanks you're using. Has a farmable version.
• Chopper Mask, Defender of Peace (Aka 3D2Y Chopper): He heals your HP by 5000 and boosts the ATK of PSY characters by 1.5x for 2 turns. An excellent alternative to Impact Usopp, either when you have to use GP Usopp or you just want a 2-turn burst. Works well with the rest of the 2-turn special ensemble. Very easy to socket with his raidboss version - Tony Tony Chopper Post-Rampage - which is one of the beginner raids.
• Mansherry, Princess of the Tontatta Tribe: Her special has 3 stages, healing your HP by 6x/15x/50x her RCV and completely removing Paralysis in Stage 1/Paralysis, Poison, RCV Down, and Blindness in Stage 2 & 3. It goes without saying that she is one of the best healers in the game, and can essentially replace the aforementioned Marco (as well as every other healer mentioned so far). And as you already know, she has a farmable version, too!
• Suleiman the Beheader: He changes his own orb and your captain's orb into matching orbs. Although his cooldown is higher than that of Rakuyo's, he is a Cerebral character, meaning you can use him in conjunction with the other Cerebrals like Tesoro and Momonga. Has a farmable version.
• Kingdew, Twin Fist Gauntlets: He empties all PSY orbs and deals several times his ATK in damage to all enemies depending on the number of orbs emptied. At 6 orbs, he will deal a hefty 230x his ATK in damage. Best used in conjunction with Tesoro for the highest multiplier. He also has a sailor ability, which boosts PSY characters' base ATK stat by 75 if your team is above 99% HP. Has a farmable version.
• Coby, Student of the 'Hero of the Navy', Navy HQ Master Chief Petty Officer (Aka RR Coby): Dang that title is a mouthful, huh? His special has 3 stages: If HP is below 3000, he reduces the No Healing debuff by 1 turn/3 turns/completely removes the No Healing debuff. After that he heals your HP by 3x/6x/13x his RCV (the heal itself is not contingent on your HP). He also has a sailor ability, which reduces Blindness by 5 turns. In SW Shanks teams, he will mostly find use for his healing ability, since I'm not aware of any content that SW Shanks can clear that has this debuff, although this might change with 6+ Shanks. Has both a fortnight and a Colosseum version, so should be simple enough to socket.
• Franky, Reunion of the Straw Hat Pirates (Aka Timeskip/TS Franky): He boosts the effect of orbs for PSY characters by 2x for 1 turn. Has a sailor ability which boosts the base HP of PSY characters by 100, which isn't that big of a deal, honestly. Yet, with 4 slots, farmable sockets and 2x boost, he confidently usurps both Señor Pink's and Fortnight Coby's place as the staple orb booster in the team.
• Duval, Straw Hat Pirates Accomplice: He boosts ATK of PSY characters by 1.75x for 1 turn and reduces damage received by 50% for 1 turn. Oh, but that's not all! His sailor ability makes INT orbs beneficial for PSY characters, effectively eliminating bad orbs for your team. Excellent balance between utility and attack boosting! Definitely one of the premiere RR units for SW/6+ Shanks teams.
• Bartholomew Kuma, Clash of the Great Pirate Era: He reduces the duration of Bind and Despair by 7 turns and recovers 20% of your crew's max HP. Also, he has low chance to eliminate all enemies just like Shiryu, but the odds are much worse, so don't count on it to proc. His sailor ability allows him to keep his PSY orb if you hit a Perfect with him. Overall, he's a good utility/healer unit that can occasionally come in handy. Definitely a keeper. Plus he has a farmable version.
• Nico Robin, Reunion of the Straw Hat Pirates (Aka Timeskip/TS Robin): She reduces Despair duration by 3 turns and boosts the ATK of DEX and PSY characters by 2x for 1 turn. An alternative to Impact Usopp, if a bit harder to socket. However, she is the best alternative to Impact Usopp and is especially useful whenever you need to use GP Usopp. However, do note that even though you'll be using Impact Usopp/Robin at the start of the chain, if you add more unboosted units like Raid Doffy or DEX Momonga, the loss of damage will be noticeable (about 800k less damage to INT for example).
• Momonga, Monster Slash of the Great Commander, Navy Vice Admiral (Aka DEX Momonga; RR Momonga): He boosts the ATK against delayed enemies by 1.5x for 1 turn. He is still one of the highest conditional ATK boosters in the game, and his condition is very easy to proc provided the enemy can be delayed. This is why he, much like Doflamingo, finds a spot on many varied teams, regardless if he's boosted or not. On a SW/6+ Shanks team, he's better than Monet, because he essentially provides the same boost but in the span of 1 turn. Works best with Boa. A PSY alternative to DEX Momonga with the exact same boost is Ikaros Much, Ghosts of Fishman District, who should really only be used with 6+ Shanks due to him reducing your crew's HP by half.

Subs(legends)

• Sengoku the Buddha: He boosts the ATK of all units by 1.5x and deals random PSY damage to all enemies (up to 150k). Both parts of his special can be useful depending on what you have in your box, and he has 5 farmable slots. However, SW/6+ Shanks teams are typically tight for space, since you'll often need raid Boa, an orb booster and a type/class booster, there is usually only 1 spot left for another unit, and that spot is typically filled with a healer or a conditional ATK booster.
• Marco the Phoenix Whitebeard 1st Div. Commander: He boosts the effect of orbs by 1.5x for 2 turns and heals your HP by 100x his RCV. Much like Doflamingo, this guy is so good, he finds a spot in virtually every team. His healing is legendary (no pun intended), and his orb boost makes it so that you have a free spot for other units you might need. And he has farmable sockets. What's not to love?
• Heavenly Yaksha Donquixote Doflamingo: He boosts the effect of orbs by 2x for 1 turn and changes adjacent orbs into matching orbs. This guy is not as good on SW/6+ Shanks teams as on others, because of the availability of Timeskip Franky. Plus his special is somewhat redundant, and you might actually prefer to use his raid version instead, because that one allows you to move orbs around. Still, he's one of the best orb boosters in the game, which is great no matter how you slice it.
• Borsalino: His special has 3 stages: Stage 1 randomizes all non-matching orbs for Shooter and Slasher characters, and deals 10 hits of small random typeless damage to random enemies; Stage 2 is the same, except the random damage is now higher and the addition of a heal for 5x his RCV; Stage 3 outright converts all orbs on Shooter and Slasher characters into matching orbs, the random damage is now larger, and the heal is now 10x his RCV. His special makes him an excellent sub or Friend Captain for a SlasheShooter PSY team with SW Shanks, effectively replacing Tesoro or Garp+Mr. 2 as your orb manipulators (should you ever feel the need to have any). However, he's not so effective with 6+ Shanks, since Shanks can now convert the whole board. Nevertheless, he has an acceptable heal and his random hits can help you take down or at least lower the combo hit barriers of the occasional boss that has them. Oh, and he has a farmable version! Credit to u/Darkflarey for reminding me to add this unit.
• Shirahoshi-hime, Ryugu Kingdom Princess: Her special has 2 stages: She changes adjacent/all orbs (including Block orbs) into Rainbow orbs, and heals your HP by 9x/100x her RCV. Rainbow orbs work like the inverse of a Block orb: it counts as a beneficial orb for all characters and cannot be shuffled (but it can be swapped). However, it does not count as a specific type of orb (for example, it will not trigger Sakazuki's captain ability, because it specifically requires STR orbs). This girl is essentially Tesoro and legend Marco all in one unit. Simply amazing!

Now that we've looked at the subs, let's look at the legend himself. In the following sections I'll cover what cotton candy to use, what sockets to slot in, what ships to use and what his orb rate looks like.

CC

This is gonna be the briefest section, because cotton candy is fairly straightforward for this unit: 100 ATK and 100 HP. He will not benefit in any meaningful way from RCV candy, and that does not change for his super-evolution.

Sockets

There are 3 optimal routes for this unit:

• Route 1: Bind/DespaiCooldown Reduction/Orb Rate/Autoheal: This is the most common set up, and is fairly self explanatory. Bind and Despair are the most important sockets that every legend should have. Next we have Cooldown Reduction (CDR), which when active is especially useful for SW Shanks teams, because it makes them faster and also reduces the need to take damage to stall for specials. After that there's Orb Rate, which on SW/6+ Shanks teams skyrockets the rate of PSY orbs (the difference between level 1 and level 3 is minuscule, so level 1 is more than enough). And last but most certainly not least, Autoheal (AH) which is a godsend for SW/6+ Shanks teams, because it helps maintain your HP, and therefore your survivability and your SW Shanks' ATK multiplie6+ Shanks' orb rate.
• Route 2: Bind/DespaiCDDamage Reduction/AH: A less common but effective set up. The idea behind this set up is that you aim to activate level 3 Damage Reduction on your team, thus mitigating a respectable 10% damage. Damage Reduction (DR)and Autoheal work well together on SW Shanks teams, and because double SW Shanks teams have very high orb rates already, you don't really need Orb Rate all that much. However, it is still recommended to socket in level 1 Orb Rate in a unit on your team, because it helps the consistency of the matching orbs.
• Route 3: Bind/DespaiOrbs/DAH: A very uncommon, but still effective set up. If you choose to go this route, the reason should be because you can already activate level 2 CDR with your other units. Whatever you do, do not sacrifice CDR for Damage Reduction.

Ships

• Merry Go: Boosts the ATK of your crew by 1.5x and the HP of your captain by 300. This is the beginner ship that you get from Syrup Village, and is a good ship for all teams. However, it has aged badly and has been superseded by the Thousand Sunny. Has a low upgrade rate.
• The Thousand Sunny: Boosts the ATK of your crew by 1.5x. It has a special, which deals 50,000 non-fixed typeless damage to all enemies on a 15-turn cooldown. Following the introduction of the second part of Ennies Lobby, the Thousand Sunny took the Merry Go's place as the standard ship for all teams (as well as the mascot for all loading screens). You can get it by clearing the Tower of Law~Gates of Justice story island. Has a good upgrade rate.
• The Thousand Sunny: Coated: Just like the regular Sunny, it boosts the ATK of your crew by 1.5x. The difference here is in its special, which reduces damage received by 50%. Welcome on all teams, but even more so on teams with HP-dependent captains. Has a good upgrade rate.
• The Coffin Boat: Boosts the ATK and HP of Slashers by 1.5x. A great ship, if you're desperate for a higher HP pool. On one hand, Slashers typically have very low RCV, so this ship cripples their ability to use meat. On the other hand, PSY characters usually have very high RCV, which mitigates this drawback to an extent. Although you are only limited to PSY Slashers, there are plenty of F2P ones, and some of them are Cerebral, too, meaning Momonga can be your MVP here. You can get it by clearing Forest of Training: Hawk. Has a somewhat low upgrade rate, but is a staple of a lot of Slasher teams, so you should upgrade it regardless.
• The Ark Maxim: Boosts the ATK of QCK and PSY characters by 1.5x and their HP by 1.2x. It has a special, which deals 56560 fixed damage to all enemies on a 17-turn cooldown. A good alternative to the Thousand Sunny. You can get it by clearing Forest of Training: Kami. The upgrade rate is 100%.
• The Red Force: Boosts the ATK of Cerebral characters by 1.5x and their HP by 1.35x, and increases the orb rate for Cerebral characters. Using this ship alongside a double SW/6+ Shanks team with level 1 Orb Rate practically guarantees you matching orbs at all times. However, just like the Coffin Boat, it limits the units you can use, so it might not be worth the trouble if you don't need it for another Cerebral captain. You can get it by clearing Forest of Training: Red Hair. Has a very low upgrade rate.
• Garp's Battleship: Boosts the ATK of PSY and STR characters by 1.5x and their HP by 1.25x. You can purchase this ship from the Rayleigh shop whenever it comes around, but it is not recommended, because that HP boost is virtually meaningless for SW Shanks teams, while for 6+ Shanks you might as well use the Ark Maxim. I don't know what its upgrade rate is, but it should be decent.
• The Polar Tang: Boosts the ATK of Slasher and Free Spirit characters by 1.5x and their HP by 1.25x, and makes Perfects slightly easier to hit. It has a special which heals your HP by 10,000 on an 18-turn cooldown. Much better than the Coffin Boat, because it expands your arsenal, can heal you and does not hold your RCV hostage. Best ship in my opinion, because it boosts plenty of staple units like raid Boa, TS Franky/Señor Pink, Monet and both your captains, meaning you can build excellent teams aboard this ship. You can get it by clearing Law's training forest, which is yet to arrive on Global. No idea on the upgrade rate.
• The Flying Dutchman: Boosts ATK and EXP gained by 1.5x. It has a special that reduces all enemies' defense by 25%, which is redundant on a SW/6+ Shanks team. Great as a default ship whenever you don't need the extra HP/utility that the other ships bring. You can get it from Ray's Bazaar whenever it gets (back) in circulation. Has a very good upgrade rate.
• Marshal D. Teach's Pirate Ship: Boosts HP by 1.25x and reduces the cooldown of all specials by 1 at the start of the mission. Boosts ATK by 1.55x if you have a Striker, Shooter, Fighter and Slasher on your crew. It's great for SW/6+ Shanks teams, because you can cover those classes pretty easily (e.g. 6+ Shanks (Slasher), Raid Boa (Shooter), Impact Usopp (Shooter), Fortnight Coby (Fighter), Wedding Nami (Striker)). I believe it has a good upgrade rate.

Orbs

Finally, we've reached SW/6+ Shanks' most powerful asset: his orb rate. In case you were wondering what the figures are on a double SW Shanks team, u/karmashi has a great analysis on orb rates. In short, with a double SW Shanks team, your matching orb rate will almost quadruple, and if you have level 1 Orb Rate, your matching orb rate would be near 80%. The rate of RCV orbs stays consistent regardless of the orb rate. Needless to say, that eliminates the need for orb manipulators in a lot of cases. For SW Shanks teams, in those situations where you do need consistent orb manipulation and you don't have Tesoro, you can always use the tried and tested Garp+Mr. 2 combo. As for 6+ Shanks teams, you do not need any orb manipulators, because he already covers you on that. These tests have been done with SW Shanks teams, so I can't be sure if the figures will translate to his super-evolution.

Example Teams

Credit to u/Gol_D_Chris for the idea. I will update this section once 6+ Shanks is fully updated on database.

• Example F2P Beginner Team
• Example F2P Advanced Team
• Example RR Team 1
• Example RR Team 2
• Example F2P friend Garp Team
• Example F2P friend Tesoro Team
• Example RR friend Shirahoshi Team - credit to u/HDHMadara for this one.

Conclusion

Although SW Shanks is not part of the top tier legends, he is certainly not the worst legend like many tout him to be. Yes, he's limited to PSY, his special is useless, his ATK multiplier is somewhat dated and he has an HP condition. But no one can provide orbs quite like he can, and because of that highly consistent orb rate, throughout your run, you're effectively dealing double the damage pretty much all the time. Couple this with PSY teams' naturally high RCV and a level 5 Autoheal, and you've got yourself a formidable team that can clear much more than you'd think. Moreover, unlike some legends like Sir Crocodile: Logia, Ex-Warlord of the Sea or Rob Lucci, CP9's Strongest, who are very RR-dependent, SW Shanks can build strong entirely F2P teams.
 
His super-evolution wasn't the 2nd coming of Shanks like many were hoping it would be, but it certainly improves him quite a bit. He has more padding in the form of increased HP and his damage output is no longer crippled by his HP, although now his orb rate somewhat is. Yet, despite the loss of the AOE damage effect, he now has a useful special that guarantees orbs in most cases and effectively opens up the team to other utility units. Overall, these changes make him a better lead and increase his odds at clearing end-game content.

TL;DR

• Pros: A flat 2.75x boost when super-evolved. Insane orb rate. Teams are easy to make. High RCV.
• Cons: ATK multiplieorb rate has an HP condition (SW Shanks/6+ Shanks). Limited to PSY.