Summary
Even before Luffy began his epic journey across the seas, he always dreamed of becoming the King of the Pirates and finding the titular treasure of theOne Pieceseries. The person who spurred on this interest within the boy the most was Shanks, who also became his greatest idol and biggest inspiration to become a pirate. One of Luffy’s biggest desires in the current setting is to finally meet his old friend again.
AsOne Piecehas officially entered its Final Saga with the start of the Elbaf arc, all the loose ends are slowly starting to come together, one of the most important of which isthe reunion between Luffy and Shanks. However, many fans believe that Shanks is going to be in the most danger in the entire series as of the Final Saga, so let’s take a look at this claim and try to break down why this is.
Shamrock’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 1134, “The Owl Library”
Although the theories regarding Shanks' true origins were debated heavily among theOne Piecefandom for years, it was only recently in Chapter 1136, during the Elbaf arc, where Shanks' ties to the Celestial Dragons were outright confirmed. It was revealed thathe belongs to the Figarland family, which is one of the most prominent and powerful of the 20 Celestial Dragon families.
During the chaos of the God Valley Incident, Shanks was whisked away by the Roger Pirates and grew up under their care despite being the son of the Supreme Commander of the Gods Knights. Sometime after Roger’s execution, Shanks went up to Marijoa, where he stayed for 2 years but eventually grew tired of it because he loved the surface world too much, so he abandoned the Celestial Dragons and everything they stood for. Instead, he chose to live as his former captain and father figure, Gol D. Roger, did and became a pirate.
Knowing how xenophobic and evil the Celestial Dragons are, they probably took this as a slight that they have never forgotten since then, which can be seen byhow they spurned Doflamingo and his familyafter they willingly left the Holy Land. Due to this, Shanks is likely seen as one of the biggest villains in the eyes of the World Nobles, who spat on their privilege and sought to live with the common folk whom they detest so much.
With Garling appointed as the new Elder of Science and Defense and Shamrock taking up the role of the Supreme Commander of the Gods Knights, Shanks likely has the full ire of the Celestial Dragons pointed at him. Now that the forces of the World Government are far more active in the world than they’ve ever been, many believe that they will eventually take action against the Red Hair Pirates, putting Shanks in a lot of danger against foes who are definitely on the same tier of strength as him.
Blackbeard Could Also Be One Of Shanks' Greatest Tests
Luffy’s Most Important Idol and Foe May Clash
It’s widely believed among most fans of the series that Blackbeard and Shanks are both going to be among the most important players in the Final Saga. If this turns out to be true, it could also ensure one of the franchise’s oldest and most notable theories; thatBlackbeard will be the one to kill Shanks, prompting a final and deadly battle between himself and Luffy.
Admittedly, there aren’t many connections to be made between the two, but such a clash would be pretty relevant for Luffy’s journey as well as the overall story. Most notably, the characters contrast with one another quite well, since they each started their journeys on the crew of one of the most powerful pirates in the story; Shanks on Roger’s crew and Blackbeard on Whitebeard’s. Oda has also made a subtle story concept where scars tend to tie two characters together, such as Zoro and Mihawk and Oden and Kaido.
You’re looking more handsome than ever, Red Hair! That scar suits you nicely!
Following this trend, many believe that the scar that Blackbeard inflicted upon Shanks' face has inextricably linked the two, which also holds up when considering the fact that each of them plays a massive role within Luffy’s story as well. WhereShanks is Luffy’s greatest inspiration, Blackbeard acts as the opposite side of Luffy’s coin, since they’re incredibly similar in many regards.
The theory of Blackbeard eventually being the one to kill Shanks is a strong one that many fans of the franchise believe in. The final race for the One Piece treasure is officially underway, which means that the most important players in the world will inevitably come together at some point. At this stage, a final battle between Blackbeard and Shanks which leads to the latter’s death would be instrumental for Luffy’s entire character arc, so it’s not entirely outside the realm of possibility.
One Piececan be streamed onCrunchyroll.
One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
