Did Shanks set up Luffy to free Loki in One Piece? Explored

One Piece has introduced Loki as a formidable Giant whose might is matched only by his infamy as he was imprisoned for killing his father, King Harald of Elbaph, to steal a certain Devil Fruit. Following this alleged misdeed, Loki went on a rampage that was only stopped by the decisive intervention of “Red Hair” Shanks. Since then, Loki has been bound by Seastone chains to Elbaph’s Treasure Tree Adam.

In One Piece chapter 1140, the story unfolds a brief but thrilling confrontation pitting the Straw Hat crew’s dynamic duo – Monkey D. Luffy and his right-hand man Roronoa Zoro – against Scopper Gaban, the former number three of the legendary Roger Pirates. After experiencing Luffy and Zoro’s capabilities, Gaban acknowledges their power and entrusts them with the key to free Loki from his imprisonment.

As Gaban walks away from the skirmish with Luffy and Zoro, a flashback reveals a past encounter between the former and Shanks. The conversation between the two, once comrades under the flag of the Roger Pirates, seemingly exposes the deeper motives of the enigmatic “Red Hair”, shedding light on his intentions for Luffy’s journey and destiny.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1140.

One Piece chapter 1140 may have just confirmed that Shanks set up Luffy's encounter with Loki

The events in the latest One Piece chapter

Gaban put Luffy and Zoro to the test in One Piece chapter 1140 (Image via Shueisha)

Pleased to see the insane power radiating from Luffy and Zoro, Gaban conceded the fight with a mixture of awe, acceptance, and concealed happiness. Having no more reason to clash with the two Straw Hats, as there was nothing left to prove, he told the two to seek him out again when Elbaph was at peace and they were about to leave.

Luffy and Zoro yelled that they wouldn’t, only for Gaban to walk away silently, a satisfied grin on his face as he remembered a past encounter with Shanks. In the flashback, Gaban questioned whether Shanks really expected him to trust “him” so readily, with the “Red Hair” telling the old man that he would be free to do things his own way.

The subject of Shanks and Gaban’s conversation wasn’t explicitly mentioned, but it’s pretty clear that they were talking about Luffy. Shanks, once a young apprentice within the same crew where the seasoned Gaban was the third strongest member, visited his former superior to convince him to trust Luffy as the boy destined to shake the world as not even Roger himself did.

Shanks may have shaped Luffy's path to make him the next Joy Boy

Capturing Loki was all part of a plan (Image via Shueisha)

Despite its brevity, the conversation between Shanks and Gaban holds immense significance, as it essentially confirms that Shanks tasked Gaban to deliver the key to Loki’s shackles to Luffy when the time comes. It only follows that Shanks didn’t step in to capture Loki on a whim, but acted following a calculated plan.

Most likely, Shanks apprehended Loki with the deliberate intent to keep him imprisoned until Luffy could rise to his destined heights, awakening his true potential. Loki is a rebellious force of nature, but he would gladly follow Luffy once his identity as the fabled “Sun God” was unveiled. The Roger Pirates grasped all the secrets of the One Piece world’s true history but at the wrong time.

As Gol D. Roger himself lamented, they were “too early” to act. Shortly after returning from Laugh Tale, Roger whispered a few words to Shanks, leaving the latter – who at the time was a young boy – in tears. It’s not too much of a stretch to assume that Roger entrusted Shanks to act as a keeper tasked with nurturing the kid destined to finish the work that they were not.

The content of Shanks and Roger's conversation remains a mystery (Image via Toei Animation)

It’s a well-known fact that Shanks also talked about Luffy with Silvers Rayleigh, the formidable “Dark King” who was once Roger’s right-hand man. Rayleigh played a pivotal role in Luffy’s journey, as he protected the young pirate and his comrades from Admiral Kizaru. He also personally trained Luffy during the two-year timeskip.

So, Shanks, Rayleigh, and Gaban might all be acting to ensure that Luffy inherits Roger’s will and brings it to completion. With this in mind, most of those that seemed coincidental encounters or random events are part of a precise plan to guide Luffy toward becoming the new Joy Boy.

Shanks may be considered the catalyst for the events that led a young Luffy to eat his signature Devil Fruit and set sail as a pirate.

Shanks once met Silvers Rayleigh to talk with him about Luffy (Image via Shueisha)

Fate works in mysterious ways, but the fact that Shanks led the Red Hair Pirates to steal the Human-Human Fruit Model: Nika – which the World Government had been hiding under the name of Gum-Gum Fruit – only for a kid Luffy to eat it inadvertently, seems crafted with such precision that it’s hard to see it as a mere coincidence.

Shanks lost his left arm to save Luffy from a Sea King, and many fans theorize that the “Red Hair” deliberately allowed the monster to claim his arm, orchestrating the circumstance as a calculated move to shape Luffy’s future actions. With this defining moment, Shanks and Luffy’s fates would be bound together.

Roger gave the straw hat to Shanks, who passed it onto Luffy (Image via Toei Animation)

Luffy effortlessly defeats the same Sea King with a single punch even at the very beginning of his pirate adventure, which casts significant doubts on why an exceptionally powerful individual such as Shanks couldn’t save Luffy from the Sea King without sacrificing a limb in the process.

Whatever the truth of this, following this event, Shanks entrusted Luffy with the straw hat he had received from Rogers many years before. The item became Luffy’s most prized possession and inspired him to name his crew. Since then, Shanks may have been making sure that those who are set to take part in Luffy’s rise – including Loki – are kept in check until it’s the right time for them to step forward.

In fact, Shanks held back from chasing the One Piece treasure until Luffy awakened the full potential of his Devil Fruit. Once again, the timing and alignment of the events feel far too precise to be dismissed as mere coincidences.

Loki may become an ally for Luffy soon

Shanks is likely acting to ensure that Luffy carries on Roger's will (Image via Toei Animation)

As a former core member of the Roger Pirates, Scopper Gaban is likely as informed as Shanks is. Gaban knew that something big would happen when Luffy would arrive in Elbaph, and after testing and acknowledging the latter’s strength alongside Zoro’s he felt confident in leaving the situation in their hands.

Gaban would never be reckless and act on a whim, as he would not endanger Ripley and Colon. Shanks likely told him that Luffy would free Loki no matter what, so Gaban knows that this step was necessary, he just wanted to see if Luffy could truly rise to the challenge.

Loki is said to have committed terrible crimes, including the assassination of his father, but there are reasonable grounds to raise suspicion around the circumstances of these events, especially as it’s implied that Loki’s father, King Harald, was in cahoots with the World Government.

The mural of Harley tells the history of the One Piece world (Image via Shueisha)

Loki is known for his violent and hot-headed temper, but he doesn't appear to be a genuinely evil character. It’s highly possible that he is not guilty of his father’s murder, having been falsely accused of the incident to cover up its true motives, which may instead fit into the World Government’s plans to take hold of Elbaph.

After all, Loki has a spontaneous and amicable relationship with animals and even gains Luffy’s trust. Within the unique context of One Piece’s narrative, these are clues that Loki is good-hearted. There's no doubt that Luffy is simple-minded and easily manipulable, but his instinct rarely fails.

The recent One Piece chapters unveiled the mural of Harley, a piece of art depicting, among other things, the conflict between Joy Boy's side and the World Government's founders. Among Joy Boy's allies in the fight, there's an Ancient Giant. If history is destined to come full circle, Loki, who carries the same blood as the Giant Race's most formidable lineage, will echo this alliance by befriending Luffy and siding with him in One Piece’s thrilling final war.

Did Shanks set up Luffy to free Loki in One Piece? Explored

One Piece chapter 1140 may have just confirmed that Shanks set up Luffy's encounter with Loki

The events in the latest One Piece chapter

Shanks may have shaped Luffy's path to make him the next Joy Boy

Loki may become an ally for Luffy soon

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