Figarland Shamrock's Holy Knight status in One Piece all but confirms he met with the Gorosei

Modified Jan 25, 2025 09:00 GMT

Figarland Shamrock — Shanks as seen in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

Shanks' possible twin has been one of the most discussed theories within the One Piece fandom. Although this theory remained mere speculation based on a few panels featuring Shanks and the Gorosei, Shanks' own lineage, descending from Garling Figarland, reinforced the theory.

Chapter 1137's alleged spoilers, which were recently revealed, mainly focused on Loki and his struggle with the Holy Knights as they subjected him to torture. While Loki's struggle took center stage, the identity of the second Holy Knight was also revealed to be Shamrock Figarland. He was introduced as the commander of the Holy Knights and the son of Garling Figarland.

While this revelation validates the Shanks' twin theory, Shamrock's status as both a World Noble and a Holy Knight also invalidates the "Evil Shanks" theories. These theories mainly stemmed from the original Shanks' alleged meeting with the Gorosei.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the One Piece series and is speculative in nature.

One Piece: Shanks never met the Gorosei and chapter 1137 spoilers make it obvious

"Shanks" meeting the Five Elders (Image via Shueisha)

Red-Haired Shanks was one of the first few characters to be introduced in the series, alongside the protagonist, Luffy. Although Shanks has maintained his position as a powerful emperor and a potential ally of Luffy and the Straw Hat Crew, Shanks' rather shady maneuvers and odd timing regarding the pursuit of the One Piece treasure have led to many conspiracy theories about him.

The "Evil Shanks" theory, a mainstay for any Shanks-related discussions, was recently somewhat confirmed in One Piece Chapter 1137 spoilers. The Evil Shanks has been revealed to be Shamrock Figarland, the son of Garling Figarland.

While Shamrock is the one currently managing operations within Elbaph, his overall appearance and status as a World Noble and a Holy Knight almost confirm that all the appearances of Shanks having meetings with the Gorosei were simply Shamrock.

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The "Evil Shanks" first appeared during the Levely, where he met the Gorosei in Pangaea Castle to discuss a certain pirate. This single instance sparked discussions about Shanks being a World Government agent. The panel also eerily obscured Shanks' signature claw scar, which is present over his left eye. All appearances of Shamrock have followed a similar pattern, showing only the right side of his face.

The actual Shanks has consistently been depicted with the right side of his face visible, and his scar has been prominently shown throughout numerous depictions. The speech patterns of the "Evil Shanks" were conventionally formal and uncharacteristic of someone like Shanks, who was raised by pirates.

Shanks as shown in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Although all of this could just be a clever misdirection by Oda, Doflamingo's family and their peculiar case make it clear that World Nobles who have left the Holy Land of Mary Geoise are no longer allowed back as World Nobles. Such individuals are also unable to hold an audience with the Gorosei.

The formal speech patterns, the intentional obscurity of the scar, and the restriction against pirates in the Holy Land nearly confirm that the first-ever appearance of the Shanks lookalike was not Shanks. Instead, it was simply Shamrock Figarland reporting his findings to the Gorosei.

Final Thoughts

One Piece chapter 1137 will be officially released on January 27, 2025, at 12 am JST, and will be available for reading on Shueisha's MANGA Plus platform. While Shamrock Figarland's existence has dispelled many of the evil Shanks theories, Shanks' actual intentions still remain unclear.