Oda continues to flirt with Shanks being One Piece's final villain, and it may be a sign of things to come

Modified Sep 12, 2024 20:03 GMT

One Piece: Oda once again teases the possibility of Evil Shanks (Image via Toei Animation)

One Piece chapter 1126's alleged spoilers revealed many new developments in the story, including the tease of Shanks possibly having expertise in poisons. Although the chapter itself was expected to start the Elbaf arc with the entire Straw Hat Crew arriving on Elbaf, it mainly focused on character interactions while also indicating Shanks' steady approach towards the actual One Piece treasure.

Shanks has not been confirmed to be an antagonist and mainly occupies his position as one of the strongest and most impactful side characters in the story. However, his cryptic association with Celestial Dragons and rather suspicious actions have led many fans to believe that Oda might just be setting him up as one of Luffy's final opponents in the story.

Disclaimer- Any views expressed in this article belong solely to the author. The article also contains spoilers from the One Piece series.

One Piece: Oda once again teases Shanks' status as the final antagonist

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

Alleged spoilers for One Piece chapter 1126 shifted away from the Straw Hat crew's voyage to Elbaf and instead focused on the aftermath of a confrontation between Shanks' crew and Bartolomeo's crew, which is essentially a part of Luffy's Grand Fleet and ended with the decimation of the Bartolomeo crew.

Although the actual details have not been unveiled, Shanks apparently gave Bartolomeo the task of delivering a fatal poison to Luffy within one month. This poison was consumed by Bartolomeo himself, which was followed by Shanks revealing the entire situation to be a test of loyalty.

Although the poison test is mainly painted as a minor detail, it could possibly be an indication of Shanks' more sinister side; it is this incident that could be Oda's way of hinting at Shanks trying to sabotage Luffy.

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While the situation does not prove anything, this confrontation itself marks Shanks' clash with Luffy's extension. Shanks being one of the final antagonists has been hinted at many times throughout the story, with him directly trying to find the One Piece while also having met with the Five Elders in Mary Geoise.

Many fans have already theorized how Shanks' alleged father, Saint Figarland, ascending to the position of an Elder might be the foreshadowing of Shanks' eventual reveal as an antagonist. A Shanks vs Luffy fight is almost guaranteed to happen due to their final goals aligning with each other.

Final Thoughts

One Piece chapter 1126 will be officially released on September 15, 2024, and will reveal many additional details that might not be currently present in the spoilers. Although the entire Straw Hat crew disappeared towards the end of the chapter, as indicated in the spoilers, it is possible that this might just be a setup for the reveal and character exploration of the "Man marked by flames," who has been the center of many fan theories in the past year.

Although the Elbaf arc has not started yet, the next few chapters will most probably act as an intermission and build up more plot points to be resolved in the upcoming arc.