Shanks' biggest sacrifice for Luffy in One Piece may have had ulterior motives

Modified Jan 14, 2025 20:00 GMT

Red-Haired Shanks has been one of One Piece's oldest and most mysterious characters. Although Shanks is hypothesized to be one of the few individuals heavily involved with the World Government, his power level has remained consistent and clear since his introduction.

While Shanks occupies a position among the strongest characters in the series' narrative, his earliest confrontation with a Sea King resulted in losing his left arm. Recent revelations within the story have indicated that Shanks has a twin brother serving as a God Knight and, by extension, an antagonist.

Given the mystery surrounding Shanks' lost arm, it is possible that he deliberately sacrificed it to create a tangible difference between himself and his twin to prevent any form of deception.

Disclaimer- This article contains spoilers for the One Piece series.

Shanks losing his arm might've been One Piece's oldest foreshadowing ever

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

Red-Haired Shanks made his debut in One Piece chapter 1, where he was depicted as a pirate revisiting Foosha Village, Luffy's hometown. While little was known about the Red-Haired Pirates at this point in the story, their fighting prowess was made clear when they effortlessly disposed of a band of mountain bandits.

Unfortunately, the mountain bandit leader abducted Luffy and took to the sea on a raft. Shanks embarked alone to save Luffy, only to come across a gigantic, hostile Sea King. Although Shanks managed to use his Conqueror's Haki to scare away the Sea King, he lost his arm in the process.

Luffy's Devil Fruit as shown in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

These events unfolded after Luffy unintentionally ate the prized "Gum-Gum Devil Fruit," which Shanks had recently seized from the Navy. While many theories suggest that Shanks is a secret World Government operative, it is possible that he knew everything about the Nika Devil Fruit, its true nature, and that his so-called "twin brother" would eventually encounter Luffy after his awakening into Nika.

Recent chapters have heavily implied that Shanks is a descendant of the Figarland World Noble family and that his supposed twin is a prominent member of the God Knights. Shanks may have foreseen the events leading to an eventual war between the Straw Hats and the World Government, which could explain why he sacrificed his arm.

Shanks' supposed twin as shown in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

There have been several appearances of the supposed "Shanks twin." While many of Shanks' qualities, such as his aloofness, intensity, and facial scar, can be replicated, a missing arm might be the one thing that no combatant could replicate. The Elbaph arc might feature Shanks' twin attempting to deceive Luffy, only for Luffy to recognize the ploy due to the twin having both arms.

Shanks might ultimately confront his twin and lose his life in the process, partly due to his missing arm. This would mark not only one of Shank's greatest moments but also one of Luffy's most emotional moments, compelling him to grow even more.

Final thoughts

One Piece chapter 1136 will be released on January 19, 2024, and will mainly focus on the apparent God Knights who have silently infiltrated Elbaph. Although many fans expected the Elbaph arc to center around an internal power struggle within the Giant royalty, it is instead shaping up to be a war directly influenced by the World Government.