Shanks' origins may have a much deeper meaning than One Piece fans think

Modified Feb 14, 2025 12:00 GMT

One Piece volume 4 billion revealed a glimpse of Shanks' origins: how the Roger Pirates found him inside a treasure chest at the God Valley. However, even this volume failed to shed light on why Shanks was present inside a treasure chest in the middle of nowhere. Given how fans have enough knowledge of the series now, they can probably speculate why Shanks was present there.

As fans already know, the Native Hunting Competition took place on this island, and while devil fruits were among the prizes, humans (slaves) might also have been included. To increase the hype, Garling Figarland might have included his son as a prize for other races to raise the value of their blood. However, the treasure chest was displaced, and then the child went on to become a pirate.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the One Piece manga series and reflects the author's opinion.

One Piece: Exploring the truth behind Shanks' origins

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

Shanks is one of the supporting characters of One Piece and the mentor of the series' protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy. Since his introduction, Shanks has been a source of hype for fans, as his appearances mark the start or end of a new event. However, despite him being a game-changing character, Shanks' origins have been nothing but a total mystery.

While fans know that he spent his early days with the Roger Pirates, nothing was known about this until a few years before. Meanwhile, One Piece volume 4 billion (which was distributed during the screening of Film Red) showcased a glimpse into Shanks' origins, as it pictured him inside a treasure chest when the Roger Pirates picked him.

Shamrock revealing his relationship with Shanks (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha)

More hints about his origin came recently, during the Elbaph Arc, with the introduction of Shamrock Figarland. While this character was beating Loki to force him into joining the Holy Knights, the accursed prince asked if the Knight and Shanks were the same person. Shamrock clarified that Shanks was his twin brother, who once returned to Marijois but did not stay with the Celestial Dragons.

However, the question remains as to why Shanks would be abandoned inside a chest. More clarification to this comes from the place where he was picked up, the God Valley. During that time, the Native Hunting Competition (where Celestial Dragons killed slaves for a chance to win prizes like rare devil fruits) had just ended, and one of the participants in this event was Garling Figarland.

The Native Hunting Competition as seen in the manga (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha)

Garling Figarland, a proud Celestial Dragon, might have included his son as a prize in the competition to increase the hype. The 'Figarland' clan might be one of the most prestigious clans, and everyone could be thinking of making them a part of their family.

So, getting Shanks Figarland as the prize might have been one of the hot topics during this competition. However, Shanks' chest was displaced before long and landed in the hands of the Roger Pirates.

Final thoughts

While it might be hard to pinpoint Garling's feelings in this scenario, the fact that he probably put his son as a prize for this competition hints that Shanks might be loved and valued by his real parents. However, none of them were expecting the displacement of their son, and they might have mourned the disappearance of Shanks for quite some time.

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Edited by Janhavi Chauhan