Shanks' perfect timing in One Piece teases the hidden truth of his powers

Modified Oct 15, 2024 08:30 GMT

Shanks' most controversial appearance in One Piece is his meeting with the Five Elders in the Holy Land of Mariejois. This appearance was also the base of numerous theories that indicated that the red-haired pirate could be evil or have intentions that differ from the ones he shows. Much to fans' surprise, the latter case might be true.

Shanks' past actions that were off-screen, like his visiting Kaidou during the Marineford arc, indicate that he could have the power of precognition. While this being through Haki seems a bit too overpowered, Shanks could actually have a devil fruit that grants him the power to witness the future.

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One Piece: Exploring Shanks as a Devil Fruit User

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

Shanks is one of four Emperors of the Sea and the captain of the Red-Hair Pirates. He is also one of the most famous and overpowered characters from One Piece, and he rarely makes an appearance. However, one of his appearances stands out. His meeting with the Five Elders hints that he could have a relationship with the World Government.

The reality could be much different as he might be a puppeteer manipulating others through his powers for an ultimate goal. Shanks is also one of the few characters speculated to have no devil fruit powers because his first appearance featured him swimming. However, after this, he was never seen in the middle of the sea, so there is no telling what the reality holds.

Shanks' powers could be speculated from his actions behind the scenes. Shanks has been after Blackbeard from the very start because the former Whitebeard Pirate gave the red hair a scar to the face. However, he suddenly stopped chasing him before Blackbeard beat Ace.

Moreover, during the Marineford arc, Shanks visits Kaidou instead of helping Luffy save his brother. During his visit, he stopped Kaidou from attacking Whitebeard. Lastly, Shanks appeared at the end of the Marineford arc at the right time before hell broke loose between the pirates and the Marine officers.

All of this indicated that Shanks might have the ability of precognition. However, this ability might be different from his Observation Haki because Haki could only give its user a glimpse from a few hours away, not days or months away. So, the only logical conclusion in this case would be that Shanks has a devil fruit.

His devil fruit powers could give him the ability to see the future. This would also mean that his meeting with the Five Elders could be to share information about the future. So, Shanks could be a puppeteer manipulating others for a mysterious ultimate goal.

Analysis and Final Thoughts

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

Although One Piece hasn't officially confirmed that Shanks has no devil fruit powers, it is a popular belief that he doesn't have one. So, this theory explores an unpopular opinion that does have the potential to be true.

However, what makes it speculative is the unknown origins of the devil fruits to which Shanks is related. So, take this theory with a grain of salt and wait for the fandom to speculate a theory that would discuss the origins of this theory (or just wait for official confirmation if Shanks has a devil fruit or not).

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Edited by Gayatri Chivukula