Shanks remains one of One piecethe most mysterious character, although he debuted in the very first chapter of the manga. More than 1100 chapters infans are just beginning to uncover the layers of his story, beyond his first encounter with Luffy as a child and his sporadic appearances throughout the story. After the final chapter, viewers wonder if Shanks can be trusted and are once again unsure of his true loyalties.
[Ed. Note: Spoilers ahead for One Piece chapter 1167]
Fans have debated Shanks' true nature at length throughout the series. On the one hand, there is the man who inspired Luffy to become a pirate, who laughs at jokes about himself, but uses his strength if the safety of his friends is threatened. On the other hand, there is a mysterious figure whose influence creeps into history in subtle and unexpected ways. We saw him as a man of honor at Marineford when he ended the war at the highest level. But we recently learned that Shanks is a Heavenly Dragon with a terrible family background. He stole the Gomu Gomu no Mi from the Marines for a still undisclosed reason, and he recently claimed One Piece despite never having done so until Luffy awakened his Devil Fruit.
Even with the recent deep dive into his life and lineage, we still know little about Shanks' true motives, goals, or whether he leans toward good or evil. Author Echiiro Oda constantly encourages the audience don't believe everything at face value. After a man resembling Shanks was seen meeting with the Five Elders in Chapter 907, fans suspected that he might be sharing information with them until it was revealed that he had a twin brother named Shamrock who was likely at the meeting. Now, at least Oda is hinting to the audience that despite all the facts we have, we still don't really know who Shanks is.
In Chapter 1167, we finally get a glimpse of Shanks' time in the Holy Land with his father, Saint Garling Figarland, his twin Shamrock, as well as his time as a Devoted God's Blade, a disciple of the God's Knights. Fans knew that at some point after Roger's death, Shanks returned to Mary Geoise/Marijoa to learn more about his origins as the Sky Dragon, which always seemed to contrast with the altruistic nature of Shanks growing up among the Roger Pirates. However, in the last chapter he talks about how he hates his time spent in the surface world with the crew and always knows that he is special and different from everyone else.
Many speculate that Shanks is saying this to hide his true purpose, perhaps to explore the secrets of the God Knights and the Gorosei, as by this time he had already assembled a crew that would become his Red-Haired Pirates. We can now also confirm that Shanks received the scar on his eye from Blackbeard 15 years before the current events of the series.
Shanks' time in the Holy Land influenced his decision to return to the surface as a pirate, steal the Gomu Gomu no Mi, and become Emperor of the Sea, waiting for the right moment to go after One Piece. The most plausible explanation is that he continued the charade in order to gather as much information as possible about the truth of the world and perhaps even the existence of Imu, which, as we learn in this very chapter, is only revealed to those who reach the second level of “contract” among the God Knights, the Covenant of the Depths. This hypothesis should be supported by the fact that a man who is almost certainly Shanks rescues Fisher Tiger and helps him free the slaves during the infamous Holy Land Incident.
However, heroes and villains in the world of One Piece are not a simple matter. Shanks' entire appeal lies in his powerful status and mystery. But more than anything else, Shanks works so well as a character, despite all the cool things he does in the story, because we don't really know why he does them, what purpose they serve, and whether those purposes make him a friend or an enemy.
We've seen how Luffy reacts when someone even hints that Shanks is a bad guy, so wouldn't it be in keeping with Oda's themes that Shanks' reputation will finally be called into question when the truth about his parentage is revealed?
Shanks is a walking contradiction, as can be seen countless times throughout the series. He is shown as a trickster who loves to laugh, but can become deadly serious at any moment. He is one of the strongest emperors with one of the smallest teams and the weakest fleet. He acts altruistically, but walks in the shadows and keeps secrets. And that constant dichotomy is brought to full effect here, where we have an idea of who Shanks is, but his words contradict everything we assumed about him. The twins' regal outfits are even inverted: Shamrock bares his chest like Shanks's modern outfit, and Shanks wears the same wardrobe as Shamrock in Elbaf. Perhaps Oda is giving another of his famous omens? Only time will tell.
