“Red-Haired” Shanks is the very first hero Luffy ever looked up to. In the first chapter of One Piece, he loses an arm saving the boy and leaves him the straw hat that will one day become a symbol of a new era. For more than a thousand chapters, he has stayed in the background: an Emperor of the Sea who rarely fights, rarely explains himself, and always seems to know more than anyone else. Now that the final saga is revealing his past piece by piece, one question matters more than ever: what is Shanks really after?
What We Know About Shanks
Shanks grew up as an apprentice on Gol D. Roger’s ship alongside Buggy. When Buggy fell ill, Shanks stayed behind with him, so he never reached Laugh Tale with the rest of the crew. After Roger returned, Shanks asked his captain something and broke down in tears, a scene that fans have analysed endlessly ever since.
The final saga has added a far more surprising layer. Shanks was born a member of the Figarland family of World Nobles, the son of Saint Figarland Garling, and has a twin brother, Shamrock. During the God Valley Incident, the baby was separated from his twin, crawled into a treasure chest, and was carried off by the Roger Pirates, who decided to raise him as one of their own.
The Clues Hidden in His Actions
The Bet on a New Era
Shanks constantly speaks about a “new era”. He tells Rayleigh how happy he was to meet a kid who said the same thing as Captain Roger, and after Wano, he asks Admiral Ryokugyu whether the new era frightens him that much (Chapter 1055). At Marineford, he arrives with the words “I’m here to put an end to this war!” and stops the fighting before it destroys the next generation. Many fans argue that his true mission is simply to protect the era Roger was waiting for, and the boy he believes will lead it.
The Stolen Devil Fruit
Years later, it was revealed that the Red Hair Pirates stole the Gomu Gomu no Mi from a World Government ship guarded by CP9 (Chapter 1018). That fruit turned out to be the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, which the Government had been hunting for centuries. Luffy ate it by accident in Shanks’ presence. Whether Shanks planned that outcome or not, he was clearly determined to keep the fruit out of the Government’s hands.
“Let’s Go Seize It”
For two decades, Shanks showed no interest in the treasure. On the day of Roger’s execution, he even told Buggy that he had changed his mind and no longer planned to head for Laugh Tale (Chapter 1082). Then, right after Luffy’s victory in Wano, he tells Benn Beckman that it is time to go and claim the One Piece (Chapter 1054).
Sharp-eyed readers have noticed an interesting detail in the wording. When Buggy, Kaido or Big Mom talk about getting the One Piece, they speak of simply taking or winning it. Shanks’ line carries the sense of seizing it by force, as if he means to take it from someone. A popular reading is that Shanks wants to make sure the treasure never ends up with a pirate who cannot build the new era Roger hoped for, so that it ultimately reaches Luffy.
A Warning About Blackbeard
Shanks is also the only Emperor who took Blackbeard seriously from the start. He visited Whitebeard to warn him about Teach, the man who gave him the three scars over his left eye. More recently, he wiped out Eustass Kid’s crew with a single strike near Elbaph and took their copies of the Road Poneglyphs (Chapter 1079). Racing for the treasure, slowing down the other contenders, watching Blackbeard: these all look like the moves of someone trying to control how the final race ends.
The Mary Geoise Mystery
The biggest twist came in the Elbaph arc. Fifteen years ago, Shanks returned to Mary Geoise to claim his status as a World Noble. His father welcomed him, and he quickly earned the rank of Devoted Blade, a trainee position under the Knights of God (Chapter 1167). In front of other nobles, he spoke with the same arrogance as any Celestial Dragon.
Yet his actions told a different story:
- Fisher Tiger’s raid: When Fisher Tiger attacked the Holy Land to free the slaves, Shanks had him at his mercy and quietly helped him instead.
- Friendship with Harald: In private, Shanks befriended Harald, the giant king of Elbaph, and even admitted to him that he was the captain of the Red Hair Pirates (Chapter 1169).
- A sudden exit: Shanks left Mary Geoise without warning, right before his final mission to become a full Knight, and rushed to Elbaph to warn Harald against sealing a deeper contract with the Government. He arrived too late.
Many fans now believe Shanks went to the Holy Land as a spy, using his own blood to learn the secrets of the World Nobles and the Knights of God from the inside. Some even suggest that his fear of Blackbeard was what pushed him to take that risk. It also casts new light on the mysterious red-haired figure who once met the Five Elders: with a twin brother serving the Government, that visitor may not have been Shanks at all.
So What Is Shanks Really After?
- Theory 1 – Guardian of the new era: Shanks believes Luffy is the one Roger was waiting for and is clearing the path for him, even if that means taking the One Piece first and waiting for Luffy to come and get it.
- Theory 2 – A wall for Luffy to climb: Luffy once promised to return the straw hat after becoming a great pirate. Shanks may intend to be the final test Luffy must surpass.
- Theory 3 – An enemy of his own bloodline: Having seen the Holy Land from inside, Shanks may be working to bring down the system his family serves, without ever revealing his hand.
- Theory 4 – A darker agenda: A smaller group of fans thinks the noble’s arrogance he showed in Mary Geoise was not entirely an act. His actions toward Tiger and Harald make this hard to believe, but Oda has spent years teaching readers not to take Shanks at face value.
Conclusion
Shanks is a pirate who acts like a guardian, a World Noble who sided with slaves, and an Emperor who suddenly wants the treasure he ignored for twenty years. Every new revelation makes his loyalty to Roger’s dream and to Luffy look stronger, yet his methods remain secretive and sometimes ruthless. His goal is probably not the One Piece itself, but what happens to the world once someone finally reaches it.
When Luffy and Shanks finally meet again, will the Red-Haired Emperor be waiting as an ally, as a rival, or as the last door Luffy must open?
