The unprecedented power of Red-Haired Shanks was recently witnessed by One Piece anime fans when the Emperor of the Sea decided to one-shot Eustass Kid and his crew in Elbaf. Fans have been waiting for Shanks to make some kind of move in the One Piece story that would reflect his powers as one of the strongest characters in the entire series.
What makes him strong is not only his terrifying Haki abilities but also the fact that even with a single arm, he managed to reach the level that many pirates can only dream of. But he did not lose his arm in a battle, but while saving Luffy from a Sea King. Because Shanks is a mysterious character, fans believe that Shanks saved Luffy for his ulterior motives.
However, a One Piece theory proves that Shanks sacrificing his arm liberates his status as a villainous character in One Piece. Not only that, it vindicates him for all the actions that make him look suspicious.
Shanks is Portrayed As An Evil Character in One Piece
When Shanks was first introduced in One Piece, he was portrayed as the mentor of Luffy, who motivated him to become a pirate and find the One Piece treasure. Not only that, he gave his Straw Hat to him and asked him to bring it back to him after becoming a recognizable pirate of the New World in One Piece.
After that, Shanks’ appearance in the series increased to the point that he only appeared once or twice in a couple hundred episodes. However, even these appearances added more mystery to his character, as he was part of some very suspicious scenarios. The first of these suspicious scenarios was when Shanks went to meet the Five Elders.
Later on, when Shanks’ character was explored further, it was found that he had ties to the Celestial Dragons, especially Figarland Garling of the Holy Knights. After that, it was revealed that Shanks knew the true identity of Luffy’s Devil Fruit when he was stealing it from the CP9 Agents. All of these aspects of the One Piece story point out that Shanks might be an evil character who had his own ambitions.
One Piece Theory Vindicates Shanks’ Status as Evil
Considering Shanks’ strength, it felt a little skeptical to One Piece fans that the character lost his arm to a Sea King while saving Luffy. Many believed that it was his intention to lose his arm so that he could gain Luffy’s trust and motivate him to become a strong pirate and unlock the powers of his mysterious Devil Fruit.
However, according to a theory posted by u/Coba69420 on Reddit, Shanks lost his arm because he decided to bet everything on Luffy.
The theory states that initially, Shanks decided to let Luffy die at the hands of a Sea King as it would help him retrieve the Nika Devil Fruit, but he changed his mind at the last moment.
He went on to save Luffy and, in the process, lost his arm. This in a way clears Shanks from all the suspicions that the One Piece fans had against Shanks because if he truly was evil, it would have been easy for him to let Luffy die, retrieve the Devil Fruit, and use it for his own personal motives.
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