The One Piece narrative has become even more interesting ever since the oldest retainer of the Emperor title, Red-Haired Shanks, has declared to finally enter the One Piece race. Shanks’ presence in One Piece is often limited to a glare or a single dialog but with the series entering the final saga, Eiichiro Oda has decided to bring him to the center stage.
However, his claim to go after the One Piece treasure has prompted fans to question the time-frame in which he took this decision. A faction of One Piece fans believe that Shanks was actually waiting for his rival Emperors Kaido and Big Mom to be removed from the race, which would have made his pursuit easy.
But a few clues dropped by Eiichiro Oda about Shanks have hinted that the Emperor was actually fulfilling his loyalty to his former Captain, Gol D. Roger. This is why he waited for so long to claim the One Piece treasure, and the defeat of his rivals was just a coincidence.
Shanks is Ready To Make a Move Towards The One Piece Treasure
Arguably, Shanks and his mates are one of the strongest pirate crew in One Piece right now. Therefore, this automatically makes them the best candidate to go after the One Piece treasure and possibly acquire it before anyone else. However, the Emperor has remained still for a long time and decided to not make a move for it.
Shanks even had the opportunity to go for the One Piece treasure as a member of Roger Pirates, but he decided to stay behind and form his own crew to continue his journey as a pirate. This proved that Shanks was excited to find the One Piece treasure on his own and make a name for himself.
But as soon as the Wano arc ended, Shanks was seen talking to his first mate Benn Beckman about finally entering the One Piece treasure and claiming the renowned treasure for himself. This moment raised a lot of questions in the minds of One Piece fans, and some even theorized that Shanks might be an evil character after all.
The Real Reason Why Shanks Entered The One Piece Race So Late
While some fans believe Shanks has an ulterior motive for joining the One Piece race so late, Eiichiro Oda may have already hinted at the real reason behind it. Oda has already implied that Joy Boy is the only one who is supposed to find the One Piece treasure. Shanks probably knew this as he had a conversation with Gol D. Roger after he returned from Laugh Tale.
He was possibly instructed by Gol D. Roger to find Joy Boy and guide him toward the One Piece treasure, which is why he stole the Hito Hito No Mi: Model Nika from the World Government and kept it safe until Luffy ate it. This made Shanks realize that Luffy is the “destined” Joy Boy and he is the one who is supposed to go after One Piece.
However, Shanks had to wait for the powers of Nika to fully manifest within Luffy which would make him worthy of One Piece. Thus, when he felt Luffy’s presence through his observation Haki in Wano, he understood that the time had come to follow Roger’s orders. Thus, he suggested to Benn that he was ready for the One Piece treasure to be revealed to the whole world.
As of 19th August 2024, you can watch One Piece on Crunchyroll.
