The character of Shanks from One Piece is one of the most mysterious characters in anime history. Almost everything about his past, except his time on Gol D. Roger’s ship, has been kept secret by Eiichiro Oda. This explains that a character will hold great importance in the conclusion of One Piece.
Fans have always wondered whether Shanks is a good or an evil character. Although he is perceived as a good character who acts like a mentor to Luffy, the later episodes in One Piece hint that Shanks might be secretly working with the World Government, or he is planning something of his own.
However, there is one theory that states that Shanks knew about Luffy’s secret from the beginning, which is why he let him eat the Devil Fruit. The theory also claims that Shanks may have told Luffy’s secret to Mihawk, his biggest rival in One Piece. This would mean that there is something more to Shanks and Mihawk’s relationship than the rivalry.
Shanks And Dracule Mihawk’s Rivalry
While Shanks is one of the Emperors of the Sea, Mihawk is the most powerful swordsman in the entire One Piece universe. The history between Shanks and Mihawk was revealed as the tale progressed, and it turned out that their rivalry was maybe one of the greatest. Both fought a lot of battles and eventually stopped as Shanks lost his arm.
Before becoming almost as powerful as they are now, Shanks and Mihawk both appear to have had humble starting points in the One Piece universe. Shanks served as a rookie on Gol D. Roger’s crew and learned a lot from the former Pirate King.
Regarding Mihawk, fans are largely unaware of his past at this time, other than the fact that he trained incredibly hard and defeated several formidable swordsmen to become the best swordsman in the world. Over time they developed a rivalry and fought many battles to discover who was stronger. However, it seems that their relationship is not just about fighting.
Theory Claims Shanks Told Mihawk Luffy’s Secret
According to a theory posted by thatonepiecetalk, Shanks and Mihawk’s rivalry has more than what meets the eye. The theory states that when Mihawk went to Shanks after meeting Luffy for the first time, Shanks told Mihawk about Luffy and his secret. Which made Mihawk test Luffy during the Marineford War.
When Luffy and Mihawk are fighting during the Marineford War, Mihawk says that his power has no restraint and he wants to see how Luffy’s fate will save him from the power of his black blade. This proves that he wanted to see if Luffy was worthy of Shanks’ trust in him and if could he live up to whatever Shanks had planned for him.
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Later when Mihawk saw what Luffy was capable of, he stated that it was not his power or his technique but he had a quality that made people want to help him. Also, when Luffy unknowingly used Conqueror’s Haki during the war, Mihawk somehow got triggered and started attacking Luffy again. All of this proves that Mihawk knows something about Luffy’s secret and there is only one person who could have told him and that is Shanks.
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