We understand a lot of characters’ motivations, but Shanks’ have NEVER been revealed throughout the history of the manga. All we know is that he wants to find Blackbeard AND he wants Luffy to return that important hat back to him. But what actually drives him? What is Shanks’ dream?
This thread is simply a series of observations and close analysis of Shanks’ behavior in One Piece.
-I went back to Ch. 1076 and 1079 and realized that Shanks says he thought that Dorry and Brogy were dead. Was he glad, or surprised to see them? Did Shanks leave them for dead?
-Episode 1112 made me wonder if Shanks will be a villain in the end. In Ch. 1079, Shanks only looks at his fleet contemptuously and in the anime, they gave him an expression of derision. I got the sense that Shanks’ fleet thinks he jokes about things when he’s being deadass. The Giants are his only powerful allies… and maybe because that’s all he needs on the Blue Sea.
-When Shanks foresaw the damage from Kid’s Damned Punk, he seemed to be more concerned with the NUMBER of ships being lost… is this because he believes in “balance,” as he said during Marineford?
-Elbaf is a “Warland” — what is that? Are there more of those? Or did more exist in the past and they were wiped out? They seem to worship war in ch. 1076 and they ALSO worship the Sun God Nika — just look at their fanaticism during this battle. Did Nika wage war too? A “warrior” of Liberation. Who is being liberated — the people or simply Nika is liberated from the boundaries of reality?
-We still haven’t seen WHY Shanks had an audience with the Five Elders, nor has Oda revealed which Pirate he spoke about. I’ve long since theorized it to be Luffy, as he NEVER was on the Five Elders radar until after the Levely.
-Could Shanks be manipulating the Giants for his own aims? They follow the deity, Nika, and Shanks resurrected him through Luffy to give them someone to believe in?
-Why did Shanks cry after Roger returned from Laugh Tale — what was he told? Where did he disappear to after Roger’s execution (until he met Yasopp)? Did he head to Mary Geoise?
-Film Red revealed that Shanks was part of the Figarland family. Is Figarland Garling related to Shanks and did the two meet after Roger’s execution? What if Shanks forged close bonds with his relative and felt MORE connected to the Celestial Dragons after hearing their side of history?
-What if Shanks is manipulating EVERYONE: he’s “playing pirate.” Instead, his true identity is that of the Figarland family — hellbent on overthrowing the world order and seizing control. Hence why he has weak Pirate followers — he can rid the world of them at any time.
-This would make sense as to why Hongo carries data on different pirates. Kid got close enough to Shanks to lose an arm, but Shanks barely knows who Kid is. Also… did he not take the Road Poneglyphs? The anime makes this seem quite ambiguous…
-Pirates strong enough to reach Elbaf will be wiped out without fail, for attacking the Giants’ homeland. Shanks defeats powerful pirates ambitious enough to circumnavigate the globe, forcing them back to the earlier islands in the Grand Line or eradicating them outright. The Giants wait for Nika, as he is their God. Once Nika arrives in Elbaf… Shanks’ plan will come to fruition.
-What will Shanks do and what does he want with Nika? And how does Blackbeard fit into these plans?
-Shanks and Blackbeard met as children during Roger’s final voyage. Did they talk about their dreams? And does Shanks know that Blackbeard wants “the world”?
-What does Shanks really want? What if he’s even manipulating the Figarland family? And just like how Luffy’s dream was the same as Roger’s, what if Shanks’ dream is the same as Blackbeard’s? What if he really wants… the world?
