One Piece Confirms the Traitor Shanks Theory In an Unexpected Way

One Piece Officially Confirms The Big Traitor Theory In the Last Way Fans Expected Luffy and Shanks standing side by side. Behind them, Garp and Garling can be seen.Custom Image by Rodrigo Sandoval Lahut. By  Merlyn De Souza Published 4 minutes ago

Merlyn De Souza is a freelance writer and anime enthusiast based in Goa, India, with a Bachelor's in English Literature. When she isn't writing, she can be found exploring various realms of entertainment, including, but not limited to, K-dramas, novels, and even the occasional manhwa. She also enjoys all things creative, like sewing and makeup.

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It's been well over seven years since One Piece saw a man who looked a lot like Shanks meeting with the Five Elders. Ever since this moment in chapter #906, there have been multiple theories floating around that Shanks could be a traitor in disguise as an Emperor of the Sea.

But of course, since the Elbaph Arc and the introduction of Figarland Shamrock, it's more likely this man was never Shanks but his recently introduced twin brother. With this, it seemed like the Shanks traitor theory had finally died out after years, only for One Piece to revive it with an unexpected twist.

One Piece Reveals Shanks' Unexpected Betrayal

Chapter #1167 of One Piece finally confirms that Shanks was indeed a traitor, but to the World Government instead. The chapter reveals that Shanks infiltrated the Holy Land 15 years ago, becoming a so-called Devoted Blade of God, even forming a contract with Imu.

As per the timeline, Shanks joined the Celestial Dragons about nine years after Roger's death, and two years after forming the Red Hair Pirates, as he is known to have recruited Yasopp about 17 years ago. While it's unlikely Shanks would leave behind his pirate days after forming his own crew, chapter #1167 also reveals Shanks betraying the World Government.

As it turns out, Shanks aided Fisher Tiger in freeing several slaves by leaving the armory open. Shanks is also seen asking Shamrock to tell him more about the Holy Land, hinting that this may have also been a reconnaissance mission. Regardless of the motive, Shanks' apparent betrayal is forcing fans to demand answers.

Shanks Grows More and More Mysterious By the Day

Shanks crying as he holds onto Roger

Having said that, it seems Shanks' time with the Celestial Dragons was short-lived, as he was seen meeting with Gaban at Elbaph about a year later on the day of Harald's death. Regardless, his actions remain mysterious as ever, raising even more questions about Shanks' already secretive character.

Perhaps the secret to Shanks' actions lies in whatever it is Roger told him after returning from Laugh Tale. As seen in Oden's flashback in chapter #968, Roger's words brought Shanks to tears for some reason.

Shanks' actions ever since have been puzzling, from not immediately setting out to claim the One Piece, to forming his own crew, only to join the Celestial Dragons, and eventually stealing the Nika Fruit. It's clear Shanks knows something the readers don't, and there may even be underlying motives to him saving Luffy at the start of the series.

If anything, Shanks being at the center of all these mysteries confirms he might finally play an active role in One Piece after being absent all these years, and luckily, he didn't turn out to be a rat after all, at least not in the way fans feared.

One Piece Created by Eiichiro Oda First Film One Piece: The Movie First TV Show One Piece Cast Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Ikue Ôtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi

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