In the chapter ‘Taking Responsibility‘ of Oda’s decades-long manga series ‘One Piece’, we witness another shift in events.
Bartolomeo, the Man Eater—one of the seven people who pledged allegiance to Straw Hat Luffy—was beaten by Red-Haired Shanks and his crew after they heard that he burned the flag of the Red-Haired Pirates. Furious at this, Shanks and his entire crew made an example of Bartolomeo to the world, damaging his reputation.
The interesting part comes when Hongo, the crew’s doctor, tested Bartolomeo’s loyalty to the Straw Hat crew. Hongo asked him to make Luffy consume a lethal poison within the next month to save his own life. As expected from the captain of the second ship of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, Bartolomeo didn’t flinch and drank the poison himself rather than giving it to the man he admired.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the poison had no effect on him. This made Shanks realize the deep influence Luffy had over Bartolomeo’s mind.
Just as the Barto Club started feeling relieved after leaving Gartel Island on their ship, ‘The Going Luffy-Senpai’, the Red-Haired Pirates, who had just released them after their test, struck again.
Yassop, one of Shanks’ senior members and the father of ‘God’ Usopp, fired a shot from his pistol that sank the Barto Club’s entire ship.This is where the confusion among readers deepens.
Even after thousands of chapters, the true motives of Shanks and his crew remain unclear. No one can confidently say whether they are good or evil. What is Oda planning with Shanks, the character who was first introduced as the savior of young Luffy, whom everyone thought was a good guy, and who later became the inspiration for the series’ protagonist?
Doubts about Shanks’ nature began when we saw a man resembling Shanks holding a secret meeting with the Five Elders. The only thing that stopped fans from calling him a villain was the absence of Shanks’ iconic scar on the mysterious man’s face.
Then, Shanks used his devastating technique, Divine Departure, to completely destroy Eustass Kid and his crew in a single moment, though the reason seemed plausible in that situation. But it proved that Shanks could be cold-hearted and ruthless when necessary.
Now we see the Red-Haired Pirates destroying yet another crew in an instant. This not only adds to the mystery surrounding Shanks but also sets him up as the perfect rival for Luffy. It shows that despite Luffy’s immense growth, he and his crew still have a long way to go.
Fans have been waiting for over two decades to see Luffy and Shanks meet face to face, and no one can predict what will happen in that moment. The excitement for that encounter has never faded over the years.Maybe Shanks is truly evil, and everything is happening according to his plan. Or maybe he’s doing all this for a greater good. Perhaps he’s fulfilling an unachieved goal of Gol D. Roger.
No one can predict how Oda will shape Shanks’ character.But one thing is certain: the ‘One Piece’ story is inching closer to its climax. Characters like Buggy and Shanks—who were some of the earliest introduced—are now playing significant roles in the plot. The excitement for the next chapter and arc is real, with so much still to be revealed.