The Elbaph Arc Has Changed Everything We Thought We Knew About Shanks
For over two decades, Shanks has been one of One Piece‘s most enigmatic figures. The man who saved a young Luffy from a Sea King, who lost an arm to prove a point, and who has been conspicuously absent for most of the story — we’ve been told he’s a force of balance. But the Elbaph arc is dismantling every assumption fans have held, and Chapter 1187 is shaping up to deliver the reveal that rewrites the entire Final Saga.
After the explosive events of Chapter 1185 and the unexpected hiatus Oda took before Chapter 1186, the pieces are finally coming together. And the biggest piece? Shanks isn’t just a Yonko sitting on the sidelines. He’s been positioning himself for a move that will ignite the Final War against Imu — and the evidence has been hiding in plain sight the entire time.
5 Pieces of Evidence That Prove Shanks Is Secretly Aligned With Joy Boy’s Legacy
1. The Straw Hat Was Never Meant to Be a Simple Gift
Let’s go back to the very beginning. Shanks didn’t just casually hand Luffy a straw hat. He placed it on him with deliberate intent, asking Luffy to return it once he became a great pirate. In the context of everything we now know about Nerona Imu, the Void Century, and Joy Boy’s promise — this wasn’t a casual gesture. It was a transfer of legacy.
The straw hat shares its design with the one Joy Boy wore, and Shanks has been shown to have connections that stretch far deeper into the world’s ancient history than we initially understood. Chapter 1187 will likely confirm what many have suspected: Shanks knew exactly who Luffy was destined to become.
2. Shanks’ Meeting With the Five Elders Wasn’t Submission — It Was Manipulation
Remember when Shanks walked into Mary Geoise to speak with the Five Elders? Fans assumed he was warning them about a certain pirate — and he was. But here’s the thing nobody considered: what if he wasn’t actually working against that pirate?
What if Shanks’ entire visit was a carefully orchestrated play to make the World Government believe he was still playing by their rules, while he quietly prepared for the rebellion to come? He gave them just enough information to feel safe, buying time for the Straw Hats to grow strong enough to challenge Imu directly.
3. The Red Hair Pirates’ Positioning Is Strategic, Not Random
Track where Shanks’ crew has appeared throughout the story and a pattern emerges. They’ve been present at every major inflection point — watching, waiting, intervening only when absolutely necessary. This isn’t the behavior of a crew looking for adventure. It’s the behavior of an intelligence network.
Benn Beckman, Shanks’ first mate, is widely considered one of the smartest characters in the series. It’s entirely plausible that the Red Hair Pirates have been gathering information about Imu, the World Government’s weaknesses, and the true history of the Void Century — and they’ve been doing it from inside the system the entire time.
4. Shanks and the Giant Connection
The Elbaph arc has placed Shanks at the center of the giant kingdom, and this is no coincidence. Giants have historically been among the most loyal warriors in the ancient world. If anyone could convince the giants to join the fight against Imu, it would be someone who commands their respect while maintaining ties to the World Government.
Chapter 1187 could feature Shanks finally revealing his hand to the giants — and their reaction could be the catalyst that tips the balance of power irreversibly toward the rebellion.
5. The Arm He “Lost” — Was It Really Lost?
Here’s the most controversial theory on this list: Shanks may have sacrificed his arm deliberately.
In a world where characters like Buggy and Crocodile have lost limbs with minimal lasting consequences, Shanks’ missing arm has remained a permanent fixture. Some fans argue this is because it serves a purpose — perhaps as a symbolic seal, a connection to an ancient pact, or a marker that ties him to a promise made during the Void Century.
If Oda reveals that Shanks’ missing arm is tied to an ancient mechanism — something that only activates when the conditions are right for the Final War — it would retroactively make the very first chapter of One Piece part of an elaborate, decades-long setup. And Oda is exactly the kind of storyteller who would pull that off.
How Chapter 1187 Could Trigger the Final War
Here’s the scenario we think is most likely for Chapter 1187: Shanks makes his move publicly. After years of operating in shadows — manipulating the Five Elders, positioning his crew, building alliances with the giants — he finally drops the mask.
The chapter could show Shanks confronting a major World Government target — perhaps one of the Five Elders directly, or a key facility tied to Imu’s power structure. This single action would serve two purposes:
- Signal to Luffy that the time has come — the preparation phase is over, and the war begins now.
- Force the World Government’s hand, compelling them to deploy their full military might and revealing their true capabilities to the world.
Think about it like a chess game. Shanks has been playing the long game for twenty-five years of publication, and every move — from giving away the straw hat to walking into Mary Geoise — has been building toward this single moment where he flips the board.
What This Means for the Straw Hats
If Shanks is indeed secretly aligned with Joy Boy’s legacy, then every encounter he’s had with Luffy takes on a completely new meaning. The reunion at Marineford, where Shanks ended the war — that wasn’t just about saving Ace’s honor. It was about keeping the timeline intact, ensuring that Luffy survived to become the warrior the world needed.
And the promise that they would meet again? That meeting might happen in Chapter 1187 — not as a casual reunion, but as a passing of the torch. Shanks tells Luffy everything: the truth about Joy Boy, the nature of Imu’s power, and the role the Straw Hats must play in the Final War.
The Real Stakes of the Final War
We’ve been told that the One Piece will trigger a war that will engulf the world. But if Shanks’ secret alliance is real, then that war isn’t a disaster to be prevented — it’s a liberation that needs to happen. The World Government has ruled through fear, erasing history, and suppressing the truth for eight hundred years. The Final War isn’t about destruction. It’s about the world finally learning what was stolen from it.
And Shanks, the man who appeared to be a neutral force of balance, has been preparing the ground for that reckoning from day one.
What Do You Think?
Is Shanks the most important piece on the board — even more than Luffy himself? Has Oda been setting up this reveal since chapter one, or are we reading too much into a man who’s simply a good mentor with convenient timing?
Drop your theories in the comments — and if you think Shanks’ missing arm is the real key to the Final War, tell us your take. We’re tracking every prediction ahead of Chapter 1187’s release.
