As One Piece‘s story progresses, one particular character who only grows more and more intriguing is Shanks. Other than the Pirate King himself, it can be argued that Shanks is largely responsible for setting Luffy on his current path by inspiring him and serving as his role model. Luffy’s journey effectively begins when Shanks saves him and entrusts him with his signature straw hat. Having said that, as the series has revealed more about Shanks and his abilities, fans have looked back on this moment with plenty of questions, particularly about why Shanks lost his arm, and One Piece’s latest arc may finally have some answers.
Chapter 1152 of One Piece dives into a flashback 14 years ago, at the time of Harold’s death. During the flashback, fans learn that Shanks was also present on Elbaf on the fateful day. The chapter sees Gaban and Shanks soaking in a makeshift onsen of sorts at Gaban’s house, with fans getting a glimpse of Shanks’ left arm, which sports a curious tattoo that has never been seen before. The design of the tattoo quite closely resembles the symbol on the armband worn by the Holy Knights and could possibly be the mark of the abyss mentioned by St. Killingham in Chapter 1140, which allows those who possess it to travel through the abyss pentagrams. If so, it is possible that Shanks willingly sacrificed his arm to the Sea King when saving Luffy to free himself of the abyss mark.
One Piece Teases Shanks May Have Had the Mark of the Abyss
For years, fans have questioned why Shanks let the Sea King bite off his arm, more so since the introduction of Haki. Though he was not an Emperor at the time, Shanks would have still been quite strong and certainly strong enough to deal with one measly Sea King if he was able to take on Cipher Pol and eventually capture Loki only a few years later. In retrospect, fans have also deduced that Shanks likely intimidated the Sea King with Conqueror’s Haki, though this only adds to the mystery of how Shanks ended up losing an arm regardless.
When asked about his arm by Whitebeard, Shanks simply claimed that he bet it on the new era that Luffy and his generation would usher in, implying that Shanks saw potential in Luffy worth sacrificing a limb for. That said, Chapter 1152 adds a new level of complexity to this decision by Shanks, which may have had another far darker motivation.
Shanks Gave Up His Arm to Cut Ties With the Figarland Family: A Theory
Shamrock has previously revealed that Shanks once visited the Holy Land, a visit that Shanks also mentions to Gaban in Chapter 1152, and it is possible that this is when Shanks received the mark as opposed to being born with it, as it is notably absent in previous flashbacks of Shanks as a child. It is yet to be confirmed whether this mark is also tied to the Holy Knights’ regenerative abilities and immortality, though it would make more sense for this not to be the case, for this theory about Shanks’ arm to still hold up.
As for Shanks’ motivations for giving up the mark of the abyss, Shamrock’s words have made it quite clear that Shanks wanted nothing to do with his biological family. More likely than not, losing his arm was Shanks’ way of severing ties with the Figarland family and making sure he could not be summoned based on their whims. This secret motive of cutting ties with his World Noble heritage would make sense even if the tattoo isn’t the mark of the abyss, but just a symbol of the Holy Knights that Shanks either unknowingly or unwillingly received. Either way, Shanks is quickly proving to be one of the most important characters in One Piece, and the Elbaf Arc may just change the way fans see him and his sacrifice for Luffy forever. More importantly. if Eiichiro Oda manages to successfully pull off this abyss mark twist, it might just be the biggest retcon in the history of One Piece.
One Piece is available to read on Manga Plus and Viz Media.
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