One Piece points at Shanks being the twin brother who met the Five Elders, especially after Chapter 1167 reveals he was a Holy Knight.
Shanks having a twin brother, Figarland Shamrock, wasn’t a surprise to anyone, but it also did not confirm that he was the one who met the Five Elders in Episode 887 (or Chapter 907 in the manga). One Piece hasn’t addressed that scene yet, and plenty of hints could point to either brother. However, Chapter 1167 points towards Shanks.
The Elbaph Arc has revealed many plot twists, two of which are the existence of Shamrock and Shanks’ true lineage. The upcoming chapter takes it to another level. While it confirms that Shanks is against the World Government, it might explain how he met the Five Elders in the Levely Arc. Eiichiro Oda needs to settle this debate in One Piece at some point.
One Piece Chapter 1167 Hints It Was Shanks All Along
We get another glimpse into Shanks’ past after Gol D. Roger’s execution in Chapter 1167. Although the full chapter is yet to be released, the spoilers given by @pewpiece and @WorstGenHQ on X are enough to provide some context. Around 15 years ago, Fisher Tiger escaped Mary Geoise, but this chapter confirms it was Shanks who freed him.
However, it wasn’t all that Shanks did 15 years ago. It turns out that he was a Holy Knight and did reunite with Shamrock and Garling. He received a Shallow-Sea mark, the lowest tier that a Holy Knight can get. We even see a glimpse of it when he talks to Gaban in Chapter 1152, which occurred a year after he freed Fisher Tiger.
Shanks’ goal, however, was to gain intel on Mary Geoise. From what Shamrock said, it’s implied that he defected. Now he’s one of the four Emperors of the Sea. Although the timeline is convoluted, it’s clear that he has some relation with Mary Geoise.
Thus, the Five Elders know that he’s Figarland Garling’s son and was a Holy Knight. It could explain why they would begrudgingly hear him out over the mysterious pirate, and why he had to hide his identity. Shanks must have had to pull strings to get to them.
Some One Piece fans even believe he told them that Blackbeard was Rocks’ son, considering Saturn is aware of his special lineage. Combined with Shamrock’s voice actor being Kenjiro Tsuda, the signs do point to Shanks. However, this doesn’t end the debate. Chapter 1167 and everything we’ve seen since Shamrock’s introduction only make the scene more confusing.
Eiichiro Oda Continues to Toy With One Piece Fans Over This Scene
Shanks (or Shamrock) covering his head was the first red flag that fans caught onto in Episode 887, but what’s more curious is that both the manga and the anime purposefully avoided the left side of his face. Eiichiro Oda then presents two more panels that point to Shamrock being the culprit and clear Shanks’ name.
When we later see Shamrock arrive in Elbaph, the panel is presented in the same way. Moreover, in Chapter 434, when Shanks meets Whitebeard, Oda uses the exact frame, but you can see his scars. This shifts it to Shamrock. The voice actor aspect doesn’t exactly apply here since a twin hadn’t been revealed yet.
Some fans even question why Shamrock would need to wear a hood to conceal himself. The explanation is simple: he could have returned from a mission. Moreover, Oda intentionally framed it to confuse the reader.
Fans also bring up why the Five Elders would be so annoyed at Shamrock wanting to meet them, and they would only react like this to Shanks. However, they have responded like this before to Garling in Chapter 1125, who has been nothing but a loyal and typical Celestial Dragon. The Five Elders just don’t see the Holy Knights as worthy.
Overall, the debate about the person in this scene being either Shamrock or Shanks is far from over. Eiichiro Oda has explaining to do about the Red-Haired Emperor’s past and motivations, although it’s becoming clear to us that he’s not exactly a snitch.
