28 Years Later, One Piece Explains Why Only Shanks Could Be the Child of Fate

Warning: This article contains spoilers from the One Piece manga! The ongoing Elbaph Arc of One Piece has been featuring a flashback for several months now. The backstory begins right before Luffy and the others join the battle against the Holy Knights, who have invaded the island and taken children hostage. While the purpose of the flashback was to reveal the one who murdered King Harald over 14 years ago at the Aurust Castle, the manga ended up revealing way more than fans expected. During his journey, Harald crossed paths with the legendary pirate named Rocks D. Xebec, and it didn’t take long for the latter to completely take the spotlight. After the manga revealed his secrets and featured his death during the God Valley Incident, the story shifts its focus back to Harald.

After Xebec’s death, he is doing everything in his power to get into the good graces of the World Government. One Piece Chapter 1167 continues his journey as he joins the Holy Knights and follows all orders from the World Government, regardless of what they are. In the Holy Land of Marijoa, he meets Shanks, who returned to his family after Gol D. Roger’s execution. However, Shanks only reunited with his family because of an elaborate plan. The manga again proves how his actions have changed the fate of the world, which has been the case since the beginning.

One Piece Chapter 1167 Reveals How Shanks Saved Several Crucial Characters

During his time at Marijoa, Shanks managed to evade watchful eyes and secretly helped Fisher Tiger escape when he was enslaved by the Celestial Dragons. Before escaping the Holy Land, he freed many slaves, including Boa Hancock and her sisters, who escaped the hellish place. His horrible days while being forced into slavery made him feel unparalleled resentment towards humans. However, despite that, Fisher Tiger became one of the leading figures in the world as he promoted coexistence between Fish-Men and humans in order to break the cycle of hatred.

He couldn’t stop himself from hating humans, but he wanted to end the cycle with him so that the next generation could see a better future. His backstory was a crucial part of the Fish-Man Island Saga, but the reason behind his escape was never revealed this major detail until recently. Fisher Tiger went on to become one of the greatest pirates in the world, and his legacy and dreams are being carried on by Jinbe, who is now a part of the Straw Hat Pirates.

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Chapter 1152 of the manga features a flashback from 14 years ago when Harald’s assassination was taking place in the Aurust Castle. Shanks was on the island during that fateful day, enjoying the hot spring with Gaban while being unaware of the chaos happening inside the castle. As pirates who once journeyed across the sea, the two delve into nostalgia about how it’s been ten years since Roger’s execution. During the conversation, Gaban casually mentions how Shanks’ thirst for knowledge makes sense, considering he was the child of fate. However, the retired pirate simply wants to relax without delving deeper into any tricky topics.

Gaban didn’t randomly call him the child of fate since the title holds a much deeper meaning than fans realize. Since the first chapter, Shanks’ importance in the story can’t be denied. Most of the time, he makes his appearance because something major is about to happen. He’s the reason the story kicks off in the first place, since Shanks is the one who helped Luffy realize his dream of becoming the Pirate King. Furthermore, Luffy would’ve never gotten his hands on his legendary Devil Fruit if not for Shanks.

Turns out, Shanks already knew the secret behind the Devil Fruit and bet the future of the world on Luffy. Even his appearance during the Marineford Arc is what stopped the arc, beginning a new era after the death of Whitebeard. Not only that, but the Elbaph Arc confirms that ever since Roger’s death, Shanks has been working towards a crucial goal that goes beyond finding the legendary treasure. As the Final Saga continues, it drops several revelations about the fan-favorite character, who is still mysterious on many levels.

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