Updated May 5, 2023 by Noel Vermen
The Red Hair Pirates are in Elbaf! And the battle between Shanks and Eustass Kid ended up in a way that we didn’t expect.
Table of Contents
However, Shanks presence on Elbaf is way more meaningful than we imagined since it actually confirmed many previous theories and opened the door for a whole new one!
Guys, Shanks may very well be the protector of Elbaf, in other words, it’s Shadow King!
Hey, quickly, tons of spoilers are up ahead. Can you handle what’s coming!? So you can follow up, check out our One Piece watch order!
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!!!
SHANKS IS THE PROTECTOR OF ELBAF
Shanks Is After The One Piece
Now, no matter his title, Shanks always has ulterior motives guiding his every move, so let’s first see what his presence on the remote Island tells us
As you all know, Kid is after the One Piece and is gathering the Road Poneglyphs that will get him to Laugh Tale.
The Man With The Burned Marks is Saul
So why is he heading to Elbaf?
Because there is something he wants there? Something square and red that can’t be read by anyone…. except Nico Robin of course.
Yup, he is going after the last Poneglyph, the one protected by the man with the burning marks, AKA, Jaguar D. Saul…. at least that’s our theory.
After the fire set on Ohara melted the ice, imprisoning Saul and gravely injuring him in the process, the brave giant made it his life mission to save the work of the archeologists and the treasure they guarded.
Bringing the knowledge of the Island back home with him, the world believed that the Poneglyph that was on Ohara had been lost forever.
Shanks Wants Kid’s Poneglyph
After understanding that, we could ask ourselves, why did Shanks rush to the giant’s aid? They are known to be the strongest warrior race in the new world, surely they aren’t scared of some big shot brat who thinks he is the strongest guy in the world.
Well, we are right about that, Kid actually has something Shanks wants and that’s, Kaido’s Road Poneglyph. Our Yonko, he is after the One Piece.
With this one move, he’s gonna get the last piece of the puzzle and knock out a competitor from the race for the treasure. Two birds with one stone.
Shanks is now the pirate ahead in the race by annihilating Eustass Kid and his crew. I wonder if Kid will be able to recover from this crushing defeat…
Second Side Theory: Beck Took Kid’s Arm
During their first encounter, Kid lost an arm and it wasn’t even Shanks who took it. He didn’t even get to see the Captain of the Red Hair Pirates.
I believe that was the neat work of Beck, he noticed how much Shanks and Kid looked alike and wanted to amp up the uncanny resemblance, so he made them “matchy-matchy.”
What’s even funnier is that we all thought Shanks was the only Yonko with no territory, but turns out he actually rules over some good part of the new world, including Elbaf!
Shanks is the Protector of Elbaf
Let’s go over the hints Oda dropped that proves that Shanks has some kind of authority over the country of giants.
Shanks Ship Has a Viking Design
Not sure if you knew this, but each country in One Piece is actually inspired by the real world! Wano is based on Japan’s samurai era, Drum Island on the Eskimos, and Elbaf is related to the Vikings and Nordic mythology.
Vikings have a distinct style and vibe that’s hard to miss, and Shanks embodies it perfectly. Check out his ship- The Red Hair Pirate ship, it’s designed just like the ones on Elbaf, which are all Viking-inspired.
Shanks is Based on the Nordic God Tyr
Let’s dig a little deeper, shall we? Nordic Mythology is famous for its powerful gods and the important ideals that they protect.
We already know that Oda drew heavily from these myths – just look at how he named the true King of Elbaf “Loki!”
In Nordic mythology, Utgard-Loki is a master of illusion and the ruler of Utgard Castle in Jotunheim – the land of the giants. In One Piece, Loki was given the same name and even the same role!
If Shanks is connected to Elbaf, he is probably based on a god as well…
Shanks is the representation of Tyr!
Not a super famous god, but he’s a powerful one. Tyr was in charge of war formalities, and treaties, and was known as the god of justice who kept balance in the world. That’s exactly what Shanks has been doing since day one – the biggest proof is when he stopped the massacre at Marineford.
One story about Tyr is that he sacrificed his arm to Fenrir to save his comrades, just as Shanks offered his arm to a sea monster to save Luffy.
Shanks Has Been Protecting Them For a Long Time
Now let’s go back to Chapter 1076. Two very important clues were mentioned that prove that Shanks is Elbafs protector.
one of the characters literally said that they should start paying him protection money for all the trouble he goes through for them.
That implies that Shanks have been protecting the giants for a very long time.
Dory and Broggy are Following Him
Dory and Brogy, two very strong and very stubborn captains are actually following his orders, or if you want, following his lead.
They referred to him as “big brother,” which may seem insignificant, but in Japan, especially in the Yakuza, it’s a title used to show respect for someone of higher rank.
The Shadow King
Now that we are on the same page, I will be bestowing to Shanks the title of Shadow King of Elbaf and I will be confessing something as well.
Man, that Shanks vs Kid battle was intense! However, what I’m really hyped about is what’s coming after.
Since the missing Road Poneglyph is on Elbaf and that Kid has zero chance of getting it, I’m pretty sure the Straw Hats will be arriving at the shores of the Island very soon.
The reunion that we have all been waiting for might actually come sooner than later.
Questions Of Mystery
The only thing I still don’t understand is that at some point Big Mom was planning to make Elbaf her private army by marrying Lola to Loki.
If Shanks is the backer of Elbaf, how did they agree to that? Weird…
Conclusion
Now, let me make you gasp just one more time before you go. Do you know how Usopp’s lies seem to be becoming reality one after the other?
Like when he said in Chapter 23 that Pirates are attacking the village and Kuro’s army really commenced an attack out of the blue.
Or when he said that he fought a giant goldfish and really did so when he was leaving the island where they met Dory and Brogy.
He even said that Luffy’s 30 million berry bounty was actually his and what a surprise, next arc Sogeking bounty was 30 million berry.
The craziest one is when he said he had 8000 followers including giants of course. I just really wanna see how Usopp is going to pull one on the invincible Shanks and steal his territory. It’s going to be hilarious!
And you know how he is going to do it?…. Well, I don’t know either. But what I know is that Shanks is a Celestial Dragon!
