Luffy Is Ready to Reunite with Shanks, But One Piece Isn't Going to Make It Easy
Fans are eagerly awaiting the revelation of One Piece's ultimate treasure, but another highly anticipated moment is the long-awaited reunion between Shanks and Luffy. The protagonist’s journey begins with his deep admiration for Shanks, aspiring to follow in his footsteps and become a great pirate. Shanks’ undeniable charisma left a profound impact on Luffy, further solidified when he sacrificed his arm to save the young pirate. It’s clear that Luffy views Shanks as his hero, making their eventual meeting a moment of immense significance.
Thus, one of the most significant aspects of Luffy's journey is meeting his childhood hero. However, no arc has ever highlighted this pivotal moment as strongly as the current one. In his quest to meet Shanks, Luffy is preparing to free Loki, a criminal from the land of the giants. The latest twist, however, has unexpectedly brought Luffy closer to reuniting with Shanks, though not in the way he might have imagined.
Luffy’s Meeting With Shanks Will Be Featured Soon But With a Big Twist
Luffy’s Dream Of Meeting With Shanks Will Be Interrupted by the Recently Revealed “Shanks’ Twin”
When it was revealed during the Levely Arc that Shanks, now identified as his look-alike Shamrock Garling, had met with the Five Elders, fans speculated that Luffy and Shanks' reunion might lack emotional depth, suspecting Shanks to be an ally of the World Government. However, with One Piece Chapter #1137 confirming this was an entirely different individual, hopes for a heartfelt reunion between Luffy and Shanks have been reignited. The series' latest arc has further begun to spotlight this long-awaited moment.
One Piece Chapter #1136 features Luffy being expressively open about his desire to meet Shanks, throwing a tantrum like a child. While Luffy rarely voices this sentiment, Zoro’s remark confirms that meeting Shanks is always on Luffy's mind. This is further emphasized by Luffy’s willingness to free Loki, a criminal in the land of the giants. Although Luffy expected that Loki would reveal Shanks’ whereabouts after being freed, the latest twist suggests Luffy will face a new series of adventures, potentially a harrowing one, before getting closer to his goal.
Shamrock and Gunko have arrived in the Land of the Giants with a clear mission: to recruit Loki to their side. However, Loki has repeatedly refused their offers, while Luffy is about to discover that intruders are targeting Loki. Upon learning this, Luffy will undoubtedly rush to Loki out of concern, as Loki has convinced him that he possesses information about Shanks’ whereabouts. This impending encounter will bring Luffy face-to-face with Shanks’ look-alike, Shamrock, shattering his dream of meeting his ideal hero.
Meeting Shamrock Might Turn Bad For Luffy
Luffy May Resist Fighting Shamrock
Luffy and Shamrock's encounter will be particularly pivotal, as Luffy has never been portrayed as this eager to meet Shanks. Seeing Shamrock, someone who looks just like his idol, however, embodies the exact opposite ideals of his hero, would make a big impact on Luffy, and is sure to provide a different kind of development for the protagonist. This meeting could even take a negative turn, as facing someone who looks so much like his ideal might cause Luffy to hesitate or hold back.
The untapped powers of One Piece's incredibly powerful God's Knight could potentially leave Luffy injured, further breaking his dream of meeting his idol in an emotional setting. While it is inevitable that One Piece will eventually feature Luffy and Shanks’ reunion, the journey is proving far from easy for the protagonist, especially given his overwhelming eagerness. However, this struggle is precisely what will make their eventual reunion even more meaningful and emotional.
One Piece Might Be Preparing For an Even Emotional Reunion For Shanks and Luffy
Luffy’s ultimate goal in meeting Shanks is to return the Straw Hat the red-haired pirate entrusted to him and fulfill his promise to become a great pirate. Now, as one of the emperors of the seas, standing on the same level as his idol, Luffy has undoubtedly achieved the criteria to honor that promise. This may be why the latest arc places such emphasis on Luffy openly expressing his desire to meet Shanks. With this strong foundation, their reunion is poised to be a moment of immense pride for Luffy.
Thus, the latest twist, with Luffy potentially encountering Shanks' counterpart, could introduce a different kind of emotional complexity to his eventual reunion with Shanks. This might lead to Luffy adopting a more skeptical attitude towards Shanks, before finally realizing it is truly Shanks he is meeting, which would only heighten the emotional impact of the moment. Therefore, Luffy's eagerness to meet Shanks, coupled with One Piece not making this moment easy, suggests that their eventual reunion will be an even more emotional moment, satisfying fans' expectations after over two decades of anticipation.
- Created by
- Eiichiro Oda
- First Film
- One Piece: The Movie
- First TV Show
- One Piece
- Cast
- Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Ikue Ôtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi
- Video Game(s)
- One Piece: Unlimited World Red, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, One Piece: World Seeker, One Piece Odyssey
- Character(s)
- Monkey D. Luffy, Roronora Zoro, Nami (One Piece), Nico Robin, Usopp (One Piece), Vinsmoke Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, Franky (One Piece), Jimbei (One Piece)
