This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.
Summary
- Shanks had his scar 14 years ago
- Blackbeard likely met Shanks shortly after Roger's death
- Shanks didn't hit his prime until much later.
One Piece is currently in the Elbaf arc, which all fans know is heavily connected to Shanks. While Shanks himself isn't present here at the moment, he is still deeply involved in the story, especially now that it's been confirmed that he had ties to the World Government as well, and that he frequents this place as often as he does.
One Piece: Oda Might Just Have Confirmed Shanks's Strongest Ability, And It's Not Haki
Shanks is a powerful haki user, but his strongest ability might be something completely different in One Piece.
With One Piece chapter 1152, Oda has now confirmed to the fans how it was possible for Blackbeard to scar Shanks permanently. After years of wondering, the answer is now quite clear.
Shanks Already Had His Scar 14 Years Ago
- Loki's Flashback Shows Shanks With The Scar
- Shanks Was Very Young Back Then
In One Piece chapter 1152, Oda finally began the Loki flashback, and it was quite exciting to see the events from 14 years ago which tackled the death of King Harald to quite an extent. At the same time, it was revealed that Shanks and Scopper Gaban were hanging out in Elbaf, and the two ended up sensing a rather strange Haki from Elbaf.
What kind of enemy did you give that left arm of yours to? — Whitebeard to Shanks
Fans couldn't help but notice that Shanks had his scar on his face 14 years ago, and around this time, he was in his mid-20s. This means that Shanks was far from reaching his prime years. In fact, the Red Hair Pirates didn't even exist at this point in the story. In other words, Shanks was far from fulfilling his potential at this point in the story, and that's very important to note.
Blackbeard And Shanks Met When Shanks Was Very Young
Blackbeard Likely Met Shanks Shortly After Roger’s Death
It is unclear what type of relationship Shanks and Blackbeard have, or when they met, but one thing that's for certain is that they met before 14 years ago. In other words, Blackbeard scarred a very young Shanks, and not the Shanks that many fans were expecting. Given that Shanks is implied to work for the Holy Knights around this time in the story, it is highly likely that this scar came before he even took the position, which means the scar likely happened around the time when Roger died. As Shanks went his own way, he likely ran into Teach somehow and the two fought, which led to Shanks getting injured, despite being Roger's trusted apprentice.
One Piece: Oda Has Already Confirmed Shanks's Holy Knight Past
In One Piece, Shanks has a deep connection to the Celestial Dragons and, in turn, the Holy Knights.
So you've come, Red Hair! Those scars look nice on you! — Blackbeard
Shanks Didn't Hit His Prime Until Much Later
Shanks being injured by Teach when he was very young is a clear indication of the fact that this was only possible because Shanks was still very young and far from his full strength. Finally, after years of wondering how it was possible for Blackbeard to injure Shanks so badly, Oda has explained how it was possible, and fans can finally rest at ease knowing that their beloved red-haired Yonko wasn't at his best when it happened. Still, Blackbeard isn't one to be underestimated, and fans should remember that at the end of the day, they're both Yonko, and Blackbeard is as capable of beating him, just as Shanks can beat him.
One Piece Chapter 1153 will be out this week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on June 29. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1152 is June 29, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
