Highlights
- Shanks, despite being a former member of the Roger Pirates, has never been to Laugh Tale and is determined to visit the final island and see the treasure for himself.
- Shanks stole the Gomu Gomu no Mi Devil Fruit from the World Government and seemed shocked when Luffy ended up eating it, leading him to protect Luffy from harm.
- Shanks may have a deeper goal beyond Laugh Tale, potentially involving allying with Luffy to claim the One Piece and take down the World Government, surpassing Roger's achievements.
Along the broad spectrum of theories surrounding Shanks' true motives in One Piece, none have been able to provide conclusive proof of what his eventual role in the story will be as it progresses. Beginning with how he inspired Luffy to take to the seas in search of Roger's treasure, to his meeting with the Five Elders in Mary Geoise, there have been many instances where his actions diverged from what was often expected of him.
While it may not be too out of character for Shanks to have his own objectives beyond keeping the peace in the New World, the confusion surrounding his relationship with Luffy in One Piece is something that may hopefully be addressed in the Straw Hat Pirates' upcoming visit to Elbaf. Shanks' declaration of his desire to go and claim the One Piece is another development that most fans of the series may not have expected, since he is well aware of the fact that it is Luffy's main goal. With all this considered, is it plausible that Shanks was actually waiting for Joy Boy to emerge in order to seek out Laugh Tale?
Shanks' Original Goals
Even though he was once part of the famed Roger Pirates who conquered the Grand Line and journeyed to Laugh Tale, Shanks did not actually get to see the final island. Unfortunately, his crewmate at the time Buggy, fell ill shortly after the crew went to Zou. Deciding to look after his friend and stay back while the rest of the crew went onward, Shanks was never able to visit Laugh Tale or see the treasure lying in wait over there.
Despite this, he resolved to one day make his own voyage to Laugh Tale and see it for himself, as the Roger Pirates disbanded and went their separate ways. However, Shanks then chose to delay his quest for the One Piece, waiting for when the time was right to set out for the New World. Since he did speak to Gol D. Roger and the rest of the Roger Pirates after their journey back from Laugh Tale, it is fairly likely that he had some knowledge of what lay on the island, as well as the true nature of the Gomu Gomu no Mi.
Biding His Time
In fact, one of Shanks' most important actions in One Piece, is his theft of the Gomu Gomu no Mi — now revealed to be the Mythical Zoan Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika — from a World Government ship that was under the protection of Who's-Who. The former CP9 agent and future member of the Beasts Pirates' Tobiroppo, held a lifelong grudge against Shanks for stealing the fruit from under his nose and ruining his career. Additionally, Who's-Who also despised Luffy who went on to consume the fruit.
This latter event could be important part of Shanks' reason for delaying his journey to Laugh Tale. As he was probably aware of the true nature of the Devil Fruit he had stolen, Shanks must have been in shock on seeing Luffy eat it. Whether Shanks intended to consume it himself, or use it in some other manner is not really certain, but from then on, quite a few of his actions can be traced back to his desire to keep Luffy out of harm's way.
From intervening at Marineford to stopping Admiral Ryokugu off the shores of Wano Country, he has always looked out for Luffy from a distance. Many would argue that this is out of genuine concern for Luffy, and that may be true to some extent. Over time, as he amassed more power and became one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, he gradually built up a wide network of allies and contacts to aid him when the time would come to set out for Laugh Tale. Regardless of these instances, it may not be outlandish to question whether he was also interested in following Luffy's progress to see if he would eventually go on to Awaken the fruit and become the one who was referred to by Joy Boy as his second coming.
Surpassing His Former Captain
All this ties into how Shanks' real goal may not revolve around just visiting Laugh Tale, but making use of the treasure that is said to have been left there by Joy Boy himself. With Luffy's Awakening now signaling that Joy Boy has returned, at least according to Zunesha, the time is now rife for Shanks to take action and potentially ally with him in a bid to do what Roger could not.
Alternatively, Shanks may also choose to compete against Luffy for the title of Pirate King, although this may be a little out of character considering his mostly benevolent intentions. The only evidence to the contrary may be in his ruthless defeat of the Kid Pirates, and his seizure of their Poneglyph copies, hinting that he is quite serious about his desire to claim the One Piece.
Where the Roger Pirates arrived at Laugh Tale too early and did not possess the mythical Devil Fruit named after Sun God Nika, Shanks now has the chance to claim the One Piece alongside his protégé and take down the World Government. This is the ideal scenario, where Shanks still adheres to his moral code and does not harbor any malicious intent towards Luffy and his crew. Through this course of events, both Shanks and Luffy could finally surpass Roger's achievements and reveal the true history of the Void Century to the rest of the world, triggering the downfall of the World Government and the start of a new era.
One Piece is available to stream on Crunchyroll.