This article contains spoilers for One Piece's Elbaf Arc.

Summary

  • Shanks is revealed to be related to Celestial Dragons, including having a twin brother who is a Commander of the Holy Knights.
  • Shanks was found by Roger Pirates as a baby, leading to speculation about his mysterious mother and early life.
  • Fans predict Shanks' sad backstory may involve his mother sacrificing herself to protect him from the Celestial Dragons.

One Piece’s Elbaf Arc has officially confirmed one of the biggest theories of the fanbase so far; the fact that Shanks has a twin brother. This twin, being a Commander of the Holy Knights and a Celestial Dragon, shows that there is much more to the red-haired pirate than meets the eye. With little extra information being revealed in the chapter following Shanks’s twin's official reveal, fans are now only left to speculate about the true connection between Shanks and the rest of his family in One Piece.

However, many fans believe one thing for certain; Shanks’s backstory and relationship with his family in One Piece is bound to be sad. More often than not, the backstories in One Piece are revealed to be incredibly depressing, making up some of the saddest elements of the series so far. Although they may not come anytime soon, when Shanks’s backstory with his twin brother is eventually revealed, fans had better be ready for one of the saddest One Piece backstories to date.

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The Pirate Was Raised By Roger

Although little is known about Shanks’s infancy, most of the One Piece Emperor’s life has been accounted for in the story. Shanks was found in a chest on God Valley at the age of one by the Roger Pirates, who took him in and raised him for many years, up until the One Piece Pirate King’s death. From there, Shanks almost immediately set out to become a pirate, chasing after his dream to follow in Roger’s footsteps and eventually become a great captain in his own right.

You gotta be related to that Red-Haired pirate... - Loki to Shamrock

Recently in One Piece, it was revealed that Shanks is a son of the Celestial Dragon, Figerland Garling, who is currently one of the Five Elders, and has an older twin brother named Shamrock, who is the Commander of the Holy Knights. Due to this, many fans have started speculating that Shanks may have more of a backstory than they had anticipated. Additionally, at some time, it was stated that Shanks attempted to return to his homeland, but left as he preferred the life of pirates.

Shanks's Backstory Can Cover How He Ended Up In The Chest As A Baby

Shanks's Mother Might Be Involved

Young Shanks and Buggy Fighting The Whitebeard Pirates In One Piece
  • Most Of Shanks's Childhood Has Been Explored
  • Shanks's Infancy In One Piece Is Still A Mystery

Firstly, although most of Shank’s life has been shown thus far, the year between his birth and One Piece's God Valley Incident could be holding a massive amount of information that could answer many of the audience’s burning questions. Namely, fans have been wondering how Shanks ended up in a chest on God Valley where he was found by the Roger Pirates in the first place. Plus, since Shanks’s father and brother have been revealed, many fans have wondered who Shanks’s mother is.

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So far, many fans have predicted that Shanks’s mother in One Piece may be the one who saved him from the life of the Celestial Dragons. Many fans have predicted that putting Shanks in the chest may have been a last-ditch effort to protect him from some sort of event that occurred within the realm of the Celestial Dragons as well. Potentially, the infant Shanks may have found the ire of Imu himself, or one of the Five Elders, for some reason, leading to his mother needing to flee with the infant and hide him away.

Shanks's Mother May Have Died A Tragic Hero

She May Have Sacrificed Herself To Save Shanks

Shanks Cry One Piece-1

At the same time, many fans believe that in protecting the future Emperor Shanks in One Piece, his mother may not have survived the encounter. With little evidence that she is alive today, it seems very likely that her death and Shanks appearing in the chest are related in some way. Although there is no evidence for this so far, if Shanks’s mother were to be revealed, it may reveal a lot about his character.

He returned to the Holy Lands once, but he seems to prefer the filth of the lower world... - Shamrock referring to Shanks

While there isn’t a large amount of time to cover in Shanks’s backstory, since One Piece is in its Final Saga, these moments may be the saddest parts of his life revealed thus far. With his infancy being an era full of mystery and his mother being a potentially tragic hero, Shanks’s backstory is gearing up to be one of the saddest in One Piece. However, fans may have to wait a fair amount of time before the full history of the One Piece Emperor is revealed.