Since One Piece entered its final saga over two years ago, fans have enjoyed exciting developments around Red-Haired Shanks. Everyone knows Shanks plays a crucial role in the entire One Piece story, and even Oda has emphasized that he is as important as Luffy.
Since the final saga began, fans have uncovered many details about Shanks. Although much of his story remains a mystery, Oda has revealed some fascinating hints. For example, why Shanks sacrificed his left arm to protect Luffy early on. For the keen-eyed, Oda has also hinted at the existence of an ancestor of Shanks who lived long ago during the Void Century. This ancestor possessed incredible power, much like Shanks himself.
Shanks Belongs to the Figarland Clan in One Piece
The first thing fans should note about Red-Haired Shanks is that he comes from the Figarland family. Fans have long suspected Shanks is descended from the Celestial Dragons. While Film Red cleverly connected him directly to the Figarland clan, fans had already theorized long before that Shanks was born into a noble lineage.
It turns out to be true. Shanks is actually the twin brother of Saint Shamrock Figarland and the son of Saint Garling Figarland. The Figarland family holds great influence in the Holy Land of Mariejois. They have led the Holy Knights for a long time, and notably, Garling was Imu’s first choice to replace Saturn, showing how powerful the Figarlands are. Oda even teased their overwhelming strength recently during a Q&A, saying, “Garling is very strong. There’s a reason behind his power.”
Oda Drew a Red-Haired Character Before One Piece Began
One remarkable aspect of Shanks is his powerful Haki. Haki is a trait rarely mastered by the Navy, likely because it ties to the spirit and ambition of a king. Yet Shanks wields it with great skill. This might mean his family is highly adept at using Haki.
In fact, Shanks’ ancestors may have been incredibly strong pirates. To understand this, we need to look back at Oda’s earliest character sketches. He drew three characters: a boy resembling Luffy, a red-haired man with an eye patch, and a brown-haired girl.
That red-haired man is very likely the prototype for Shanks and could be Shanks’ ancestor. Fans might dismiss him as unrelated, but Oda has incorporated characters from his one-shots before. For example, Ryuma from the one-shot Monsters was brought into the story. Recently, Oda revealed that another one-shot character, Gill Buster from Wanted, became a member of the Rocks Pirates.
This red-haired man with the eye patch could be the first Figarland and possibly a pirate who later sided with the World Government, much like how Lily sided with Joy Boy.
Source: Gamerant