One Piece is all about adventure and freedom. As the story unfolds, Luffy forms bonds with some of the characters, especially his irreplaceable pirate crew and the captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, Shanks. They have a close bond, but does Luffy meet Shanks again in One Piece?
In the One Piece live-action series, Episodes 1 and 2 delve into the foundation of Luffy and Shanks’ bond.
We saw how Shanks inspired Luffy to carve his own path as a great pirate, and we also saw how Shanks lost an arm to save the young aspiring pirate king.
What Is Shanks’ Relationship to Luffy?
It is unclear what Shanks’ relationship to Luffy is in One Piece. Some say that Shanks is biologically related to Luffy, but some believe that Shanks only acts as an uncle or father figure to Luffy because he likes the young pirate king’s guts.
What is certain is that Shanks became an inspiration to Luffy. He was the one person whom Luffy looked up to the most due to his great pirate adventures and how good of a pirate he was, unlike others with corrupted and problematic minds.
In the Windmill Village, Shanks would often tell stories to Luffy, and their interaction became a cycle.
Every now and then, the Red-Haired Pirates stay in the village to regroup and have fun. This is where Luffy begins to understand Shanks and how he sees the world as a pirate.
As a result, Luffy would often ask Shanks to take him in as part of his crew, even at such a young age.
Of course, Shanks will have to refuse Luffy over and over again. The seas are dangerous, and it would only put Luffy’s life in great peril.
Not to mention, Luffy is the grandson of a vice admiral, which would be troublesome for Shanks and his crew.
One day, Shanks and his crew were drinking booze at Partys Bar when a group of mountain bandits disrupted their celebration.
Higuma, the leader of the bandits, poured sake on Shanks to insult him and his crew.
To Luffy’s surprise, Shanks didn’t do anything that would start a fight between his crew and the bandits.
This incident made Luffy mad; he began eating the devil fruit we come to know as Gomu Gomu no Mi (now known as Hito Hito no Mi).
The following day, the mountain bandits returned to the village, but Luffy decided to step in and confront the bandits on behalf of Shanks and his crew.
Higuma got mad, but before he could do anything to Luffy and the citizens of the village, Shanks and his crew arrived to take care of them.
However, Higuma manages to hold Luffy hostage, and the next thing we know, Luffy is drowning in the water.
Upon seeing this, Shanks took it upon himself to save Luffy from drowning. He even scared off a sea king from devouring them with his haki.
But the Sea King managed to chomp Shanks’ left arm before it disappeared for good in the series. To this day, Luffy feels guilty about his incident.
The day came when Shanks and Luffy had to part ways. The Red-Haired Pirates won’t be returning to the Windmill Village like they used to before, and Luffy has to bid farewell to the guy who saved his life.
But before leaving, Shanks left his straw hat to Luffy, and a promise has been made between the two beloved characters.
Does Luffy Meet Shanks Again?
Unfortunately, Shanks and Luffy have yet to meet each other again in One Piece. Not in the manga, the anime, or even in the One Piece live-action on Netflix.
They had some close encounters, but it’s not enough to call it a reunion.
Most of the time, Shanks would only get an update about Luffy’s endeavors from the wanted posters he managed to get his hands on.
Whenever Shanks sees that Luffy’s bounty has been updated, he knows that the young boy has done another feat that he needs to celebrate with his crew, just like he used to when Dracule MiHawk first handed him Luffy’s wanted poster.
In the Marineford Arc of the Summit War Saga, Shanks goes to Marineford to end the war, which involves many pirates and important characters in One Piece, including all the members of the marines, Blackbeard, Whitebeard’s entire crew, the seven warlords of the sea, Luffy, as well as Impel Down’s prison escapees.
We thought that Shanks and Luffy would get a reunion, but the latter passed out after witnessing Ace’s death at the hands of Akainu.
Shanks only held Luffy’s straw hat at this point, and he decided not to pursue a reunion with Luffy in the belief that it would break the promise they made in the past.
Fast forward to the Wano Country Arc; following Luffy’s battle with Kaidou, Shanks and his crew were sailing near the shores of Wano.
Shanks stopped the battle between an admiral named Ryokugyu and Momonosuke with his Conqueror Haki, and Luffy immediately knew that the haki belonged to Shanks.
In One Piece Film: Red, we learn more about Luffy’s relationship with Uta and Shanks.
Eiichiro Oda confirms that the characters in the movie are canon, but the movie in its entirety is not considered canon by many fans.
Regardless, in the movie, Luffy and Shanks manage to work together in different places at the same time to stop the Tot Musica and save Uta’s life.
After taking it down, Luffy and the others returned to the real world. However, Luffy was unconscious once again while Shanks watched over him. When Luffy woke up, Shanks was already leaving.
When Will Luffy Meet Shanks?
As of writing, we can only assume when Luffy will meet Shanks in One Piece again.
There are some theories online that suggest Luffy will meet Shanks in the great war that will surpass that of the war on Marineford.
But it is unclear what role Shanks will play, as some fans believe that Shanks, instead of Blackbeard, will be the final boss that Luffy has to defeat in One Piece.
Now that Kaido and Big Mom are out of the picture, Shanks is on the move to obtain the One Piece treasure.
With this, we are looking forward to a reunion and possibly a battle between the two captains and their pirate crew because of the One Piece treasure.
They now share a common goal, and it is up to the stronger crew to get their hands on it.
However, there are also speculations that Shanks is a really good guy from the start, and he will not be written as a villain as the plot climaxes in One Piece.
He will help Luffy and his crew defeat Blackbeard as well as the World Government, and then the story ends with a grand celebration.
So, what do you think? When will Shanks meet Luffy again? Will Shanks meet Luffy in Laugh Tale?
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