The latest revelations about the Gomu Gomu no Mi brought up a lot of questions, including what Shanks’ ultimate plan was.

After more than a decade of awesomeness, the wondrous world of One Piece and its many mysteries is not new in the anime world. One of the biggest mysteries that anime fans are speculating about right now is who Joy Boy is, whether Shanks was aware of the mystery behind the Gomu Gomu no Mi, and what the future holds for Luffy now that the world government will be after him with full force.

Eiichiro Oda first introduced the Gomu Gomu no Mi in Foosha Village in East Blue. During this time, the Gomu Gomu No Mi is simply a paramecia-type devil fruit consumed by a young Monkey D. Luffy. To fans, it is just one of many treasure harvests that any pirate could have encountered on the vast sea before Oda revealed his trump card and changed everything. Shanks stole the Gomu Gomu no Mi from a government ship, according to the revelation in episode 1040 of the anime and chapter 1017 of the manga. The intriguing aspect of this revelation is whether Shanks knows the secret behind the legendary devil fruit. Because why will red-haired Shanks and his crew go through so much trouble to steal a devil fruit on a government ship crawling with CP9 agents?

Shanks Robbery of the Gomu Gomu No Mi: Premeditated Or Coincidence

During the reverie, red-haired Shanks appeared before the Gorosei (five elders) in the holy land of Mariejoa to speak about a “certain pirate.” The identity of the ‘certain pirate’ and the nature of the situation have yet to be revealed. Gorosei did not appear surprised by the appearance of a figure who should be considered a criminal by the world government. This means Shanks visit to the five elders happened several times before the Marijoa visit. The revelation of Shanks’ connection to the Gomu Gomu No Mi adds to the already perplexing meeting with the five elders in One Piece.

With the disclosure that Luffy’s devil fruit is a non-paramecia type but one of the rarest mythical zoans, the Hito Hito no Mi, model of the enigmatic sun god Nika, red-haired Shanks’ motives are called into question. As a pirate, the fruit would most likely fetch a high price, but Luffy eating it changed the course of the series. Shanks went ahead and lost an arm to Luffy while protecting him from a sea monster in Foosha village. Shanks could have avoided the sea monster’s attack by using his conqueror’s haki, but he did not. Following this event, Shanks presented Luffy with the straw hat he inherited from the pirate king, Gol D. Roger. The theoretical nuance surrounding this event, coupled with all the events that have unfolded in recent chapters and episodes, explains Shanks strong belief in Luffy to revolutionise the world. The only theory that affirms Shanks’ strong belief in Luffy is his hidden knowledge about the Gomu Gomu no Mi secret.

Luffy And Shanks’ Tied Fate With The Gomu Gomu no Mi

The five elders of Marijoa conferred on the Gomu Gomu no Mi and the fear of what Luffy’s devil fruit would evolve into. The fruit appears to have been around for centuries, and the World Government conceals its legend and existence to thwart any search for it. However, devil fruits have their own will and usually choose their bearer. Luffy’s encounter with Shanks and how he ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi is no coincidence, even if One Piece fans doubted it.

Luffy, Sabo and Ace’s backstories portray the kind of person the rubber man is. He has always been a cheerful lad from the onset, and this is metaphorical with the characteristics of rubber. Rubber is resilient, and its ability to expand to no end to exert its freedom has always been a significant personality trait of Luffy. It can be gleaned that the Gomu Gomu no Mi found him, and his encounter with Shanks is fateful. As Luffy wreaked havoc on his adventure, his story goes far and wide, even to his hometown. Woop Slap, the old mayor of Luffy’s hometown, commented to Makino, the bar owner, that “Luffy is fated to be a powerful pirate”.

Another question is whether Shanks’ faith in Luffy was strengthened by the ‘D’ in Luffy’s name. Shanks holds many secrets about the mystery surrounding Luffy and his devil fruits. Knowing how Oda surprises fans with answers to his many secrets, red-haired Shanks has a significant role to play in unraveling some of One Piece’s many mysteries.

Src: gamerant.com