One Piece Theory: Shanks’ Tattoo May Be the Reason Roger Knew His Real Identity

The Elbaf Arc in One Piece is turning out to be more exciting than ever, thanks to the new villains being introduced and the several plot twists that keep happening. It’s almost impressive how much focus Shanks is getting during this arc despite not being on the island. Since the moment Luffy met Loki, the young Yonko has been looking for clues to locate the Red-Haired Pirate. Luffy made a promise to Shanks to meet him again and return his Straw Hat when the former becomes a great pirate. Several years later, Luffy still awaits the day he can meet his role model again. Although their reunion will eventually happen, we will have to wait quite a while before they cross paths again.

In the meantime, the second arc of the Final Saga is dropping one bomb after another. Things only continue to escalate after the arrival of the Holy Knights, and now the real fight will begin when Luffy and the others plan to join the battle. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were in the underworld with Loki when the Holy Knights commenced their attack by taking the children hostage. Now that everyone knows about what’s going on in the Sun World, they all plan to take the villains down. However, before the fight begins, One Piece begins another backstory and reveals a major secret about Shanks.

Shanks Has the Same Tattoo as the Holy Knights

One Piece Chapter 1152 reveals that Shanks has the same mysterious tattoo we saw on the Holy Knights. In a flashback to 14 years ago, Shanks and Gaban are enjoying a hot bath in the latter’s house, where his tattoo is clearly visible. It’s also the same arm that Shanks sacrificed for Luffy’s sake. Until now, we believed it was his way of teaching Luffy, an impulsive yet ambitious kid, the dangers of the sea. Luffy changed a lot since the incident and abided by Shanks’ teachings.

However, there may be more to it than we realized. The tattoo somehow resembles the logo of the World Government, but there is a distinct difference between them. It represents a lot more than just status; it allows the bearers to travel through the Abyss, a demonic magic circle that can teleport them to anywhere in the world in an instant. There’s a high possibility that it was imprinted on Shanks and any Celestial Dragon at the time of their birth. That specific tattoo could mean that the person is of noble blood, or maybe it could’ve been a way for the World Government to mark their “properties,” who are supposed to serve them using their skills. It could also be the reason Roger knew about Shanks’ identity.

Why Is This Theory Plausible?

The Wano Country Saga featured Oden’s flashback, where we learned a lot about the Roger Pirates’ journey to Laughtale. After Roger completed his journey, he made up his mind to surrender himself to the Marines since he already didn’t have much time left. In Chapter 968, Shanks asked Roger something and burst into tears. No one knows the details of the conversation, but it could have something to do with Shanks’ real identity. If Shanks always had that tattoo on his arm, it would make sense for Roger to know that Shanks belongs to one of the World Noble families.

Chapter 1149 suggests that the Roger Pirates and the Holy Knights had fought each other before, since Sommers was quite familiar with Gaban. Anyone could make a connection between them if they share the same tattoo. It was the last time Shanks ever saw Roger, and he went to Mariejois not long after. The details about his visit have yet to be revealed, but it’s clear now that he spent quite some time there before returning to his life as a pirate.

Judging by the conversation between Gaban and Shanks in Chapter 1152, it’s obvious that Gaban also knows quite a bit about the Red-Haired Pirate since he called him the “Child of Fate.” Roger adopted Shanks 38 years ago during the God Valley Incident and raised him to be a pirate. The island had the natives of God Valley, slaves, and Celestial Dragons at the time, but it was strange to keep a child inside a treasure chest. The sea is all Shanks has ever known, and it would be incomprehensible for him to work with such vile people as the World Nobles.