To commemorate the upcoming release of One Piece's 1,000th chapter, creator Eiichiro Oda sent out a brief message during the 2020 Jump Festa. In the message, he brings up the upcoming 1000th chapter, praises Kimetsu No Yaiba's success, and confirms the 100th volume of One Piece will release in 2021. However, there's one other slight hint he alludes to about what's to come in One Piece: The man with "red hair" will finally make his move.
Clearly, Oda is referring to none other than Red-Haired Shanks, Luffy's hero and one of the biggest names in the world of One Piece. Shanks not only served in Gol D. Roger's crew when he was a kid but as an adult, he's become a Yonko, one of the four strongest and most feared pirates in the New World. Yet, Shanks is a character still cloaked in so much mystery. What could Oda mean by him "making his move?"
Thank you to everyone who participated to this year's online Jump Fest!
— ONE PIECEスタッフ【公式】 (@Eiichiro_Staff) December 27, 2020
Here is a translation of Oda-san message that was revealed on the super stage!
Chapter 1000 is near, get ready!#ONEPIECE1000LOGS pic.twitter.com/X73yhdxg7Y
We've seen Shanks a mere handful of times since the time skip, his motives always shrouded in mystery. In Chapter #838, during the "From the Decks of the World: The 500,000,000 Man" cover story, Shanks is seen with his crew reading a newspaper about Luffy's recent victory over Doflamingo and his increased bounty. The title of the cover reads "At a wedding that takes place within the ruins of a certain island" and shows a chapel and some cacti in the background, but that's not enough to surmise where in the New World Shanks and his crew are.
We don't see Shanks again until Chapter #903 when Luffy's bounty increases to 1.5 billion beli. The Yonko is sitting on a rocky coast reading the headline like a proud father. He states further that he and Luffy will meet again very soon.
Shanks' most recent appearance is in Chapter #907. This appearance may hold the most clues to Shank's supposed course of action. Taking place during the Revery, the Five Elders, the highest-ranked Celestial Dragons that control the World Government, are meeting with Shanks. Shanks states to the Five Elders that there's a "pirate" he needs to speak with them about.
Who this pirate may be is unclear, but there are a few likely candidates. Shanks may be referring to either Kaido or Blackbeard, as they're two of the biggest obstacles towards stability in the New World. Big Mom is another possibility. Shanks may even be referring to Luffy and his potential in becoming the Pirate King. However, there's nothing to suggest Shanks is referring to a current-day pirate. Maybe he wishes to share something about Gol D. Roger. It's still too early to tell, although, another interesting tidbit about this meeting is what one of the five elders says: They only arranged this meeting at his request.
The Celestial Dragons are the last people you'd expect to make sacrifices for people, and for the five most powerful people on the planet to do so for a pirate of all people is unheard of. They even send their personal guards out of the room before their discussion begins. Very peculiar, but this conversation proves Shanks has enough influence that the five Elders are even willing to engage in neutral conversation.
Whatever Shanks' next course of action will be, we can assume this will have lasting effects on the world of One Piece. 2021 is looking to be an exciting year for the manga.
