In the current manga chapter of One Piece, there is a hint as to why Shanks may have sacrificed his arm for Luffy. He not only saved the Straw Hat Pirate’s life, but probably his own as well.
How did Shanks lose his arm? Already in the first chapter of the manga, released in 1999, Shanks loses his left arm during an attack by a Sea King. These are particularly dangerous, large sea monsters that live in the world seas.
Luffy unknowingly ate the Gum-Gum Fruit and suddenly can no longer swim. When he is about to drown at sea after being kidnapped and attacked by a sea monster, Shanks comes to his aid. In this attack, the Sea King bites off his arm.
The curious thing is: Right after that, a glance from Shanks is enough to make the monster flee. He is one of the strongest pirates without Devil Fruits, which is why he could have easily taken on the Sea King. Fans have always wondered why the red-haired pirate didn’t immediately scare off the monster but sacrificed his arm instead. With the new chapter, there is now an answer.
Shanks did not want to be a slave of the World Government
Warning, spoilers: Here is information from chapters 1167 and 1168 of the manga.
Why would he want to get rid of it? In chapter 1167, we see that Shanks was once supposed to become part of the Order of the Gods. He was a serving blade but was to receive a Deep Sea Contract to bind himself more closely to Imu and the World Government.
The knights are directly subordinate to Imu and carry out his commands. In chapter 1168, we see how exactly that works:
- You receive a tattoo on your left arm from Imu.
- Imu grants the bound person god-like powers. With the powers also comes immortality.
- You have no free will anymore and must obey Imu’s commands.
When King Harald receives an order he wants to resist, the powers of the Deep Sea Contract take effect. Harald becomes a slave of Imu and his body no longer obeys him.
Shanks may have wanted to prevent such a fate. In chapter 1152, it is seen that he already had such a tattoo on his left arm. He may have wanted to escape Imu’s reach or at least leave his past behind by willfully having his arm amputated.
There has not yet been a direct confirmation of this in the manga. However, all clues indicate that Shanks had his arm amputated for this reason.
So Shanks not only saved Luffy’s life but probably also his free will. Recently, the red-haired pirate had his biggest appearance in the battle against Eustass Kid. You can find out how the battle ended here: One Piece shows a long-awaited battle in the anime – a fan-favorite is fighting for the first time in 25 years
