The Fourth Road Poneglyph is like our college marksheet. Our dad knows it’s there, he just doesn’t know where to find it. The location of the Fourth Road Poneglyph has always remained shrouded in mystery. Aside from the fact that it resided in the Whale Forest of Fishmen Island a little more than 20 years ago, there is not much about it.

What we have is a blurred assumption that someone took away the Poneglyph. But who could that gentleman be? We believe it was someone who knew about the Road Poneglyphs and the existence of One Piece.

Our guess? It could be “Akagami no Shanks.” He was in Roger’s crew and although he never stepped into Raftel, he knew about its existence. He perfectly fits the profile of someone who could possibly “vanish” the Fourth Road Poneglyph.

Shanks was on Roger’s Ship

So what? Even Buggy was on Roger’s ship. Yes, we know the argument spread potential of this argument. But apart from Rayleigh, Oden, and Roger, only Shanks was strong enough to take the Poneglyph in his possession.

He is arguably the strongest and possibly one of the smartest characters in the series. Shanks knew that One Piece demanded a worthy heir and so he might have taken it upon himself to keep the Poneglyph hidden until the worthy successor arrives. Could this be the message that Roger gave him and what made him cry, knowing that he can’t be the king of pirates?

It’s is a plausible explanation as to why Shanks never tried to claim the title of the King of the Pirates. He became a Yonko of course, but it might be just to keep the “unruly waves” balanced. Let’s not forget that it was Shanks to stopped the war at Marineford. Before this, he stopped Kaido in his tracks before he could join the Marineford War.

The Yonko Tradition

As we already know, almost every Yonko has a Road Poneglyph in their Possession. Big Mom has one in her treasure room and Kaido is also known to own a Road Poneglyph. The now missing Poneglyph once floated in the territory of Whitebeard.

So, it’s like a cultural thing going between the Yonkos. On a more serious note, the Road Poneglyphs are perhaps amongst the most valuable artifacts in the One Piece world. So, it is safe to assume that they would be in the care of some powerful individuals. From where we see it, a Yonko like Shanks has the relevant qualification for owning one.

Although we also have Blackbeard on the Yonko list, it is highly unlikely that he would be holding the final Road Poneglyph. He became a Yonko only recently after the demise of Whitebeard. It doesn’t look like he would be carrying the knowledge of the Fourth Road Poneglyph.

Shanks on the other side knew the previous location of the Poneglyph and that reflects some solid logic.

The Yonko of the New World

We know that Shanks is the pirate of the New World. But what does that has to do with the Poneglyph? It has been noted that 4 of the 3 Road Poneglyphs dwell in the New World. We have already discussed how Blackbeard does have the required CV to own the Fourth Road Poneglyph. This leaves us with Shanks.

Now, if we take the story a few, actually many years back, Shanks said to Luffy that he would be waiting for him. After Luffy was declared the Fifth Yonko by the Morgans, Shanks believed that the time to meet Luffy was nearing.

It could be that Shanks has been guarding and safekeeping the final Road Poneglyph for Luffy. He believes in Luffy and maybe he knows that this young Strawhat is destined to become the King of the Pirates.

Akagami sacrificed his left arm for the sake of Luffy and even entrusted his beloved Strawhat to him. All this shows how much trust and belief Shanks has invested in the Captain of the Strawhat Pirates. When Whitebeard asked how Akagami lost his arm, he simply replied that he wagered it for the next generation. That’s proof enough for us.

Shanks could have taken the Poneglyph from the Fishman Island after Whitebeard’s death. Well, he certainly didn’t want it to fall in the wrong hands. Could Shanks have suggested that Road Poenglyph be stored in the Sphinx Island?

However, the question that now begs to be answered is, where has Shanks tucked away this missing piece of the puzzle. He is known to be an adventurer and is frequently moving around. It sure would be hard to store a Poneglyph on a ship!

Could it be possible that he has hidden it away in one the islands he protects. If that’s so, then will Bartolomeo burning RH Pirates’ flag in the cover of chapter 896 foreshadow to something bigger?

So, what do you think about this theory? Is it possible that Shanks is the owner of the Fourth Road Poneglyph? Was Shanks the one who moved the Poneglyph from Fishmen Island? Let us know what you think in the comments section down below.