In chapter 907, Shanks meets with the Five Elders or the Gorosei to talk to them about “a certain pirate”. This raises multiple flags. The most obvious one being that Mariejois or the Holy Land has a strict policy against pirates.

Shanks is a Pirate. Yet, they weren’t surprised. Rather, the Gorosei were more concerned about others spotting Shanks with them.

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This raises an interesting and a grave question in our minds.

What is Shanks’ relationship with the Gorosei?

The Gorosei have authority over the World Government. They look to maintain the balance of the Three Great Powers (Marines, Warlords and Pirates). We also know that they hate pirates for that reason, as they disrupt this balance a lot.

What makes Shanks the exception?

There are various theories about him having a certain position, which might ally him with the Gorosei. At first, it will seem it would refer to him being a Yonko. But, Yonkos are still Pirates. Marines leave the Yonkos alone for the most part, due to their influence and power.

They have no authority over the Marines nor do they have any affiliation with the World Government. So, this doesn’t seem very plausible. Does this mean Shanks is working for them? As a secret spy or a World Noble (Celestial Dragon) or both?

There are theories running in the fandom that Shanks could be a secret Celestial dragon, which could be one of the things that Roger told him back in the ship. He cries…remember?

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We have to remember something though. The World Government has other agendas other than capturing pirates to maintain peace. The Gorosei mention that the “balance of the world cannot be maintained forever”.

Their priority is not to eradicate the Pirates. Rather it is to maintain this balance. They might go through enough lengths to keep it that way.

So, could Shanks just be the exception? His beliefs align with the Gorosei’s. He does not have the same ideals as most Pirates. His behavior during Marineford is a huge indicator of his pacifist nature. He gets violent only to defend his crew and the people he cares for (poor Eustass Kid). He is not craving more power like the other Yonkos.

This probably made him an easy person to negotiate with, especially keeping the balance of power aspect in mind. Maybe, what Shanks was about to say too reflects this.

But then, what exactly did he tell them? Why is he visiting them?

Why is Shanks visiting the Five Elders in Mariejois?

Despite the reason as to why he is allowed to meet them, Shanks is there to talk about a “certain pirate”. So, who is he talking about?

Could it be Blackbeard?

Blackbeard is doing more now than what has ever been done before. He has two of the strongest Devil Fruits to date. He is also a Yonko who is currently residing in Whitebeard’s territory. The entirety of the Marines would be needed to take him and his crew down.

Not just that, he has been very active in the recent chapters, with attacking Law, trying to frisk away Boa Hancock and then eventually kidnapping Coby. He is also built himself a very formidable crew in the background.

We know Shanks is wary of Blackbeard. He gave Shanks his scar. He tried warning Ace and Whitebeard about him as well. He also knows that if Blackbeard were to be let loose, it would only cause more chaos.

He is most likely letting them know that Blackbeard is dangerous and he needs to be stopped.

What information does Shanks have on him though? Shanks could be warning them because of what he could be planning.

Shanks may also know some secret about Blackbeard which he wants to inform the World Government of. While its too hard to figure out the information now, we might get more hints about this in the future.

Could it be Luffy?

Following the Whole Cake Island Arc, Luffy’s actions inflated his reputation greatly. Luffy’s new 1,500,000,000 Berries bounty indicates that Luffy completed his task of becoming a Great Pirate. He’s ready to meet Shanks again soon.

If Shanks is a Celestial Dragon or a spy and if he realized Luffy has a real chance of ending up at Laugh Tale, he would want to stop it at any cost. This theory paints Shanks to be the ultimate villain.

But, he already saved Luffy twice. He might be doing it again by meeting with the Gorosei. He is likely warning the World Government. If Luffy becomes a Great Pirate, the seas might be more “balanced” through his influence. Which means less trouble for them.

A win-win situation. Or he could also be diverting their attention from Luffy to ask them to focus on the other two threats in Wano!

At least this is what it seemed like when the chapter dropped. However, in retrospect, there could be one more reason why Shanks could have talked about Luffy.

The Hito Hito no Mi: Model Nika –

We know that the Hito Hito no Mi: Model Nika was a fruit that was highly sought after by the world government. They had been trying to acquire it for 800 years, but never were they able to make it theirs. While they did come in possession of the fruit at one point, it was stolen by Red Hair Pirates.

And now Shanks was among those very few people who knew what happened to this fruit. He could be there just to tell the World Government that Luffy was the one who ate Hito Hito no Mi Model: Nika.

While this information was not available to us then, it is now, and in retrospect it seems like a possible option.

Rather than being there as a spy, Shanks could be there to warn them that the New Generation was finally becoming stronger. With Luffy awakening his powers, it would mean that the secrets that the World Government was holding back, would slowly be revealed one by one.

This indeed sounds very Utopian, but it’s not something that we can ignore!

What about the Rocks Pirates?

Garp got the title “hero” after he supposedly defeated Rocks D. Xebec. According to Garp, even after the Rocks Pirates lost their captain, they are still making a ruckus in the new world.

This legend may also be related to Shanks and in that this person is his father. Shanks doesn’t want his old man to rise to power again. In chapter 434, Whitebeard mentioned “that guy”. Some say it is Gol D. Roger but he wouldn’t need to use the term “that guy” if it was Roger.

So if he was talking about someone else that means Shanks looks like “that guy”, as he mentions his scar throbbing when he sees Shanks. Whoever it was is also so strong he can give a scar to The Strongest Man in the World Whitebeard.

According to us, Shank’s is most likely wanting to talk about Blackbeard, him being the most dangerous and immediate threat. The other possibilities are speculations that may or may not happen, as the reasonings do not fit his known intentions.

So, why do you think Shank’s met up with the Gorosei? Do you agree with the theories above or do you have some answers of your own? Please let us know in the comments below!