What If Roger Never Found Shanks?

The God Valley Incident remains one of the most important events in the One Piece timeline, although fans still don’t know exactly what went down on this mysterious island, only that it doesn’t exist anymore. What is known, however, is that the Rocks Pirates, Roger Pirates, Gods’ Knights, and Navy were all present in a huge battle that ended up with the destruction of the island.

One of the most important moments that came from this event was when Roger took a treasure chest from the island which, unbeknownst to him, had baby Shanks’s within it. From here, Roger would raise the child on his ship to be one of his cabin boys, eventually setting up the way the rest of the One Piece story would play out. However, let’s take a look at what would have happened if Roger had never found Shanks in the chest.

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How The World Would Have Looked

Why Shanks Not Being A Pirate Would’ve Changed Everything

The most obvious thing that came out of Shanks’ journey as a pirate is his impact on One Piece’s main character, Monkey D. Luffy. If Roger had never stolen the chest with Shanks in it, he wouldn’t have ever become a pirate. One Piece: Red confirmed that Shanks is a Celestial Dragon and a member of the Figarland family as the son of the Supreme Commander of the Gods’ Knights; St. Figarland Garling.

Seeing how xenophobic, racist, and bigoted the Celestial Dragons are, it’s no secret to assume that Shanks would have turned out the same way if he stayed in their ranks. In his official introduction to the series, Garling executed Donquixote Mjosgard for helping and protecting regular people who weren’t Celestial Dragons, which angered him so much that he claimed anyone who helps average folks is worthy of being executed themselves. This further reinforces how horrible the rule of the Celestial Dragons is and why the rest of the world hates them.

If Roger had never found Shanks, he would have never become a pirate and would have stayed a Celestial Dragon. Although Luffy was always ambitious and adventurous, it’s safe to say he wouldn’t have had the same pirate journey as the one he ended up with, since Shanks was his primary inspiration when it came to being a pirate and living freely, and he would never have received the Straw Hat either.

Knowing Luffy’s nature, he may still have ended up as a pirate but likely wouldn’t have gone as far, since he wouldn’t even have his iconic Devil Fruit. It was the Red Hair Pirates who intercepted the World Government vessel to steal the Gomu Gomu no Mi from it, which Luffy then ended up eating unknowingly while they were docked in Foosha Village. Although Luffy later awoke his Conqueror’s Haki to become one of the greatest pirates on the Grand Line, it was his Devil Fruit that carried him for most of his journey, especially at the start and even now with Gear 5.

Unless Luffy ate a different Devil Fruit, he likely wouldn’t even get past Alvida. Moreover, there would be a different Emperor of the Sea in Shanks’ place, while the World Government would be even stronger than it is now in the current setting. This is because not only would it have Garling and Shanks’ newly revealed evil twin from Chapter 1134, but would also have the insane Conqueror’s Haki and strength of Shanks himself, who would likely lead the Gods’ Knights with his father and brother.

If most of the events of the world still unfolded the same way, then Shanks also wouldn’t have been there to stop Kaido from arriving at Marineford, which would have played out completely differently. Kaido sought to arrive at Marineford to battle Whitebeard in the hopes of finally fighting against a worthy opponent to bring him to death. However, Shanks intervened to prevent an even larger-scale war from breaking out.

With Shanks no longer present as a Yonko, no one would have matched up to Kaido to stop him from coming, making the Marineford War far more destructive and would have released far more chaos into the world. Since the Gods’ Knights didn’t intervene during Marineford, it’s unlikely they would have done so here either, but the threat to the World Government would be far greater if there was a chance at a coalition formed between Whitebeard and Kaido, perhaps needing the Gods’ Knights to make an appearance.

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Roger’s Importance In Shanks’ Story

How The Pirate King Changed Fate

Roger is perhaps the most important character in the larger story of One Piece since it was his he who started the great pirate era, prompting the search for everything and paving the road for Joyboy’s true successor. Through his interference on God Valley and raising Shanks, he essentially acted as a father figure to the boy, moving him past his inherent proclivities as a Celestial Dragon to nurture him into a kind, compassionate, and inspirational figure.

Although Shanks definitely has a darker side to him that may be explored llater and one that betrays his initial appearance as a kind-hearted person, he is far better off now as a pirate than he would have been if he stayed a Celestial Dragon.

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

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One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates’ ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Seasons

20

Creator

Eiichiro Oda

Number of Episodes

1122

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