Summary
- Scopper Gaban is speculated to be the man marked by flames, who potentially holds the final Road Poneglyph.
- Shanks visiting Gaban on Elbaf indicates a possible connection to the One Piece treasure, suggesting he may be the closest to uncovering it.
- If the theory holds true, Shanks may possess all 4 Road Poneglyph rubbings, making him a major contender for the mythical treasure.
Just like all the other chapters of the Elbaf arc, Chapter 1140 of the One Piece manga certainly didn’t disappoint. There were some incredible reveals made here, as well as the long-awaited fight between Scopper, Luffy, and Zoro, though it wasn’t as serious as fans had initially believed it would be. One such reveal was something that many believe changes everything about the current standing of the Emperors of the Sea.
In a brief flashback, some eagle-eyed fans caught a glimpse of something that makes them believe that, at the current moment, Shanks may be the closest in the world to finding Joyboy’s mythical treasure; the One Piece. Although the only way this can be true relies on another theory that first needs to be confirmed, many think that this will be the case, so let’s look at how Shanks could be the closest to the titular treasure.
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Scopper Is The Man Marked By Flames
A Longstanding Theory Within The Community
|
First Appearance |
One Piece, Chapter 19, “Devil Fruit” |
|---|---|
|
Official Debut |
One Piece, Chapter 1139, “The Mountain Eater” |
|
Official Debut Story Arc |
Elbaf |
Scopper is a character who fans have wanted to see in the series for years now. He is one of the most powerful characters of the old generation and was recently confirmed to be an equal to both Roger and Rayleigh, acting as the left wing to the Pirate King in his era. Due to being one of the most prominent members of Roger’s crew, Scopper knows everything about the One Piece treasure as well as the truth behind the Void Century.
It is known that the location of Laugh Tale can only be shown when one triangulates it by using the 4 Road Poneglyphs. These special stones were located in various important areas in the world, and at the end of the Wano arc, the location of 3 of them had been confirmed, and the 3 strongest crews from the Worst Generation, being the Straw Hats, Kidd Pirates, and Heart Pirates, each walked away with the Road Poneglyph rubbings. This put each of these crews on the same level in terms of how far they were from Laugh Tale.
However, following the events of Wano, the Heart Pirates were attacked by Blackbeard’s crew, who ended up taking all of their rubbings, while the Kidd Pirates took on Shanks’ crew but were utterly decimated and had their Poneglyph rubbings taken as well. Now, the location of the final Road Poneglyph is a mystery but is said to belong to someone called ‘the man marked by flames’, of which nothing is known so far.
A very likely theory is that this man is Scopper Gaban. Being one of the only people to have ever seen the One Piece treasure would make him the perfect candidate to safeguard the final Poneglyph until the destined person came to collect it from Elbaf, the safest country from the hands of the World Government. Plus, he has a scar above his right eye that looks suspiciously like fire, giving even more credence to this theory.
It is said ‘that man’ can be found on a pitch black ship, and if anyone sails near, they end up swallowed by giant whirlpools!
In Chapter 1140, it is revealed that Shanks visited Gaban on Elbaf shortly before the Straw Hats got there, which lines up since he was already there beforehand when the Kidd Pirates attacked. Here, he spoke about Luffy and how he is someone that Gaban should trust when he comes across him. This got fans thinking. If Gaban truly is the man marked by flames, and if Shanks knows this, then it is highly likely that Gaban gave Shanks the rubbings of the final Road Poneglyph, given their history and trust.
If this is true, it would change everything since it would confirm Shanks as the only person to have all 4 Road Poneglyph rubbings, making him the closest to the mythical One Piece treasure. In fact, Shanks seemed to have left the island long before Luffy even got there, so it’s implied that he is on his way to Laugh Tale during the Elbaf arc, and the next time fans see the Red Hair Pirates, there will be a lot to catch up on.
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What Could This Mean For The Future
How Plausible Is This Theory?
Until Oda reveals the truth of the matter, it’s impossible for fans to know whether the theories of Scopper being the man marked by flames and if he gave Shanks the Poneglyph rubbings are true. Many fans have thought for years now that Shanks has a darker side to his character that will eventually be explored towards the end of the series, and to see him be the first one to Laugh Tale would set him up in a bit of an antagonistic role that would be the perfect counter to Luffy.
It’s clear that he won’t outright be an evil villain, but it’s long been theorized that Shanks will have some small role that will briefly pit him against Luffy. And, there would be no better way for this to come about than him being the person who stands in the way of Luffy becoming the Pirate King at the end of the series. Many are against this theory since Luffy is more or less destined to be the Pirate King, which he wouldn’t be if Shanks found the treasure first. However, Joyboy likely made the One Piece as something that can only be used properly by whoever the current iteration of Nika is.
One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
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