Introduced in One Piece chapter 1 on July 18, 1997, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #34, Shanks is one of the main characters in One Piece which Eiichiro Oda has done with enormous care. In 1999, Eiichiro Oda stated that Shank's frequent appearance in the manga would only happen towards the end. Now with One Piece in the final saga, we see the red-haired emperor directly involved in the main story more than ever before.
Shank's story is still largely unexplored, but we're glad to see Eiichiro Oda expand on his personal character significantly in the final saga. In One Piece chapter 1189, which was officially released on July 26, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #35, Eiichiro Oda finally revealed the endgame goal of the red-haired Emperor Shanks directly to us. Unsurprisingly, he intends to take down the king of the world, Nerona Imu.
One Piece Chapter 1189 confirms Shank's goal to take down Nerona Imu
Shanks has been a mysterious character ever since he was introduced One Piece. Over the years, his entire character arc has surely confused some. For example, when Ace was captured by Blackbeard at the end of One Piece chapter 441, many were confused as to why Shanks was simply biding his time on the sidelines. Likewise, at the end of the Paramount War in One Piece chapter 580 on April 5, 2010, Red-Haired Shanks once again appeared and played the role of a peacemaker between the pirates and the marines, stopping the war once again. In Wano, Shanks didn't make a single move to free the land from Kaido's grip until Monkey D. Luffy did it himself. It all ties into Shank's time with Gol D. Roger, which we got a glimpse of in the Oden flashback, which began in One Piece chapter 959 and ended in chapter 974.
“After Roger returned from Laugh Tale, Redtaro [Shanks] asked him something only to shed tears afterwards.” — Odin mentions Roger and Shank's secret conversation, One Piece Chapter #968
It was heavily implied that Shanks, raised by none other than the Pirate King Roger, was looking for the person who could embody the sun god Nika and liberate the world. One Piece chapter 1189 really plays into that by directly revealing the endgame goal of the red haired emperor. In a brief flashback between Loki and Shanks, we finally got to see the endgame goal for the redheaded emperor. When Loki set out on his journey with his own crew to find whoever was responsible for killing Harald and avenge him, Shanks was the one who stopped him in his tracks, telling him that whoever was responsible for manipulating Harald as a puppet and killing him was none other than the King of the World, Nerona Imu.
Loki: What do you want, red hair? Will you stop me from avenging my father?
Shanks: I considered Harald a friend. I would be there with you. But think carefully now! The government tried to take control of Elbaf. It's not their end goal…it's preparation for war!
— Shanks warns Loki to only strike when the time is right, One Piece Chapter #1189
Shanks also directly told Loki that Imu attacking Elbaf means he is preparing for war and that the time is not right to beat Nerona Imu yet. In other words, Shanks himself is preparing for the ultimate war against Nerona Imu. Everything he has done over the years, including going back to the Sacred Land of Marijoa 15 years ago, as confirmed in One Piece chapter 1167 on December 1, 2025, was to get more information out of Imu. In other words, Shank's endgame goal is to fight and take down Nerona Imu, the King of the World, when the time is right. Shanks is a meticulous planner and he knows that the sun god Nika needed to show up for his plan to take down Imu, which happened in chapter 1044 on March 28, 2022. Now is the time for Shanks to make a move and orchestrate the downfall of the king once and for all.
“The man who manipulated Harald and killed him is the king of the world! The king's power is immeasurable. Go to the Holy Land, and the mystery will only deepen rather than come to light. If it were that easy, someone else would have already done it. It is not time to fight yet.” — Shanks shines a light on Imu and prepares for the ultimate war, One Piece Chapter #1189
Why Oda sets up Shanks Vs Imu in the final saga
One Piece chapter 1189 finally revealed Shanks' true goal to us, but at the same time, it also set up an incredibly dangerous confrontation for Shanks in the future. With Shanks directly targeting the King of the World, Nerona Imu, it's almost undeniable at this point that he'll trade blows with him at some point in the future.
Shank's entire life has been devoted to the job Roger entrusted him with One Piece Chapter 968. Shanks has played a significant role in facilitating the return of Sun God Nika and preparations to take down Imu. Now the only thing left is to take on Imu head on, and for that he has been building up his strength all these years.
“Hey Ben, it's about time isn't it… to claim One Piece that is!” — Red Hair Shanks finally makes a move, One Piece Chapter #1054
As it stands, Shanks is an incredibly powerful fighter and perhaps even the strongest League of Death in the world of One Piece, but his strength still pales in comparison to Nerona Imu, the King of the World. In One Piece chapter 1189, Shanks himself confirmed that Imu's powers are immeasurable and cannot be fought without striking at the right time. The red-haired emperor also knows that now is the right time to strike, which is why he has made meticulous preparations over the past decade or 15 years. With such a massive set-up, a battle between Nerona Imu and Shanks is inevitable in the story's final saga.
Shank's death is a possibility in the future of One Piece
With One Piece setting up a potential battle between Shanks and Nerona Imu in the latest version of Chapter 1189, the possibility of the Emperor dying officially increases more than ever before. Shanks is an incredibly important character to Luffy, whom he has idolized since the beginning of the story. Luffy's deep love and care for Shanks was also highlighted time and time again in the Elbaf arc, especially in the early chapters. Eiichiro Oda could use Shanks as a way to push Luffy's growth further by causing him to fall into the hands of the King of the World, Imu.
Of course, nothing is set in stone, and Shanks may well survive, but needless to say, a confrontation with the King of the World comes with a heavy price to pay and could potentially result in his death. Either way, we're incredibly excited to see Shank's storyline move forward and a confrontation with the strongest in the world set up for him.
All the latest manga chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece series are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
