This is why Oda delays Luffy and Shank's meeting

While the original scene has been adapted several times, the first chapter in the One Piece the manga depicts a scene where Shanks gives his straw hat to Luffy and tells him to return it when he becomes a great pirate king. The simple and gentle gesture of trust sets the precedent for the events in One Piece as Luffy sets out to become the Pirate King.

Through small and large wins, Luffy has left his name deep One Piece's lore and carved himself as one of the strongest pirates. While he is now considered a great pirate by many around the world One Piecewho actually fulfills his promise with Shanks, the duo still have not met, and this appears to be a result of Oda delaying the meeting rather than the terms not being met.

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The symbolism behind Luffy and Shank's reunion

Why it matters

After Shanks gives Luffy his Straw Hat, he makes Captain Straw Hat promise to return it once he has become a great pirate. The end of Kaido and Big Mom's rule undoubtedly brought Luffy into the realm of the great pirates, but their meeting still hasn't happened. But what makes it so important? Luffy and Shank's reunion won't just be the return of a Straw Hat or the meeting of the two emperors; it will be more like the culmination of luffy's journey and a transition between pirate eras.

At that point, Luffy will not only be an individual who looks up to Shanks as a mentor, but someone who can stand beside him as an equal. In addition, Shanks has always presented himself as a kind of balance between the old and the new generation. Although he was quite young, he never seemed interested in heralding the next generation, but rather in removing obstacles for the young to come. With the meeting, an era will definitely be described, and a pivotal point in the One Piece series will occur, making it even more important.

The Long Awaited Reunion: Why Luffy And Shanks Haven't Met Yet

The narrative significance of timing in their meeting

Luffy and Shanks will meet again after Luffy becomes a great pirate. It was the agreement between the Straw Hat Captain and Red Hair Shanks. From first becoming the Fifth Emperor of the Sea to defeating Kaido and officially becoming a member of the Four Yonko and even facing Gorosei, Luffy has proven time and time again that he is already a great pirate. However, despite his many amazing feats, Luffy “always seems to just barely miss Shanks”, as can be seen even with Elbaf, where Luffy arrived just as Shanks had left.

Oda has no doubt deliberately delayed the meeting to make it that much more important and significant. Shanks is a main character in the series and Luffy's life as a whole. Moreover, their reunion represents more than a chance encounter; it is a change of an era, and therefore it must carry sufficient weight. Luffy is undoubtedly strong, but he must mature to the point where he stands as Shank's equal, and it's clear that the Straw Hat Captain isn't quite there yet, whether it's in his and his crew's overall fighting ability or their knowledge of the world and the secrets it holds.

In addition to having sufficient weight, it is important to note that Oda's storytelling is very much about perfect timing, or at least as close to it as it gets. When Oda drops a bomb, he tends to drop a really big one, and it's entirely possible that Luffy and Shank's meeting will be in the middle of an overarching plot rather than a simple but significant encounter on a random island. Some fans also speculate that when the duo meet, a battle will occur, but they may not necessarily fight casually or as allies but as rivals.

How Oda uses suspense through delayed payouts

Which foreshadows their meeting

Throughout One Piece series, Oda has gradually but surely laid the groundwork for their fateful reunion. This shows that no matter how it will happen, it will certainly happen. Until then, all that is left for fans to speculate is how and in what situation the two pirates will eventually meet.

Oda's use of tension to tease but delay their reunion is undoubtedly intentional. During both the Wano and Elbaf arcs, Shanks could have met the Straw Hat Pirate if he wanted to, but both times he decided against it, showing that if not Luffy, Shanks definitely has an “ideal moment” in mind. Moments like Shanks' expression after Luffy is unofficially declared the Fifth Emperor of the Sea or when Shanks arrives in Wano tease the inevitability of their meeting. As always, Oda has dropped these breadcrumbs to keep fans waiting.

What could their long-awaited meeting mean for the story's endgame?

A meeting with high stakes

Oda's delay in their meeting serves as both a narrative choice and a strategic move that will undoubtedly affect the series' endgame. Many mysteries surround Red Hair Shanks, whether it's about what he knows about Joy Boy and the truth of the world, or his connection to the World Government. Once their reunion happens, key information will surely be revealed, and a major change in the world will definitely occur, whether they end up as allies or enemies. No doubt their eventual reunion would tie together years of plot threads and unanswered questions, making the moment they finally meet all the more significant.

One Piece available to watch on Crunchyroll.

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 pirates' ultimate treasure, One Piece, to become the next king. The manga's popularity helped it become a major media series, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.

Studio

Toei animation

Creator

Eiichiro Oda

Number of episodes

1122