Much A piece Fans have claimed that manga creator Eiichiro Oda planned the entire story from the beginning, and Shanks’ appearance in the first chapter of the series proves this to be true. Of course, this is still one of the many examples of Oda’s great omens. But what makes this Shanks moment stand out is its significance, both in terms of what it foreshadows and its effect on the story as a whole.
This is not to say that the other foreshadowing moments in One Piece aren’t excellent because they certainly are. The revelation that Sanji is actually a member of One Piece version of Power Rangers was hinted at by Jaya and only received more hints as the series continued until it was revealed more than a decade later. . In addition, One Piece has addressed recent breakthroughs such as Luffy’s Devil Fruit’s true identity that has challenged assumptions made since the first chapter of the manga. Unlike these revelations, however, Shanks’ reveal works so well because it’s not a reveal at all, just a reenactment of the context.
Shanks uses Haki 500 chapters before One Piece reveals it
In the first chapter of One Piece, Luffy is caught by a bandit and dragged into the sea. While there, a giant Sea King appeared and attacked the pair. Luckily, Shanks was able to show up and save the future pirate, though he lost an arm in the process. At the time the first chapter was released, it appeared that Shanks was just scaring the Sea King with a stern look, but fans who read the manga later know that Shanks actually used Haki’s powers instead. . This was never actually explained clearly in the manga, but instead became apparent as a fan got a closer look at One Piece’s wider world.
What makes this so impressive is that Haki is first clearly revealed in over 500 chapters after Shanks frightens the Sea King. So, from the very beginning of the series, Oda knew that he would be implementing a secondary power system in the series. Additionally, Shanks’ mastery of Haki makes him strong enough to become one of One Piece’s Yonko despite never having eaten a Devil Fruit. If Oda had both this aspect of Shanks’ fight and the idea of a Haki power system planned at the beginning of the series, it’s easy to believe he’s figured out the rest of the story as well. because Shanks and Haki isn’t even the most important part of the series.
While no writer can pre-plan a series like One Piece down to the smallest detail, it’s clear that Oda was able to map out some of its more important details. This has the potential to cover the entire broader story structure, which is hugely impressive considering how massively scale One Piece’s plot is. But it is this great level of planning that creates some A piecePeople’s best revelations just get harder and harder, and Shanks’ initial appearance is a perfect example of that.