The spoilers for One Piece Chapter 1168 have confirmed that Shanks never became a God’s Knight but this makes things even more complex.
The brief summary spoilers for One Piece Chapter 1168 have gone viral on the internet, and they reveal some major developments about Red-Haired Shanks and King Harald of Elbaph. The two characters have been the most significant to the Elbaph Arc, and their actions in the past led to the circumstances of the current storyline.
The chapter’s spoilers revealed that Shanks was about to get the Deep Sea Pact from Imu, but for some reason, he was not present for it. Instead, Harald was chosen for it, which made him into a Knight of God (Holy Knight), and then Imu revealed his plans for the giants and Elbaph. This not only confirmed that Shanks was never a God’s Knight, but also hinted at his original plan that will most likely bring the biggest twist in the story.
Why Shanks Gave Up on Being a God Knight?
According to the spoilers for One Piece Chapter 1168, 14 years ago, Shanks was supposed to receive the Deep Sea Pact from Imu, but he didn’t appear. This pact is one of the three pacts (Shallow Sea, Deep Sea, and Abyssal) that are granted by the Supreme Leader of the World Government, thus confirming the character’s designation within the World Government and the God’s Knights. The Deep Sea Pact would have made Shanks one of the God’s Knights members.
While the spoilers didn’t reveal the real reason Shanks didn’t appear at the event, there are essentially two explanations that make the most sense. The first reason is him being a spy who just wanted to gather information about Imu and the World Government, and the second reason is that he had a change of heart after witnessing the cruelty of the World Government and decided to part ways and become a pirate.
Shanks’ actions have been the most mysterious in One Piece, and they have only added more complications to the storyline. While it would make sense for him to spy on the World Government and find out the secrets that could help him in the future, nothing can be said for certain until Eiichiro Oda confirms it himself. Fans will have to wait to find out more about why Shanks gave up on being a God Knight.
Shanks Escaped Fate, but Harald Couldn’t
The One Piece spoilers also revealed that when Shanks didn’t appear for the Deep Sea Pact, Harald was chosen in his place, and he became one of the members of the God’s Knight. According to Harald, this would have helped with Elbaph’s evolution, but Imu had other plans for the giants and their nation. After Imu granted the Deep Sea Pact to Harald, he gained more power and immortality, and Imu asked him to make the abyss circle in Elbaph.
Not only that, he even asked Harald to create a giant army of giants for the World Government, which would help them gain even more power over the One Piece world. The spoilers ended with Loki and Jarul arriving at the castle, thus connecting the flashback to the original storyline. As One Piece fans know, when Jarul and Loki arrived at the castle, they saw Harald being killed, and his son was framed for his death.
This hints that maybe Harald rejected Imu’s command of creating an army of giants, as he wanted Elbaph to end the cycle of violence. This most likely led to his death and thus bringing the entire flashback to a full circle. However, there are still quite a few plot holes that will be revealed once the complete chapter is released on December 7, 2025.
