We know Shanks is very similar to Tyr in Norse mythology, who maintains law and order and maintains balance. A one-armed swordsman. He keeps the peace and puts an end to wars. We got to see his opposite nature to Blackbeard when he tried to prevent the war before it broke out while Blackbeard was initiating it.
Shanks wants to save the world from descending into chaos. He ends the war at Marineford. He fears Blackbeard’s ambition.
In this same mythology, it is Fenrir the Wolf, son of Loki, who is the initiator of chaos. The Ragnarok (Avengers haha) is reported from the fall of the gods.
Blackbeard represents Fenrir. It engenders chaos and destruction. Fenrir, whose two brothers are said to have come to Ragnarok to cause earthquakes and cast darkness upon the world. These 2 brothers are precisely the powers of Blackbeard, darkness and destruction.
These 2 brothers could be related to the 3-headed flag that we see. We can say that 3 skulls is 3 captains.
Fenrir is said to have 2 sons, Skoll and Hati, who hunt the sun and the moon respectively. During Ragnarok, in order to destroy them, a black hole is formed. The sun, moon and black holes are forms of astronomical matter. Blackbeard has the powers of darkness and his most iconic attack is the black hole. It has the power to destroy all forms of astronomical matter.
Devour the sun is a metaphor for Devour the dawn and cast the darkness. We believe that the sun and the moon represent the world of Joyboy and Imu respectively.
- Sun = Joyboy
- Moon = Imu
- Black Hole = Blackbeard
Joyboy is the Sun God Nika. Imu possesses the powers of the moon god Zoan. And their world is currently the moon world.
Blackbeard and Shanks are clearly meant to clash. And there’s no better place than the Elbaf to fight Shanks. Elbaf has this clear Nordic theme throughout the country.
In Elbaf, they say the only thing their spear can’t break is the Red-Dipped Serpent. In other words, the Red Line. Which is a clear reference to the World Serpent, Jomangaunder.
The World Serpent who has a hatred and rivalry with Thor. Thor, the god of thunder who wields the legendary hammer Mjolnir. With the ability to create lightning, thunderstorms and rain.
We know that Supreme Ranks are the greatest weapons in One Piece. We believe the equivalent of Mjolnir, in Elbaf, was used to forge: Whitebeard’s Naginata, Roger’s Cutlass, Xebec’s Saber, Shanks’ Saber and so on. This hammer is said to have been forged from the core of a dying star.
We believe, that in Elbaf, several people tried to use this hammer but failed, nobody can use it. But the man who once used it is dead. Potentially, you have to be eternally brave to wield it. Thus, Usopp could acquire this hammer and become not only brave, but also the bravest man on the seas (said like that slaps huh).
Shanks’ saber is specifically called Gryphon. The term Gryphon refers to the mythological creature having the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. The body of a lion means the heart of a lion. The head of the eagle means the eyes of the eagle.
- The Heart of a Lion – Incredibly Brave
- The eyes of an eagle: incredible vision, great insight, great vigilance.
And Shanks has both of those characteristics. He didn’t hesitate to give his arm for Luffy and casually landed at Marineford. He also saw the looming threat of Blackbeard.
Additionally, Oda recently stated that “that person” will fight “that person”. And we believe it’s Shanks versus Blackbeard.