One Piece is a tale of pirate adventures and according to the standard definition, pirates are not noble beings, but rather thieves and criminals. They’re dishonest and downright evil at times. Even the best of pirates are morally gray in Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. However, there are some who are better than the others, and fans are often caught off-guard when these “good pirates” commit bad deeds.
For instance, Shanks was always believed to be Luffy’s ally. He was like a mentor or a father figure for Luffy, and was always perceived from that lens. Fans were baffled when Shanks didn’t avenge Oden by challenging the Beast Pirates. The lack of action on Shanks’ part makes complete sense when we consider how Oda has portrayed the pirates since day one.
Shanks Not Avenging Oden Made Much More Sense According to Oda’s Storytelling
The Roger Pirates spent a lot of time with Oden and his family. Oden became their ally. The Beast Pirates arrived at Wano and dethroned Oden, it was grave injustice to him, his family, and many inhabitants of Wano. Fans wondered why the likes of Shanks and Whitebeard, who knew Oden, didn’t avenge him. Shanks took the center stage in this debate as he was believed to be a good guy by fans.
However, Eiichiro Oda has followed a rule from day one where he doesn’t stamp the characters as entirely good or evil. For instance, there’s Koby, who cares about the greater good and can be considered a good person. He would sacrifice his life for anyone who could benefit from it, whether it’s a friend or a foe. Whereas the pirates only care about themselves and their crew.
Some pirates are downright evil and would stomp on others for their own goals, like Blackbeard or Doflamingo, while others like Luffy would only take on those who would obstruct their path. So there are evil pirates and better pirates, but it would be hard to classify any of them as good. Similarly, up until the Final Saga, we never saw Shanks in a negative light.
Even though he was close to Oden, he wouldn’t go out of his way to wage war against another Emperor. Especially when we consider the cost of such a high-stakes fight. He would’ve lost his crew members in the fight, and it’s safe to assume that he truly cares about them.
Here’s How This Same Reason Might Reveal His True Intentions
With that, it all comes down to two possibilities. Either Oda wanted to establish that Shanks is a good person who chose peace over revenge or Shanks cared about his own status and those who are affiliated with him. Similar to how Whitebeard Pirates have lost their glory, the Red-Haired pirates would have faced a similar fate if they had lost against the Beast Pirates.
Shanks went to Marineford to put an end to the war which supports the first possibility. However, if he prioritized his own people and their well-being, it might be selfish of him but not evil. Therefore, Shanks not avenging Oden made much more sense in One Piece to reinstate the true nature of pirates.
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