Introduced in One Piece chapter 1 on July 18, 1997, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #34, Shanks is one of the most important characters of One Piece that Eiichiro Oda has crafted with immense care. In 1999, Eiichiro Oda stated that Shanks’s frequent appearance in the manga would only happen towards the end. Now, with One Piece in the final saga, we are seeing the red-haired Emperor directly involved in the main story more than ever before.
Shanks’s story is still largely unexplored, but we are glad to see Eiichiro Oda expand upon his personal character arc significantly in the final saga. In One Piece chapter 1189, which was officially released on July 26, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #35, Eiichiro Oda finally revealed the endgame goal of the red-haired Emperor Shanks directly to us. Unsurprisingly, he intends to take down the King of the World, Nerona Imu.
One Piece Chapter 1189 Confirms Shanks’ Goal Of Taking Down Nerona Imu
Shanks has been a mysterious character ever since his introduction in One Piece. Over the years, his entire character arc has certainly confused a few. For instance, when Ace was captured by Blackbeard at the end of One Piece chapter 441, many were confused about why Shanks was simply biding his time on the sidelines. Similarly, at the end of the Paramount War in One Piece chapter 580 on April 5, 2010, Red-Haired Shanks once again appeared and played the role of a peacemaker between the pirates and the Marines, stopping the war once again. In Wano, Shanks did not make a single move to liberate the country from the grip of Kaido until Monkey D. Luffy did it himself. All things tie back to Shanks’ time with Gol D. Roger, which we were given a glimpse of in the Oden flashback, which began in One Piece chapter 959 and ended in chapter 974.
“After Roger returned from Laugh Tale, Redtaro [Shanks] asked him something only to shed tears afterwards.” — Oden mentions Roger and Shanks’s secret conversation, One Piece Chapter #968
It was heavily implied that Shanks, being raised by none other than the Pirate King Roger, was looking for the person who could embody Sun God Nika and liberate the world. One Piece chapter 1189 certainly plays into that by directly revealing the endgame goal of the Red-Haired Emperor. In a brief flashback between Loki and Shanks, we finally got to see the endgame goal of the Red-Haired Emperor. When Loki set out on his journey with his own crew to find the one responsible for killing Harald and avenge him, Shanks was the one who stopped him in his path and told him that the one who was responsible for manipulating Harald like a puppet and killing him was none other than the King of the World, Nerona Imu.
Loki: What do you want, Red Hair? Are you gonna stop me from getting revenge for my father?
Shanks: I considered Harald a friend. I’d be right there with you. But think carefully now! The Government was trying to take control of Elbaf. That’s not their end goal…it’s preparation for War!
— Shanks warns Loki to strike only when the time is right, One Piece Chapter #1189
Shanks also directly told Loki that Imu attacking Elbaf means that he is preparing for war and that the time isn’t right to strike Nerona Imu yet. In other words, Shanks himself is preparing for the ultimate war against Nerona Imu. Everything that he has done over the years, which includes going back to the Holy Land of Marijoa 15 years ago, as was confirmed in One Piece chapter 1167 on December 1, 2025, was for the sake of getting more information out of Imu. In other words, Shanks’ endgame goal is to fight and take down Nerona Imu, the King of the World, when the time is right. Shanks is a meticulous planner, and he knows that, for his plan of taking down Imu, the Sun God Nika needed to appear, which happened in Chapter 1044 on March 28, 2022. Now is the time for Shanks to make a move and orchestrate the downfall of the King once and for all.
“The man who manipulated Harald and killed him is the King of the World! The King’s power is impossible to measure. Go to the Holy Land, and the mystery will only deepen rather than come to light. If it were that simple, someone else would’ve done it already. It’s not yet the time to fight.” — Shanks sheds light on Imu and makes preparations for the ultimate war, One Piece Chapter #1189
Why Oda Is Setting Up Shanks Vs Imu In The Final Saga
One Piece chapter 1189 finally unveiled Shanks’ true goal to us, but at the same time, it also set up an incredibly dangerous confrontation for Shanks in the future. With Shanks directly targeting the King of the World, Nerona Imu, it is almost undeniable at this point that he will trade blows with him at some point in the future.
Shanks’ entire life has been dedicated to the job that Roger entrusted to him in One Piece Chapter 968. Shanks has played a significant role in facilitating the return of Sun God Nika and the preparation to take down Imu. Now, the only thing that remains is taking Imu head-on, and for that, he has been building his strength up all these years.
“Hey Ben, it’s time, isn’t it…to claim the One Piece, that is!” — Red Hair Shanks finally makes a move, One Piece Chapter #1054
As things stand, Shanks is an incredibly powerful fighter and possibly even the strongest mortal in the world of One Piece, but his strength still pales in comparison to that of Nerona Imu, the King of the World. In One Piece chapter 1189, Shanks himself confirmed that Imu’s powers are immeasurable and that they cannot be fought without striking at the right time. The red-haired Emperor also knows that now is the right time to strike, which is why he has made meticulous preparations over the last decade or the last 15 years. With such a massive setup, a battle between Nerona Imu and Shanks is inevitable in the final saga of the story.
Shanks’s Death Is A Possibility In The Future Of One Piece
With One Piece setting up a potential battle between Shanks and Nerona Imu in the latest chapter 1189 release, the possibility of death for the Emperor officially rises more than ever before. Shanks is an incredibly important character to Luffy, whom he has idolized since the very beginning of the story. Luffy’s deep love and care for Shanks was also highlighted time and again in the Elbaf arc, specifically in the first few chapters. Eiichiro Oda could utilize Shanks as a means to propel Luffy’s growth even further by making him fall at the hands of the King of the World, Imu.
Of course, nothing is set in stone, and Shanks may very well survive, but needless to say, a confrontation with the King of the World certainly comes with a heavy price to pay and could potentially result in his death. In either case, we are incredibly excited to see Shanks’ plotline moving forward and a confrontation with the strongest in the world being set up for him.
All the newest manga chapters of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece series are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
