An explanation for the inevitable Garling vs. Shanks fight

This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.

Summary

• Shanks and Garling Figarland are related, making the upcoming fight inevitable for these father and son characters.

• Shanks, a pirate and a hero, will probably fight Garling, a Sky Dragon from the World Government.

• Shanks can play a key role in defeating the Figureland family as part of the Final Saga in One Piece.

St. Garling Figureland is one of the most intriguing characters in the One Piece at this point, and based on how Oda has been focusing on him lately, revealing bits and pieces about him, fans know he has a big role to play.

Saint Garling Figarland was introduced in One Piece as Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Divine Knights. However, since then he has moved up the ranks a lot and is now one of the five elders. Fans know he's being built up as a strong antagonist, and given his connection to Shanks, it's inevitable that he'll face him in battle one day. Their clash will have great consequences for future history.

Garling and Shanks connection

• Garling is Shanks' father

• Shanks was separated from the Figarland family

As fans already know, Shanks and Garling are related. The very first mention of Garling's figure land was in The Last Saga One Piecewhere it was revealed to fans that he is the Supreme Commander of the Knights of God. At the same time, fans were also told that St. Garling was a very strong individual who had proven himself during the God Valley incident where he was declared the God Valley Champion. His power was obviously considered very high, and while it was interesting for fans to get clues as to his power level, what was even more interesting was the fact that this man was actually Shanks' father. U One Piece Red Moviethe five elders made it clear that Shanks was a member of the Figarland family.

Watch carefully, children! – Garling Figarland

Fans then got to see Garling in the flesh, essentially giving them a clue that the man could be a relative of Shanks. In the God Valley flashback that fans got recently, they were shown a younger version of Saint Garling, and the fact that he looked exactly like Shanks confirmed the fact that they are father and son. This was further confirmed by the fact that Garling had children with him in the Valley of the Gods, and eventually Shanks separated from them, finding his way to Roger's Pirates, where he grew up.

Shanks and Garling clearly have a very interesting connection, and fans know that Oda will continue to explore that connection later in One Piece. The Figarland family itself is a huge piece of the puzzle in the final saga, and one that Oda places a great deal of importance on. Inevitably, this family will see the characters face-to-face, and that's exactly what fans are waiting for.

Why Garling would end up fighting Shanks

Clash of father and son is inevitable

Shanks and Garling Figureland will inevitably fight at some point in One Piece. This is simply due to the nature of their position. Shanks is a pirate and Garling is a member of the Five Elders. More specifically, Garling is a celestial dragon and representative of the World Government. He is one of the descendants of the founders of the World Government that destroyed the Ancient Kingdom, and is by definition the villain of the story. Shanks, on the other hand, is one of the good guys, and he's doubly special because he's the one who sent Luffy on his journey to become the Pirate King. Also, one has to consider the fact that Shanks is essentially this generation's Roger, simply because many have openly labeled him as Roger's successor. The fact that Shanks even uses the same techniques as Roger, such as the Divine Leave, which is directly aimed at depowering the Sky Dragon, is proof that Shanks is against them and will eventually go to fight them , when the time comes.

I want to talk about one pirate! – Shanks' double

Naturally, if Shanks is going to fight the government, his best opponent will be his own father, Saint Garling Figarland. These two will face each other in the Final Saga and the battle between them will be absolutely thrilling for the fans. Fans know that Garling is already very strong. In fact, Oda even hinted at his power recently when he hosted a question-and-answer event where he answered 10 specific questions, one of which was about Garling Figarland. Considering his power has been confirmed, it will be an extremely interesting fight when he faces Shanks.

Another interesting reason why Shanks might have fought against Garling could have had to do with his mother. As can be seen from Garling's color scheme, he does not have peculiar red hair at all. Meanwhile, Shanks and his twin both have red hair, which basically means they got that hair from their mother. It is possible that Shanks' mother is also a Sky Dragon, but it is very likely that she was a commoner and maybe even a slave. There's a reason why Shanks doesn't go by the last name Figureland, but he goes by the nickname Redhead, named his pirate crew the Redhead Pirates, and even named his ship the Red Force. Shanks clearly wants to be associated with the red hair he possesses, but has nothing to do with the name Figureland. It's entirely possible that Shanks knows his mother and cares for her deeply, and if that's the case, it would be incredibly interesting to see Shanks go up against Garling and essentially beat him in a fight once and for all.

Will Shanks destroy the Figarland family?

Shanks could spell doom for the Figarlanders

Shanks will surely come face to face with Garling Figureland in the Final Saga One Piece. This is especially true because at some point the Five Elders must be defeated. As fans know, Luffy will most likely go up against Him, which means the other Elders will have to fight other powerful people. When it comes to Garling, Shanks would be the best candidate of all. Shanks will most likely kill Garling, and his twin brother will most likely be taken down by someone else, possibly long before the final war begins.

Basically, Shanks could destroy this family forever, and that shouldn't surprise fans at all. After all, Shanks is doing Rogers' will, and by definition, he's against the Sky Dragons and wants them depowered. Hopefully, fans will be treated to a phenomenal battle later on when Shanks takes part in the final war, and it goes without saying that this one will be special.

One Piece is available to read through Viz Media. Fans can read the series officially and for free on Shonen Jump and Manga Plus. The next One Piece chapter, One Piece 1135, is scheduled for release on January 3, 2024.