One Piece Chapter 1169 Spoilers The Truth Behind Shanks’ Lost Arm and the Forbidden Devil Fruit

 

The chapter opens with a scene mirroring Chapter 1,152, showing Gaban and Shanks conversing at Gaban’s house. Gaban explains to Shanks that he recently met with Garp, who revealed that Roger had a son.

Upon hearing this, Shanks smiles warmly and remarks, "So, the Captain's son is like a younger brother to me, then."

Gaban, smiling while soaking in a bath, replies, "Exactly. Just like how you and Buggy were like sons to us."

The scene emphasizes that since Shanks and Buggy both grew up aboard Roger’s ship, they were treated as family. Therefore, in Shanks' eyes, Roger’s biological son is naturally his own little brother.

The scene shifts to Harald, the King of Elbaf, held captive at the Oarust Castle. He is being remotely controlled through a tattoo by Imu. In a display of raw strength, he murders the giant guards who attempt to chain him to a pillar. King Harald realizes that Imu’s control is not just physical; his mind and will are quickly succumbing to Imu’s influence. Imu’s ultimate goal is clear: to keep the giants primitive and savage, molding them into a compliant, powerful army for war, preventing them from developing knowledge or civilization. Knowing his consciousness is fading rapidly, King Harald orders all of his royal guards to kill him immediately. This dramatic moment coincides with Loki and Yarul bursting into the throne room, arriving just as the guards stab Harald (a scene previously shown in Chapter 1,152). However, Harald instantly regenerates, begins slaughtering his own guards, and unleashes a massive burst of Haki.

The scene cuts back to Gaban’s house, where he and Shanks are still soaking in the bath. Shanks begins to explain the mechanics of the "Tattoo Covenant." He points to a tattoo on his own left arm and tells Gaban:

"Harald and I both made a 'Shallow Water Covenant' with beings known as the Great Gods in the Holy Land. Even with just this lower-level pact, if I am within the range of their influence, it is impossible to disobey their commands...!!"

Shanks further reveals to Gaban that he disclosed his true identity to Harald while they were far away from Mary Geoise, which led to their friendship. A flashback panel shows King Harald talking to Shanks, saying, "I see now... you're from the Red-Haired Pirates, aren't you?"

Shanks explains that King Harald believed joining the Holy Knights would eventually allow Elbaf to join the World Government. However, doing so required Harald to sign a higher-level pact. As readers, we now know that Harald went through with it and received the "Deep Water Covenant" tattoo.

Shanks continues in a serious tone: "By forging this new covenant, the Holy Knights are granted superhuman strength and an immortal body. They even gain the power to create 'The Abyss' to travel vast distances in an instant. In exchange, the voices of the Great Gods will haunt them to the ends of the earth. No matter where they are, they can no longer disobey. Not even Harald can resist them. Honestly, I wonder what those greedy fools hope to achieve with this."

To put it simply, Shanks’ control has a limited range, whereas King Harald’s has no distance limit (implying that Shanks’ decision to lose his arm while saving Luffy may have been connected to this reason).

Suddenly, both Shanks and Gaban sense a terrifying Haki radiating from Oarust Castle.

The scene shifts to the throne room, where Loki and Yarul witness King Harald’s descent into madness. Loki quickly lunges forward and pins Harald to the floor.

As he fights to maintain his fading sanity, King Harald confesses to Loki and the royal guards that he has been doing the World Government’s "dirty work" all along. He admits he was deceived and manipulated by Imu. Harald then orders Yarul to give a Legendary Devil Fruit to Loki, so that Loki will have the power to kill him once Imu’s control becomes absolute.

Loki, devastated and unwilling to kill his own father, breaks down in tears. Harald smiles warmly at him and says:

"I must die as soon as possible. Kill me, take the throne, and tell our people how foolish of a king I truly was. Use my death to build your own reputation. I don't care what they say about me after I'm gone. The only thing that matters is the future of Elbaf. Do you understand?"

Loki wails in agony, "No... I won't do it! I can't do that!"

King Harald looks his son straight in the eyes and pleads: "I’m begging you, Loki. You are the only one I can rely on."

As soon as King Harald finished speaking, his mind fell under complete control. He transformed into a mindless, rampaging monster, slaughtering every giant guard in his path. Even when a guard managed to stab him through the neck, Harald regenerated instantly.

One giant guard cried out in terror and despair, "Who are you?! You are not the King Harald we knew!"

Harald, now wearing a demonic expression, smiled and replied: "Nonsense. I am still the same Harald. But now, I am the loyal servant of the Great One, and no one leaves this place alive. I will not allow a single word of what happened in this castle to escape."

Loki snaps back to his senses and rushes toward the treasure room. Sensing his son’s intent, Harald moves to intercept him, intending to seize the Legendary Devil Fruit for himself.

In that moment, Yarul leaps in to block Harald’s path. Yarul screams to Loki, "If Harald consumes that fruit, the world is finished!" Immediately after, Yarul is brutally stabbed through the head—the iconic image of the sword through his skull that we see in the present timeline.

Meanwhile, Shanks and Gaban arrive at Oarust Castle and immediately launch an attack on Harald. However, thanks to the power of the tattoo, Harald regenerates instantly.

Harald shouts to Shanks with a twisted grin, "Shanks! This immortal body of mine is truly magnificent! I can feel my own superiority as a living being!"

Shanks, grimacing in frustration, mutters, "Damn it... he’s completely lost to their control."

Loki sprints to the treasure room, unchains the door, and swings it open. Inside, he sees a treasure chest containing the Devil Fruit, with the hammer Ragnar resting just behind it.

Something is amiss; Ragnar appears to move slightly on its own. A stunned Loki gasps in realization: "This... this is the forbidden Akuma no Mi that has been passed down through Elbaf?!"

The moment Loki finishes speaking, Ragnar lunges at him. He narrowly dodges the attack, and the chapter ends with the sound of a mysterious person emerging from within the room.