Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind

Then I remember the pain little Shamrock must’ve felt when his brother was taken away from him and he spent the night lying awake in an unfamiliar crib, alone, crying for Shanks. They were inseparable since birth, their hearts beating as if they were one. And now that second heartbeat was gone. Replaced by only the echo of Shamrock's screams.

And suddenly, nothing's alright anymore.

But since chapter 1167 - where he showed at least some level of compassion for Shanks - what if Shamrock isn't actually evil?

He expresses concern over Shanks' wound healing, and this could just be Shamrock only caring because Shanks is now - or at least appearing to be - loyal to the Celestial Dragons.

But what if it's not just that? I think we don't know enough about this character yet to say but I wonder if he actually cares about Shanks just for being his brother and not for being a noble.

When we look at Doffy, who thinks that the entire world is there to serve him.

I havent seen Shamrock say it in the same way, he calls them filth the first time we see him but it doesnt feel like he is doing anything more then parroting what is expected of him

It would be interesting if he does not think about or hold celestial dragons ideals, but has been so beaten down and indoctrinated that he does nothing

Maybe he had the same anger as Shanks once, a smart kid like his mother who wanted to learn and understand the world and its people but was told time and time again that all the knowledge he needs is that he is god and better then everyone.

Garling taught his son how to be a holy knight, the perfect son.

I think Shamrock is so worn down and stiffled by being a Celestial Dragon that he is numb to all of it, broken and empty

He doesn't care about anything one way or another, and is only doing what is expected of him

From the moment Shamrock lays his eyes on Shanks for the first time, he instantly feels a connection to this red-haired stranger who looks just like him. He doesn’t question it when father introduces him as his long lost twin brother, he doesn’t doubt that Shanks belongs here nor does he frown at his poor manners like the other knights.

No, Shamrock embraces his sibling. He welcomes him and drags him into his bedroom, where he pulls out an old uniform and helps Shanks get dressed. He fixes his collar, buttons his coat and braids his hair.

And when he's done, he brushes his fingers over the dirty bandages covering his left eye.

"May I?" Shamrock asks and Shanks sighs.

"It's alright, it's nothing really," he mumbles, but it's not enough to deter his concerned brother.

Shamrock carefully unwraps the bandages, Shanks hisses in pain as the fresh wound is revealed underneath. Three jagged cuts going from his forehead down to his cheek, someone had mutilated him, deformed his face so it would never look like Shamrock’s again. It breaks something in the older twin's heart.

"Who did this to you?" He demands to know, hardly keeping his anger at bay. His hand trembles as he throws away the bandages.

Shanks looks up at his brother, trying to come up with an answer that won’t lead him to storm out of the room, but he knows that there is no use in lying.

"A pirate named Blackbeard," he admits.

"Then I shall have his head cut off."

When we look at Doffy, who thinks that the entire world is there to serve him.

I havent seen Shamrock say it in the same way, he calls them filth the first time we see him but it doesnt feel like he is doing anything more then parroting what is expected of him

It would be interesting if he does not think about or hold celestial dragons ideals, but has been so beaten down and indoctrinated that he does nothing

Maybe he had the same anger as Shanks once, a smart kid like his mother who wanted to learn and understand the world and its people but was told time and time again that all the knowledge he needs is that he is god and better then everyone.

Garling taught his son how to be a holy knight, the perfect son.

I think Shamrock is so worn down and stiffled by being a Celestial Dragon that he is numb to all of it, broken and empty

He doesn't care about anything one way or another, and is only doing what is expected of him

Also, 100% agree with this line of thinking. I would not be surprised I'd Shamrock really wanted Shanks in his life, but Shanks being Shanks didn't realize or just couldn't connect with him.

I think there's a good chance Shamrock is also being a double agent for his brother. Or at the very least, I can see Shamrock sacrifice himself to save Shanks when the time comes.

Oda loves tragic siblings after all & Shamrock is the OLDER one 👀

I think the bonk was definitely relevant for Shanks maybe "forgetting" the traumatic event, as well as Dragon holding onto him all this time in an attempt to save him + getting adopted by the Roger pirates on the same day. We dont know if Shamrock even got the luxury of getting cradled at all, he was crying when Maffey was holding him up like some doll. There's a high chance that he didn't get comforted by anyone, which DOES raise the chances of trauma sticking. This would be very similar to Loki who didn't get any comfort either, and was even denied it.

something else that struck me in this chapter is that in the one shot we see of shamrock as a teen, he is 1) clearly already well on his way to becoming a knight despite being only fifteen and 2) doesn't look particularly happy. i really don't think shamrock has had a great time on mariejois with garling, whether he even consciously realizes it or not.

and if you divorce the twins' relationships from the greater systems of the WG and piracy surrounding them and just look at it on an interpersonal level....

imagine you grew up alone with no siblings and a dead mother, with only your abusive father who is basically just trying to raise you as a child soldier so you can one day fill his role.

then after decades, the brother you thought you lost forever reappears! he says he hated the time he spent without you and had a miserable first 24 years of his life, which honestly you did too, and you feel a sense of comradery you haven't ever felt before. and even though you maybe felt uncertain about your father or your destiny as a soldier before, now your brother is here and he's really gung-ho about everything which makes you feel better about it, and like the burden of responsibility your bloodline has put on you is now shared.

if your brother was to then turn around and be like "sike i was actually lying through my teeth, i had a great childhood with a huge family that loved and took care of me, and also i hate all you people and i never want to come here again" and bounce, leaving you alone...that would be a pretty damn affecting experience.

Note : I use some french translated scans, since it's easier for me to find them. I did try to use english scans when I could.

The recent Elbaph arc has introduced a character whose existence was theorized about since the Reverie : Figarland Shamrock, aka Shanks' twin brother.

Part of the fandom has already sorted him as the "evil twin", Oda's final exploration of the nature VS nurture thematic which began with Dressrosa (the question of Doflamingo's supposed evil nature) then continued with Whole Cake Island.

If we compare Shanks and Shamrock's appearance, they couldn't be more apart : a carefree drunk hobo-looking pirate and a prissy and prim aristocrat.

But the deeper we look at Shamrock’s actual behavior in the new arc, the more it becomes clear he reflects Shanks far more than we initially supposed.

An avoidance of conflict

During his first appearance, Shamrock consistently shows a reluctance to engage in direct violence, opting for alternatives.

Shamrock : "If we spare it, will you change your mind ?"

During his mission, he needs to make Loki join the Holy Knights. He first asks him. Then he tries to negotiate by taking his wolves' hostage. He doesn't show any anger when dealing with Loki's refusal. Celestial Dragons in the series show extreme anger when being denied their demands or being treated with disrespect. Gunko's reaction is more in line with other CD (threatening death).

Shamrock's lack of anger and willingness to kill resembles Shanks’ behavior throughout the series. He is the one who taught Luffy not to use unnecessary violence in Makino's bar.

His expression is again partially hidden.

They cross paths again when Shanks halts the Marineford War. Shanks' preference for de-escalation is clearly established in the series and is one of his main characteristics as a person.

This tendency to de-escalate conflicts is sometimes received with scorn from other people who call him a coward (Luffy, Loki, the bandit in Windmill village, Buggy).

"Needless killing doesn't make you a man."

Shamrock similarly doesn't finish Loki after he is done with him and gets called a coward for it by Loki.

Gunko : "Let's kill him." Shamrock : "Calm yourself, Gunko." He is the one holding Gunko back from killing Loki. The panel shows his face covered with a speech bubble, hiding his reaction to Gunko "Kill him." Is it approval ? Is it disapproval ? Oda uses the same technique when it comes to Shanks. There are several panel where some of his expression is hidden by a bubble or an object.

The panel is off centered and the bubble is hiding part of his face, probably to represent Shanks' hidden feelings on the matter.

When talking about Buggy, the bubbles hide half of his face, probably because Shanks is yet again holding back his feels.

Shanks is a character who hides a lot of his thoughts and feelings. He shows the world the persona of a carefree pirate but underneath it there is a calculative and melancholic man who represses himself constantly.

A reluctance to dirty their hands

Shamrock distances himself from brutality and never indulges in direct violence unless required.

When convincing Loki fails, Shamrock allows Gunko to perform the torture while observing rather than intervening himself. When Gunko wants to kill Loki, he finally steps in.

Shamrock : "It's enough, Gunko."

This tendency to have his subordinate (or crew mate) do the dirty work is seen twice with Shanks :

First in Luffy's flashback when Lucky Roo shoots one of the bandit threatening Shanks with a gun ;

Second when Yassop shoots and sinks Batholomeo's ship;

After Loki provokes him by threatening both brothers, Shamrock gets visibly upset for the first time, mirroring Shanks during Kid's attack. Though it's more the reason for his anger is more ambiguous with Shamrock, is it because Loki threaten him or is it because he care for his twin ?

When provoked, Shamrock uses his sword's strange power, using it more like a subordinate than like his weapon. He sends his sword's dogs to Loki more like a subordinate.

Shanks’ anger when Kid threatens his crew (Ch. 1076)

Although Shamrock Figarland was framed as Shanks’ opposite, his behavior reveals he’s more similar to his twin than initially supposed.

Of course, there is still a lot we don't know about it. He appears in very few chapter but I think he's going to be more of an anti-villain than, let's say, Doflamingo or Sanji's brother.