The Meaning of the Cover Page
Cover page request: “Genzo and Nojiko scolding a cat that was trying to steal a book — but not really angry.”
This is a clear callback to an episode from Nami’s childhood. ↓
Speaking of Nami —
- Her adoptive mother was killed by Arlong
- She resolved to fight alone to save the enslaved villagers
- She joined her parent’s murderer’s crew, spending years hiding her true feelings
- Just as her goal was within reach, the government seized the money, reducing all her efforts to nothing
- She eventually realized she had been deceived and used all along
After reading Chapter 1167 all the way through and then looking back at the cover page, you’ll notice that all three main characters in the illustration share elements reminiscent of young Nami.
It’s well known that Oda always draws the cover page after completing the main chapter.
And the illustration almost always reflects the themes of that chapter — so consider:
- Shanks, who appears to be playing the role of ally to Garling — the very man who killed his mother
- Shanks, who helped liberate enslaved Fish-Men
- Harald, being used as a pawn by a government with no intention of keeping its promises
- Loki, who deeply loves his adoptive mother
These elements were almost certainly drawn with Nami in mind.
So if Shanks is truly pretending to be an ally of the Celestial Dragons, could that mean he’s gathering intelligence on his ultimate enemies — probing for weaknesses, assessing their strength — perhaps even plotting to destroy Mariejois from within?
Shanks’ Undercover Investigation
Shanks didn’t dismiss Kidd when he challenged him — he carefully studied his enemy’s intel before engaging. That’s the kind of person he is.
With that cautious, methodical personality, even if Shanks sees the Celestial Dragons as enemies, he wouldn’t simply charge in and start a fight. He’d spend time methodically gathering intelligence on their forces and vulnerabilities first.
For that mission, he could even bring himself to lie — claiming he “hated” his beloved time with the Roger Pirates — and commit fully to the performance, making absolutely sure no one suspects his true intentions.
It’s very much like Sanji at Whole Cake Island. ↓
The Contrast Between Loki and Shanks
This is still a hypothesis, but Shanks appears to be someone who despises the Celestial Dragons while playing the role of their loyal ally — gathering intelligence, potentially working toward dismantling Mariejois from the inside.
Loki, on the other hand, slaughtered his hated birth mother’s entire bloodline in an instant and burned the village to ashes.
Their approaches are polar opposites. And it was Shanks himself who captured Loki and bound him with Seastone chains — and it seems Shanks crossed paths with Harald at some point during his pirate career, too. These two likely share a far deeper connection than we’ve seen so far.
The Crimes of the “Cursed Prince” Loki
- The “Cursed Prince” prophecy → A fabrication born from Queen Estrilda’s jealousy. The people simply believed the queen’s word.
- Killed the lucky horse → It was the horse Estrilda brought from her homeland. Loki killed it as the opening act of his revenge against her.
- Big Mom killing Yoruru the year Loki was born → A baseless accusation attached to Loki.
- Years of poor harvests and natural disasters → Also baseless accusations.
- Tamed underworld beasts and unleashed them on the village → A child who grew up without love, causing chaos just to get someone’s attention.
- The truth behind the arson → He simply exterminated the clan that had poisoned his beloved foster mother.
So Loki was just honest and a little wild — not genuinely evil at all.
Honestly, there’s a real chance he might join the Straw Hat crew.
Even if he does, though, he probably won’t be sailing on the Sunny until the final battle. He’ll likely lead Hajrudin’s crew to Punk Hazard to revive Garleya, head to Fishman Island to repair the Noah, build a relationship with Shirahoshi, and then bring her — as Poseidon — to the final war. That role already seems written for him.
Either way, we’ll need a proper timeline summary soon — maybe next week.
As a side note: it’s been getting cold around my feet while writing these articles, so I looked into panel heaters. The kind that heats from all four sides caught my eye, so I went ahead and ordered one.
That’s all for today. See you next week.