How did Shanks get the Gum Gum fruit in One Piece? Explained

The Gum Gum Devil Fruit, a hidden treasure of the sea, first appeared in the opening chapter of the One Piece series. The Red Hair Pirates brought it with them in a treasure chest to Foosha Village.

Readers then witnessed Luffy devouring the spherical violet fruit with S-shaped patterns on its surface, gaining the ability to become elastic and rubber-like. This upset Shanks and his crewmates, particularly in the anime adaptation, but they got over it quickly.

Gum Gum Devil Fruit was previously thought to be a Paramecia-type, but it was recently revealed to be a Mythical Zoan-type. However, if fans are wondering how Shanks got the Gum Gum fruit, the answer can be found in the series' Wano arc. He stole it from the World Government, the global regime that rules the One Piece universe.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the One Piece manga and anime.

How did Shanks steal the Gum Gum Devil Fruit from the World Government in One Piece?

Shanks from the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

For the majority of the series, the famed Red-Haired Shanks and his crew have remained a mystery. During Jinbe's battle with the Who's Who, the blabbering Tobiroppo revealed some rather interesting information. According to his narrative, the World Government was close to obtaining the Gum Gum Devil Fruit.

The fruit was on a government ship guarded by Who's Who, who was then an agent of CP9, but was stolen by Lucky Roux of the Red Hair Pirates. Who's Who's failure to protect the fruit directly resulted in his dismissal from CP9 and imprisonment. To escape the World Government, he had to flee and become a Tobiroppo. These are events from thirteen years ago.

Why did Shanks steal the Gum Gum fruit?

A bigger question than how Shanks obtained the Gum Gum fruit, which bothers One Piece fans, is why Shanks stole that specific fruit and did not eat it. Until recently, Gum Gum fruit was thought to be quite weak, and it was Luffy's ingenuity that transformed it into an incredibly powerful weapon.

Shanks may have always known the secret of the fruit, just as the World Government has for the past 800 years.

However, the question still remains, did Shanks really want to eat the Gum Gum fruit?

If he wanted to eat the fruit and attain the powers of Sun God Nika, he would have done so already. Instead, he placed it inside a small chest, implying that it was to serve a purpose elsewhere.

There are fan theories that Shanks is waiting for a qualified individual to take over as Pirate King. He was probably guarding the fruit for someone who would have the courage to become a liberation warrior and overthrow the World Government.

According to one theory, Shanks was actually taking the fruit to Roger's son Ace, but his encounter with Luffy made him reconsider. Otherwise, he would have just killed the young Luffy, allowing the Devil Fruit to manifest once more.