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After delving deep into Uta’s past, One Piece Special Episode 4 turned the focus on her father. From Luffy’s youth to the war in Marineford, this episode was a compilation of some of Shanks’ best moments in the franchise.
Last week, viewers were given an emotional episode that narrated how Uta was separated from Shanks, as seen from Luffy’s perspective. This week’s episode did not continue with that storyline, and instead spotlighted an assortment of flashbacks about Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates.
Continue reading to learn more about the best moments of One Piece Special Episode 4, titled The Captain’s Log of the Legend! Red-Haired Shanks!
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for One Piece Special Episode 4. Sportskeeda claims no ownership of any media used in this article unless otherwise specified.
One Piece Special Episode 4 pays homage to everyone’s favorite Emperor, Shanks
What happened last time?
One Piece Episode 1030 focused on Uta and Luffy’s promises to create a New Genesis. It also showed the heartbreak Luffy and Shanks went through after the latter decided to abandon Uta to keep her safe. It was also revealed that the World Government started to see Shanks as a threat after he destroyed Elegia Island to keep Uta safe from Tot Music.
One Piece Special Episode 4: On route to Elegia Island
The episode began with a group of Marines listening to Uta’s song. Helmeppo was very excited about being able to see Uta perform live on Elegia Island. However, Koby calmed him down, and reminded him about their mission to obtain information on both Elegia and Uta.
The pink-haired man was also concerned about the Red Hair Pirates, as they had reportedly been acting suspiciously for some time. Helmeppo was convinced that Koby had a deeper connection with Shanks that he was unwilling to talk about, something that Koby denied once again.
Marineford memories
One Piece Special Episode 4 continued with Koby having a flashback to the time Shanks stopped the Marineford War. Before Shanks arrived to end the conflict, Koby himself tried to reason with Sakazuki to stop the senseless bloodshed on both sides. When the Admiral refused to listen to Koby’s words, Shanks intervened, stopping Akainu’s attacks.
He later faced Blackbeard, challenging the traitorous pirates to a battle between their crews. Blackbeard was in no condition to keep fighting, so he decided to retreat.
With that threat dealt with, Shanks addressed the Marines, telling them to stop the war and hand over Ace and Whitebeard’s corpses, to give them a proper burial. Most Marines refused until Sengoku agreed to Shank’s terms, claiming the war was over.
When the flashback ended, Koby and Helmeppo were seen talking about how different Shanks and Luffy are from other pirates. Koby told Helmeppo that he was indebted to both Luffy and Shanks, even though he was still bound to someday fight against them due to his position as a Marine soldier. Koby realized that he still had to become stronger to accomplish his duties in the future.
Makino’s flashback
One Piece Special Episode 4 went on to show Makino carrying her baby, while Woop Slap searched for news about Shanks in the newspaper. Makino knew the old major was worried about his old friends, no matter how much Woop tried to hide it. She started to remember the good times she had while Shanks and his crew were living in Foosha Village.
Makino had her own flashback to a time before Luffy ate the Hito-Hito no Mi. The little boy and Shanks were arguing about Luffy being accepted as one of the Red Hair Pirates. Shanks refused to let the boy on board, prompting Luffy to complain even louder.
Suddenly, a group of mountain bandits arrived at Makino’s tabern, claiming they were not there for a fight, just alcohol. Unfortunately, the Red Hair Pirates drank everything but one bottle, which Shanks offered to the leader of the bandits. While all this was happening, Luffy could be seen eating the Hito-Hito no Mi, thinking it was a simple fruit.
The bandit, thinking Shanks was mocking him, broke the bottle and threatened him. Although the red-haired man was not even bothered by his words, he tried to clean the mess the bandit caused, angering the leader further. Seeing Shanks was not going to fight him, the leader of the bandits decided to leave Makino’s tavern.
Luffy becomes rubber
One Piece Special Episode 4 also showed the Red Hair Pirates and Shanks laughing about what happened between the captain and the bandits. Nonetheless, Luffy was not happy by seeing Shanks acting in such an uncool manner. He tried to leave, only to discover that his body could now stretch.
When Lucky Roux asked the boy if he ate a purple fruit the Red Hair Pirates were guarding in a chest, Luffy revealed that he did indeed eat the fruit, claiming that it tasted horrible. Shanks became frantic, and told Luffy that he ate the Gomu-Gomu no Mi (Hito-Hito no Mi), a Devil Fruit that would turn his body into rubber and would prevent him from swimming ever again.
Later that day, Luffy was attacked by the same bandits who assaulted Shanks in the tavern. The boy tried to fight them off but was immediately overpowered by the grown men. Shanks and his crew arrived to save Luffy, dispatching the bandits in seconds. Seeing that he had no chance of winning, the leader kidnapped Luffy and ran away towards the sea.
Before Shanks could catch up to them, the bandit threw Luffy into the water, thinking the boy would drown. Without warning, the Lord of the Coast then appeared behind the bandit, devouring him completely. The sea monster tried to do the same with Luffy, only to be stopped by Shanks’ Conqueror Haki. Sadly, the red-haired man lost his arm while saving Luffy.
Makino’s flashback ended with a recollection of the moment that Shanks gave Luffy his straw hat.
Another famous person from Foosha Village
After Makino's flashback ended in One Piece Special Episode 4, the young mother was seen distracted by Woop asking her if the Uta that appeared in the newspaper seemed familiar to her. She recognized the diva as little Uta, Shanks’ daughter who used to play with Luffy as a child. Woop Slap was extremely proud to have another important person associated to his village.
There was a brief flashback to the moments in which Luffy and Uta played in the last two episodes, as well as the time when Shanks told Luffy Uta was gone. One Piece Special Episode 4 ended with Makino voicing how proud she was of Uta, while the latter prepared for her concert in Elegia Island.
Final thoughts
Lamentably, One Piece Special Episode 4 was not the episode fans were expecting to see, because viewers were hoping to have an episode that would reveal a little more information about Shanks’ past and motivations.
Although the recap episode was interesting and enjoyable, it was definitely a disappointment. Nevertheless, seeing some of Shanks’ most iconic moments with better animation was a major point in favor of this week’s episode.
Next week we will be returning to the Land of Wano, where Luffy will continue to fight against Kaido. He will not be the only one facing a Yonko, as Nami and her group will try to survive Big Mom’s attack against them.
