In Chapter 1134, we get to see the Gods Knights arrive on Elbaph via Summoning Circles similar to what the Gorosei used on Egghead.
But on Egghead, it seemed like you needed someone at the desired location physically in order to act as a “anchor” to bring over the other people you were summoning. Otherwise, what was the point of Saturn sailing all the way to Egghead on a ship? If the Summoning Circles could just teleport you ANYWHERE, why not just use them to teleport all the Gorosei to Egghead directly? I mean, the Marines were useful to have as backup. But, the Gorosei don’t usually bother to go to the “Lower Realm”. Why stay there longer than they absolutely need to? What was the point of Saturn going to Egghead physcially, if these Summoning Circles can teleport you anywhere you wish? This at least indicates that you do need someone to act as a physical “anchor” in order to summon others.
But, on Elbaph, we don’t see anyone here working as a “anchor”. These two Gods Knights just teleport in. It’s almost literally a “locked room” mystery!
So, here’s the big question: Is it possible that Shanks could have prepared the God’s Knights’ Summoning Circle back when he was on Elbaph? Is it possible that Shanks snuck into Big Stein Castle and prepared the Summoning Circle in order to let the Gods Knights into the “back door” of Elbaph?
We know Shanks was on Elbaph right before the Straw Hats reached Egghead. So, he would have had a opportunity to place the Summoning Circle, in theory, if he wanted.
We don’t know for sure how long Shanks was on Elbaph. But, it seems like he was still on the island dealing with Kid during the events of Egghead. Egghead only took place over the course of two days. And we learn in Chapter 1126 that it took two more days for the Giants to sail from Egghead to Elbaph. So at present, it’s likely been 4 days since Shanks left the island.
But, right after he left, he made sure to go straight to deal with Bartolomeo. In a very public and memorable display. Almost as if he was trying to establish a alibi for where he was, while the Straw Hats would be on Elbaph. Everyone on the island would be able to vouch for Shanks’ whereabouts. Meanwhile his “evil twin” runs rampant on Elbaph. Shanks gets to keep his name clear, by establishing dozens or hundreds of witnesses.
While dealing with Bartolomeo, he also tries to make a deal with him to poison Luffy. Now, this could have been Shanks “testing” Bartolomeo’s loyalty to Luffy. But, we don’t know what his motives were for sure. What we do know is, Shanks offered someone a chance to kill Luffy for him. And then made sure to eliminate that person after he refused to do so. That right there is suspicious behavior. If nothing else, it shows that Shanks has Luffy coming to harm on his mind. It’s hard to say if he wants to cause Luffy harm or prevent harm from coming to him, though.
We also know that Shanks does have a connection to the Gods Knights, through his “evil twin”. Which…Now, Shanks was found by Roger as a baby. So, it’s entirely possible that Shanks isn’t even aware of his evil twin. But, it is also possible that his evil twin has approached Shanks at some point off-screen and formed some sort of relationship with him. We have no proof one way or another.
But, what we do know is that Shanks does have a motive to hurt Luffy. Shanks wants to claim the One Piece. And Luffy is very public about having the same goal. While we don’t know what Shanks would be willing to do, it does make sense to get rid of a potential rival for a treasure that you want to have for yourself. The motive isn’t strong, but it’s there.
Is it possible that all this time, Shanks was actually laying a trap for Luffy? Manipulating events to bring him to Elbaph and then set him up to be assassinated by the Gods Knights? Shanks has been said to be able to see the future with Observation Haki and Future Sight. Only briefly. But, this likely also aids him in making long term plans. I believe Shanks is capable of crafting a plan like this. Whether or not he’d actually do so is another matter.
The biggest hole in this idea is that we just don’t know how these Summoning Circles work. We can make observations and deductions. But, we don’t know for sure if they work the way I think they do. Or if they even work consistantly. Oda might just be writing them inconsistently.
Plus, for this theory to work, it would mean that the Summoning Circles can just be “painted” on a object and still work days later. Without the “anchor” physically being there to start the Summoning Ritual. Which, again, runs counter to what we observed with Saturn and the Gorosei on Egghead. Shanks has been gone from Elbaph for at least 3 days at this point in the story. So, if he is working as the “anchor” for the Gods Knights, he’s doing it via long distance. It’s possible that Shanks’ large amount of Haki makes this possible. But, again, we just don’t know.
*Theory by OykotsTreasure
