The Final Task
Since Roger knew the exact time Shirahoshi will be born, he gave a final task to some of his crew, one of them was Shanks. In Sabaody, Rayleigh tells Luffy that “I can’t tell you stuff that Shanks didn’t tell you.. but anyways, congratulations for making it this far..”.
Obviously, Rayleigh and Shanks know things that they didn’t tell Luffy, and if you look throughout Luffy’s journey, many things are conveniently placed for him as if to guide him on what to do. It’s like Roger put some of his crewmembers as “filters” for the next Pirate King. There’s Buggy, Crocus, Shanks, and Rayleigh. I included Buggy because I honestly think his role will become much more important to the end of the story.
In Chapter 967, we find that only 1 of the Poneglyphs in Fish-Man Island was missing which is weird if you think about it. If someone wanted to hide the knowledge, they’d take/hide both Poneglyphs. But it’s as if someone wants the next Pirate King to pass, but when it comes to reaching Laugh Tale, they can test him. I bet that person is none than Red Hair Shanks.
There’s a lot of evidence that backs him as the final “block” for the next person to reach Laugh Tale, whether it’s Luffy or Teach.
