One Piece manga‘s recent flashback sequence, kicking off with the tragic demise of the legendary Giant King Harold, has just transitioned into a comprehensive recounting of one of the manga’s most legendary episodes of the fierce God Valley Incident.
Hailed as potentially the most monumental historical revelation in the series, it depicts the epic showdown between pirates and the World Government. The event is equally notorious for the unlikely partnership between Monkey D. Garp and the Roger Pirates in defeating Rocks D. Xebec, the pirate branded as the ultimate embodiment of malevolence. Yet, the ongoing flashback has upended fan perceptions of Rocks’ villainy, overhauling numerous entrenched beliefs.
As One Piece at last lays bare the complete God Valley Incident, it’s primed to resolve a host of enigmas that have intrigued readers ever since the saga’s initial tease. While the downfall of Rocks and Harold’s involvement form the core of its resolution, the incident also marks the birthplace of the beloved Red-Haired Shanks. An earlier special bonus chapter had disclosed that the Roger Pirates encountered Shanks amid the turmoil. Subsequent updates have fleshed out aspects like his lineage, but one enigma lingered: the circumstances that led him into the treasure chest. The newest installments in One Piece now appear geared to illuminate this last detail.
The pivotal disclosure regarding the Roger Pirates’ discovery of Shanks came in a exclusive bonus volume called One Piece 4 Billion, personally penned by Eiichiro Oda and unveiled alongside the debut of One Piece Film: Red. Within this one-shot, it’s shown that the crew unearthed the then-1-year-old Shanks tucked away in a treasure chest salvaged from the God Valley Incident. This sparked a flurry of queries, chief among them the mystery of his confinement in the chest.
As the most recent chapters plunge further into the fray and even disclosing that Shanks’ mother hails from the island, the narrative seems on the cusp of clarifying this puzzle, positioning Monkey D. Dragon as the decisive element. In One Piece Chapter 1160, Dragon—serving as a Navy officer at the time—grapples with his role in a nightmarish affair and appears to shelter Shamrock and Shanks, the twin siblings, in a bid for atonement. Though his aim was to rescue them both from an apparent death sentence, Chapter 1161 discloses that he managed to flee solely with Shanks, while Shamrock fell into the clutches of one of the God’s Knights.
This definitely underscores Dragon’s pivotal role in concealing Shanks within the treasure chest that the Roger Pirates would subsequently retrieve. In the midst of the pandemonium, it’s evident that Dragon faces mounting difficulties safeguarding Shanks by himself. As Celestial Dragons hunt down children and grown-ups alike, and the Rocks Pirates’ dark deeds intensify, Dragon ultimately hands Shanks over to the Roger Pirates. Given Shanks’ fated trajectory as a buccaneer aboard Roger’s ship, there’s a profound symmetry in Dragon—the future head of the Revolutionary Army—being the initial catalyst for his voyage, particularly since Shanks holds the mantle of the Child of Destiny.
One Piece has always woven the theme of passed-down wills, and with Monkey D. Luffy emerging as Joy Boy, or the Sun God Nika, his portrayal as the prophesied figure can occasionally seem contrived. By contrast, Shanks, freshly anointed as the Child of Destiny, embodies it with effortless grace, bolstered by the insight that Dragon might have been the linchpin in launching his infant self toward this destiny.
One Piece manga’s chapter 1161 was released on September 28, 2025.
You can read the manga on Viz Media Shonen Jump site.
ONE PIECE is a Japanese manga series created by Eiichiro Oda, chronicling the epic journey of Monkey D. Luffy, a spirited young pirate with the power of rubber, as he sails the seas with his crew—the Straw Hat Pirates. Their mission: to find the legendary treasure known as the “One Piece” and crown Luffy as the next Pirate King.
The series has been continuously published in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since July 1997. As of March 2025, it spans 111 collected tankōbon volumes. In the English-speaking world, Viz Media handles the North American and UK releases, while Madman Entertainment distributes the series in Australia.
One Piece has evolved into a massive multimedia franchise. It was first animated in a festival short by Production I.G before being adapted into an ongoing anime series by Toei Animation, which premiered in 1999. Toei has also produced 14 feature-length animated films and a standalone OVA. The franchise has expanded to include a wide range of merchandise, including video games and a trading card game. In 2023, Netflix launched a live-action television adaptation, bringing the world of One Piece to a new generation of fans.
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