The following contains spoilers for the English-language One Piece chapter 1083, "The Truth of That Day," by Eiichiro Oda, Stephen Paul, and Vanessa Satone.
One Piece is now under a fresh threat. In Chapter 1083, "The Truth of That Day," there is a reference to an organization known as the Holy Knights, whose mission is to fight for the Celestial Dragons. Although nothing is known about their strength, even one possible member might set a very high bar.
Some admirers believe Red-Haired Shanks is one of the Holy Knights. The underlying argument for this theory is supported by what little is known about them. It's difficult to determine how true this is, but it could assist to explain some of the Emperor's riddles.
Shanks might be a holy knight
The concept that Shanks is a Holy Knight stems from one of their outlines resembling him. The figure appears to be wearing a cloak, wielding a saber, and possibly sporting slicked-back hair. Silhouettes aren't often true to the final revelation, but if this is Shanks, it could transform how his prior actions and successes are perceived. It would, for example, shed light on how he handled an audience with the Five Elders in Chapter 907, "The Empty Throne." At first glance, it may appear that he arrived without incident because he was an Emperor of the sea, but a rightful place in the Holy Land would also justify this encounter.
This could be further supported by the theory that Shanks himself is a Celestial Dragon. Such a connection would also explain why he was able to stop the Marineford War. While it would make plenty of sense that not even the Admirals or Sengoku would want to fight Shanks, especially after all the losses they'd already suffered, Shanks being a Holy Knight might have been another reason for them to listen to him. If so, the Marines would be able to save face by saying the War was ended by a Holy Knight rather than acquiescence to an evil, lowly pirate.
If Shanks did have some sort of obligation to the World Government, it would give the Red Hair Pirates a legitimate reason to fight the Straw Hat Pirates. Otherwise, the two crews would never have a reason to battle each other in earnest, save perhaps the race to One Piece. This could be just the conflict of interest the series needs for Luffy to fight his mentor and work to surpass him.
If Shanks isn't a holy knight, what then?
Naturally, everything stated above is presuming that Shanks is a Holy Knight. Instead, others have proposed that Shanks has a bad twin or another cousin who is working with the Celestial Dragons. The ensuing nepotism would also make Shanks' peculiarities acceptable and still allow him to continue living as one of the most infamous pirates in history. It is debatable as to why a relative of Shanks would dress exactly like him.
In any event, the Holy Knights are sure to be a formidable foe. The fact that they are in charge of the World Nobles' protection should speak volumes about how important and powerful they are. If Shanks is one of them, that just goes to show how powerful they are.
