Shanks and Luffy had a very interesting relationship, which is well known to all fans of the series. But, even though the two share a deep bond, we also know that Shanks left Luffy when he was a child and wouldn't accept him into his crew while giving him his signature straw hat. In this article, we will talk about the relationship between Luffy and Shanks and explain why Shanks ultimately left Luffy at that time and didn't accept him into his crew.

Shanks ultimately rejected Luffy because he saw all of Luffy's potential. Initially, he was skeptical of Luffy's wishes and found Luffy amusing, but when he finally noticed Luffy's sincerity and determination, he grew to respect him more and eventually realized that Luffy truly wanted to become the Pirate King. This is why he gave him his Straw Hat, an important symbol, and why he allowed him to continue his own journey, as Luffy wouldn't have evolved in the same way if he were part of Shanks's crew. But the two would meet again, as they had agreed, once Luffy fulfilled his end of the bargain.

The rest of this article will focus on Shanks and Monkey D. Luffy, their shared history, and their relationship, as it unfolded in the pages of the One Piece manga. We've given you a general answer above, and in the article below, we'll provide you with more details about them, their relationship, and their shared history. The reason Shanks didn't want to take Luffy into his crew is quite interesting, so we'll have fun sharing it with you here. Of course, the article may also contain spoilers, so we must warn you to be careful how you approach it.

Shanks didn't take Luffy with him because he thought Luffy could actually become Roger's successor.

We all know that Shanks is Luffy's role model, and ever since he was a child, he's wanted to surpass Shanks and become the Pirate King, the successor to Shanks's former captain, Gol D. Roger. Shanks initially mocked Luffy's wishes, but as he realized how sincere and determined he was, Shanks believed and supported him in the best way possible—allowing him to grow on his own and become the best pirate he could be.

Now, let's first explain what kind of relationship they had. During his time in Foosha, Shanks became particularly fond of Luffy. In fact, he teased him for not knowing how to swim and told him many stories of his adventures, so much so that he inspired him to become a pirate. Also, knowing that traveling by sea is very dangerous, he tried to make him understand that he wasn't ready to do so yet.

During the incident with the Higuma bandits, Shanks saved Luffy from a Sea King even at the cost of losing his left arm, and when the child later declared that he would become a pirate capable of surpassing him, Shanks decided to give him his hat, which he loved very much, with the promise that he would return it to him once he became a great pirate. Since then, Shanks began to see the future of piracy in Luffy, and whenever he received good news about him, Shanks would throw a party to celebrate the event, waiting for the fulfillment of their promise.

As you can see, a rather deep bond formed between Shanks and Luffy, almost resembling the bond between a father and son. Shanks truly appreciated Luffy's sincerity, and he cared for him very much, so much so that he willingly sacrificed his own arm to save Luffy's life, which showed how much he cared for the young boy.

Of course, he still thought the sea was too dangerous for young Luffy, but he also believed that Luffy had enormous potential, which is why he rejected him, but – at the same time – gave him his straw hat, with Luffy promising that he would return it once he had achieved his goal.

So this might seem confusing, because Shanks, at the same time, rejected Luffy's requests to make him a member of his crew and gave him a motivational gift, claiming that he believed in himself and his future. And he wasn't lying—Shanks truly believed in Luffy, which is why, as we said, he was so happy every time he heard about Luffy's success.

So why did he leave him in the end? There doesn't seem to be any real reason for Shanks to leave Luffy in Foosha with his Straw Hat, but knowing Shanks and their relationship, we can actually assume the reason is something like this.

If you thought we'd go this route, we don't think it was just to protect him. Shanks knew Luffy was young and dangerous, but he also knew he started out the same way himself: he was a helpless baby when Roger took him in, and Roger protected him from the dangers of the sea for years before that. Shanks has grown into his own man.

There was no reason to think that Shanks couldn't or wouldn't have protected Luffy while he was with him on his ship, so we don't really think that's the reason. Shanks could have taken Luffy in; he could have taken care of him, trained him, and he would have made him a great pirate; there's absolutely no doubt about that. But there's a catch: Luffy wasn't just a great pirate; he had the potential to become the best.

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And that's the problem—that's why Shanks left Luffy to become the best on his own. Namely, if Shanks had taken Luffy in, he would have made him a great pirate, but Luffy would never have the freedom to evolve like him. He would work under Shanks and look up to Shanks, whereas in this case, Luffy had the freedom to do whatever he wanted, and in that respect, his story became even better.

So, Shanks left Luffy because he wanted Luffy to become the best he could be, on his own, without anyone holding him back or supporting him. He believed Luffy could do it; he saw it in him (Luffy has, on more than one occasion, been compared to Gol D. Roger), and that's why he deduced that leaving Luffy would do the boy better than taking him with him.

And he was ultimately right, because it was the right thing to do. The two will meet again, as Luffy still has to keep his promise to Shanks, and until then, we can just enjoy the ride.