One Piece chapter 969: Is Shinobu an ally or a traitor?

One Piece chapter 969 truly debunked many fan theories about Oden’s five-year stay in Wano before his death. And although the previous chapter did not disappoint us, the events in it surely disappointed many citizens of Wano. The thrill and excitement of the supposed hero’s return almost immediately turned to disgust and disappointment as Oden danced naked like a crazy person.

Misunderstood, and rightly so, for his actions, Oden earned the label “Fool of a Lord”. The people of Wano, his family and closest friends included could not understand why he did that. Even to us readers, the reason was withheld. However, one subtle ninja knew as she witnessed the whole thing.

The Bewitching Kunoichi

In One Piece chapter 969, we saw Shinobu eavesdropping by the attic of the shogun’s castle while Oden and Orochi sort some stuff out. This is the first time we see her in Oden’s flashback. Since she is good at spying (as long as there are no blades around), she must have been there the whole time.

Meaning, she heard their conversation and knew everything from the ships, Kaido, and their deal which ended up with Oden dancing naked in public like a fool. In the current timeline, Shinobu is an ally of the Straw hat alliance and is particularly close to Kinemon.

So the question now is why did she remain silent in those five years that Oden and his family and friends suffered the humiliation. What was her purpose?

Shinobu’s brief history

To answer the question, let us review Shinobu’s life as a ninja. Shinobu belonged to an elite ninja group under the Kozuki family, called Kozuki Oniwabanshu. Raizo also used to be a member of this group. When their leader Fukurokuju defected to Orochi, Shinobu resigned.

The timeline for these events is not yet revealed. However, given that Orochi had been the shogun a few years before Oden’s return, it is possible that the ninja group was already loyal to Orochi. As for Shinobu, she may have felt that Orochi is bad news but remained loyal to the shogunate as it was part of the job.

Is Shinobu a traitor or an ally?

Shinobu may have been just following his leader in serving Orochi. Besides, the very purpose of their group was to protect the shogun. However, she must have also been rooting for Oden and was curious as to how things would turn out when Oden came rampaging in Orochi’s castle.

Keeping silent may have been her way of respecting whatever Oden decided to do. However, when Oden and the Nine Red Scabbards decided to strike back, she may also have taken the courage to defy Fukurokuju. Sadly, Oden died and the scabbards faced a crushing defeat.

This would naturally push Shinobu into hiding until the day Kinemon and the others arrived from the past. We don’t know anything about her life during the twenty years of waiting. However, she seemed enthusiastic about the plan to overthrow Orochi.

We cannot judge her character just yet. But surely, things will be cleared out soon. Especially as the flashback of Oden is almost over and we are about to return to the current timeline again.

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