Not long after Houka left the Moby Dick, he actually ran into the Red Hair Pirates.
Shanks was on his way to see Whitebeard Newgate, hoping to persuade him to stop Fire Fist Ace from pursuing Blackbeard.
Shanks knew all too well how much strength Blackbeard had kept hidden.
The three scars over his eye had come from a duel with Blackbeard, whom he had encountered by chance on his way back to the Holy Land after leaving the Red Hair Pirates to investigate information about the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika.
He had returned to the Holy Land, successfully joined God's Blades, and even met Harald, who had ascended to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
At the time, his eye had still been bandaged, the wound not yet healed.
Shanks looked at the fine wine on deck, specially brought back from the West Blue.
He hoped that stubborn old man Whitebeard would listen to his advice and recall Fire Fist Ace.
Otherwise, Ace, his captain's son, might come to harm at Blackbeard's hands.
In fact, Shanks had long known that Roger had a son.
He had mentioned it years ago while chatting with Gaban on Elbaf.
And his main reason for staying so long in Foosha Village in the East Blue had been to find Roger's son and give him the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika.
Instead, through a twist of fate, Luffy had eaten the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika.
Shanks had then officially passed the mantle of the child of destiny and that straw hat to Luffy, betting the arm bearing the Shallow Sea Mark on the new era in the process.
As Shanks was still considering how to negotiate with Whitebeard, he suddenly felt a terrifying sense of danger.
His eyes instantly glowed red, but he could