I have long refused to buy into this line of thinking, and even with whatever he was doing at the Reverie - the details of which we still don’t know, to those of y’all talking about him snitching - I don’t know why Oda would kill him off after being the true inspiration for Luffy’s entire journey. Does it make sense narratively? Sure, but lots of things do, and the author has done a pretty effective job over the years making the nonsensical seem plausible AND vice versa. I choose to believe that, until further notice and without serious proof, that Shanks will survive at least long enough to see the kid he gave his straw hat to become king of all pirates.