Honestly I still think all of this is to "Guide" Luffy somewhere so he can be used for something. That can be good or a bad thing, I have no idea, but the way Shanks interacts and looks at certain points makes me think he is Oda's biggest plot twist waiting to happen.
Its clear he sent them to help Luffy, but my main question (and its been my question for years), is what ulterior motive he has for helping him in the end, because unlike every other person who praises Luffy or his Sun God powers, Shanks literally has said nothing about it, only just inferred that he purposefully gave Luffy the power.
So while most people view Nika as this savior of mankind and the world, I think Shanks views him as a tool to be used, and I think THATS the thing that we havent seen yet. He cares about Luffy for sure, he's a good natured person possibly, but theres this little fucking twinkle or vibe I get from the character that is not all good in my opinion.