Blackbeard's status and fame has risen to be equivalent to the Yonko. So why isn't anyone targeting him?
So why is the newest Yonko with by far the lowest bounty not being swarmed with challengers who want his title and fame? Why did the existing Yonko not put this newbie back in his place while he's still on the rise and taking territory? Even the Marines aren't putting out the little flame from Marineford before it turns into a wildfire? Why not? There is one major reason why:
The Blackbeard and Kuzan alliance was the strongest Yonko force before the Kaido and Big Mom alliance came to be.
No Yonko is arrogant enough to think they can defeat both Blackbeard and Kuzan at the same time. Ordinary pirates fear the Yonko and the Admirals, and now you're telling them both of them are in the same crew?! Doflamingo who didn't want to face Kaido is definitely not touching Kuzan and the Blackbeard pirates.
Kuzan, without doing anything, is a very effective pillar of stability for the Blackbeard Pirates. The Yonko are locked in a stalemate where they can't use their full strength to take out one of their rivals, or else the possibility of a third party jumping in to pick them off while they're weak could mark their end. Doesn't apply to Blackbeard. He seizes Whitebeard's territories. He goes to war against Marco and the former Whitebeard pirates with no repercussions. He discovers Baltigo and immediately attacks the Revolutionary Army, destroying it and possibly taking the weapons he sought, only leaving after the CP0 jumps in but fail to cause him any real damage. All this real because the possibility of Kuzan intercepting your forces from behind and freezing your entire fleet at sea is always in the back of everyone's minds.
Does Kuzan understand the role he is playing here? What is he gaining from Blackbeard's rise in the world? If Kuzan truly wanted to take out Blackbeard, why not ally with Shanks and finish the job they couldn't do at Marineford? Maybe he tried just that and was rejected. Why not join the Revolutionaries and help reform the World Government he quit? It's a popular theory he works for them anyway. Instead, Kuzan openly serves as a very powerful buffer for the single pirate crew most hellbent on destroying the current world order. He stands by and lets them make risky moves that otherwise might otherwise come with costly consequences. Even now, Blackbeard is yet again making a move that will no doubt boost the power and capabilities of the Blackbeard Pirates.
Why do you think Kuzan has chosen to bolster the Blackbeard Pirates over other Yonko crews or going solo? Is potentially gaining insider information worth protecting the Blackbeard Pirates, empowering them to go on the offensive and rise further?
- Luffy and Law are targeting Kaido. X-Drake is a spy working against him.
- Kid and Hawkins were targeting Shanks.
- Capone infiltrated Big Mom's crew intending to assassinate her. Urouge, Apoo, Kid and Luffy have all messed with Big Mom.
So why is the newest Yonko with by far the lowest bounty not being swarmed with challengers who want his title and fame? Why did the existing Yonko not put this newbie back in his place while he's still on the rise and taking territory? Even the Marines aren't putting out the little flame from Marineford before it turns into a wildfire? Why not? There is one major reason why:
No Yonko is arrogant enough to think they can defeat both Blackbeard and Kuzan at the same time. Ordinary pirates fear the Yonko and the Admirals, and now you're telling them both of them are in the same crew?! Doflamingo who didn't want to face Kaido is definitely not touching Kuzan and the Blackbeard pirates.
Kuzan, without doing anything, is a very effective pillar of stability for the Blackbeard Pirates. The Yonko are locked in a stalemate where they can't use their full strength to take out one of their rivals, or else the possibility of a third party jumping in to pick them off while they're weak could mark their end. Doesn't apply to Blackbeard. He seizes Whitebeard's territories. He goes to war against Marco and the former Whitebeard pirates with no repercussions. He discovers Baltigo and immediately attacks the Revolutionary Army, destroying it and possibly taking the weapons he sought, only leaving after the CP0 jumps in but fail to cause him any real damage. All this real because the possibility of Kuzan intercepting your forces from behind and freezing your entire fleet at sea is always in the back of everyone's minds.
Does Kuzan understand the role he is playing here? What is he gaining from Blackbeard's rise in the world? If Kuzan truly wanted to take out Blackbeard, why not ally with Shanks and finish the job they couldn't do at Marineford? Maybe he tried just that and was rejected. Why not join the Revolutionaries and help reform the World Government he quit? It's a popular theory he works for them anyway. Instead, Kuzan openly serves as a very powerful buffer for the single pirate crew most hellbent on destroying the current world order. He stands by and lets them make risky moves that otherwise might otherwise come with costly consequences. Even now, Blackbeard is yet again making a move that will no doubt boost the power and capabilities of the Blackbeard Pirates.