The Egghead arc is slowly but surely drawing to a close. The Straw Hats are escaping toward Elbaf, but the Gorosei continue their pursuit.
It seems possible or even likely that the Gorosei will continue to chase them even across the ocean.
There are four major things that I believe we can expect to play out in the remaining chapters of this arc.
First, I believe that Hawkins' prediction from Wano will be fulfilled, as Luffy & Zoro take the most damage fighting off the Gorosei.
Luffy has already used Gear 5th multiple times in this arc.
Last time Luffy pushed beyond these limits in Wano just once, he was out for the count for a whole week.
Zoro has also just come out of a week long recovery since Wano.
If Luffy and Zoro sustain serious injuries in their efforts to fend off the Gorosei, this would influence the decision to stop at Sphinx Island before heading on to Elbaf.
Here they would hope to reunite with Marco, who could help Chopper to treat Luffy & Zoro.
Secondly, I believe that Sanji's promise to Kuma from back in Thriller Bark will also be fulfilled.
Sanji will surely play a major tactical role in finding way to sabotage the plans of the Gorosei and the Navy.
This sabotage plot may end up connecting with the plot threads of Kaku and Stussy, as well as Miss Bakkin and Marco.
Bakkin and Marco are likely already heading toward Egghead, and this would mean that Stussy would meet her original self.
Kizaru seems to be resigned in regret and avoiding getting involved again as much as possible.
I believe that in the end, he will resolve to help Bonney escape. It seems that Oda intends this moment to parallel Garp.
If Kizaru stands in the way of the Gorosei at the last moment, it would seem like his fate is sealed. This would ultimately lead to his death.
This is where I believe the 4th and last major twist will connect.
The Blackbeard Pirates.
It's worth remembering that Van Augur and Catarina Devon are still on the island with Caribou.
They won't miss the opportunity to take advantage of this chaos to reap the rewards.
I believe that Kizaru will get caught in their sights.
Putting all of these things together, it seems that the plot will naturally align toward Sphinx Island being the next destination.
Marco will likely link up with them anyway, and they will need somewhere to rest and heal before Elbaf.
If we were to stop at Sphinx Island, this would provide an opportunity for Luffy to visit the graves of Ace and Whitebeard.
This would feel like a very appropriate moment for Luffy to pay tribute to them before the prelude to the final war begins.
Whilst the Straw Hats are at Sphinx Island, this would also provide the opportunity for everyone to do some training and reach new levels.
Luffy, Marco, Dorry & Broggy will also likely discuss the inevitability of a big battle at Elbaf.
I believe Luffy will decide to call the Grand Fleet.
Meanwhile, the scene may cut to another island where Shanks is confronting Bartolomeo for burning his flag.
Ever since Oda's statement for Jump Festa 2024, the community have been speculating on who the characters being referred to could be, and what the unexpected results could be.
The most popular belief by far is that the characters being referred to are Shanks and Blackbeard. Oda did some set up for their fight last year, and it seems it is now on the horizon.
However, I think it's still too early for this battle to occur.
Another interesting suggestion is that the characters being referred to are Shiryu and Mihawk.
There's certainly less legitimate basis for this, and it's mostly an agenda driven scenario.
One possibility that I've seen people overlooking is that the characters being referenced could be Blackbeard and Sengoku.
With Garp captured, it seems likely that Sengoku will lead a rescue mission.
The death of Sengoku could be the result, but is that really a surprise?
I believe that Oda is using these highly anticipated scenarios in order to get us looking in the wrong direction.
Whilst everyone is worrying about Blackbeard, Bartolomeo is the one we should be paying attention to.
Ever since Bart burned Shanks' flag in one of his territories, Shanks has declared that he will go after Bart, as ignoring such a sign of disrespect would ruin his reputation.
I think this is the scenario that Oda is alluding to.
'But, Alex, how can this fight have an unexpected result? Are you seriously suggesting that Shanks will lose?!'
I think there-in lies the 'unexpected result.' It's worth recognizing that this doesn't necessarily mean either party gets defeated.
I think that, in order to understand Oda's intentions, we need to think a bit more 3-dimensionally. There is a 3rd party that connects to both Shanks and Bart which could be the cause of the 'unexpected results.' The God's Knights.
During the events of the Reverie, Sai and Leo assaulted Saint Charlos and whilst doing so, proudly announced themselves as members of Luffy's Grand Fleet.
The God's Knights are not likely to take this lying down. The pieces have already been set in motion for them to be deployed.
The God's Knights are going hunting, and the targets are the members of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, and associated allies!
Based on this, I believe that one of the God's Knights will come hunting for Bartolomeo, and this will trigger the 'unexpected result' of his conflict with Shanks.
Instead of Shanks defeating Bartolomeo, he helps him to defeat one of the God's Knights!
This incident will be like the falling of a stone that causes an avalanche.
With Bart escaping due to Shanks' help, he will then most likely seek out the other members of the Grand Fleet.
This will be the beginning of the moment that was foreshadowed at the end of Dressrosa!
To conclude: I believe that this will be the unexpected results of an unexpected battle.
- The God's Knights hunt the Grand Fleet
- Shanks saves Bartolomeo
- The Grand Fleet assemble!
Luffy, the Grand Fleet, and their allies are now responsible for 3 instances of St. Charlos getting beaten up.
If the God's Knights are going be to be deployed for a hunt. The Grand Fleet are their most likely first targets.
The deployment of the God's Knights will mark the beginning of the "Great Cleansing" that V. Nasjuro mentioned back in chapter 908.
Now all of Imu's forces will be active on the battlefield. The final war begins.
This would be the perfect moment to cut back over to Doflamingo. His words from Chapter 801 are now being fulfilled, and perhaps he will have a new speech for us to introduce the prelude to the final war.
CONCLUSION IS FURTHER DOWN (A FEW REPLIES DOWN)
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