Future Events Why Blackbeard, Not Imu, Is Luffy’s True Final Opponent in One Piece

Whether you like it or not, this is clearly the direction the story is heading. Blackbeard’s plan, with Lafitte and Catarina Devon, seems to be aimed straight at Mary Geoise. If he’s going to have a showdown with Imu, and I believe he will, then he simply cannot fail. Narratively, this is the most complex path. Of course, it would be simpler to just have the final clash with Imu, but that’s not what Oda is writing. And honestly, I think it’s way more interesting this way.
The plan is just to get the 4th poneglyph. Strawhats vs BB will happen immediately after that.
 
Which allies do you see BBP having? Luffy will have several top tiers (or close to it) at that point:

- Dragon, Sabo & the Revolutionary Army
- Law
- Kidd
- Hancock & the Kuja pirates
- Yamato & Beast pirates remnants
- Wano Scabbards & samurai
- Loki & giants
- Marco & WB pirates remnants
- Katakuri & BM pirates remnants
- SWORD & other good marines
- Rayleigh, Gaban
- Alabasta, Dressrosa, Water 7, Fishmen Island, etc.
- EVERY race and faction will have representation, so you could even expect King for lunarians, Kuma for Buccaneers, etc

The Strawhat alliance would be simply too stacked for a mere Yonko crew. Such a force could only be necessary for the World Government itself and Imu.

It would make no sense for the BBP to be the last standing because Luffy’s group should be able to crush them at a whim so they can face the WG with no other concerns.
I’ve said it before and I’d say it again: the only scenarios that could work for BB would need immense stupidity of brain-melting levels. The kind that would make Game of Thrones Season 8 look like a masterpiece.
Its just a theory, by last ones standing it means the others are not able to get involved or they are separated from the others. And yes BB can have a lot of allies or he takes over the remaining WG forces or other pirate crews join him etc.
There are many possibilities, the BBPs are aiming for the world, they will have significant power one way or the other.
Have you seen a fatal four way or triple threat match or elimination chamber in WWE?
 
World Nobles being built up and shown so rapidly is another hint at them falling before the next villain that hasn't been entirely built up yet aka Teach.

Anyway, I don't have any convictions as to whoever is final villain to be honest.
 
Its just a theory, by last ones standing it means the others are not able to get involved or they are separated from the others. And yes BB can have a lot of allies or he takes over the remaining WG forces or other pirate crews join him etc.
There are many possibilities, the BBPs are aiming for the world, they will have significant power one way or the other.
Have you seen a fatal four way or triple threat match or elimination chamber in WWE?
None of the “possibilities” work without seriously dumb writing.
There’s no high profile crew currently that would side with BB over the Strawhats. Even then, the Strawhats’ allies are too monstrous for that. Law, Kid & Loki alone already provide a combined bounty of 8.6 billion.

The Marines and Celestial Dragons will never follow the likes of Blackbeard, so that option is out. That’s why it’s so pointless for BB because even if he were to succeed it would be him alone against both the combined forces of Luffy’s alliance & WG forces.
That’s no better than Imu leading the charge anyway with far greater experience and forces to command. Imu is just better in every single metric for an antagonist of that scale.

And again, even the 3 way thing would just be dumb because there’s absolutely no reason the Strawhat alliance shouldn’t crush the BBP first to get their hostages before taking on Imu.
That’s still “Dany kinda forgot about the iron fleet” levels of bad writing.
Would Law, Katakuri, Sengoku & Tsuru who all have loved ones captured by BB be that stupid?
 
None of the “possibilities” work without seriously dumb writing.
There’s no high profile crew currently that would side with BB over the Strawhats. Even then, the Strawhats’ allies are too monstrous for that. Law, Kid & Loki alone already provide a combined bounty of 8.6 billion.

The Marines and Celestial Dragons will never follow the likes of Blackbeard, so that option is out. That’s why it’s so pointless for BB because even if he were to succeed it would be him alone against both the combined forces of Luffy’s alliance & WG forces.
That’s no better than Imu leading the charge anyway with far greater experience and forces to command. Imu is just better in every single metric for an antagonist of that scale.

And again, even the 3 way thing would just be dumb because there’s absolutely no reason the Strawhat alliance shouldn’t crush the BBP first to get their hostages before taking on Imu.
That’s still “Dany kinda forgot about the iron fleet” levels of bad writing.
Would Law, Katakuri, Sengoku & Tsuru who all have loved ones captured by BB be that stupid?
I think you are misunderstanding what I am saying when I say the last one standing. The last ones standing means that others are or cannot become involved in the fight for any number of reasons whether it be exhaustion or logistics or communications. I will make a thread on how I expect the story to fold out and why I think that.

Luffys alliance is the strongest that we have seen on panel so far. He has Alabasta, DR, Zou and Wano and the Grand Fleet allied with him. But that is because we are following Luffys story. BB did not become a Yonko for nothing. He took over WBs territories (who was the strongest Yonko). He is the king of the Beehive Island, which is the pirates paradise. He is gaining leverage and abilities by following a cunning plan where is laying ambushes or caputing strategic things. He now has info about two ancient weapons thanks to Caribou (why did Caribou go to BB to tell him all he knew?) He is aiming for the world, he has the Saturn doppelganger ability to probably exploit some WG related facility since Saturn dying and being replaced may not be as well know around the world.

Lets wait and see what you call dumb writing is your opinion and I think BB being the FV would be way better than Imu considering how that seems to be the general shonen trope of immortal villains surviving until the last fight one or another like Kaguya, Yhwach, All for One etc.
 
I think you are misunderstanding what I am saying when I say the last one standing. The last ones standing means that others are or cannot become involved in the fight for any number of reasons whether it be exhaustion or logistics or communications. I will make a thread on how I expect the story to fold out and why I think that.

Luffys alliance is the strongest that we have seen on panel so far. He has Alabasta, DR, Zou and Wano and the Grand Fleet allied with him. But that is because we are following Luffys story. BB did not become a Yonko for nothing. He took over WBs territories (who was the strongest Yonko). He is the king of the Beehive Island, which is the pirates paradise. He is gaining leverage and abilities by following a cunning plan where is laying ambushes or caputing strategic things. He now has info about two ancient weapons thanks to Caribou (why did Caribou go to BB to tell him all he knew?) He is aiming for the world, he has the Saturn doppelganger ability to probably exploit some WG related facility since Saturn dying and being replaced may not be as well know around the world.

Lets wait and see what you call dumb writing is your opinion and I think BB being the FV would be way better than Imu considering how that seems to be the general shonen trope of immortal villains surviving until the last fight one or another like Kaguya, Yhwach, All for One etc.
I understand what you mean by last standing. I’ll wait on you to expound on it, but what I’m saying is that there’s no scenario for that to work that isn’t stupid if Luffy has access to all his allies.
Luffy & Blackbeard fighting at the isolated spot of Raftel is the only way that works, and Luffy would be the victor.
Overthrowing the WG comes after that because everyone can’t all go to Raftel, but Mariejois and all the surrounding areas are the perfect stage for a global conflict.

Blackbeard’s moves still pale in comparison to all that Imu has access to and the forces that he commands.

And it is far too late for BB to be a better villain because Imu has been doing greater acts of Villainy before Blackbeard was even born!
How on earth do you expect Blackbeard to catch up on 800 GODDAMN YEARS OF GENOCIDE?!?

Entire races have been wiped out leaving only 1 individual due to Imu. The suffering caused by Imu encompasses the globe!
Unless you think BB could do in a mere couple of hours the horrors that Imu has unleashed for centuries, the ship has sailed on BB ever being a comparable villain.
The Lunarians, the Buccaneers, the members of the D family slaughtered, the Fishmen, the Minks, the Giants, Zunesha, Emeth…none of them give a damn about Blackbeard. Only ONE villain has touched all those races and all those lives.
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I might need to make a thread on just how much evil can be laid at Imu’s feet because some of the fanbase just doesn’t seem to get it.

The best you could ever hope for with Blackbeard is to be the final fight, but Imu is undoubtedly the overarching and main villain of the story without question.
Whether you like him or not, the majority of the pain and suffering of the protagonists, their allies and even the antagonists all lead back to Imu.
 
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I don't see a point in introducing a villain like Imu so late in the story (900 chapters or so?) and not have him as FV when he is the main person responsible for a criminal system like slavery, rape and murder.

We had Kumas flashback not long ago and saw what he went through. Lot of people, even antagonists like King are waiting for Nika/Joy Boy to destroy the WG.
 
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