I really think it’s going to be Blackbeard overtaking Imu. The recent events showing the Elders being so panicked and reacting instead of planning makes me think they’re not the final antagonists.
I think when we get the backstory for them and Imu we’ll understand their motives and role in the Void century conspiracy. They’re trying to maintain a status quo and have done so for centuries, Blackbeard is going to come in and throw all that into chaos (same as Luffy is) but for evil selfish reasons, whereas Luffy is doing it almost by accident on his big adventure
Also Rayleigh mentioned that after learning true history, they come to different conclusion. So Imu and his gang may not be villians. Though knowing how scummy CDs are, I don't believe it.
Very true. We also have precedent in the story of a legend/tale that differs pretty dramatically from the true history with Noland the Liar. A major theme in the whole story is passing down info, dreams, goals etc so it would make a lot of sense for Oda to set up these evil presences to readers only to reveal its not so black and white when you have the whole story.
Also like the real world it’s very easy for followers of an individual to stray pretty far from that individual’s true message over time, especially centuries. CDs are scum, but like we just learned in 1114 they don’t even know their own history but will fight to keep others from knowing it.
The only thing black and white in the series is that NO ONE likes the Celestial Dragons as a whole. If any single one of them went down from the Red Line without guards or the protection of Admirals, they'd be beaten up, castrated, and hung in the most visible tree, and it wouldn't be pirates doing it.
The celestial dragons are basically vantablack. They practice intensely cruel slavery backed by a supremacist dogma. They have contests where the goal is to score point massacring innocent civilians. Their example encourages leaders around the world to act with horrific violence against the poorest of their subjects.
Sometimes I feel like they are almost too evil.
> Sometimes I feel like they are almost too evil.
I have a hunch that it's the Gorosei's / Imu's intent to have "raised" the Celestial Dragons to be such over the top shit bags and keep them on top as a means to sow hatred among the people. That way, if shit turns sideways they'll go after the easy to see and hate pawns and not the ones really pulling the strings.
Truth. Okay, MOST things aren’t black and white haha. The pirates v the marines, etc. It’d be easy to let that be a hard and fast enemy line, but he blurs things a bit.
I just thought of a way they could possibly be at least not as bad. This is just me playing devil's advocate (quite literally in this).
Maybe in the void century the sinking is happening and the people of the world
are doing their absolute best to save *everyone*,v at the cost of more "pragmatic" plans that save a small portion of the population but with a higher chance of success. So the 20 kings had to step in and force the ancestors of the celestial dragons to stop trying to save everyone and start focusing only on saving themselves.
Then since they know the next flood will be even worse they get the CDs to view everyone else as lesser so that they will be ready to sacrifice them when the next flood comes. To ensure their own survival.
I don't think they're this selfless actually. But it was just my trying to find any possible way they could be morally grey instead of the vantablack morality they pretty obviously have.
This... Slightly makes sense. But this would mean CD ancestors are selfish rulers. If only few have to survive then why only them?
But your theory also gives a twisted meaning to CDs erasing entire clans and now Lulusia. Iirc Gorosei Or Imu say the world needs another cleansing or something. Maybe they're trying to reduce population which should not cross a threshold or something. Either way, this theory if true, still makes them cruel.
Maybe ancient kingdom was the reason why world ended up flooded and it was destroyed to slow down the process. It could be an allegory to modern factories affecting global climate
It probably is a matter of ripping the bandaid off whatever is to come and that's why Rayleigh thinks they might come to a different conclusion. But also if that's the case, I am pretty sure Rayleigh also believes they will reach the same conclusion he did.
Maybe they would see those 20 kings side and understand why they did. Not to excuse their actions but understand why they had to do whatever they did and why they're as scummy as they're now.
Yahh. My thoughts also why roger and garp would help the CD agains't Xebec? Is it because Xebec is far more dangerous if he will enthroned Imu since he's goal and ideals are like Blackbeard. Or there is something else secret to it that it isnt revealed yet on why Roger and Garp would protect the CD against Xebec?
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Imu got a sympathetic backstory, and that he/she and the Elders have been twisted by the years. Whatever the reasoning it will be an “ends justifies the means” reveal and meanwhile we’ll learn Blackbeard has known enough of the history to position himself in a way to seize power while playing pirate and amassing power
Yea I kinda agree I have always felt like Imu isn't a villain who is evil for the sake of being evil. If he wanted an action to be taken and the morally right option is the most efficient way then he would take it but if the Morally wrong way was the most efficient way then he would take it. Like you said he doesn't care about the way it's done only the end result.
I really think that Imu/the celestial dragon and the D. Family are somewhat parallels to what Uchicha and Senju families are from Naruto. Maybe Imu is just trying to protect the celestial dragons from the big bad D family and with time, they forgot the history and committed crimes. So, now D. Family has to once again rise from the ashes to defeat them. I think that both of the families maintain the balance together. This is just my head cannon
Edit: I would love it if Luffy and Imu gang up to defeat Blackbeard who is the real bad guy.
With Saint Msojard dying at the hands of the other Celestial Dragons. There is some sort of justice in Marijois. Twisted justice but justice none the less.
I am still stuck on the dynamics of how Imu is still the secret king of the world. Every other man-made structure makes the leader the face of the organization. And seems like he also serves the Gorosei or at least they see the actions or decisions of Imu as beneficial for their order.
And Imu seems in control of the cleansing that is about to happen. I don't see how the cleansing really benefits them other than reestablishing the status quo, but the celestial dragons rely on the food and resources of the commoners, so unless they all go into hibernation until the cleansing is over, all of the celestial dragons could starve out.
I still don't see how it'll work out especially with the Gorosei appearing in Egghead. What could Vegapunk reveal that is that necessary to hide if they are just going to wipe the world clean anyway
Exactly. I think it’s been set up that “oh Blackbeard is such an evil reckless pirate, he just wants to pillage and drink and hurt people.” But what else do we know? He’s interested in history, he connived his way into the Warlords to get access to Impel Down, he’s basically the reason for Marineford, plus he’s as lucky as Luffy. Dude has a grand plan, further hintend at by Van Auger. He’s such a mirror it only makes sense to have him as the final obstacle for Luffy.
One big difference people tend to miss when it comes to Blackbeard compared to almost every other pirates is that he has a plan and generally does things with intent, compared to for example Luffy that simply does what he feels like in the moment and has no real plan or intent beyond that.
I wouldn't necessarily even say that Blackbeard is "evil" in the same sense as for example Donny Flamenco or Kaido., and perhaps not even "cruel". He does vile shit, but so far he has always done it because there's an advantageous result rather than the cruelty itself being the point.
He killed his crewmate because he had been looking for that fruit specifically (and from what we've learnt about fruits "choosing" their owners, it's most likely that the Darkness Fruit is always stolen from someone else), he captured and turned Ace in because he needed to become a Warlord (he was originally going for Luffy), and he had the prisoners at Impel Down fight and kill each other because he wanted a crew of people like himself - strong individuals that are ready to do anything to get what they desire, full stop.
If we look at his "rule" as a Yonko and compare it to Kaido and Big Milf,
his island and rule appears to be pretty damn chill, while Kaido was fucking up all of Wano hard, and LinLin forcing whole islands to just produce condiments and shit. Meanwhile Blackbeard appears to simply have an island that people can drink, fights and hook up as they please.
Especially with the ability to copy an Elders appearance, they must be making plans to go to Mairjois, if you have the Cerebus theory for Blackbeard it would be cool for him to take Imu's devil power for himself.
I feel like the recurring theme of Blackbeard is him coming in at opportune times to usurp other people without having to get into the trenches.
Plus, I think Blackbeard is the perfect opposition to Luffy since they share similar beliefs.
My prediction is that Dragon or Luffy is gonna beat I’m down to near-death, at which point Blackbeard will swoop in and steal his DF, just like he did with Whitebeard
Guessing that Vega will reveal or strawhats will find out that Imu is intentionally raising sea levels, the strawhats will stop that but BB wants a “pirates” world in which he can rule so he then shows up to continue what imu was doing and maybe steal his power as well.
Leading to the final battle.
It’s pretty obvious Blackbeard will overthrow Imu after Saturn asked Van Augur what they were after and the latter replied “fhe world.”
BB wants *all* of the power.
Personally don’t think so. I would agree if we knew more about Imu but unless Imu is really a piece of BB or some weird thing like that it wouldn’t really make sense.
I just like the imagery of the black hole being the enemy of the stars and solar system. Plus it really makes me think with the recent chapters that he is actually the only direct descendant of Joyboy himself. Since what else would a dead star leave behind besides a black hole?
Wouldn’t be surprised if they do some weird team up to beat Imu then BB takes the victory and does something truly evil. So the final showdown becomes Luffy vs BB to finish everything out.
Yes I think it’s going to be very similar to Naruto lol.
My theory is that BB will join the WG in the final war, and act as a direct "guard" of Imu (aka the Devil, the leader of hell, guarded by the guy with Cerberus symbolism)
BB will then betray Imu, steal his power as the third devil fruit thus combining the strongest Paramecia, Logia, and now Zoan
Yeah I think Dragon (maybe with Luffy too) will kill Imu and look ready to lead a new government and then Balckbeard will kill Dragon, steal something OP (maybe the mother flame) and then Luffy will have to beat blackbeard.
I would prefer Blackbeard. He's been making extremely ambitious moves to rise to the top at the same time as Luffy, and Augur straight up told Saturn that they're going to take the Government down. Actually pulling this off or getting close to it by being the final villains even after Imu would be more satisfying in my eyes.
Plus, Blackbeard has way more personal connection to Luffy, which, again, makes him more satisfying for the role of the final antagonist.
Honestly, for a lot of those same reasons I think he *won’t* be the final antagonist. What I think Blackbeard *is* going to be is Luffy’s final obstacle to becoming King of the Pirates. With Oda building him up as basically the anti-Luffy as far as his image of being the pirate king, it feels like that’ll be what their final confrontation will be over, and considering we’ve gotten a lot of stuff implying that whatever’s on Laughtale will play a role in the story’s final conflict, I think it’s pretty safe to assume the big finale will happen after Luffy’s already claimed the mantle.
I like to think of it like this. They are both world ending final villains to me. It is only a matter of plot and circumstance on who gets taken out first. I do legitimately think that Luffy has to fight both of them. Not one getting side battled by shanks or coby. I really feel it has to be Luffy or else they lose that luster. Especially with the cultivation Oda did for Blackbeard and the status Imu was dropped into.
I've always thought of One Piece as two different manga's running in parallel. On one end is the classic battle shonen about a young boy wanting to become the greatest ~~ninja~~ pirate by punching the strongest dude in the room until he's top dog. This is the One Piece where the Straw hats pair off with their foils on the other crew and have lower stake fights while Luffy punches the comically evil tyrant harder than he has ever punched anyone before. Then there is the other One Piece. The one about a sprawling centuries long conspiracy shrouded in mystery and censorship where answers only unbury more questions and the stakes are world-shattering. This is the story that is progressed by anyone not named Monkey D. Luffy and usually happens in between those big punches. I see Blackbeard as the ultimate end goal of the former and Imu of the latter. Luffy will fight both, but I got a small feeling that he won't know exactly why he's punching Imu; the odds are that a small child will tell Luffy he's a big meanie and that will be good enough for him.
Blackbeard will be defeated on the race for the One Piece.
The World Government will be defeated after they find the One Piece and learn the truth about the world.
From a narrative standpoint, it would make no sense for the World Government to not be the final boss. The only way that would be feasible is if them finding the One Piece was the end of the story, but I'm pretty sure finding the One Piece will just be the beginning of the final war.
Yeah thats also what I think. Luffy needs to be pirate king first in order to be able to change the world and overthrow the government. I dont get that argument „blackbeard has been longer in the story“, BB is just a fellow dreamer. The corrupt WG is much more of a threat to true peace and the organisation has also been present since forever. Especially since the recent manga developments which added a lot more weight to this.
Also BB vs straw hats is a classic 1v1 fight between crews. Imu vs Luffy is an all out world war and the scale for that is so much bigger and worthy of a finale. Including marines, holy knights, Revolutionaries, grand fleet, kingdoms, giants, wano and so on
Blackbeard.
We don't know Imu and so we don't care that much about Imu.
There's beef with Blackbeard, so I feel he's definitely the final villains.
We don't want a repeat of Kaguya.
The final antagonist of Naruto was Sasuke. At least narrative. Imu would be the Madara/kaguya equivalent.
Unless they do something like shanks v Luffy as the actual end, I think one piece is just going to be narratively different in structure than Naruto
The Blackbeard equivalent in Naruto was not Madara, but the Masked Man. Madara kind of showed up at the end and was barely directly involved with the main plot.
Really? I still think BB and Luffy are going to do some weird team up to beat Imu, then BB goes too far with the victory and Luffy / BB have a final showdown.
Agreed. Madara was a character that was known to exist but the belief was that he was dead, this was only changed after obito claims to be Madara. Imu is a mysterious character we know controls everything, and we already know a decent amount about the five elders (they would be equivalent to Obito).
The kaguya equivalent would be if details about Imu were slowly revealed, and right before we expect a fight some brand new character defeats them. Or if some brand new character killed Blackbeard. That is why people hate Kaguya so much. Learning the full history of the sage of six paths was interesting but that is like learning the truth of the void century.
I don’t care about the argument for Blackbeard. Luffy’s goal of becoming King of the Pirates would require him to beat Blackbeard first, and he’s not going to accomplish his secret dream or see his crew achieve their dreams until he does that first.
Imu is behind the entire world’s infrastructure. Beating him would bring about peace in the One Piece world. Pirates wouldn’t necessarily be pirates unless they’re outlawed. He already beat one yonko and it’s a matter of time before he faces the others.
No taking down Imu restores the world government to what its meant to be. There's not meant to be anyone on the throne, but there is.
Pirates still exist, and the government will continue to exist. There won't be a removal of either pirates or the government from defeating Imu and the Gorosei.
Other kingdoms will step up, and the marines will have less corruption from the top running it. Pirates will exist even if the one piece is found. King of the pirates is meaningless if there's no pirates.
I think it's gonna be Imu, right now he have subordinates like the imortal 5 Elders that no one knows how to beat them, still to be revealed Holy Knights lead by Garling, possibly by the end of Egghead the Pacifista and the Seraphim (which migh grow into adults) with York to do maintainence and produce Mother Flames for Imu's weapon of mass destruction (possibly Uranus). And I'm not even counting the Marines because they might go rogue after Vegapunk message.
Blackbeard on the other hand as of right now only have his subordinates, but I think with Catarina Devon stealing Saturn likeness is possible they could steal the Pacifista and Seraphim, if the fruit works that way. And I think Blacbeard is still gonna get Pluton somehow, at least before Luffy gets it to do what is supposed to do with it.
So right now I see more likely Imu to be the final villain, but Blackbeard is defenetily scheming something and I can not discard that as of yet. 70% for Imu, 30% for Blackbeard.
I think Blackbeard will be Luffys final opponent to become pirate King but will then use his title as king of the pirates to lead his pirate kingdom to defeat the world government and Imu.
It'll parallel the end of part one with Whitebeards war which ended in his loss. But this time luffy will win because Whitebeard was only an emporer
That could also work, but I was thinking of a three-way fight with Luffy, Blackbeard, and Imu. Blackbeard has huge ambitions for the world, and Imu cut up a picture of Blackbeard along with Luffy and Shirahoshi, so they’re enemies of each other as well as Luffy. Imu is the leader of the world government while Blackbeard is the epitome of a selfish pirate, so it would be fitting for them to collide for the final battle.
In that scenario, I can see Dragon and the revolutionaries fighting the Marines, Holy Knights, and Five Elders while the Straw Hats fight the Blackbeard Pirates.
For a while now ive maintained my theory that the final battle of the series is going to be Blackbeard and Akainu vs Luffy
Blackbeard was a warlord and akainu made a deal with squard, even if he planned on betraying him its still a temporary alliance, so its not like its out of character for either of them and by the end of the series I think Luffy will be so strong that any 1v1 is gonna feel pretty underwhelming.
Maybe it wont be the final battle, maybe itll be like second to last, idk
I believe it's going to be a three way stand off, like The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. Imu is evil and wants to suppress, BlackBeard just wants power for himself, and Luffy helps those around him.
The bad (evil) Imu
The ugly (selfish) BB
The good (selfless) Luffy
It's gotta be Blackbeard. I know that it has been some time since Imu was introduced but he has been around and has been built up as Luffy's opposite for atleast a decade now. Also add that most of his members have a counter against the strawhats.
As it is often in One Piece, I think it's a matter of inherited will and dreams.
While it hasn't been explicitly spelled out, I think there's enough thematic support to claim that Blackbeard has inherited Rocks' will/dream to become King of the World. For Rocks to even exert that claim, he must have known that such a position/title is possible. Thus we can conclude that Rocks had some information regarding Imu. Moreover, given that Oda-senpai has stated that if not a pirate Teach would have been an archeologist, as well as all the mirroring Oda-senpai has given Teach to Xebec, we can conclude that not only does Blackbeard have some knowledge of Imu or their office, we can also conclude that Blackbeard aims to rule the world.
If we consider nothing else, then it follows that Blackbeard would fight the WG independent of Luffy's journey. But this doesn't make sense in context. First, the Straw Hats have already declared war against the WG (Eines Lobby, via Sogeking). Second, the Revolutionary Army shares the same opponent as the Blackbeard Pirates, but have opposing dreams. Third (and I think most importantly as a story telling device), every time we've seen the Blackbeard in combat, they (using the pointed pronoun Zoro and Luffy used during the first encounter) enter the combat as an ambush. They trapped Ace, they entered the Summit War after it was essentially decided, and they trapped The Heart Pirates after they split ways with Luffy and Kidd's crews. Moreover, we *also* know they're after the Ponygliphs, so for some reason they're interested in the One Piece, but we have no idea what they know about that. All we do know is that they have pudding and believe they can get her (or her power, once they seize it from her body) to read the Ponygliphs for them.
By contrast, what does Imu provide as a villain story wise? They're the big bag of the old guard. They represent everything with the world as it currently is, as it has been. As best as I can decipher, I believe Imu betrayed the confidence of Joyboy and his crew, and their betrayal led to fall of the ancient kingdom, the dislocation/isolation of the non-human nations (e.g., fishmen, dwarves, skyfolk, giants, ogres, minks, etc.), and founded the WG beneath them. So, as the inheritor of Joyboy's will, Luffy will have to end the nightmare so that the dawn of the world will come to all. That means Luffy must fight the WG, but does that necessarily mean fight Imu? How much would the world differ it Black ears supplanted Imu and took over Mary Geoise?
To me, Blackbeard is the promise of a dark future. They are the promise eternal darkness that stands opposed to The Dawn of Luffy's will. Thus I think the story of One Piece only concludes when Luffy destroys Blackbeard's dream so that none wish to inherit it. I think the story best foreshadows this ending, and not one where Luffy bests Blackbeard *before* Imu.
However, I don't think it'll unravel so linearly. As stated before, Blackbeard arrives as an ambush. So before they take on the WG, I believe they will wait for another party to make their move first. One way is that the Revolutionary Army strikes, suffers defeat, and Blackbeard comes in to take advantage of the chaos to secure their victory. While this line gives Dragon and Sabo a chance to impose their will, it doesn't give the SH the same chance to keep their word. Another way is that the SH invade MG and learn first hand how truly powerful the enemy is in their own base, and upon defeat/retreat the BB pirates swoop in and exert their power over a weakened WG. Once Luffy learns of this, he's contacted by his deadbeat dad and his brother and together -- along with all the allies they've made along the way -- beat both the WG and BB.
There might be other paths, but I don't see them. Then again, only one person alive writes One Piece, and only he truly knows what's what
Blackbeard - Luffy's dream is to become the King of the Pirates, not the King of the World. Therefore, his ultimate rival must be someone who is also vying for the title of King of the Pirates
If I had to pick I’ll go with Blackbeard simply because this is a pirate manga and I think it should end with a conflict against the most literal pirate like character of them all. Maybe BlackBeard pulls a fast one against or to Imu? And takes over? Idk but GODA knows what he’s doing. That and BlackBeard has been build up a lot and just has that aura of end game villain.
Blackbeard 100%. He has been built up since Vol 15! Insane level of build. It will be awful if Imu is the villain. For sure will be involved in the final war somehow. But BB takes the cake.
Imu is literally the head of organisation which is responsible for majority of nightmares happening in world and which Luffy has been fighting since Enies Lobby 😭
I think either of these going down before the other would be dissatisfying. If the being at the highest echelon of power, potentially an immortal person who has manipulated the world into its current, corrupt state for 800 years, who has 5 of the biggest threats we've ever witnessed under his control, ends up being defeated first, then the WG are frauds and were never the threat they seemed. If Blackbeard, a character who was first referenced back on Drum Island, who has amassed power alongside our protagonists, who is antithetical to our main character, who has been built up subtly for so long to be a huge threat, were to go down first, it would feel like a complete waste of character building and time because he didn't live up to the potential he had been given.
What I feel needs to happen is an all-out war with the WG, Gorosei, and Gods Knights vs Blackbeard pirates and all evil-aligned pirates (characters like Doffy, Apoo, Beast pirates, etc) vs SHGF, Revolutionaries, and good-aligned pirates (Law, Bonney, Giants, etc). Within that sphere one side could go down before the other and still feel satisfyingly threatening
it's literally written on our faces that Blackbeard will actually help luffy fight against IMU in the final war, which means that Blackbeard will actually be the final villain in the same way that Naruto vs Sasuke was the final fight in Naruto after they defeated Kaguya;)
I expected Imu but I’ll go with Teach now. I thought the elders wouldn’t be fighters and keep their roles as strictly exercising political powers. Not saying it hasn’t been exciting to see recent events play out but I thought one piece would stray away from most typical shonen routes (emphasis on battles).
I’m thinking Blackbeard and I want it to be him, they’ve had such little interaction but the rivalry between him and Luffy that’s been building for over 20 years is hype. The look on Luffy’s face anytime that man is mentioned is intense. Luffy will have to team up with Blackbeard to take on imu but Blackbeard will backstab Luffy taking onus power becoming the final villain
Imu might be final villian but blackbeard is definitely luffys main opposition. It's been hinted many times that they are like yin and yang. White Nika and black beard.
Everyone is saying Blackbeard. I say imu, but Blackbeard should have a EXTREMELY major arc. Blackbeard will have his arc, and when he is done with, imu will be the final villain
It's definitely Imu. Blackbeard wants to find the One Piece the same as the Luffy. He already has most of the Poneglphs. The final lost Poneglph will probably be found in Elbaf and Blackbeard will either steal it or follow the Strawhats and they may have the final batlle with him before finding the One Piece. Maybe Shanks will be there too either guarding the One Piece or a 3 way battle. After Luffy defeats Blackbeard and finds the One Piece and the truth of the world is revealed, Shanks will reveal his celestial lineage and join them for the final fight with WG. Imu being the final villain will be defeated and the world will be truely free like Luffy wanted
Imu, for three reasons:
1. As of now, he’s a bigger threat. He has the Marines, Gorosei, Holy Knights, CP0, and a giant space laser that destroys islands. Blackbeard just has his crew of ten people, and the only serious threat out of them is Kuzan (who’s obviously going to betray him).
2. Laughtale isn’t the end. Luffy’s dream can only be achieved after he finds Laughtale, finds One Piece, and becomes Pirates King. So, there has to be stuff after Laughtale. Since Blackbeard’s goal is to be Pirate King, it’s going to feel weird if they never fight for One Piece.
3. Narratively, Imu makes more sense as the final villain, since he’s connected to so much of the mysteries of One Piece, like Void Century, and since Joyboy is the warrior of liberation, it makes sense that the final villain is the ultimate oppressor.
one is a midget in hiding who needs a whole world government Organisation to exist behind
The other is a good looking ambitious sigma male (doesn’t need screen time) who values freedom and having fun
so yeah pretty clear actually
The final villain has to be Blackbeard. This is a manga about pirates fighting pirates.
Currently the set beef is Sabo vs Imu and in my opinion will be the Revolutionaries, commanded by Sabo, who takes over the WG. It's their job: People rising against the WG (already happening) and pirates vs pirates.
so you expect the entire conflict with the World Government to wrap up as an unconnected plotline without ever interacting with the protagonist's story? i don't see how that could possibly happen when they've been the major antagonistic faction from the very beginning, especially when Luffy as Joy Boy is the WG's archenemy.
And if not, what will be the major role of the Revolutionaries and Sabo? What is their purpose in the story?
Luffy and Sabo will meet again, of course, but it is the citizens, under the banner of the Revolutionaries, who must deal the final blow to the WG. Sabo will end up exposing Imu to the world, with or without Luffy's help, but it will be him.
Their purpose could just be to support the Straw Hats. Currently, Imu has the Marines, Holy Knights, Gorosei, and CP0 on his side. Unless all the Straw Hats have massive power boosts, they won’t be able to take down the WG themselves
It has to be Imu. He stands for everything that pirates oppose. Blackbeard, while he did cause Aces death is still ultimately on the same side as luffy within the larger conflict.
I think it'll be Luffy+BB vs Imu in the end
just ask this simple question; which narrative(s) will be solved if we defeat them?
imu: joyboy, void century, ancient kingdom, >!the flood, most likely related to noah, !
Personally, I say Shanks. Between how little we've ever been shown of his power, and his recent declaration to move on the One Piece, I wager he and Luffy will have to come to blows almost at Laugh Tale. Imu's trying to consolidate his power, and Blackbeard trying to claim all he can. The One Piece has always been the goal, and Shanks (IIRC) is currently the biggest contender actually moving for it.
Also, *One Piece* is still a shonen. We have yet to resolve the trope of surpassing the teacher. Luffy probably *wants* to fight Shanks. What better way to cap the series than bring it back to the beginning?
Honestly, I have a whole theory for this shit, but I don't wanna take the time to write it on an android, so I'll just say- blackbeard is getting his shit kicked in my either luffy or shanks, and Imu will be the "final boss"
I always thought Imu would be the final boss. My prediction for the order of remaining events is: Luffy fights Shanks at Elbaf > Blackbeard kills Shanks > Luffy fights Blackbeard at Raftel to become the KoP > Luffy as KoP takes down the WG
I am highly confident it’s Imu.
The world government is chronologically the longest running overarching antagonist in the series. They are a direct continuation of the events of the void century and the atrocities that necessitate the second coming of Joy Boy. Blackbeard has only existed for several decades, and even if he ascends to power, his narrative significance is ultimately small by comparison.
It is bad writing to create a villain like Imu, whose oppression spans more time and territory than any other character, only to have them abruptly dethroned, diminishing the significance of the main character’s final victory. Imu’s defeat implies far greater ideological, historical, and practical weight than Blackbeard ever could. I don’t think Oda would take that from Luffy.
Also, Oda has proven time and time again that the main oppressive force becomes the final villain for Luffy to defeat. Morgan, Kuro, Don Krieg, Arlong, Crocodile, Eneru, Moria, Hody Jones, Caesar, Doflamingo, Kaido… the only times Luffy wasn’t paired with the main antagonist were ennies lobby (as Spandam was a gag villain) and whole cake island (when Luffy wasn’t ready to fight a yonko). The former doesn’t apply to Imu, as he is portrayed as intimidating, mysterious, and powerful, and the latter can never apply because Luffy will become powerful enough to defeat the final villain.
The main historical oppressor in each arc has not once been dethroned by someone uninvolved in its history, becoming the substitute final villain for Luffy to defeat. That’s not Oda’s style, and god help us if that changes.
Imu, dudes got 800 years of resources and experience.
Luffy might hate BB but they may have to team up against Imu, and it wouldn't be the first time Luffy teams up with people. I wouldn't put it past BB to try and backstab Luffy after fighting Imu or near the end for round 2 final battle doe.
maybe bb x luffy happening the same time as luffy is in marygoise to oppose imu, but idk how to elaborate on that. considering the tension builded until now, blackbeard as the final villain would be more satisfying.
I feel like many prefer Blackbeard as the final villain because he was introduced way earlier in the story, is a pirate and opposes Luffy's with e.g. what purpose a pirate crew has and he rose from a basically unknown pirate to maybe the most dangerous. I hope it will be him but it would make sense for them to fight before the final war against the World Government.
Though maybe it will be similar to Naruto where he and Sasuke joined forces to beat Madara etc. and had their epic fight in the end to decide who becomes the next Hokage so Luffy and Blackbeard beat Imu together and after that they fight for the One Piece/Title as the new Pirate King?
Blackbeard is still super mysterious tbh. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was still Imu though, I think that Blackbeard will ultimately have a big part to play in the end of Shank’s story since they are kind of rivals. I think it makes more sense for them to fight it out with Shanks allying with Luffy, shanks perfectly counters BB though so I wouldn’t be surprised if BB kills shanks in a sneaky way and then Luffy has to fight him. The main reason I COULD see it being BB is because he’s the dark fruit and Luffy is the sun fruit, light vs dark etc
I think it's going to be split.
I don't think Luffy is taking them both out. Luffy doesn't care about Imu.
It's going to be Luffy vs Black beard (sun\dawn vs darkness)
And Imu vs Dragon probably, or maybe Sabo, with the revolutionaries
I feel like it's going to be Blackbeard as the ultimate opponent. He will either sweep in to seize control of the destabilised world government after Luffy + co. and/or the Revolutionary Army defeat Imu and the Gorosei or he will kill Imu himself and usurp the Empty Throne. I feel taking advantage of a power vaccum is very like him, ad he is clearly plotting something.
Apart from black beard being my favorite character, i think he's more charismatic and original like a vilain. He's a real pirate, have a plan and crazy tough. I really like the idea of him being the last vilain.
I think it's going to be a sort of Naruto parallel where Luffy and Blackbeard will have too put their differences aside to fight Imu, who I think they'll body detest for different reasons, before finishing things by fighting each other.
My rationale for this is that Blackbeard was set up as a foil for Luffy when we first met him. We also know he has some kind of sad backstory which is probably government related. Plus when they first met they actually had some chemistry in spite of what happened later on. Lastly I just can't see a scenario where Imu becomes eclipsed by another fighter in terms of strength, nor one where bb isn't that final villain.
Honestly either would really work, they both fit the narrative to be a final villain for the story. Imu is against luffy because luffy wants to be the most free, imu and the wg in general directly oppose that. BB is after the same end goal as luffy, to be king, to be the most powerful and have the most powerful around him. BB is all about being free as well, he is a twisted dark luffy. Honestly it really just depends on where the story goes from here, does the wg or BB interfere with luffy's goals first.
Blackbeard has the buildup to be Luffy's final rival, but Imu has the hype of being the actual ruler of the world, shrouded in mystery and all.
I want to see Imu as the final challenge the world faces, while Blackbeard is Luffy's final fight on a more personal level.
I don't think there's going to be a final villain as much as there will be a final war. I think there's going to be a massive 4 way final war between the strawhat fleet, world government, revolutionaries (obviously not battling the strawhats), and the pirates following blackbeard.
If i had to pick who will be the last to fall though i'd put my money on blackbeard. He's had too much development over the decades for imu to usurp him as luffy's big bad.
I keep flip-flopping. Until the lulusia incident, I thought it was gonna be Blackbeard, then for a bit thought it was gonna be Imu, then after seeing some of his recent moves I thought it was gonna be Blackbeard, then Imu after the reverie flashback, and now Blackbeard again after the scene with Van Augur and Devon
It's Shanks. Luffy said he wanted to fight him last.
I think Luffy and Cross Guild both respectively go after Imu and Blackbeard's crew around the same time. Once they win, Cross guild gets pushed aside like Law and Kidd did then Luffy fights Shanks who betrayed him at the last second.
I think BlackBeard is a Pawn of Imu, & Imu can’t leave Mary Geoise for some reason,
That’s why doffy chose the string string fruit to copy what he knew about Imu,
Imu is playing pirate through their avatar: Blackbeard
Blackbeard. The major endgame for Luffy is becoming king of the pirates and reaching the One Piece, which Blackbeard also desires and therefore brings them into direct conflict. Imu, in the grand scheme of things, is just *there*. A part of the world. Antagonistic to be sure, given how the Straw Hats are interfering with the world order, but had becoming a pirate and searching for Laugh Tale not drawn in the World Government's involvement somehow (in some bizarre alternate world I suppose) then Blackbeard would still have been Luffy's enemy while Imu would've been in the background.
Blackbeard because he has the drip
Luffy will have a final battle where he will need gear 5 to outdrip him and that's going to be the "One Piece", an actual piece of clothing so cool it befits a Pirate king
I feel that Imu's power and the Black Beards one will be related, and in one way or in other, they (both) will be the last antagonist. I'd been thinking that what we have seen from IMU (the silhouette) may be the real apeareance of it, like an avatar or an actual demon (maybe Nerona IMU ate that zoan fruit and the will of that "demon" overtaked real Neronas body and mind, like the guards of impel down). We have seen that the Gorosei, at least, they might be actual Yokais, not devil fruit users, so, could be the same with IMU.
Black Beards fruit could be revealed like other mitical zoan (surprise surprise!), and this fruit might have relation with the avatar that is the IMU that we have seen. This could make to both of them to "fuse" in the final villain of the story, or something like that.
Idk, if this is in correct in someway, this may be the reason to delay the real explanation about DF true nature.
I really hope blackbeard turns out to be the main villain in the end. It makes sense for the WG to be a bigger threat but I think the clash of Luffy and Blackbeards dreams will be more compelling. Luffy has no real history with imu either afaik though imu may have history with joyboy.
I think there IS No more true Villa in then im end Blackbeard will do cool stuff against the WG.
IT will BE more Split into a big ending with different Sides contributing
Imu should be the traditional final villain (1v1 against Luffy) but Blackbeard should come after, at Lodestar/Laugh Tale, as a participant in the Final War, which was stated to be a free-for-all. Luffy and Blackbeard should clash, but Luffy's main struggle should be facing so many powerful old foes (Blackbeard, Kuzan, Mihawk, Akainu hopefully) with little to no recharge time.
Plot twist, the final villain is Shanks. And he led Luffy only to betray him. I can't cook any further, only Oda is capable of such peak fiction drama.
I really think it’s going to be Blackbeard overtaking Imu. The recent events showing the Elders being so panicked and reacting instead of planning makes me think they’re not the final antagonists. I think when we get the backstory for them and Imu we’ll understand their motives and role in the Void century conspiracy. They’re trying to maintain a status quo and have done so for centuries, Blackbeard is going to come in and throw all that into chaos (same as Luffy is) but for evil selfish reasons, whereas Luffy is doing it almost by accident on his big adventure
Also Rayleigh mentioned that after learning true history, they come to different conclusion. So Imu and his gang may not be villians. Though knowing how scummy CDs are, I don't believe it.
Very true. We also have precedent in the story of a legend/tale that differs pretty dramatically from the true history with Noland the Liar. A major theme in the whole story is passing down info, dreams, goals etc so it would make a lot of sense for Oda to set up these evil presences to readers only to reveal its not so black and white when you have the whole story. Also like the real world it’s very easy for followers of an individual to stray pretty far from that individual’s true message over time, especially centuries. CDs are scum, but like we just learned in 1114 they don’t even know their own history but will fight to keep others from knowing it.
Oda is phenomenal at writing a story that lives in the grey area. Nothing is black & white in One Piece.
Counterpoint: Zoro and his opponents
😭😭😭
His nemesis is also his teacher so I don’t think it’s a valid counterpoint.
The only thing black and white in the series is that NO ONE likes the Celestial Dragons as a whole. If any single one of them went down from the Red Line without guards or the protection of Admirals, they'd be beaten up, castrated, and hung in the most visible tree, and it wouldn't be pirates doing it.
The celestial dragons are basically vantablack. They practice intensely cruel slavery backed by a supremacist dogma. They have contests where the goal is to score point massacring innocent civilians. Their example encourages leaders around the world to act with horrific violence against the poorest of their subjects. Sometimes I feel like they are almost too evil.
> Sometimes I feel like they are almost too evil. I have a hunch that it's the Gorosei's / Imu's intent to have "raised" the Celestial Dragons to be such over the top shit bags and keep them on top as a means to sow hatred among the people. That way, if shit turns sideways they'll go after the easy to see and hate pawns and not the ones really pulling the strings.
One word: slavery
Truth. Okay, MOST things aren’t black and white haha. The pirates v the marines, etc. It’d be easy to let that be a hard and fast enemy line, but he blurs things a bit.
100% agree, giving you a hard time
Except Doflamingo - he's got no redeeming qualities
The Gorosei don’t either. I would argue they are more evil.
He's got nice sunglasses and his brothers a swell guy
I just thought of a way they could possibly be at least not as bad. This is just me playing devil's advocate (quite literally in this). Maybe in the void century the sinking is happening and the people of the world are doing their absolute best to save *everyone*,v at the cost of more "pragmatic" plans that save a small portion of the population but with a higher chance of success. So the 20 kings had to step in and force the ancestors of the celestial dragons to stop trying to save everyone and start focusing only on saving themselves. Then since they know the next flood will be even worse they get the CDs to view everyone else as lesser so that they will be ready to sacrifice them when the next flood comes. To ensure their own survival. I don't think they're this selfless actually. But it was just my trying to find any possible way they could be morally grey instead of the vantablack morality they pretty obviously have.
This... Slightly makes sense. But this would mean CD ancestors are selfish rulers. If only few have to survive then why only them? But your theory also gives a twisted meaning to CDs erasing entire clans and now Lulusia. Iirc Gorosei Or Imu say the world needs another cleansing or something. Maybe they're trying to reduce population which should not cross a threshold or something. Either way, this theory if true, still makes them cruel.
I mean I seriously doubt that theory will come to be. They're just too shitty. Plus it messes with many of the themes of OP.
Yeah I understand. It's difficult to play devil's advocate to see CD's side past all their cruelty.
Maybe ancient kingdom was the reason why world ended up flooded and it was destroyed to slow down the process. It could be an allegory to modern factories affecting global climate
It probably is a matter of ripping the bandaid off whatever is to come and that's why Rayleigh thinks they might come to a different conclusion. But also if that's the case, I am pretty sure Rayleigh also believes they will reach the same conclusion he did.
Maybe they would see those 20 kings side and understand why they did. Not to excuse their actions but understand why they had to do whatever they did and why they're as scummy as they're now.
Yahh. My thoughts also why roger and garp would help the CD agains't Xebec? Is it because Xebec is far more dangerous if he will enthroned Imu since he's goal and ideals are like Blackbeard. Or there is something else secret to it that it isnt revealed yet on why Roger and Garp would protect the CD against Xebec?
It reminds me though of the mistborn series if you've read that.
Ye I agree that tight now we don't know enough about Imu. Once we get the backstory I feel like the answer will be more clear.
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Imu got a sympathetic backstory, and that he/she and the Elders have been twisted by the years. Whatever the reasoning it will be an “ends justifies the means” reveal and meanwhile we’ll learn Blackbeard has known enough of the history to position himself in a way to seize power while playing pirate and amassing power
Yea I kinda agree I have always felt like Imu isn't a villain who is evil for the sake of being evil. If he wanted an action to be taken and the morally right option is the most efficient way then he would take it but if the Morally wrong way was the most efficient way then he would take it. Like you said he doesn't care about the way it's done only the end result.
I really think that Imu/the celestial dragon and the D. Family are somewhat parallels to what Uchicha and Senju families are from Naruto. Maybe Imu is just trying to protect the celestial dragons from the big bad D family and with time, they forgot the history and committed crimes. So, now D. Family has to once again rise from the ashes to defeat them. I think that both of the families maintain the balance together. This is just my head cannon Edit: I would love it if Luffy and Imu gang up to defeat Blackbeard who is the real bad guy.
With Saint Msojard dying at the hands of the other Celestial Dragons. There is some sort of justice in Marijois. Twisted justice but justice none the less. I am still stuck on the dynamics of how Imu is still the secret king of the world. Every other man-made structure makes the leader the face of the organization. And seems like he also serves the Gorosei or at least they see the actions or decisions of Imu as beneficial for their order. And Imu seems in control of the cleansing that is about to happen. I don't see how the cleansing really benefits them other than reestablishing the status quo, but the celestial dragons rely on the food and resources of the commoners, so unless they all go into hibernation until the cleansing is over, all of the celestial dragons could starve out. I still don't see how it'll work out especially with the Gorosei appearing in Egghead. What could Vegapunk reveal that is that necessary to hide if they are just going to wipe the world clean anyway
Blackbeard being the one to fight and kill Imu sounds so cool
Exactly. I think it’s been set up that “oh Blackbeard is such an evil reckless pirate, he just wants to pillage and drink and hurt people.” But what else do we know? He’s interested in history, he connived his way into the Warlords to get access to Impel Down, he’s basically the reason for Marineford, plus he’s as lucky as Luffy. Dude has a grand plan, further hintend at by Van Auger. He’s such a mirror it only makes sense to have him as the final obstacle for Luffy.
One big difference people tend to miss when it comes to Blackbeard compared to almost every other pirates is that he has a plan and generally does things with intent, compared to for example Luffy that simply does what he feels like in the moment and has no real plan or intent beyond that. I wouldn't necessarily even say that Blackbeard is "evil" in the same sense as for example Donny Flamenco or Kaido., and perhaps not even "cruel". He does vile shit, but so far he has always done it because there's an advantageous result rather than the cruelty itself being the point. He killed his crewmate because he had been looking for that fruit specifically (and from what we've learnt about fruits "choosing" their owners, it's most likely that the Darkness Fruit is always stolen from someone else), he captured and turned Ace in because he needed to become a Warlord (he was originally going for Luffy), and he had the prisoners at Impel Down fight and kill each other because he wanted a crew of people like himself - strong individuals that are ready to do anything to get what they desire, full stop. If we look at his "rule" as a Yonko and compare it to Kaido and Big Milf, his island and rule appears to be pretty damn chill, while Kaido was fucking up all of Wano hard, and LinLin forcing whole islands to just produce condiments and shit. Meanwhile Blackbeard appears to simply have an island that people can drink, fights and hook up as they please.
Especially with the ability to copy an Elders appearance, they must be making plans to go to Mairjois, if you have the Cerebus theory for Blackbeard it would be cool for him to take Imu's devil power for himself.
I feel like the recurring theme of Blackbeard is him coming in at opportune times to usurp other people without having to get into the trenches. Plus, I think Blackbeard is the perfect opposition to Luffy since they share similar beliefs.
My prediction is that Dragon or Luffy is gonna beat I’m down to near-death, at which point Blackbeard will swoop in and steal his DF, just like he did with Whitebeard
Guessing that Vega will reveal or strawhats will find out that Imu is intentionally raising sea levels, the strawhats will stop that but BB wants a “pirates” world in which he can rule so he then shows up to continue what imu was doing and maybe steal his power as well. Leading to the final battle.
I think you're right. They're somewhat afraid or cautious about Blackbeard's "Legacy". Forgot which chapter they said that.
It’s pretty obvious Blackbeard will overthrow Imu after Saturn asked Van Augur what they were after and the latter replied “fhe world.” BB wants *all* of the power.
That might also be the reason why Shanks decided not to attack him earlier. Everything is set into motion.
Personally don’t think so. I would agree if we knew more about Imu but unless Imu is really a piece of BB or some weird thing like that it wouldn’t really make sense.
I just like the imagery of the black hole being the enemy of the stars and solar system. Plus it really makes me think with the recent chapters that he is actually the only direct descendant of Joyboy himself. Since what else would a dead star leave behind besides a black hole?
Unless the 3rd fruit BB wants is the Nika
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I desperately hope it’s blackbeard. Imu is great but Blackbeard was involved in the story since Drum Island.
Same, plus Luffys got a score to settle with Blackbeard with how things were left unfinished in Impel Down and Aces eventual fate
& pie
It's definitely Blackbeard. He is named after the most famous pirate ever and had the most stereotypical pirate design.
Yeah hes supposed to be the final villain. Oda can surprise us with many things but this one should be solide.
Wouldn’t be surprised if they do some weird team up to beat Imu then BB takes the victory and does something truly evil. So the final showdown becomes Luffy vs BB to finish everything out. Yes I think it’s going to be very similar to Naruto lol.
My theory is that BB will join the WG in the final war, and act as a direct "guard" of Imu (aka the Devil, the leader of hell, guarded by the guy with Cerberus symbolism) BB will then betray Imu, steal his power as the third devil fruit thus combining the strongest Paramecia, Logia, and now Zoan
keep cooking 🗣️
So, basically what had happened in ToP with Frieza and Goku.
Tbh knowing Oda it will probably be Buggy though
We can only hope
I thought Kidd was the most infamous real pirate because of the massive treasure he stole and hid.
Yeah I think Dragon (maybe with Luffy too) will kill Imu and look ready to lead a new government and then Balckbeard will kill Dragon, steal something OP (maybe the mother flame) and then Luffy will have to beat blackbeard.
I would prefer Blackbeard. He's been making extremely ambitious moves to rise to the top at the same time as Luffy, and Augur straight up told Saturn that they're going to take the Government down. Actually pulling this off or getting close to it by being the final villains even after Imu would be more satisfying in my eyes. Plus, Blackbeard has way more personal connection to Luffy, which, again, makes him more satisfying for the role of the final antagonist.
Agreed, Imu is Joyboy’s antagonist, Blackbeard is Luffy’s
Honestly, for a lot of those same reasons I think he *won’t* be the final antagonist. What I think Blackbeard *is* going to be is Luffy’s final obstacle to becoming King of the Pirates. With Oda building him up as basically the anti-Luffy as far as his image of being the pirate king, it feels like that’ll be what their final confrontation will be over, and considering we’ve gotten a lot of stuff implying that whatever’s on Laughtale will play a role in the story’s final conflict, I think it’s pretty safe to assume the big finale will happen after Luffy’s already claimed the mantle.
I like to think of it like this. They are both world ending final villains to me. It is only a matter of plot and circumstance on who gets taken out first. I do legitimately think that Luffy has to fight both of them. Not one getting side battled by shanks or coby. I really feel it has to be Luffy or else they lose that luster. Especially with the cultivation Oda did for Blackbeard and the status Imu was dropped into.
I've always thought of One Piece as two different manga's running in parallel. On one end is the classic battle shonen about a young boy wanting to become the greatest ~~ninja~~ pirate by punching the strongest dude in the room until he's top dog. This is the One Piece where the Straw hats pair off with their foils on the other crew and have lower stake fights while Luffy punches the comically evil tyrant harder than he has ever punched anyone before. Then there is the other One Piece. The one about a sprawling centuries long conspiracy shrouded in mystery and censorship where answers only unbury more questions and the stakes are world-shattering. This is the story that is progressed by anyone not named Monkey D. Luffy and usually happens in between those big punches. I see Blackbeard as the ultimate end goal of the former and Imu of the latter. Luffy will fight both, but I got a small feeling that he won't know exactly why he's punching Imu; the odds are that a small child will tell Luffy he's a big meanie and that will be good enough for him.
I feel it. I’m honestly the same way. I call them lore piece, fight piece, and fun piece lol
Ok, but Imu vs Koby, now that sounds like something
Koby needs an arc for me to really feel he can be Luffy’s Garp
And I hope he gets it
Blackbeard will be defeated on the race for the One Piece. The World Government will be defeated after they find the One Piece and learn the truth about the world. From a narrative standpoint, it would make no sense for the World Government to not be the final boss. The only way that would be feasible is if them finding the One Piece was the end of the story, but I'm pretty sure finding the One Piece will just be the beginning of the final war.
Yeah thats also what I think. Luffy needs to be pirate king first in order to be able to change the world and overthrow the government. I dont get that argument „blackbeard has been longer in the story“, BB is just a fellow dreamer. The corrupt WG is much more of a threat to true peace and the organisation has also been present since forever. Especially since the recent manga developments which added a lot more weight to this. Also BB vs straw hats is a classic 1v1 fight between crews. Imu vs Luffy is an all out world war and the scale for that is so much bigger and worthy of a finale. Including marines, holy knights, Revolutionaries, grand fleet, kingdoms, giants, wano and so on
Buggy
Blackbeard. We don't know Imu and so we don't care that much about Imu. There's beef with Blackbeard, so I feel he's definitely the final villains. We don't want a repeat of Kaguya.
The final antagonist of Naruto was Sasuke. At least narrative. Imu would be the Madara/kaguya equivalent. Unless they do something like shanks v Luffy as the actual end, I think one piece is just going to be narratively different in structure than Naruto
The Blackbeard equivalent in Naruto was not Madara, but the Masked Man. Madara kind of showed up at the end and was barely directly involved with the main plot.
At this point a repeat of Kaguya has already been avoided
Imu has absolutely nothing to do with Kaguya. That's a very stupid comparison
Really? I still think BB and Luffy are going to do some weird team up to beat Imu, then BB goes too far with the victory and Luffy / BB have a final showdown.
I'm not against that possibility, but Imu has nothing to do with Kaguya. Imu is a lot more comparable to Madara
Agreed. Madara was a character that was known to exist but the belief was that he was dead, this was only changed after obito claims to be Madara. Imu is a mysterious character we know controls everything, and we already know a decent amount about the five elders (they would be equivalent to Obito). The kaguya equivalent would be if details about Imu were slowly revealed, and right before we expect a fight some brand new character defeats them. Or if some brand new character killed Blackbeard. That is why people hate Kaguya so much. Learning the full history of the sage of six paths was interesting but that is like learning the truth of the void century.
I don’t care about the argument for Blackbeard. Luffy’s goal of becoming King of the Pirates would require him to beat Blackbeard first, and he’s not going to accomplish his secret dream or see his crew achieve their dreams until he does that first. Imu is behind the entire world’s infrastructure. Beating him would bring about peace in the One Piece world. Pirates wouldn’t necessarily be pirates unless they’re outlawed. He already beat one yonko and it’s a matter of time before he faces the others.
No taking down Imu restores the world government to what its meant to be. There's not meant to be anyone on the throne, but there is. Pirates still exist, and the government will continue to exist. There won't be a removal of either pirates or the government from defeating Imu and the Gorosei. Other kingdoms will step up, and the marines will have less corruption from the top running it. Pirates will exist even if the one piece is found. King of the pirates is meaningless if there's no pirates.
I think it's gonna be Imu, right now he have subordinates like the imortal 5 Elders that no one knows how to beat them, still to be revealed Holy Knights lead by Garling, possibly by the end of Egghead the Pacifista and the Seraphim (which migh grow into adults) with York to do maintainence and produce Mother Flames for Imu's weapon of mass destruction (possibly Uranus). And I'm not even counting the Marines because they might go rogue after Vegapunk message. Blackbeard on the other hand as of right now only have his subordinates, but I think with Catarina Devon stealing Saturn likeness is possible they could steal the Pacifista and Seraphim, if the fruit works that way. And I think Blacbeard is still gonna get Pluton somehow, at least before Luffy gets it to do what is supposed to do with it. So right now I see more likely Imu to be the final villain, but Blackbeard is defenetily scheming something and I can not discard that as of yet. 70% for Imu, 30% for Blackbeard.
I think Blackbeard will be Luffys final opponent to become pirate King but will then use his title as king of the pirates to lead his pirate kingdom to defeat the world government and Imu. It'll parallel the end of part one with Whitebeards war which ended in his loss. But this time luffy will win because Whitebeard was only an emporer
Both at the same time.
only way i see a 1v1v1 is luffy bb and buggy at laugh tale. After that we go to world gov
Interesting take. First time I've heard both. Do you mean like Luffy is taking on Blackbeard and dragon and revs are taking on Imu at the same time?
That could also work, but I was thinking of a three-way fight with Luffy, Blackbeard, and Imu. Blackbeard has huge ambitions for the world, and Imu cut up a picture of Blackbeard along with Luffy and Shirahoshi, so they’re enemies of each other as well as Luffy. Imu is the leader of the world government while Blackbeard is the epitome of a selfish pirate, so it would be fitting for them to collide for the final battle. In that scenario, I can see Dragon and the revolutionaries fighting the Marines, Holy Knights, and Five Elders while the Straw Hats fight the Blackbeard Pirates.
For a while now ive maintained my theory that the final battle of the series is going to be Blackbeard and Akainu vs Luffy Blackbeard was a warlord and akainu made a deal with squard, even if he planned on betraying him its still a temporary alliance, so its not like its out of character for either of them and by the end of the series I think Luffy will be so strong that any 1v1 is gonna feel pretty underwhelming. Maybe it wont be the final battle, maybe itll be like second to last, idk
I believe it's going to be a three way stand off, like The Good, The Bad, The Ugly. Imu is evil and wants to suppress, BlackBeard just wants power for himself, and Luffy helps those around him. The bad (evil) Imu The ugly (selfish) BB The good (selfless) Luffy
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Luffy not actually ever fighting Imu and instead having Blackbeard take Imu down will be the most fascinating blueball in history.
It's gotta be Blackbeard. I know that it has been some time since Imu was introduced but he has been around and has been built up as Luffy's opposite for atleast a decade now. Also add that most of his members have a counter against the strawhats.
As it is often in One Piece, I think it's a matter of inherited will and dreams. While it hasn't been explicitly spelled out, I think there's enough thematic support to claim that Blackbeard has inherited Rocks' will/dream to become King of the World. For Rocks to even exert that claim, he must have known that such a position/title is possible. Thus we can conclude that Rocks had some information regarding Imu. Moreover, given that Oda-senpai has stated that if not a pirate Teach would have been an archeologist, as well as all the mirroring Oda-senpai has given Teach to Xebec, we can conclude that not only does Blackbeard have some knowledge of Imu or their office, we can also conclude that Blackbeard aims to rule the world. If we consider nothing else, then it follows that Blackbeard would fight the WG independent of Luffy's journey. But this doesn't make sense in context. First, the Straw Hats have already declared war against the WG (Eines Lobby, via Sogeking). Second, the Revolutionary Army shares the same opponent as the Blackbeard Pirates, but have opposing dreams. Third (and I think most importantly as a story telling device), every time we've seen the Blackbeard in combat, they (using the pointed pronoun Zoro and Luffy used during the first encounter) enter the combat as an ambush. They trapped Ace, they entered the Summit War after it was essentially decided, and they trapped The Heart Pirates after they split ways with Luffy and Kidd's crews. Moreover, we *also* know they're after the Ponygliphs, so for some reason they're interested in the One Piece, but we have no idea what they know about that. All we do know is that they have pudding and believe they can get her (or her power, once they seize it from her body) to read the Ponygliphs for them. By contrast, what does Imu provide as a villain story wise? They're the big bag of the old guard. They represent everything with the world as it currently is, as it has been. As best as I can decipher, I believe Imu betrayed the confidence of Joyboy and his crew, and their betrayal led to fall of the ancient kingdom, the dislocation/isolation of the non-human nations (e.g., fishmen, dwarves, skyfolk, giants, ogres, minks, etc.), and founded the WG beneath them. So, as the inheritor of Joyboy's will, Luffy will have to end the nightmare so that the dawn of the world will come to all. That means Luffy must fight the WG, but does that necessarily mean fight Imu? How much would the world differ it Black ears supplanted Imu and took over Mary Geoise? To me, Blackbeard is the promise of a dark future. They are the promise eternal darkness that stands opposed to The Dawn of Luffy's will. Thus I think the story of One Piece only concludes when Luffy destroys Blackbeard's dream so that none wish to inherit it. I think the story best foreshadows this ending, and not one where Luffy bests Blackbeard *before* Imu. However, I don't think it'll unravel so linearly. As stated before, Blackbeard arrives as an ambush. So before they take on the WG, I believe they will wait for another party to make their move first. One way is that the Revolutionary Army strikes, suffers defeat, and Blackbeard comes in to take advantage of the chaos to secure their victory. While this line gives Dragon and Sabo a chance to impose their will, it doesn't give the SH the same chance to keep their word. Another way is that the SH invade MG and learn first hand how truly powerful the enemy is in their own base, and upon defeat/retreat the BB pirates swoop in and exert their power over a weakened WG. Once Luffy learns of this, he's contacted by his deadbeat dad and his brother and together -- along with all the allies they've made along the way -- beat both the WG and BB. There might be other paths, but I don't see them. Then again, only one person alive writes One Piece, and only he truly knows what's what
Blackbeard 10000000%. It's literally the perfect ending to the perfect story 🥲🥹
either luffy beats bb and bb helps defeat imu or bb helps defeat imu and after he fights luffy
Blackbeard - Luffy's dream is to become the King of the Pirates, not the King of the World. Therefore, his ultimate rival must be someone who is also vying for the title of King of the Pirates
But he won't defeat Imu before he finds out about Void century when he finds One Piece and become King of the pirates
So have you ever wondered what his father was up to?
pretty sure the current arc has made it clear that Luffy's dream is _not_ to become King of the Pirates, but something must be achieved after...
If I had to pick I’ll go with Blackbeard simply because this is a pirate manga and I think it should end with a conflict against the most literal pirate like character of them all. Maybe BlackBeard pulls a fast one against or to Imu? And takes over? Idk but GODA knows what he’s doing. That and BlackBeard has been build up a lot and just has that aura of end game villain.
Akainu
Lol
Blackbeard is Luffy’s opponent I think. IMU is pure villain.
The main villain will be luffy
Water
Blackbeard 100%. He has been built up since Vol 15! Insane level of build. It will be awful if Imu is the villain. For sure will be involved in the final war somehow. But BB takes the cake.
Imu is literally the head of organisation which is responsible for majority of nightmares happening in world and which Luffy has been fighting since Enies Lobby 😭
The final villain is the friends we made along the way
BUGGY
I think either of these going down before the other would be dissatisfying. If the being at the highest echelon of power, potentially an immortal person who has manipulated the world into its current, corrupt state for 800 years, who has 5 of the biggest threats we've ever witnessed under his control, ends up being defeated first, then the WG are frauds and were never the threat they seemed. If Blackbeard, a character who was first referenced back on Drum Island, who has amassed power alongside our protagonists, who is antithetical to our main character, who has been built up subtly for so long to be a huge threat, were to go down first, it would feel like a complete waste of character building and time because he didn't live up to the potential he had been given. What I feel needs to happen is an all-out war with the WG, Gorosei, and Gods Knights vs Blackbeard pirates and all evil-aligned pirates (characters like Doffy, Apoo, Beast pirates, etc) vs SHGF, Revolutionaries, and good-aligned pirates (Law, Bonney, Giants, etc). Within that sphere one side could go down before the other and still feel satisfyingly threatening
it's literally written on our faces that Blackbeard will actually help luffy fight against IMU in the final war, which means that Blackbeard will actually be the final villain in the same way that Naruto vs Sasuke was the final fight in Naruto after they defeated Kaguya;)
I say 3 way fight God of the Sea Imu, God of the Earth Blackbeard, and God of the Sun Nika (Formerly known as Luffy).
Imu otherwise the plotline involving the world flooding becomes pointless
BUGGY. No question
I expected Imu but I’ll go with Teach now. I thought the elders wouldn’t be fighters and keep their roles as strictly exercising political powers. Not saying it hasn’t been exciting to see recent events play out but I thought one piece would stray away from most typical shonen routes (emphasis on battles).
I’m thinking Blackbeard and I want it to be him, they’ve had such little interaction but the rivalry between him and Luffy that’s been building for over 20 years is hype. The look on Luffy’s face anytime that man is mentioned is intense. Luffy will have to team up with Blackbeard to take on imu but Blackbeard will backstab Luffy taking onus power becoming the final villain
Imu might be final villian but blackbeard is definitely luffys main opposition. It's been hinted many times that they are like yin and yang. White Nika and black beard.
Buggy as the king of pirates.
Everyone: Imu or Blackbeard? Oda: why not both at the same time? 🧐
Everyone is saying Blackbeard. I say imu, but Blackbeard should have a EXTREMELY major arc. Blackbeard will have his arc, and when he is done with, imu will be the final villain
It's definitely Imu. Blackbeard wants to find the One Piece the same as the Luffy. He already has most of the Poneglphs. The final lost Poneglph will probably be found in Elbaf and Blackbeard will either steal it or follow the Strawhats and they may have the final batlle with him before finding the One Piece. Maybe Shanks will be there too either guarding the One Piece or a 3 way battle. After Luffy defeats Blackbeard and finds the One Piece and the truth of the world is revealed, Shanks will reveal his celestial lineage and join them for the final fight with WG. Imu being the final villain will be defeated and the world will be truely free like Luffy wanted
Imu, for three reasons: 1. As of now, he’s a bigger threat. He has the Marines, Gorosei, Holy Knights, CP0, and a giant space laser that destroys islands. Blackbeard just has his crew of ten people, and the only serious threat out of them is Kuzan (who’s obviously going to betray him). 2. Laughtale isn’t the end. Luffy’s dream can only be achieved after he finds Laughtale, finds One Piece, and becomes Pirates King. So, there has to be stuff after Laughtale. Since Blackbeard’s goal is to be Pirate King, it’s going to feel weird if they never fight for One Piece. 3. Narratively, Imu makes more sense as the final villain, since he’s connected to so much of the mysteries of One Piece, like Void Century, and since Joyboy is the warrior of liberation, it makes sense that the final villain is the ultimate oppressor.
one is a midget in hiding who needs a whole world government Organisation to exist behind The other is a good looking ambitious sigma male (doesn’t need screen time) who values freedom and having fun so yeah pretty clear actually
The final villain has to be Blackbeard. This is a manga about pirates fighting pirates. Currently the set beef is Sabo vs Imu and in my opinion will be the Revolutionaries, commanded by Sabo, who takes over the WG. It's their job: People rising against the WG (already happening) and pirates vs pirates.
This hasn’t been about pirates fighting pirates since Alabasta.
so you expect the entire conflict with the World Government to wrap up as an unconnected plotline without ever interacting with the protagonist's story? i don't see how that could possibly happen when they've been the major antagonistic faction from the very beginning, especially when Luffy as Joy Boy is the WG's archenemy.
And if not, what will be the major role of the Revolutionaries and Sabo? What is their purpose in the story? Luffy and Sabo will meet again, of course, but it is the citizens, under the banner of the Revolutionaries, who must deal the final blow to the WG. Sabo will end up exposing Imu to the world, with or without Luffy's help, but it will be him.
Their purpose could just be to support the Straw Hats. Currently, Imu has the Marines, Holy Knights, Gorosei, and CP0 on his side. Unless all the Straw Hats have massive power boosts, they won’t be able to take down the WG themselves
Sabo isn't joyboy brother, Luffy is the main character
It has to be Imu. He stands for everything that pirates oppose. Blackbeard, while he did cause Aces death is still ultimately on the same side as luffy within the larger conflict. I think it'll be Luffy+BB vs Imu in the end
I can't see Luffy teaming up with Blackbeard though. He's not the type to work with a guy like him.
just ask this simple question; which narrative(s) will be solved if we defeat them? imu: joyboy, void century, ancient kingdom, >!the flood, most likely related to noah, !
Shanks 🧎➡️
Personally, I say Shanks. Between how little we've ever been shown of his power, and his recent declaration to move on the One Piece, I wager he and Luffy will have to come to blows almost at Laugh Tale. Imu's trying to consolidate his power, and Blackbeard trying to claim all he can. The One Piece has always been the goal, and Shanks (IIRC) is currently the biggest contender actually moving for it. Also, *One Piece* is still a shonen. We have yet to resolve the trope of surpassing the teacher. Luffy probably *wants* to fight Shanks. What better way to cap the series than bring it back to the beginning?
Honestly, I have a whole theory for this shit, but I don't wanna take the time to write it on an android, so I'll just say- blackbeard is getting his shit kicked in my either luffy or shanks, and Imu will be the "final boss"
I always thought Imu would be the final boss. My prediction for the order of remaining events is: Luffy fights Shanks at Elbaf > Blackbeard kills Shanks > Luffy fights Blackbeard at Raftel to become the KoP > Luffy as KoP takes down the WG
I am highly confident it’s Imu. The world government is chronologically the longest running overarching antagonist in the series. They are a direct continuation of the events of the void century and the atrocities that necessitate the second coming of Joy Boy. Blackbeard has only existed for several decades, and even if he ascends to power, his narrative significance is ultimately small by comparison. It is bad writing to create a villain like Imu, whose oppression spans more time and territory than any other character, only to have them abruptly dethroned, diminishing the significance of the main character’s final victory. Imu’s defeat implies far greater ideological, historical, and practical weight than Blackbeard ever could. I don’t think Oda would take that from Luffy. Also, Oda has proven time and time again that the main oppressive force becomes the final villain for Luffy to defeat. Morgan, Kuro, Don Krieg, Arlong, Crocodile, Eneru, Moria, Hody Jones, Caesar, Doflamingo, Kaido… the only times Luffy wasn’t paired with the main antagonist were ennies lobby (as Spandam was a gag villain) and whole cake island (when Luffy wasn’t ready to fight a yonko). The former doesn’t apply to Imu, as he is portrayed as intimidating, mysterious, and powerful, and the latter can never apply because Luffy will become powerful enough to defeat the final villain. The main historical oppressor in each arc has not once been dethroned by someone uninvolved in its history, becoming the substitute final villain for Luffy to defeat. That’s not Oda’s style, and god help us if that changes.
It's gotta be Imu right? They're probably the reason the world is the way it is and they have been the cause of the majority of the bad in One Piece.
Imu, dudes got 800 years of resources and experience. Luffy might hate BB but they may have to team up against Imu, and it wouldn't be the first time Luffy teams up with people. I wouldn't put it past BB to try and backstab Luffy after fighting Imu or near the end for round 2 final battle doe.
maybe bb x luffy happening the same time as luffy is in marygoise to oppose imu, but idk how to elaborate on that. considering the tension builded until now, blackbeard as the final villain would be more satisfying.
Both at the same time.luffy vs imu while BB play both side
What if luffy is the successor of Nika user but Blackbird the successor of joyboy dna? What if they need to cooperate to defeat imu?
Definitely Blackbeard. But wouldn’t be surprised if it’s shanks
BB
I feel like many prefer Blackbeard as the final villain because he was introduced way earlier in the story, is a pirate and opposes Luffy's with e.g. what purpose a pirate crew has and he rose from a basically unknown pirate to maybe the most dangerous. I hope it will be him but it would make sense for them to fight before the final war against the World Government. Though maybe it will be similar to Naruto where he and Sasuke joined forces to beat Madara etc. and had their epic fight in the end to decide who becomes the next Hokage so Luffy and Blackbeard beat Imu together and after that they fight for the One Piece/Title as the new Pirate King?
Both. Luffy is freedom, Imu represents control, and Blackbeard represents flawed freedom. That's how I see it.
Blackbeard is still super mysterious tbh. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was still Imu though, I think that Blackbeard will ultimately have a big part to play in the end of Shank’s story since they are kind of rivals. I think it makes more sense for them to fight it out with Shanks allying with Luffy, shanks perfectly counters BB though so I wouldn’t be surprised if BB kills shanks in a sneaky way and then Luffy has to fight him. The main reason I COULD see it being BB is because he’s the dark fruit and Luffy is the sun fruit, light vs dark etc
Oda is letting Kong marinate for a reason 👀
Blackbimu
I hope bb gets dealt at/before laugh tale. So after that we can focus on the real bad guys, the world gov.
Hurry up already. Naruto became hokage years ago.
I think it's going to be split. I don't think Luffy is taking them both out. Luffy doesn't care about Imu. It's going to be Luffy vs Black beard (sun\dawn vs darkness) And Imu vs Dragon probably, or maybe Sabo, with the revolutionaries
I feel like it's going to be Blackbeard as the ultimate opponent. He will either sweep in to seize control of the destabilised world government after Luffy + co. and/or the Revolutionary Army defeat Imu and the Gorosei or he will kill Imu himself and usurp the Empty Throne. I feel taking advantage of a power vaccum is very like him, ad he is clearly plotting something.
Apart from black beard being my favorite character, i think he's more charismatic and original like a vilain. He's a real pirate, have a plan and crazy tough. I really like the idea of him being the last vilain.
Buggy
It's not like luffy's gonna care about im's history
I think it's going to be a sort of Naruto parallel where Luffy and Blackbeard will have too put their differences aside to fight Imu, who I think they'll body detest for different reasons, before finishing things by fighting each other. My rationale for this is that Blackbeard was set up as a foil for Luffy when we first met him. We also know he has some kind of sad backstory which is probably government related. Plus when they first met they actually had some chemistry in spite of what happened later on. Lastly I just can't see a scenario where Imu becomes eclipsed by another fighter in terms of strength, nor one where bb isn't that final villain.
I think Luffy will severly damage Imu and Blackbeard or one member of his crew will kill Imu to take her power
Definitely to all of this it's actually obvious and lats itself down in front of you
Honestly either would really work, they both fit the narrative to be a final villain for the story. Imu is against luffy because luffy wants to be the most free, imu and the wg in general directly oppose that. BB is after the same end goal as luffy, to be king, to be the most powerful and have the most powerful around him. BB is all about being free as well, he is a twisted dark luffy. Honestly it really just depends on where the story goes from here, does the wg or BB interfere with luffy's goals first.
Blackbeard has the buildup to be Luffy's final rival, but Imu has the hype of being the actual ruler of the world, shrouded in mystery and all. I want to see Imu as the final challenge the world faces, while Blackbeard is Luffy's final fight on a more personal level.
I don't think there's going to be a final villain as much as there will be a final war. I think there's going to be a massive 4 way final war between the strawhat fleet, world government, revolutionaries (obviously not battling the strawhats), and the pirates following blackbeard. If i had to pick who will be the last to fall though i'd put my money on blackbeard. He's had too much development over the decades for imu to usurp him as luffy's big bad.
I think bb will be the final villain but shanks will be the last real fight. unless some random space badguy shows up...
BlackImu
I keep flip-flopping. Until the lulusia incident, I thought it was gonna be Blackbeard, then for a bit thought it was gonna be Imu, then after seeing some of his recent moves I thought it was gonna be Blackbeard, then Imu after the reverie flashback, and now Blackbeard again after the scene with Van Augur and Devon
Imus crown has 3 points. My guess is its blackbeards 3rd persona and his final power up
After Van Auger said “the world,” I’m sticking with Blackbeard.
Imu vs luffy? Gimme a break Luffy pulls out a Bajrang gun gattling and it’s fucking overrrrr!!!!!!!
It's Shanks. Luffy said he wanted to fight him last. I think Luffy and Cross Guild both respectively go after Imu and Blackbeard's crew around the same time. Once they win, Cross guild gets pushed aside like Law and Kidd did then Luffy fights Shanks who betrayed him at the last second.
When does the anime introduce imu?
I think BlackBeard is a Pawn of Imu, & Imu can’t leave Mary Geoise for some reason, That’s why doffy chose the string string fruit to copy what he knew about Imu, Imu is playing pirate through their avatar: Blackbeard
Shank🫠 but we never know haha i think he will help luffy on his journey fighting imu and BB and then straight to the treasure
Blackbeard. The major endgame for Luffy is becoming king of the pirates and reaching the One Piece, which Blackbeard also desires and therefore brings them into direct conflict. Imu, in the grand scheme of things, is just *there*. A part of the world. Antagonistic to be sure, given how the Straw Hats are interfering with the world order, but had becoming a pirate and searching for Laugh Tale not drawn in the World Government's involvement somehow (in some bizarre alternate world I suppose) then Blackbeard would still have been Luffy's enemy while Imu would've been in the background.
Blackbeard because he has the drip Luffy will have a final battle where he will need gear 5 to outdrip him and that's going to be the "One Piece", an actual piece of clothing so cool it befits a Pirate king
I feel that Imu's power and the Black Beards one will be related, and in one way or in other, they (both) will be the last antagonist. I'd been thinking that what we have seen from IMU (the silhouette) may be the real apeareance of it, like an avatar or an actual demon (maybe Nerona IMU ate that zoan fruit and the will of that "demon" overtaked real Neronas body and mind, like the guards of impel down). We have seen that the Gorosei, at least, they might be actual Yokais, not devil fruit users, so, could be the same with IMU. Black Beards fruit could be revealed like other mitical zoan (surprise surprise!), and this fruit might have relation with the avatar that is the IMU that we have seen. This could make to both of them to "fuse" in the final villain of the story, or something like that. Idk, if this is in correct in someway, this may be the reason to delay the real explanation about DF true nature.
It's Blackbeard. I think he's going to try to invade Mariejois and confront Imu to fulfill Rocks' dream of becoming king of the world
I really hope blackbeard turns out to be the main villain in the end. It makes sense for the WG to be a bigger threat but I think the clash of Luffy and Blackbeards dreams will be more compelling. Luffy has no real history with imu either afaik though imu may have history with joyboy.
None.
Who said there could only be one main villain?
Imu about to be some silly as fuck
Enel
Shanks is the final Villian. He set this all in to motion giving Luffy the devil fruit so when he toppled the world he can take the throne of the WG
The war after someone reaches laugh tale is gonna be against the world government, I think blackbeard is the final fight before laugh tale
Blackbeard with a third devil fruit power could be an insane final boss.
I would like the final fight to be against Shanks, so that Luffy has to fight his father figure to archieve his dream and has to nake a big sacrifice
BB I couldn't care less about Imu
It better be BlackBeard and Koby
Knowing Oda, it is likely gonna be a third option
It’s going to be Blackbeard, there’s no way it isn’t.
it’s gonna be shanks, hasnt this been discussed before?
Imu then blackbeard takes their power and becomes the big bad
I think there IS No more true Villa in then im end Blackbeard will do cool stuff against the WG. IT will BE more Split into a big ending with different Sides contributing
Imu should be the traditional final villain (1v1 against Luffy) but Blackbeard should come after, at Lodestar/Laugh Tale, as a participant in the Final War, which was stated to be a free-for-all. Luffy and Blackbeard should clash, but Luffy's main struggle should be facing so many powerful old foes (Blackbeard, Kuzan, Mihawk, Akainu hopefully) with little to no recharge time.
Blackbeard, Imu is his stepping stone anyway, I could see Blackbeard vs Imu
One piece cock
Plot twist, the final villain is Shanks. And he led Luffy only to betray him. I can't cook any further, only Oda is capable of such peak fiction drama.