Who Will ACTUALLY Claim the One Piece?

 

So ya boi Oda came out with this BANGER manga panel recently, which more or less confirms all the major characters racing to obtain the One Piece right now.

He directly shows these 12 legends and in this month's blog, I wanted to rank all of them on how likely I think they are to actually acquire the One Piece.

Last place I got old man Garling Figerland, mainly because we don't really know if he's actively looking for it. He's part of the older generation and was implied to be the one who gave Whitebeard one of his scars during the God Valley incident. That being said we don't know if his power has decreased as he aged like Whitebeard. 

It seems like he's still the leader of the Holy Knights so it may be a case similar to Silvers Rayleigh where he managed to retain most of his power from his prime days, though his high ranking position may also be due the significance of his title rather than his current level of power. That said, even though I'm sure he's gonna be a formidable force to go against, so far it doesn't seem like he's actively looking for the One Piece unless under Imu's direct orders. Although this seems pretty likely, I don't think a servant of someone else will claim the One Piece compared to the multiple other characters working for their own ambitions and chasing their own dreams. Bro is also simply too old.

2nd to last place I got Dragon. If anything, I envision Dragon's role being preventing either the Marines or Holy Knights from obtaining the One Piece. He's more focused on his revolution and not as invested in the race to claim the treasure so rather than directly going for it, my money's on him using his forces to actively disrupt all the factions associated with the World Government instead.

Akainu is someone I just can't imagine obtaining the One Piece. First off, it's very interesting to see how the Marines will even get there considering the known path that is spread throughout the ponegrypths is in the hands of the pirates. The only possible explanation is if Imu knows its location and tells them, but if that's the case they would already either claimed or destroyed it, so that can't be it. The more likely scenario is Akainu and his marines following the Yonko who finally figured out how to get to the island.

We've seen Akainu become noticeably fed up with the way things are being carried out in the World Government ever since he started gaining experience as a Fleet Admiral, so what I'm hoping would happen is a revolt against Imu and a following of his own "Absolute Justice" philosophy. The final major reason I don't think he'll be the one to claim the One Piece is the next character on the list.

Aokiji has been a total wild card since leaving the marines. We know his power is almost equal to Akainu and it seems like he's biding his time on Blackbeard's ship, until the right opportunity arises. I'm pretty sure no one is buying him actually being loyal to Blackbeard so his true goal is unknown, but I'm hoping to see that turning out to be revenge on Akainu. Similarly to Dragon's interruption role, I see Aokiji as the character to directly stand in the way of Akainu's attempt to reach the One Piece. 

I'm hyped to see the highly anticipated round 2 of their fight, but I'm also not sure Oda would rob Luffy of the opportunity to get revenge for Ace's death, so literally anything can happen. Since we know Aokiji and Akainu's first battle took 10 days, it may be more of an "squabble" than a full out, all guns blazing fight to the death, but I got high hopes for Aokiji ending up as the final Fleet Admiral at the end of the story.

Next up I got Imu. There are so many factors that need to go into his favour for him to obtain the One Piece, it's virtually impossible. He's got the Marines, Holy Knights and Five Elders on his side, but they're fighting against not only the Revolutionary Army, but pretty much every pirate ever including all the Yonko, their crews, fleets and former Warlords. Not to mention how he's arguably the final villain of the story (above Akainu and Blackbeard) so he's pretty much guaranteed to lose as Oda's not just gonna tease us with all the world's secrets, which Imu is singlehandedly hiding, only to not reveal them in the end. Bro's downfall is guaranteed.

From here on out we're entering the territory of characters I actually think have a chance of reaching the One Piece, though still the least likely one in my opinion would be Sabo. Now we do have evidence that he's really good at reaching hard to reach places (Imu's throne room in Mariejois) and obtaining hard to obtain treasure (Ace's Mera Mera no mi). That being said, the reason why I think Sabo's chances are low is simply because the competition is too fierce and there are characters whose dreams are much stronger and more pronounced than his motives. He functions as the literal spiritual successor to Ace and although I don't think he'll experience the same tragic fate, he's unlikely to have his hands on the prize when all the smoke clears.

Next I'm putting the mysterious shadowy figure, which I know is a huge gamble on my part. First off, let's actually give it an identity. I'm pretty sure we all know this is the scar-less "Shanks" that appeared before the Five Elders judging by the sabre in the silhouette, which looks a lot like Shanks' Gryphon and Garling's sword, hinting a preference that runs in the family. There are 2 reason why I think "Shanks' brother" has a good chance to reach the One Piece. Firstly, he's the last real BIG BOY character that Oda chooses to keep shrouded in mystery so I believe in his hype and expect him to do something outrageous. Secondly, picture this scenario... multiple factions arrive at Laugh Tale at the same time, there's a big ol' battle that goes on for a while... suddenly the dust settles and we see Shanks' hand on the One Piece (assuming it's tangible and something you can "claim" through touch, which may very well not be the case), but wait a minute... Shanks' left hand is on the One Piece...

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IT WAS FAKE ASS SHANKS!!!

Is this unlikely? Very much so. Is it impossible? Nope. Then it's basically confirmed lol. In all honesty though, I'm just hedging my bets here and hoping this Shanks V2 is actually gonna be a mind blowing character. 

Top 5 baby. From here on out, these are the characters who I think have a BIG CHANCE of obtaining the One Piece, starting with none other than...Shanks😂 I know, I know immediately talking about Shanks again, but this time it's the real deal. Now honestly this seems like a pretty low spot to put Shanks in considering he's arguably the strongest character right now and also the closest to the One Piece. The thing that doesn't sit right with me however, is his nonchalant attitude towards it. When he told Ben Beckman it was about time they go and claim it, it almost seemed like Shanks pretty much knew where it was and was rather waiting for the One Piece "to be ready" rather than for him to find it.

This does make sense, as it supports the One Piece being Bink's sake theory, which had not matured during Roger's time, but would be considered mature and ready to drink now, but in addition to that, Shanks already knows the rough location of Laugh Tale. I mean when Shanks stayed on that island with Buggy, he saw which direction the ship was headed and considering it took Roger and the crew a few days to reach it and come back, if adult Shanks really wanted to go claim it, he could just brute force his way into finding the island through exploring that area. Not to mention he already has 2 ponegryphs so even though he's missing the other two, he can likely cross reference the information he already has with his previous knowledge and memories to more or less accurately pin point where it is. Maybe that's why he seemed so confident at the end of Wano (at which point he didn't even have his second ponegryph he took from Kid). 

To summarize, all the evidence points to Shanks being able to reach Laugh Tale if he wanted to, but he's either waiting for something to happen or simply not in a rush for whatever reason. Bro is intentionally holding himself back to give the other slowpokes a handicap lol.

"Coby over Shanks? Terrible list! Cancel this guy RIGHT NOW!" - You fr

Although Shanks could be number 1 if he just didn't play so much, Coby is a totally different case. Easily the character who has shown the most progress in the series going from a spineless little bitch to a skilled fighter and a formidable force in the Marines. Realistically, I don't think he poses a threat to any of the current top tiers, but you can argue he has the most potential out of everyone. Mark my words, the series will end with Coby being either an admiral or fleet admiral (in the case where Aokiji doesn't succeed). 

The reason why I have such high stocks in Coby is not only because he's truly pure of heart, but also because in many ways he's a parallel to Luffy. I know he wasn't in chapter 1 of the manga, but he was in episode 1 of the anime and I think that's pretty significant. He's the first person Luffy taught what the meaning of freedom and the importance of chasing your dreams were. Ever since then Coby has been on his grind to the point where even Garp treats him almost like his grandson, as if this is what he hoped Luffy would become. If there's one character who can set the Marines on a truly righteous path from within, it's Coby using the One Piece.

Top 3. Now it's getting serious. Blackbeard baby. How many characters do you know who have no devil fruit, yet are able to harm Shanks? Not a lot, especially while being around the same age. Bro was a menace since he was a kid and him obtaining 2 of the most powerful devil fruits in his adulthood is completely unheard of. I like the whole "3 different split personalities" theory, because it also opens the opportunity for him to acquire an additional 3rd power and make himself even more busted than he is now. If he somehow gets his hands on Magellan's poison it's a wrap for literally everyone. 

Realistically speaking, he's definitely the villain who's most likely to obtain the One Piece at some point. If the One Piece isn't only claimable by the first character to touch it, I have no doubt Blackbeard would have his hands on it at some point during the potential massive battle. What I know for sure though is he will fail and will NOT be the final character to acquire it permanently and the reason I'm so confident on this, is because these words came straight outta the horse's mouth. Whitebeard saw a glaring flaw in him which in his eyes confirmed Teach will not be the one. He does have the right attitude when it comes to one's dreams, but his approach of achieving said dreams is underhanded, which likely makes him unworthy.

At number 2 I got Luffy. Now make no mistake, Luffy WILL claim the One Piece. The question is, will its effects be what he truly desires? Luffy already has Gear 5, which is the manifestation of Joyboy and Nika. This power has basically granted him the freedom he so fondly desires. There's very little stopping him from doing anything he wants now that he has this immense power, which is conveniently the same time he revealed his true dream is not exactly what we think. 

Oda chose not to reveal this dream, but at this point in the story, I'm not so sure becoming Pirate King would make Luffy feel any different. At the end of the day, it's just a title. It doesn't grant you any major privileges. Other pirate factions are still after you, it's not like you automatically gain control over everyone and make them a part of your fleet. The World Government puts their highest bounty on your head, so you're a wanted man in the vast majority of the world. You will be remembered and acknowledged as a legend, but aside from that clout, the title doesn't grant you any special powers. This is why I think it all depends on what the One Piece actually is. There's a good chance Luffy may laugh just like Roger did and also abandon it just like Roger did.

WHICH IS WHY MY REAL NUMBER 1 IS BUGGY!!! No, I'm not joking. The final empty title. Buggy is the one and only character who somehow manages to turn all of his Ls into Ws. Despite being a complete fraud he became a Warlord, then a Yonko and finally, the ultimate title, which (much like the rest) he most certainly does NOT deserve, but will most certainly acquire... PIRATE KING. I got all my stocks in Buggy's goofy ass, I don't care. My theory is that he will not be the first to have his hands on the One Piece, but will be the one to have his hands on it last. Quote me on this and when I'm right, I'm expecting a medal lol.

So yeah, that's my list. Who do yall think will claim the One Piece? By then, it will probably be a narrative, 30 years in the making. Man I can't wait to see how this finishes.

Thanks for reading!

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