As Chapter 1081 ofOne Piececontinues with the focus away from the events on Egghead Island with Vegapunk and the Straw Hats, fans have finally seen the aftermath of the bout between the Blackbeard Pirates and the Heart Pirates. While it may seem as though it does not have much importance in the grand scheme of things, Law’s defeat will more than likely have a prominent effect on the rest of the story for multiple reasons.
Related:Biggest Bounty Increases In One Piece
With the story ofOne Piecenow in its final stage, it is no surprise that Eiichiro Oda is stepping up the level of tension and stakes, especially with fights between Aokiji and Garp underway, and the potential of the Straw Hats facing off against Kizaru and Saint Charlos of theFive Elders.
5Decrease In Pirate King Candidates
While many will argue that Trafalgar D. Law was not a front-runner for one who would become Pirate King, he possesses one of the most powerful devil fruits in the series known as theOpi Opi No Mi, and ultimately has the capability of giving another person immortality.
When taking this into consideration and Law’s positioning as one of the close enough to becoming a Yonko, his defeat to Blackbeard, and his ship being completely destroyed, it suggests that he is now out of the race for the ‘One Piece’. In the event of this being the case, it would mean that aside from the current Yonko, there are hardly any if no other characters that are capable of becoming Pirate King, especially after the levels of growth of characters such as Monkey D. Luffy.
4Forced Disbandment Of Heart Pirates
In correlation with Law no longer being a candidate for Pirate King, the crew left to the danger of theBlackbeard Pirates, and their ship currently in pieces, the most obvious result of this would be a disbandment of the Heart Pirates. Unlike the Roger Pirates and more like the Whitebeard Pirates after Whitebeard’s death at Marineford, the Heart Pirates disbanding would more than likely not be by choice, but rather a forced situation given the dire situation at hand for Law and Bepo.
Related:Best Characters That Have Sailed With The Straw Hats
Similar to the Kid Pirates' obliteration at the hands of Shanks, Law appears to be in a very bad place and is as vulnerable as the Straw Hats were at Sabaody during the pre-time skip, which in itself showcases theHeart Pirates' lack of strength of capabilities in comparison to their captain.
3Law Joins The Straw Hats
For the longest time since saving Luffy at Marineford, and building an alliance with the Straw Hats at Punk Hazard all the way up to the end of Wano, fans have been calling for Law to become a Straw Hat. With theDressrosa arcfeaturing the typical format of a Straw Hat member joining, with the character’s backstory explained along with Luffy saving them from their longtime enemy, many assumed that Oda would have made Law a member of the crew by now.
However, with this complete defeat of the Heart Pirates, the high potential of their crew disbandment, and Law’s desire to find out what the ‘Will Of D’ is, there is no greater opportunity than now for Law to either continue his pirate journey with the Straw Hats as an ally or fully become a member of the future Pirate King crew.
2Blackbeard Obtaining Law’s Poneglyphs
Taking Law’s defeat into account once again, it remains unclear what the full ramifications of the crew being separated and the ship being destroyed will mean within a full outcome. As fans will know, Law has seen some of the Road Poneglyphs during his alliance with the Straw Hats both in Zou and Wano. During Kid’s travel to Elbaf and encounter with Shanks, the Poneglyphs that he held are now out of his possession possibly spelling an end to Kid Pirates completely.
In the case that Law’s crew members are left behind after he was rescued by Bepo, the very same outcome could come to fruition here with Blackbeard forcing them to give up the Poneglyph rubbings they hold. This would ultimately spell bad news for other pirates on their quest to find the ‘One Piece’, and with the level of power Blackbeard maintains due to the devil fruits acquired, he is certainly a very dangerous foe.
1Blackbeard Vs Shanks Or Luffy
Aside from the World Government and the Admirals within the Marines, the only major threat to Marshall D. Teach and his goal of reaching Laughtale for the ‘One Piece’, are the two otherYonkosLuffy and Shanks. Considering Blackbeard’s plan of catching one of the crews slipping after making their way out of Wano, many would assume that the next target would be the Straw Hats or theRed Hair Pirates, especially after the Kid Pirates' obliteration.
As the story is now in its final stage as aforementioned, Oda may very well be setting fans up for a long-awaited showdown between Luffy and Blackbeard, or Shanks and Blackbeard. If Blackbeard is indeed the final villain and enemy for Luffy to overcome in the story, then this encounter will set out the stall for the conclusion ofOne Piece.
