Summary
There are many things aboutOne Piecethat make it stand out from most action shōnen manga/anime, with one of the biggest (and weirdest) ones being the fact that thefinal villainof this epic pirate story hasn’t been officially revealed yet, even after more than twenty-seven years of serialization. Of course, the Straw Hat Pirates have confronted a lot of major antagonists throughout their adventures, but it still isn’t fully clear who’s going to be the very last one they’ll have to face.
The identity of the finalOne Piecevillain has been a major source of speculation for fans for a long time, especially because the story has introduced a fair share of characters that are solid candidates for this position in the past few years, and the following six are the most likely ones (so far) to fall into this important role.
1Rocks D. Xebec
The Most Dangerous Pirate In History May Resurface Soon
One of the most shocking revelations inOne Piecetook place relatively recently, when it was confirmed that some of the world’s most infamous pirates (like Whitebeard, Kaido and Big Mom) at one point were part of the same crew, the Rocks Pirates,and that their captain was none other thanRocks D. Xebec. This legendary pirate was seemingly so powerful that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp needed to form an unexpected alliance to finally take him down during the God Valley Incident.
According to Sengoku, Xebec is no longer alive, although, suspiciously enough, it was never specified how and when it happened. There is still so much mystery surrounding him, his personality, and even his appearance that fans can’t help but wonder if he’s actually dead, with many even theorizing that he may actually come back at some point in the near future. Since he’s infamous for being one of the most dangerous and important pirates in the world ofOne Piece, the role of final villain would fit him perfectly.
2Sakazuki (Akainu)
Luffy Has To Face This Ruthless Fleet Admiral Before The End Of The Series
InOne Piece, the side of the antagonists is mainly split in two: on the one hand, there’s the World Government and all the key figures ruling it at the top (like the Five Elders and Imu) and, on the other, there are the Marines, the military force in charge enforcing the law,and their highest ranked officer is none other than Fleet AdmiralSakazuki, who was promoted from his position of Admiral after the Summit War of Marineford.
Sakazuki is a sworn believer of Absolute Justice, a strict doctrine that’s centered on maintaining peace, no matter what. Because of this, he has committed various heinous acts throughout the series, like destroying a ship filled with civilians in Ohara, killing many of his soldiers in Marineford, and even murdering Portgas D. Ace in front of his brother, Monkey D. Luffy. Because of his ruthless attitude and incredibly powerful Devil Fruit (the Magu Magu no Mi), many fans believe that Luffy will have to face Sakazuki soon, to finally avenge Ace. On top of that, the story has been hinting that he’s slowly realizing how corrupt the World Government is, so maybe he’ll finally put his Absolute Justice to the test, overthrow his evil rulers, and become the final villain of the series to keep maintaining the peace.
3Figarland Garling
The Leader Of The God’s Knights Has Been Slowly Rising Through The Ranks
One of the most important recent developments in theOne Piecenarrative has been the long-awaited reveal of the God’s Knights, the elite guard of the World Nobles,with the most noteworthy one being their supreme commander,Saint Figarland Garling.He’s very loyal to the World Government, seeing as he’s known as the legendary “champion” of God Valley, and that he even acted as the judge who chose to execute Donquixote Mjosgard shortly after the Levely.
But Garling’s ambitions are a lot bigger than they initially seemed, because he has been slowly rising through the ranks of the World Government, to the point that he very recently joined the Five Elders and gained the title of Warrior God of Science and Defense shortly after Jaygarcia Saturn’s death. There’s currently no reason to believe that he’s any more powerful or corrupt than any other member of this group, but his detailed rise to power has caught the attention of many fans, who theorize he may end up trying to become even more powerful than his colleagues. On top of all that, Garling is the biological father of Luffy’s mentor, Shanks, which would certainly add a lot of emotional tension to the story if he became the final villain.
4The Five Elders
This Group Of Mysterious Old Men Has Been Built Up As Final Villains For More Than Two Decades
Since 2002 - way before Imu or the God’s Knights were introduced -One Piecefans have believed that only one group of characters could end up becoming the final villains of this epic story:theFive Elders, five mysterious old men who were ruling the World Government as their highest authority. The series revealed almost nothing about their personalities, powers, and motivations for more than two real-world decades, which certainly fueled the speculation that the Straw Hat Pirates would eventually confront them at the very end of their adventure.
Needless to say, the idea of the Five Elders becoming the final villains has been skewed a bit in the last few years, not only due to Imu’s introduction, but also because all the Five Elders appeared in-person during the Egghead Arc and fought Luffy with their incredible and monstrous transformations. However, it’s important to point out that the Straw Hats and their allies were only able to escape the Five Elders’ wrath thanks to the burst of Joy Boy’s Conqueror’s Haki hiding inside Emet, meaning that these powerful old men are still in good form to confront them once again at the very end of the series (except for Saturn, who was killed by Imu for letting their enemies get away).
5Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard)
This Ambitious Pirate Has Been Getting More And More Powerful
While there are a good number ofOne Piececharacters that could end up becoming the final villain of the story,fans have been theorizing that it’s going to beMarshall D. Teach(AKABlackbeard) for the longest time. After his seemingly mundane introduction during the Jaya Arc, this former member of the Whitebeard Pirates has been slowly gaining more and more power and prestige, not to mention that he has been personally involved in many world-changing events, like Portgas D. Ace’s capture and the death of Edward Newgate.
In the span of a few years, Blackbeard went from being the captain of a small crew to becoming a Warlord of the Sea, and he even gained the title of Emperor during the two-year time skip.Since he’s quite a brilliant tactician, his sudden rise to power was expertly calculated, and he’s always waiting for the perfect moment to strike his opponents and get what he wants. At this point in the story, Blackbeard is one of the most important and powerful pirates in the entire world, and most fans wouldn’t be that surprised if he somehow manages to overthrow the World Government and becomes Luffy’s final opponent before the end of the story (similarly to how Xebec was Garp and Roger’s biggest enemy).
6Imu
The World Government’s Demonic Supreme Ruler Would Be The Perfect Final Villain
Everything changed when Chapter 906 ofOne Piececame out, because it confirmed that the Five Elders are not the highest authority of the World Government and that this fantastical world is being ruled from the shadows bya mysterious entity known asImu. Many fans consider them the real overarching antagonist of the entire series since, after all, every single horrible thing that the World Government has done throughout the series was directly ordered and/or approved by them.
After their shocking introduction, Imu kept proving how incredibly powerful and influential they are, since they not only can wield Ancient Weapons to annihilate entire kingdoms in seconds (like they did with Lulusia) but they also seem to have been directlygranting the Five Elders and the God’s Knights all their incredible powers and immortality in both Egghead and Elbaf. Of course, nothing is set in stone yet, and another antagonistic force (like Blackbeard or Garling) may end up taking the role of final villain instead, but Imu is undoubtedly the best and most likely candidate for that role so far.
