Summary
Memorable villains are one of the best aspects ofOne Piece. Over the course of the story’s many arcs, there have been numerous villains who serve as major obstacles that the heroes have to overcome, and in a series as expansive as this, it’s only natural for some characters to be far more fleshed out than others. As such, some villains, such as Doflamingo or Blackbeard, are some of the best across the anime industry.
Another reason why these characters are so iconic is because of their strength. Ever since Chapter 906 of theOne Piecemanga, the ultimate antagonist of the story hasbeen revealed in the form of Imu, who fans are convinced will be the final battle of Luffy’s journey. Despite this, however, many believe that the existence of Rocks and Blackbeard hints at someone even stronger than Imu, so let’s look at why this theory makes sense.
The Dark Counterpart of the Sun God
Blackbeard’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 223, “I Promise Never to Fight In This Town”
Imu’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 906, “The Holy Land Mary Geoise”
The story ofOne Pieceplaces great importance on the concept of Inherited Will and even puts very clear parallels between different time periods. This sort ofrepetition of events and character tropesis essential when it comes to finding out the most important players of the world and how to ascertain what the major event will be in the future, since they likely happened before as well.
One of the clearest and most important parallels deals directly with Luffy. Although only two users of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika are known, those being Joyboy and Luffy, there is a very clear niche that these two and Gol D. Roger have filled in the world. These characters are connected as the most infamous pirates of their age who want to spread happiness throughout the world and are typically seen as the vanguards of a new age, making them the most notable enemies of the World Government.
Similarly, fans believe that Blackbeard and the late Rocks D. Xebec represented another role, which is of the counterpart to the great hero of their time. To be clear,Blackbeard and Rocks have the roleof the great villainous characters of the story, and their similarities mirror those shared between Luffy and Roger. Due to the major heroes having a ‘dark’ counterpart, many believe that there was once a villain even stronger than Imu all those centuries ago.
Essentially, Blackbeard is very clearly built up as the opposite of Luffy, since his journey has paralleled Luffy’s perfectly. This has gone to the point where many fans believe that if Luffy had a different start, he would be doing the same thing as Blackbeard is, and vice versa. Although nothing is currently known about Rocks, his similarities and connections to Blackbeard strongly imply that he was a similar parallel to Roger.
Fate has chosen me to conquer this world!
With both of these villains being alike and viewed as a mirror to the heroes of their age, it strongly hints that Imu was the one to fit this role in Joyboy’s time, which was further strengthened at the end of Egghead with the revelation that Imu recognized Joyboy’s Haki even after 800 years. However,one major reveal from the Elbaf arccould tie this entire theory perfectly, and if proven correct, it could show that there was once a villain who fit the same niche who preceded Imu but was far more powerful.
Elbaf has had many important lore reveals, chief of them being the revelation that there have been two worlds before the current one we know today. The Second World was the time of Joyboy, but the First World is the most mysterious one that we know the least about. However, what is known is that it is where the concept of Sun God Nika originated from, so the theory implies that whoever the counterpart was to the first liberator must have been the strongest villain of them all. The connections between the heroes of each time and their counterparts, as well as the relationship between Blackbeard, Rocks, and Imu, suggest one character who fits the same niche even before the time of Joyboy, perhaps as the first villain of theOne Pieceworld.
A Deeper Dive Into The Possible Identity Of This Villain
Do We Know Anything About Him?
If this theory ends up being true and there actually was an incredibly powerful counterpart to the original Sun God Nika, the answer to their identity is almost assuredly thefirst user of Loki’s legendary Devil Fruit, which we still know nothing about. Elbaf also revealed that Luffy isn’t the only user of a Sun God Devil Fruit and that Loki also has one, making him so powerful that no one else could challenge him. This was likely the reason behind the depiction of Nika being a Destroyer God as well.
The very first person to hold this Destroyer Nika Fruit may have been the one who played the role of the original Nika’s dark counterpart, tying Loki into this whole theory quite nicely. Moreover, it would also give Loki’s connection and admiration for Rocks D. Xebec a tragic undertone, since it would show that Loki was trying to be the same kind of person that Rocks was but was rejected for it. At the same time, however, it inadvertently set him down a better path where he would eventually meet Luffy.
