Summary
AsOne Pieceofficially enters its Final Saga with the Elbaf arc, every loose end is beginning to get tied up. It’s pretty clear that at the end of the series, the ultimate battle will be against the mysterious Imu, who will be battling Luffy to decide the fate of the world to see whether a new dawn will rise or if the status quo will remain unchanged. Seeing how Luffy will be preoccupied with this, many fans theorize about other prominent fights.
Essentially, while Luffy and Imu are fighting one another, the question ofwhom the 5 Elders will go up againstin the Final War remains an important one to ask. Since they are the World Government’s strongest characters, it seems to be a no-brainer that, inOne Piece’sFinal War, Luffy’s strongest allies will be the ones to take them on. So, let’s see who these will likely be and why these heroes will finally show their strongest powers.
Zoro’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 3, “Introducing Pirate Hunter Zoro”
Perhaps the easiest match-up regarding the Gorosei to make in the series, Nusjuro vs. Zoro has been hinted at ever since the very first appearance of the Elder. Zoro has alwayssought out the title of World’s Strongest Swordsman, and while the holder of this title has always been Mihawk for as long as fans can remember, it’s almost confirmed that Nusjuro is even stronger than Hawk Eyes, making his battle against the Pirate Hunter even more likely.
I’m gonna get stronger for her too! I’m going to get strong enough that my name reaches to Heaven! I’m going to be the world’s strongest swordsman!
Moreover, they are both wielders of cursed swords from the legendary Kitetsu lineage, strengthening their connection and eventual clash even more, which was even teased in the Egghead arc. It would also be the perfect final battle to cap off Zoro’s story since he would need to defeat the strongest swordsman in the setting in order to fulfill his and Kuina’s dreams. Nusjuro displayed unmatched swordsmanship during the Egghead arc and his strength is already at the top due to him being an Elder, so this fight is bound to happen at the end.
One Piece, Chapter 1086, “The Five Elders”
Shanks' First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 1, “Romance Dawn - The Dawn of Adventure”
The next most likely battle regarding a Gorosei in the Final War ofOne Pieceis Shanks facing his father. The series has always built up the eventual clash between the most powerful villains going up against Luffy’s strongest allies, and nothing fits thisbetter than Garling vs. Shanks. Seeing as how Nusjuro and Zoro’s eventual battle has such deep connections, the same is even more true for Garling and Shanks, especially because this fight also infers a massive ideological battle at the same time.
The courageous moments that you created… have changed the future of the world tremendously - for better or worse.
Garling is the personification of the xenophobic and racist ideology of the Celestial Dragons, whereas his son Shanks is the exact opposite. Despite being born into privilege, Shanks chose the surface world and everything it entailed, which is definitely something that Garling must have hated. This sets up their eventual battle brilliantly, making them the perfect foes to undergo a battle in the Final War.
Loki’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 1130, “The Accursed Prince”
From this point onwards, the match-ups are no longer specific, as any of these Gorosei could fight any of these allies since the connections to be made here a bit speculative. That being said,Loki going up against Ju Peterdoes make sense. The main reason for this is the fact that, due to Loki’s Sun God Devil Fruit possibly making him equal to Luffy’s Gear 5, fighting anyone below the rank of an Elder wouldn’t make much sense for him.
I am the Sun God who will bring about the end of the world!
So, why is Ju Peter the most likely Gorosei who Loki will face in the FInal War? The main reasoning here is that Ju Peter’s Yokai transformation is that of the Sand Wyrm. Of all the Gorosei, this Yokai is the largest, and in the Egghead arc, Ju Peter even fought against two Elbaf Giants. Dorry and Brogy were the only ones who have been seen to go up against him, so it’s possible that Loki’s Devil Fruit would allow him to fight against this villain.
Dragon’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 100, “The Legend Has Begun”
Fans of theOne Piecefranchise are eagerly anticipating theofficial combat debut of Monkey D. Dragon. This character is one of the most mysterious in the series, since he still hasn’t shown his power properly in over 1100 chapters, only really teasing it once during his brief appearance in Loguetown, where he seemed to be controlling the weather itself. Because of this, most fans believe that Dragon is the user of the Rain God Devil Fruit, making him one of the strongest characters in the series.
Someday, I promise you, they will all watch as I change the world!
His match-up against Saint Marcus Mars is another one that isn’t founded on a lot of evidence or hints and is incredibly speculative. However, both of these characters do share some similarities, namely that both of them seem rather calm and tactical compared to their contemporaries, even taking the role of the lead strategist of their respective organizations. Because of this likeness, a match-up between the two is likely, especially considering how Mars' Itsumade Yokai looks suspiciously like a Dragon too.
Garp’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 92, “Happiness”
On the face of it, this match-up perhaps doesn’t make sense to some considering Garp and Warcury fight on the same side. However, most fans believe that Garp will change sides by the end of the series, and pitting him against Warcury just seems like the perfect fight to make in the Final War. This is because Garp’s incredible destructive power may be the only thing capable of crackingthrough Warcury’s insane durability.
I have no sympathy for criminals but… family is a different story!
This Elder was so durable that even Gear 5 Luffy couldn’t damage him when the two clashed on Egghead. However, Garp’s mastery of Haki was on full display when he went up against the Blackbeard Pirates on Hachinosu, as a single punch from his Galaxy Impact was enough to destroy massive swathes of the island. The match-up of Garp’s incredible offense and Warcury’s equally impressive defense would make for one of the greatest battles in the entire Final War ofOne Piece.
One Piececan be streamed onCrunchyroll.
One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
