Summary
The villains from theOne Piecefranchise are some of the most iconic in the entire anime industry. From Marines with a twisted sense of justice to pirates who want nothing short of world domination, the series is full of incredibly diverse antagonists who don’t only act as the main obstacle in a story arc, but also embody the most important traits that make them the exact opposites to the heroes of the story.
Now thatOne Pieceis approaching its Final War, which Oda has confirmed will shake the foundations of the franchise, the question of the Straw Hats' most valuable allies comes into question. Many fans believe thatsome of the most iconic villainsfrom the series' past will eventually join the final battle against the forces of Imu and the World Government, so let’s see who these could be and why them joining Luffy makes sense.
Story Arc
Wano
While this may seem like a random pick, the Cross Guild eventually fighting on the side of the Straw Hats in the Final War isn’t completely out of the realm of possibility and, in fact, may actually end up happening. This is because two of the three main members, Buggy and Crocodile, have even helped Luffy beforeduring the Impel Down arc, which means that, as of where the story stands currently, they have a positive relationship with him despite being one of his rivals in finding the One Piece treasure.
Public awareness of Cross Guild is growing as planned. The Navy is starting to understand the threat we pose…
Mihawk stands as an outlier here, especially since he and Zoro are destined to fight for the title of the World’s Strongest Swordsman before the end of the series. However, the former has trained Zoro in the past, which shows that he fully intends to take their fight seriously and even wants to foster his strength as much as possible. After their first meeting, Mihawk told Zoro to surpass him and even trained the Pirate Hunter to do so, so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to believe that he and Cross Guild would ally with the Straw Hats against Imu.
Most Likely To Defect
Garp, Koby, Fujitora
The crux of the Final War will be pitting the Straw Hats and their allies against the forces of Imu, the majority of whom will be composed of Navy foot soldiers, since these are the main offensive forces of the World Government. Despite this, however, there are many characters within the World Government who align more with the values of the heroes and strongly disagree with theauthoritarian dictatorship of the Celestial Dragons, which is why some notable members have quit and created SWORD.
SWORD is a group of Navy soldiers who have submitted their resignations. So, they can pick a fight with the Four Emperors without permission from above. They can also do whatever they like and disregard any orders.
Among these chosen few, many believe that the Navy Admirals, Fujitora and Kizaru, will also defect. These two are some of the most important figures in the entireOne Piecesetting, holding the second-highest office in the hierarchy of the World Government. Fujitora was appointed to this role far later and clearly has a strong sense of justice since he knows that anyone can be a good person, whether they’re a Marine or a pirate. On the other hand, many believe Kizaru may have started to become disillusioned with the World Government after Egghead, where he was forced to kill his best friend since he even fed Luffy to reawaken his Gear 5 power.
Long Ring Long Land
Much like the Admirals Fujitora and Kizaru,Aokiji is one of the most importantand powerful characters in the entire setting. However, his likelihood of joining the Straw Hats is much higher than the other two, since he has been shown to have his own sense of justice which trumps any meager loyalties he may have to the World Government. He recognizes that there are some things that he simply cannot follow, which is what led to his exodus from the World Government in the first place, since he knew he couldn’t follow Akainu.
The thing called “Justice” changes its shape… Depending on where you stand.
However, what really took everyone by surprise was the fact that he joined the Blackbeard Pirates, which seemingly contradicts everything he supposedly stood for. Most fans believe that this is just a red herring, and in truth, Aokiji is a double-agent for SWORD, which is an organization that will most probably ally itself with the Straw Hats in its entirety. Even if this isn’t the case, Aokiji’s sense of justice and honor stands against the Blackbeard Pirates, so he will likely abandon them and help Luffy in the end.
Kaido First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 795, “Suicide”
Big Mom and Kaido are among the biggest players in the world due to being some of the strongest pirates in history. Although both have been vital antagonists in the overall story and originally seemed to be insurmountable obstacles, them and their forces were defeated by the crews of Luffy, Law, and Kid alongside the armies of Wano. The last showing ofeither of these former Yonkowas that they were both shot down to the base of Mt. Fuji, where they seemingly died.
Joyboy is the man who will be able to beat me one day!
However, a large contingent of fans believe that they are still alive since Oda doesn’t regularly kill off characters, especially when the fates of such important players remain vague. If they are alive, then they will likely return in the Final War, where they will either face off against Luffy or, if things play out differently, may even join him against the forces of oppression in the World Government atop Pluton, which is quite a popular fan theory. Kaido especially, since he had always believed in Joyboy and, after his battle with Luffy, he found the truth about Luffy’s power.
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, 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.
