@Fire Fist:
Why does everyone think that Blackbeard is such a bad guy? He actually was impressed with Luffy's bounty, and he even offered him a few kind words in Mocktown.
To an extent, it's extrapolation based on the nature of the two crews. Most of the Straw Hats have counterparts in the Blackbeard Pirate Crew that are opposites of them in every way. Doc Q couldn't be more different from Chopper, for instance.
Teach, on the other hand, is considerably like Luffy in personality, but seems to employ wildly different measures to achieve his dream, which is also the opposite extreme from Luffy's.
I see the guy as being more like the Gorosei in nature; they don't weigh their decisions in terms of good and evil, but only as to whether or not it accomplishes whatever goals that they have. If Teach could recieve the reknown that he wants without doing evil things, he might choose to go that route.
Of course, there's a question as to why he attacked Drum, but I have to wonder if that wasn't because Wapol pissed him off. Of course, this, in connection with e1n's suggestion about Whitebeard has made me start thinking about something else…
The thing is, we know nothing about his betrayal or his motives. All we know is that Ace is chasing him for killing nakama. We don't know the circumstances at all. Maybe there's an ulterior motive behind what he did… maybe it's part of Whitebeard's plan to get a double agent into the Schichibukai.
My guess is that he didn't kill that crewmate so much as he turned him in to the authorities for enough money to branch out on his own. The authorities killed him, not Teach and company, but to Ace, it's the same thing.
If he actually did kill whoever it was, there's probably more to it than Oda has let on.
Blackbeard's entry into the Seven Armed seas would enable him to be eyes and ears for Whitebeard.
I like that notion, but there's another possibility here as well.
Teach reduced Drum Kingdom to an isolated power, Crocodile attempted to destroy the government of Alabasta, and Donquixote Doflamingo is in the business of "liberating" islands. He's also attempting to launch a New Era of Piracy. Outside of the Grand Line, we have Arlong attempting to carve out a sphere of influence for himself in East Blue, and a coup d'etat in Villa.
What if all of these seemingly disparate events are related?
Drum and Alabasta are both members of the World Government; presumably some of these liberated islands should have some connection to the World Government. By destroying the military power of various members of the World Government or replacing those members with friendly governments, that institution will be weakened from within while still being beset from without by the pirates.
The beauty of it is that these people not necessarily know that they're working for you, but may think that they are working to achieve their own ends. A nudge here and a dropped comment there and the fools do exactly what you want, whether they understand what it is that they're really doing or not.
At the same time, upheavals in the Blues require the World Government turn its attention towards those areas or simply write them off. In which case, those areas in the Blues can begin contributing resources to help fund operations on the Grand Line itself.
Now, the pirates. Having a vast number of pirates in a vast number of crews means that the Navy can easily pick off the weaker crews while the military and more powerful crews stalemate each other. The best way to use them against the World Government is to organize them under as few banners as possible.
Let's say, two. One is a bold new direction in piracy, which focuses on an entirely new approach and is much more businesslike in attitude. The older guard, on the other hand, would need something more, perhaps a rallying point. Maybe even one in the form of a person that can climb his way to the top simply by smashing through his opponents. Why not a new Pirate King? And who better than a person of the same clan than the last person to wield that title?
If you have to directly intervene to make sure some idiot pirate or Marine doesn't kill your patsy, then so be it; you can't start a revolution without getting your hands dirty sometime.
Do you think they secured the poneglyph and brought it to Marine HQ? It's a big ass stone, but there has to be some way to lift it…
I doubt that they just left it there untouched anyway. Did we ever see it after the explosion set by the Cipher Pol agents? That bomb was probably attached to the poneglyph.
If they did confiscate it, they probably just moved it the old fashioned way.
after all, didn't someone say that Roger took the Rio Poneglyph and MOVED it to Raftel?
More likely, it was already there. I don't recall hearing it that anyway.
I'm pretty sure Lassoo is dead. He uh… kinda blew himself up.
Mr. 4 seemed perfectly unharmed by the explosion and if Ms. Friday can survive Sanji wringing her neck, then Lassoo should be perfectly alright.