@RomanceDawn:
Sure it will be mixed up with Darkness and Quakes but I don't think thats enough. I could see the Black Beards swooping in and killing a fully defeated Kaidou but I wonder if that'll take away from the super likely murder of Shanks and his gang? And don't worry about going against Greg's theories, I'm pretty sure he encourages it, especially if it brings out a lot of high end discussion. Can't get em all right. You know he didn't believe Jinbe would join the crew some time ago. ;)
I knew something was always bothering me about the idea of Blackbeard stealing Kaido's Devil Fruit, and I have to thank you for finally letting me know WHAT what it is. XD
Yeah, I feel like Blackbeard swopping in to kill a Yonko before Shanks, especially one Luffy defeated fair and square, would be rather cheap. Not to mention the fact that it would basically be a repeat of what happened with Whitebeard, just probably without the epic shock that he's still alive and the "One Piece Does Exist" speech. So narratively, it just bothers me on a several levels.
And the one other issue is that, one one hand, I find the idea of Teach having the most powerful Devil Fruits of each Devil Fruit category under his belt to be freaking awesome. But on the other hand, I don't like that it's a fruit stolen from a fellow Yonko since we will have already seen the full potential of that fruit in action, and it would make for a slightly repetitive and less hype-filled battle to have it be a fruit that Luffy already overcame. I don't even feel a creature as majestic as a dragon even suits Teach rather than something a lot more sinister and grimy looking, compared to some sort of rat or cerberus fruit (not that I support the theory of Teach having a cerberus fruit, and thus multiple personalities lol).
Also, maybe it's just me, but I feel like a Zoan fruit would get in the way of Teach's "image". By that, I mean how Teach has become an iconic character to love to hate, whose rugged face and signature beard growing over time are synonymous with all of the misdeeds he's done. When Luffy gets the chance and motivation to finally smash his face in, I want it to be Teach's face. Not some mega amped up scaly dragon countenance, but that ugly mug we've been wanting to see pulverized for over twenty years by the time this battle takes place. At least Gear Fourth Luffy, even though I hope that his final hit against Teach isn't in that ridiculously exaggerated final form but his base look, still somewhat keeps Luffy's recognizable anatomy intact.
But that doesn't mean I don't think the Blackbeard Pirates won't show up at Wano Country. Or that they won't pull a trick like this towards someone. With the Blackbeard Pirates being renowned as Devil Fruit hunters and the Beast pirates amassing artificial Zoan fruits, I find it pretty unlikely for their plotlines to not intersect. Especially in an arc that will at least be as prolonged as Dressrosa from all of its build-up, and having the Whitebeard Remnants show up (who will finally start to make Blackbeard become directly relevant to the story again by enlightening the main cast on his rise to power). Not to mention the possibility of Shiryu being from Wano Country due to being a swordsman and his epithet of "Shiryu of the Rain" sounding similar to "Raizou of the Mist". Wano Country would be the perfect arc for Zoro to finally be a perfect arc for Zoro to first meet his final opponent with how likely it is for Zoro to get a prominent role in a swordsman-riddled land.
At the end of the day, all I really care about is Shiryu getting that diamond fruit from Jozu. The reaction from all of the "Mihawk is Zoro's final opponent" supported would be so damn entertaining. If this were to happen in Wano Country from the Blackbeard Pirates acting underhanded as usual, that would be perfect. And if Teach really needs a Zoan Devil Fruit, why can't he just steal Marco's fruit instead of Kaido? Tamiel has been pushing a theory about how Wano Country might end with the Straw Hats being exhausted from fighting Kaido, but having the Blackbeard Pirates show up in the same style as Kuma at the end of Thriller Bark. The Straw Hats escape while it's the Whitebeard Remnants who decide to hold off Teach as a means of placing their hopes for the future in Luffy carrying out Ace's will (and probably even Newgate's). That pretty much writes itself. Marco's Phoenix fruit is the one type of Zoan Devil Fruit that fortunately wouldn't alter Teach's memorable face that we want to see pulverized. Although I would personally prefer Burgess getting it and fighting Sanji with it because of the flame/flying motif, especially after his performance in Dressrosa and both of them being the First Division commanders of their respective crews. Either that, or… Why can't he just get a SMILE fruit? Some type of ultimate one that would creatively benefit Blackbeard's moveset by keep his face intact while giving all sorts of cool physical attack transformations. It probably wouldn't be as hyped up as we would expect or prefer, but I'm definitely open to that.
I will say though that Lafitte already has some sort of winged fruit, probably a bird of some sort or some mythical winged creature thats known to use hypnotism. He'll probably end up as Brook's opponent as well. Guy who flies against a high jumper and can run up walls and over water, both musically themed, both carry canes as weapons and both use some form of hypnotism. It's a match made in heaven if you ask me.
I agree on Brook being Lafitte's opponent though. You forgot how they both wear top hats and seem inspired by Tim Burton movie protagonists lol. He probably has a Mythical Zoan fruit based Sirens though, who are prominent in Greek mythology and overall ocean lore for hypnotizing sailors with their singing to lure them in for shipwrecks and as their food. The fact that Lafitte is his crew's navigator makes this inspiration even more thematically fitting.
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The other match ups I'm absolutely certain of are Zoro vs Shiryu, Usopp vs Van Auger, Chopper vs Doc Q w/ Stronger, and Nami vs Catarina Devon. But I just REALLY hope that Franky fights San Juan Wolf. I know how weird that sounds as a matchup, but I love the theory going around of how Franky, as a testament to his dream of having the Thousand Sunny survive countless hardships and battles as it approaches the end of the Grand Line, transforms his ship into a giant Megazord to fight San Juan Wolf. The Sunny already has a bunch of advanced weapons on it that are synonymous with Franky's abilities, and he already has a mini-Megazord in the form of General Franky being made up of several vehicles from the ship. Also, such an idea would actually be completely in-character and built-up because he actually first brings up the Power Rangers Megazord-referencing Docking gag (which would eventually be realized in the form of General Franky post-timeskip) during the battle against Oars, a giant among giants like San Juan Wolf, in Thriller Bark. And if that wasn't enough, San Juan Wolf's epithet is "Colossal Battleship", either just due to his size or some sort of ability. This fight is just BEGGING to happen, and a user on here named Roronoa Zacho even drew some ASTONISHING art for a Sunny Megazord design.
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But I am curious how Weevil fits into all of this. I feel like he's eventually going to be an ally due to being played by Miss Makkin Babbidi/Majin Buu-style, and might even be christened by the Whitebeard Remnants as a "true" son of Whitebeard after he decides to rebel against his mother and repent for his actions. But an interaction between him and Blackbeard would be VERY interesting. Unless he just gets quaked into the sidelines disappointingly lol.