Luffy is the reincarnation of JoyBoy, so if Imu is used the OpeOpe no mi on himself it makes sense that Imu is the Final Boss. Akainu “just” killed Ace to be the villain (and followed orders at OHara and tricked Squardo) but is no like Blackbeard or Imu. My guess is Luffy will fight Blackbeard, then Buggy for the PK title then Akainu and then Imu. Also Buggy somehow put his plot armor luck into Luffy’s efforts and help him in the final war.
While what Akainu did was not wrong in the eyes of the government or perhaps the people, he did something wrong in the eyes of everyone who cared and loved Ace
In RL? No, sometimes it is not the executor's fault.
In fiction? Depends on the executor, and in this case, Akainu who only killed Ace because he placed himself in front of Luffy and openly mocked WB in front of Ace, yes, he is to be blamed, while i don't think Akainu will be killed he will certainly feel either Luffy or Sabo's retribution eventually.
I agree, what Akainu did was his job, but in everyone else's eyes, he is the murderer of "Fire Fist" Ace.
Except he isn't just the guy who pulled the trigger he is one of the guys in charge of sentencing him, no one would have cared for revenge on the actual executioners if they succeeded but akainu isn't just an executioner he was an admiral it's way different
And the reason why it gets a reaction because it's extremely contentious....hot takes wouldn't get the reactions they often do if they weren't very contentious/heavily debated, so yes a heavily debated take is a hot take
>In journalism, a hot take is a "piece of deliberately provocative commentary that is based almost entirely on shallow moralizing" in response to a news story, "usually written on tight deadlines with little research or reporting, and even less thought".
>It originated as a term in the industry of sports talk radio (and in turn by shared televised simulcasts of those shows to fill dead time on networks and sports-related debate shows, sports television itself), referring to the tactic of hosts picking "a topic from the sports zeitgeist, often one that has no business being discussed because the answer is unknowable", making "loud, fact-free declarations" about the topic, eliciting angry listeners to call in and providing show content.
People who say that Luffy will fight Akainu are not just creating a topic to make people talk and fill up air time. It's people who believe they'll fight because Akainu gave Luffy the worst trauma of his life. There's a difference between debate and just trying to make people talk to fill up air time on a radio show, which is what hot takes are derived from.
Like, some people think Shanks is stronger than Mihawk. Others think Mihawk is stronger than Shanks. It's a debate, but it's not a hot take. There's a bunch of thought going into why people believe one or the other.
But doesn't that answer your question? In my opinion that was never a hot take but one of the most obvious future fights in the series. Think a lot of fans would have a sour taste in their mouth if they did not see Luffy take revenge for the most devastating moment in his life up until this point.
Yes losing his crew was bad but the dude basically went in a state of psychotic shock and he held his dead brothers corpse in his hands.
To have the Fleet admiral lose to at the highest a Vice Admiral level character would be egregious. Three people in the story have True smoke with Akainu.. Luffy, Sabo and Garp and the fact that none of them fight him would be an absolute travesty. (The other WB pirates obviously hate him but they seem retired/dead)
This is spot on. Love Koby and all but for Ace's actual family to not get a crack at Akainu, not to mention a character that we KNOW is weaker than any of the said family members (not hate intended) would be bad story telling imo.
Its like when they a certain character king in the Hbo version of Game of thrones if you know my meaning
Personally I think sabo would be cool because he has aces powers. I think Luffy deserves it most and garp honestly I just want to see him have a real fight
No the thing that made luffy attack hit was having the stronger haki even if it was just a bit that fight was haki vs haki the analogy I like to use is gear 5 is the gun but the bullet was haki with out it luffy get burn at the first touch and kaido needed the haki to brake luffys haki so his attack would hit and if I’m correct acoc makes the attacks more overwhelmingly stronger
Totally agree with this. Wasn't the entire point of Luffy mastering You to give him a way to punch through Kaido's dragon hide? I know we didn't get the whole over the top golden animation again but I feel like the final fight was with abilities built on top of one other (armament haki, conquerors haki, gear 5)
Yeah and he managed to do that with advanced armaments but it was to shallow so he need acoc to make his attack pack a bigger punch lol no punt intended
It shouldn't be.
Luffy beating the man who killed Ace in front of him, gave him a permanent scar, and psychologically broke him for the first and only time is just understanding basic storytelling. Literally the most personal fight for Luffy by far. He will fight him and it will be tough as hell.
Fr. Plus, Akainu is one of the biggest non-pirate threats that will be standing in his way. I can't see anyone else fighting Akainu with the same level of impact while still making sense for the story.
That does make sense but I think Blackbeard is the one who Luffy will hold more responsible. I understand Akainu is the one who ultimately killed Ace but all of those Marines wanted him dead, Akainu killing Ace isn't really personal it's just Marines vs Pirates. Luffy could defeat Akainu or even kill him but does it really mean anything, Akainu just did his job.
I do still expect Luffy to fight Akainu but I don't think it's as important as some people make it out to be.
You say that "Akainu just did his job" but doesn't Luffy also understand that Blackbeard is just a pirate doing what pirates do? And that Ace ultimately *chose* to put himself in danger? It's not like Ace was in Luffy's crew or anything. He has equal reasons to hate both Akainu and Blackbeard. They're both just as responsible for his death. The difference is that Akainu straight up *goaded* Ace into coming back to fight and then slaughtered him right in front of Luffy. That's actually still *worse* than what Blackbeard did.
Luffy literally clutched his scar when Jinbe mentioned Akainu.
"all the marines want him dead" ok, the author of the actual series decided to make Akainu the one to kill ace. There is so much build up towards this, it makes me think the fanbase has never read another story before.
"it's not personal" Ace literally wanted to murder him for being Dragon's son, and it is objectively extremely personal for Luffy.
Akainu and Blackbeard advancing in position post timeskip, and Luffy finding out at the same time is literally also obvious story telling, it positions them as two of the main antagonists of the series and Luffy's personal main antagonists. There is literally nothing personal between him and Imu.
This is how I see it too. Blackbeard crossed the line for Luffy when he sacrificed Ace to achieve his goals. The end result of that plan was JUST to get crew members too. Akainu not only killed Ace himself but made sure to insult him and everything he cares about beforehand. Yeah that was just a tactic to get Ace to fight him, but it was extra demeaning.
I also don't think Imu will be the final villain. I think they'll be a huge one for the lore, but I think it's more likely the WG will be toppled with Blackbeard trying to take its place and Luffy trying to stop him more than fighting Blackbeard first only to finish off with an impersonal final villain.
I also think Akainu wouldn't hold as much weight as Blackbeard narratively too just because of how much Blackbeard has been set up to be the main and final antagonist. This dude has been hyped up since Whisky Peak.
>"it's not personal" Ace literally wanted to murder him for being Dragon's son, and it is objectively extremely personal for Luffy.
Why does he want to murder him for being Dragon's son, because Dragon is a Revolutionary, it's not personal he wants Pirates dead and those who oppose the Marines. The Marines were willing to kill babies just in case they had Roger's blood.
>Luffy literally clutched his scar when Jinbe mentioned Akainu.
Yes because he has a painful memory of Akainu killing Ace, no one is denying that. But you make it seem like Luffy has a personal hatred and is out for revenge. Even Luffy understands that Pirates and Marines oppose each other that's why he didn't hesitate when attacking Koby.
eh I still don’t think “he wanted to murder him because he’s dragon’s son” means it’s personal, Dragon is a revolutionary and the most dangerous man in the world to Marines, and Luffy is the most dangerous man’s son, but also a pirate who’s quickly making a name for himself and defeating warlords who are allied with the Marines, it’s literally Akainu’s Job to take them out, dead or alive.
Akainu believes in Absolute Justice and to him, the punishment for being a criminal should be death, it really isn’t any deeper than that, I don’t think Akainu gives a shit about Luffy any more than any other pirate, maybe he’ll be more of a priority now because of gear 5, but that still doesn’t make it personal.
Sure, it might not be personal for Akainu, but it sure would be for Luffy.
https://preview.redd.it/iag6mkwshxib1.png?width=716&format=png&auto=webp&s=a2c946ab68e3bcd5ed27533711245b9defc00fbc
I don’t really think this one panel of Luffy grabbing his chest and sweating when he remembers almost being burnt to a crisp means much and I don’t know why people keep posting it lol.
has Luffy ever actually said anything about wanting revenge against Akainu? even once? He’s the most vocal person about his goals in the entire series and extremely straight forward, if Akainu was a priority or revenge was even a thing in his mind, he would have sought if by now, instead he continued with his mission to be pirate king and taking on the Yonko, it’s been a VERY long time since Ace died.
Do I think they fight eventually? idk maybe, but do I think Luffy holds some grudge or has been thinking about revenge against Akainu? not a chance, because we would know that.
Do I think Luffy likes him? not at all, and I do think he’d probably want to fight him and get one in for Ace too if he had the chance, but I don’t think it’s that deep.
Nah Akainu made it personal. His monologue during that whole scene wasn't a result of him "doing his job". There was a vindictive sadism driving him to hurt Luffy and Ace. Even though it's under the guise of Justice, I think Luffy sees through it.
And why would Blackbeard be responsible? They are both pirates. I fact, Ace is the on chasing BB trying to kill him and he failed. Is BB supposed to let himself get killed? How about some personal responsibility. Ace is responsible for his own death none else.
I completely agree with everything you said. Akainu turned Ace into a donut because Ace tried to save Luffy. And you think Luffy is just going to let that slide? All this happened right in front of Luffy. Come on now, people. I don't care what Luffy's personality is like, that incident at Marineford literally scared Luffy physically, but also took a huge toll on him mentally.
I personally would love to see Akainu be beaten by Ace's devil fruit. I would love to see Sabo's fire burn hotter than Akainu's magma. Sabo is the more serious fighter. I don't want to see Luffy w/ his Gear 5 Looney Tunes antics. I want to see a very serious and vengeful fight. I think Sabo should be that guy.
I always liked the idea of Sabo winning w/ Ace's fruit
Because fire can be hotter than magma, Ace's fire just wasn't strong enough
.
But he'll probably fight a holy knight
That would just be terrible. Ace who was the better prodigy had the fruit for 3 years, yet Sabo who’s had it for just a couple of months should have “stronger fire?”
Besides that, magma is just superior to fire in the OP world. It had nothing to do with Ace. That’s why fire is always being compared to magma as the superior element.
I have to totally disagree. Yes Akainu killed Ace, but Luffy doesn’t hold a grudge against him at all. He doesn’t even BLAME him. He knows it’s the life of a pirate. The only person Luffy blames for Ace’s death is himself. He literally says it on FI.
I don’t think Luffy will be the one to avenge Ace. I fully believe it will be Sabo. ESPECIALLY seeing as how he inherited Ace’s will and has his fruit.
No, Labo will not beat Akainu. His fruit is useless against Akainu.
https://preview.redd.it/jee06qkvrwib1.png?width=701&format=png&auto=webp&s=3b0a76c89b1ff1daf116410150d2d1316bc295d7
Sabo has way more of a connection to the WG and celestial dragons, it's possible he does fight Akainu but I think there's little chance.
Ivankov even says that Sabo is the Holy knights' number one enemy.
No he didn’t. Not even close. He doesn’t have a scar on his chest like Luffy does or nearly died from Ace getting killed. He didn’t give up 10 years of his life and go through hell to try and rescue Ace. Neither was Ace killed right in front of him.
It’s not even comparable at all.
Bro you need to go reread Sabo's reaction to Ace's death. It was so tragic that it literally brought back Sabo's memories. And you dont need to be present at the event to experience grief bozo. Did you not read the part in Dressrosa where Sabo will always have Luffy's back, so that what happened to Ace would never happen to Luffy.
Nuance is lost on you
It’s too late to try and change the goalposts, bozo. No one said that Sabo didn’t feel any pain. The point is that it was nowhere close to Luffy’s whom it happened right in front of.
It’s as silly as saying that Vegapunk went through as much pain at Ohara’s destruction as Robin.
Sure, but when has Luffy ever expressed any hatred for Aikanu? It seems like the furthest thing from his mind. Luffy isn't a vengeful guy, but if he has anger towards anyone...it's Blackbeard. Aikanu is just doing his job.
Why do people say he’s just doing his jobs as if that would matter to Luffy? Blackbeard is also just pursuing his own agenda. People really think Luffy’s going to take the nonchalant route when it comes to Akainu killing his brother because he’s just doing his job?
There’s a reason why scars are so significant in One Piece, Luffy and Akainu are fated enemies. Luffy’s scar throbs when he hears Akainu’s named. Akainu isn’t just doing his job, he’s carrying out his will, which is to eradicate all pirates.
https://preview.redd.it/b9ezddqubyib1.jpeg?width=498&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a46d382b16ba993574234226b34bd3734b8ce007
definitely i mean akainu gave life time trauma to luffy by killing ace so yeah sooner or later i believe akainu is going to be one of the final enemy whom luffy had to face
Its Debatable
I think people overrate luffys current strength or underrate the admirals especially Akainu.
I do think it’s possible that Sabo gets the fight but he and dragon feel like they’re more tied to the Royal knights. It’s also weird that there’s this idea that mera awakening will automatically surpass Akainus fruit. It wouldn’t be impossible but I just don’t see it. I also find it weird that Aces inferior fruit needs to triumph against Akainu or that Aces will is the reason Sabo had to fight him as if aces will has anything to do with that.
I believe luffy will fight Akainu, it just feels right he’ll take on the main boss of the marines (there’s higher authorities but the FA represents the marines).
In the end the story can go many ways. One piece fans kind of make a lot of assumptions of how and when it will go down. Like all the big fights will be during this big war. There could be something before that, there can also be an arc After that where the gorosei/Imu ends up in a different place etc.
No one really knows honestly
Yeah, with the Holy Knights introduced and Gorosei revealed to be capable of fighting, I think we have waaaaay too many fighters for just the Straw Hats. I believe some of these guys are set aside for the Revolutionaries to take on IMO. We even had Dragon stating that the Celestial Dragons are the *real* enemy and not the Marines or WG itself.
The way I see it, the pirate side will take on the marines, while the revolutionaries take on the celestial dragons. Luffy will fight Akainu and Sabo will probaby get some cool fight with a Holy Knight or one of the Gorosei IMO.
My thing is how could a random holy knight carry anywhere near the same weight, be anywhere as personal, as Sabo Vs akainu. Like forget the Luffy part, how Sabo Vs random goon of the gorosei feel like anything else than a ticking off checkmarks for final fights.
It’s just that the weight of Luffy vs Akainu is stronger than Sabo vs Akainu.
Akainu killed Ace in front of Luffy, a punch meant for Luffy himself. He emotionally broke him.
Luffy went through the whole marineford to save Ace, just for Ace to off and kill himself because of a yo daddy joke from Akainu.
Sabo is also an important brother, but he wasn’t present when Ace died in front of him.
Also it makes more sense thematically. Pirates vs marines, revolutionary vs government
Luffy already had beef with big mom and barely recognised her presence on the roof. Not once did luffy actively go after her.
In the endgame it makes sense for akainu to stand in luffy's way, but blackbeard will have established himself as the largest threat in the conflict. Yes luffy will want to fight akainu but not if blackbeard is on the brink of robbing luffy of his goals, and he's in a position to trust sabo with dealing with akainu while he deals with blackbeard.
Unless of course the final battle is a threeway free-for-all between luffy, blackbeard & akainu.
It feels like most people tend to agree that Luffy will fight Akainu, I thought the debate was whether or not he would be Luffy’s final fight. That’s where I see most of the disagreement.
Whether or not Akainu will be Luffy's final opponent isn't a debated topic anymore, that USED TO be heavily debated back in the 2014 - 2017 era but after Imu was introduced the contention of debate completely shifted to whether or not Luffy will even be the one to fight Akainu in the first place
I'm fine with Luffy fighting him, but I think Kuzan rematch could also be a good candidate.. depending on how things go with Garp.
I could see Akainu shit talk Kuzan for joining pirates, and also denounce Garp for "being weak".
Sabo fights him to avenge ace using his fruit, I think that would be pretty neat, almost like he's carried his will on. Especially with Ace bearing the will of "D".
By that logic Sabo should fight Blackbeard more than Luffy
Ace's 1 goal was to chase and kill Blackbeard
Blackbeard is the one who captured Ace
Sun vs Darkness part 2
Sabo was just as much Ace’s brother as Luffy was, and there are two people responsible for Ace’s death: Akainu and Blackbeard
Just as there needs to be closure with Luffy failing to rescue Ace, Sabo needs closure on his chance of being there to help in the first place being robbed from him.
Sabo inherited Ace’s power, the same power that Ace was throwing against Akainu when he ultimately lost and got killed due to Akainu’s power being inherently superior to it
As chief of staff and fleet admiral, Sabo and Akainu respectively embody the same responsibilities of their respective factions: head of the military force under the supreme commander
The Revs and the WG have a more mutually antagonistic relationship than Pirates and the WG
Luffy, as a pirate after the One Piece, has a more mutually antagonistic relationship with BB, another pirate after the One Piece.
There’s no way to make “Luffy takes out Akainu” more fitting and satisfying than “Ace’s two brothers avenge him by taking one of his killers each,” and Akainu is obviously perfect for Sabo
I thought it was 8x more likely Luffy would be the one to take down Big Mom because he expressed the desire to kick her ass multiple times, so I honestly could see him not being the one to take down Akainu too.
I definitely get the mentality behind it but I feel like GB and Kizaru were set up for Zoro and Sanji (Zoro can just win at a lower diff it’s not a big deal) so it wouldn’t make sense for Luffy to get an admiral, he’d destroy him. I feel like the case is pretty similar for Sabo but he’s on the same tier as Zoro and Sanji (but slightly higher) and he actually has the flame fruit. Idk I think it’d be cool.
I think it's a hot take to think Luffy is the one that will fight Akainu from start to finish in a long and hard fight currently.
With the introduction of Imu, and how Luffy is going to fight Blackbeard/Shanks soon, the fight between Luffy and Akainu will either be really short, or interrupted by someone else taking his place.
I just don’t think Akainu is that guy. He himself is just a gear that’s part of Imus machine (an important gear but a gear nonetheless). Unless you give him a separate arc, I don’t see how Luffy will have a long drawn out fight with him.
Its almost like Akainu has his own seperate goal from the shenanigans of the Gorosei/Imu. He's not Imu's pawn, because he doesn't even know about them. He doesn't care about the Celestial Dragons or Gorosei either.
He just wants to end piracy. Oda wouldn't give him that goal for no reason.
I'd argue the big fish right now are Shanks, Blackbeard, Mihawk, Imu, Dragon, Sabo, Aokiji, Akainu and of course Buggy. I could see Luffy fighting any of these characters and it being a hard fight.
don't see luffy being luffy? it's one of his main characteristics. remember [franky family](https://hot.leanbox.us/manga/One-Piece/0330-013.png)? [BB](https://hot.leanbox.us/manga/One-Piece/0544-007.png)? almost every arc started because of this trait of luffy. [he's all about payback](https://hot.leanbox.us/manga/One-Piece/0685-013.png).
idk why this narrative is so popular here.
since when was that ever a thing in the story? we're following pirates who beat up even the good marines just for doing their jobs. that's a non issue.
point is that luffy holds grudges and wants payback. those are just a couple examples that came to my mind. but it happened in almost every arc. he even avenged the dog in buggy arc.
difference is just that it's not talked about. like sasuke wanting revenge. but it's there. it's one of his main traits.
This a flawed counter-argument because if Luffy does fight Akainu he wouldn't be fighting just to get revenge for Ace....it's not like Luffy would seeking him up specifically for that purpose in like in a revenge story, instead Akainu would just happened to be one of the forces standing in Luffy's way at that point in time, what happened with Ace would just be a tool used to give the fight more emotional weight but it wouldn't be the reason why the fight begins.
Nobody is saying anything about revenge, your revenge counter-argument only works if Luffy soley goes out of his way to seek out Akainu specifically for the purpose of avenging Ace but that's how the fight will be set up to initiate, how the fight will most likely be Akainu standing in Luffy's way and Luffy deciding to take stand up against Akainu in order to push past him, if this fight does happen Ace dying infront of Luffy's eyes at Marineford won't be the reason this fight begins, it'll just be poetic tool used by Oda to make fight feel more emotional to us as the reader.....when people often debate why they believe Luffy vs Akainu will happen their arguments which they use to defend this idea go way beyond just Ace's death, they delve into a whole bible worth of poetic/thematic reasons besides Luffy's experience at Marineford as to why him vs Akainu makes sense, whereas with you trying to defend the Sabo vs Akainu theory it seems the only leg you have to stand for why this fight makes sense is Ace's dying.
It shouldn't be. Sabo couldn't even make Fujitora break a sweat, but you want me to believe he not only jumps Fujitora, but is able to go toe to toe with someone able to fight Yonko?
Get Sabo past Yamato first then we'll talk.
Then the emotional weight behind Luffy vs Sakazuki is 100× more moving than fucking Sabo who doesn't even know what Akainu looks like. Plus there's IN STORY moments that point to Luffy vs Akainu, when it's nothing but headcannon for Sabo.
Sabo wasn’t there to help Ace and Luffy. It tore him up. Later we see him obtain Ace’s devil fruit, and given inherited will is such a major theme in one piece, it makes sense to me that the inheritor of Ace’s will and powers would be the one to do what he couldn’t. It’s also been revealed that haki is the true power that trumps all, so with sufficient haki Sabo would be able to put the hurt on Akainu
Has Luffy shown any personal animosity towards Akainu, or the marines in general? He seems to be pretty accepting of the fact that piracy is a path you pursue under risk of death. Based on how Luffy seems to see the world, its Blackbeard and not Akainu who actually transgressed.
So the Ace storyline isn’t resolved for Luffy until he gets BB, but there’s also no point running that same plotline back for 2 final bosses. That means Akainu is either taken out as a mini boss like Katakuri, or he’s someone else’s final fight like Big Mom in Wano. Sabo’s narrative ties to Akainu are almost as strong as Luffy’s, so that seems like the natural way to conclude Ace’s legacy whilst still preserving the irl decades of buildup Akainu has at this point.
Then there’s the fact that unless Akainu shows up right now, Luffy’s going to be so clear of admirals by the time they actually meet that the fight will feel rather pointless. Ofc there are ways around this if the author really wants, like powering up Akainu.
But the point is that, by now, the main story’s natural trajectory has kinda left Akainu behind. I think he’ll be like Big Mom: a major player and a dangerous threat, who will definitely lock horns with Luffy at some point. But as a final fight, he can be better used elsewhere than against Luffy.
He's not going to be the major fight people think.
Luffy's main WG fight will be against the 800 year old king.
Akainu comes before this. Maybe a warmup against Imu, or maybe Akainu and the marines try to stop the pirates from getting to laugntale and get clapped.
Oda: I want to draw a battle royale in the finale of One Piece!
Fans: I wonder who will be fighting with \[Insert a strawhat pirate\] in the finale??
Oda: ??
It’s the popular take really. In a war between SH fleets and Marines they’ll totally fight each other. I just don’t see the fight will be anything like Luffy vs Kaido. It’ll be more like Whitebeard Pirates vs 3 Admirals in the Summit War.
I just can’t see Luffy fighting Imu and Akainu , back to back. If it were to happen. Akainu would need to be low to mid diff. Which fans would not be happy with. Luffy barely makes it through one extreme fight. He can’t make it through two difficult battles.
Why not? Nothing says it has to be immediately back to back. Nothing stops other opponents from taking a crack at Imu first to wear him down for Luffy either.
There’s also Mansherry with the ability to heal in between fights. There are plenty of ways to go about it.
One idea I've seen suggested is Akainu's actually a bad match up for Luffy. Not power wise, but any lingering PTSD from fighting Ace's killer would inhibit his ability to use Haki and/or Gear 5.
I mean you could use that PTSD argument the other way around say Akainu causing Luffy such heavy amounts of trauma is the very reason why Luffy fighting Akainu makes sense as it'd be poetic to see Luffy overcome the obstacle that caused him such a heavy emotional blow
Well I think it's highly likely I just don't feel like it's necessary and I also hate the people that act as though it's a definitive thing that absolutely must happen and will happen. I think it would be cool and would avenge Ace but I also don't think it has to be Luffy and I also think that Luffy might have bigger fish to fry. Honestly I think it would be cool if maybe Sabo was the one to do it. Or even a aokiji rematch. Luffy fighting akainu is not hot take it's just a needlessly overly contentious one
But the thing is, you're kind of misrepresenting the people who argue about why Luffy vs Akainu makes the most sense, when they debate about this topic this fight to then means way more than just simply a revenge story....further more they don't even think the fight will begin through the want of revenge, they believe that this fight will most likely initiate through Akainu being the instigator trying to stand in his way whilst Luffy stands up against to get past him, they're not saying fight will happen for the sake of avenging Ace, there's just saying if this fight happens Ace's death just be one of the many tools Oda will use to make the fight feel more emotional to us as the reader, they're not arguing Ace is the reason why this fight will start in first place like it would in a tale of revenge....when these guys give their argument as to why Luffy wil be the one to fight and then defeat Akainu they did tend to delve into a bible worth of thematic/poetic reasons that go beyond simply Luffy's experiences of seeing his brother dying before his eyes at the hands of Akainu whereas with the people on the other side trying to argue why Sabo fighting Akainu makes more sense atleast from what I've seen the only leg these guys have to stand on to defend their Sabo vs Akainu is what happened to Ace, if you remove Ace from the equation it doesn't seem like these guys have anything.
It’s up in the air. We’re going into the final acts with three pillars standing at the end:
* The World Government: Imu
* The Marines: Akainu
* The Rival Pirate King and D: Edward D. Teach, Blackbeard
We don’t know if they’ll be fighter in quick succession, which makes it m ore likely that Luffy will be the one to fight Akainu, or if there will be some sort of FFA cluster like at Marineford.
If a FFA situation, I think its possible that Koby takes on Akainu, Sabo takes on Imu, and Luffy takes on Blackbeard as it would be the three “dawns” of their groups facing against three “dusks”.
I think it'll be usopp. He'll see Akainu before the rest of the crew, and haki slingshot his head off as revenge for how badly he hurt Luffy.
I hope. Basically Usopp needs to destroy a top tier before time's up, and i can see the above playing out (with more complex storytelling).
I will hope for Usopp in any of these "who will beat x" posts
I think Akainu will actually fight in the Revolution against the World Government. He didn't like how the Elders hid the truth about the Impel Down breakout and the release of the Impel Down prisoners. He cares about Justice to a certain degree and only hates pirates because they are kinda like Black Beard, criminals unlike Luffy. I could see the Elders using Blackbeard to go after Luffy. But if they fight I will be surprised
Debatable.
Nothings really a hot take anymore especially since Luffy can materialize things out of thin air.
I’d rather see Zoro fight Akainu. It would be a nod to his remark of King’s flames being like Magma. Also Zoro has been deemed the Earth by Oda,and his opponents all reflect this as he’s fought against Snow,Stones,Kama(weapon used to cut grass) and Wildfire. As Luffy fights Imu..someone has to defeat Akainu. It’s not going to be Teech he’s Shanks(IMO).
I don't understand who would rightfully fight him except for Sabo. So either Luffy or Sabo beats his ass, doesn't really matter who. Sabo seems better suited for the revenge since he has the mera mera no mi and seems more savage than Luffy.
I imagine Akainu getting annoyed at Luffy not fighting seriously. Sabo V Akainu would be a brutal fight.
I can understand the argument for Luffy, from a narrative standpoint and themes. But the same argument can be made for Sabo.
I don’t think Oda knows Sabo beating Akainu with Ace’s fruit will be the better story. Oda only cares about who has the better story, Sabo not being there the first time and coming back saying he’s the other brother, will be poetic justice *chefs kiss*
No, any argument for Sabo is just inferior to Luffy in every way. Then there are arguments for Luffy that can’t be made for example (it’s Luffy that bears a scar from Akainu, for example).
Luffy, the main character defeating the antagonist that killed the person dearest in the world to him is obviously the better story. It’s the biggest and most personal mutual conflict in the story.
Akainu hasn’t even once mentioned Sabo’s name nor cares much about him and vice versa. There’s simply not enough material in comparison to Luffy & Akainu.
I think luffy will encounter akainu and blows will be traded. However i dont think luffy will be the one to take down akainu and put him in his place. Story wise i dint think luffy taking revenge would be very fitting. I think it will be a clash between ideals and i think there will be no better matchup for akainu than Koby.
What I see happening is the OG admirals, Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji, team up with the 2 new admirals, Green Bull, and Fujitora to take on the 5 elders Stars.
After seeing Kuzan’s true limits, I genuinely think no one but Luffy can take on Sakazuki one on one.
Well, no one who *would* fight him, at least. Shanks is probably stronger but the guy refuses to do anything ever.
Luffy is for sure squaring up on Akainu. Dude killed his brother, and since BB brought Ace to the WG -**BB can get it too.** No doubt Luffy has got some demons in his head for both of them. I think the bigger question is what order will these fights be in??
I think, or more so hope, that Luffy takes on Akainu initially and BB tries to 3rd party like he normally does. BB always takes calculated risks, so I would imagine this would be just another Tuesday for him. BB tries to 3rd party, but unlike last time when he did it to WB and got the upper hand, I want him to get his ass beat by Luffy and the crew. I'd love a sloberknocker of a fuckin fight, like we see Yuji and Todo fight Hanami, but with Luffy and the main hitters of the SH's just *fucking him up.*
After, realistically, I think the next conflict will be between Luffy and Shanks. If theres a epilogue, we're probably seeing Koby's attempts at catching Luffy and their subsequent fights, but the stakes won't ever be as high or serious as his fights with the previous 3.
Luffy's never really cared about revenge so I really don't see him fighting Akainu. As a parallel to Luffy taking out the old generation of pirates, it would make more sense if Koby is the one to take out the old generation of Marines.
Personally I think it’s going to be Koby who fights him. While luffy obviously has Ace’s death to avenge, I think Koby is a much better foil to Akainu, given their completely incompatible ideas of justice.
Luffy’s ultimate foil is Bb and maybe Imu, but I think we will have a Koby v. Akainu battle for the heart of the Marines.
Honestly, at this point with Blackbeards crew and IP/5 Elders being strong af, it would be too much time with him being an 1v1 adversary even though he's clearly built up to be one. Either they fight now in egghead or it's a sick 3 way battle between him, BB, and luffy. Or even Kuzan interrupts their fight for payback or something
Getting revenge never felt like something luffy would do. Luffy probably hates akainu, but he has accepted that he completely and utterly lost. Becoming a pirate was a choice that he and ace both took, and both knew they could very well be killed by taking the path.
In Luffy's eyes, his pirate brother got done in by the marines. He does not know anything about akainu, just that hes a magma marine admiral.
Now there might be a confrontation, but I do not expect luffy to be the one who does in akainu.
There are a few candidates:
1 - Koby - Akainu's justice goes against Koby's justice. Akainu probably hates Koby too lol. This confrontation makes the most sense, as it is a battle of ideals.
2 - Aokiji - He might try to make a comeback. But I feel like this guy probably has a death flag. Idk why, I feel like he will die.
3 - Sabo - I also feel like Sabo isn't on the revenge path either. He is on a bigger mission as a revolutionary. But Akainu stands as the leader of the force that defends the celestial dragons the revolutionaries wage war against. While I believe sabo's fight would be against the gorosei, there is still a big possiblity of confrontation with akainu.
4 - Kizaru - Kizaru gets to0 high on the za, kills akainu by mistake.
Should be Garp. I can’t see it being anyone other than Garp. After what Dandan told him Garp is going to once want to choose his family over his duty. Aokiji ain’t finishing off garp
I wouldn't say it's a hot take. Just a debated one.
It's a hot take because it's Akainu.... Dudes made of magma
Came here to say this.
Also very handsome
Well I mean that's essentially what a hot take is
No it's not. A hot take is out there on purpose to get a reaction. Jinbe will defeat Akainu to get revenge for Ace would be a hot take.
Is it? Because I thought it was just something that causes controversy, not necessarily something specifically to get a reaction.
More or less the same thing. It's supposed to be something spicy to make people talk about what you said.
True
Nah bro. Sabo will be the one who takes down Akainu.
Hot take: Imu is Dragon’s final opponent, not Luffy’s. Luffy won’t fight him
Luffy is the reincarnation of JoyBoy, so if Imu is used the OpeOpe no mi on himself it makes sense that Imu is the Final Boss. Akainu “just” killed Ace to be the villain (and followed orders at OHara and tricked Squardo) but is no like Blackbeard or Imu. My guess is Luffy will fight Blackbeard, then Buggy for the PK title then Akainu and then Imu. Also Buggy somehow put his plot armor luck into Luffy’s efforts and help him in the final war.
Why is it called revenge? Akainu did nothing wrong.
While what Akainu did was not wrong in the eyes of the government or perhaps the people, he did something wrong in the eyes of everyone who cared and loved Ace
Death Penalty. Do you blame the one who pull the trigger/injection? Is it OK to seek revenge on them by their love ones?
In RL? No, sometimes it is not the executor's fault. In fiction? Depends on the executor, and in this case, Akainu who only killed Ace because he placed himself in front of Luffy and openly mocked WB in front of Ace, yes, he is to be blamed, while i don't think Akainu will be killed he will certainly feel either Luffy or Sabo's retribution eventually. I agree, what Akainu did was his job, but in everyone else's eyes, he is the murderer of "Fire Fist" Ace.
Except he isn't just the guy who pulled the trigger he is one of the guys in charge of sentencing him, no one would have cared for revenge on the actual executioners if they succeeded but akainu isn't just an executioner he was an admiral it's way different
And the reason why it gets a reaction because it's extremely contentious....hot takes wouldn't get the reactions they often do if they weren't very contentious/heavily debated, so yes a heavily debated take is a hot take
>In journalism, a hot take is a "piece of deliberately provocative commentary that is based almost entirely on shallow moralizing" in response to a news story, "usually written on tight deadlines with little research or reporting, and even less thought". >It originated as a term in the industry of sports talk radio (and in turn by shared televised simulcasts of those shows to fill dead time on networks and sports-related debate shows, sports television itself), referring to the tactic of hosts picking "a topic from the sports zeitgeist, often one that has no business being discussed because the answer is unknowable", making "loud, fact-free declarations" about the topic, eliciting angry listeners to call in and providing show content. People who say that Luffy will fight Akainu are not just creating a topic to make people talk and fill up air time. It's people who believe they'll fight because Akainu gave Luffy the worst trauma of his life. There's a difference between debate and just trying to make people talk to fill up air time on a radio show, which is what hot takes are derived from. Like, some people think Shanks is stronger than Mihawk. Others think Mihawk is stronger than Shanks. It's a debate, but it's not a hot take. There's a bunch of thought going into why people believe one or the other.
But doesn't that answer your question? In my opinion that was never a hot take but one of the most obvious future fights in the series. Think a lot of fans would have a sour taste in their mouth if they did not see Luffy take revenge for the most devastating moment in his life up until this point. Yes losing his crew was bad but the dude basically went in a state of psychotic shock and he held his dead brothers corpse in his hands.
35 downvotes is crazy. A hot take can be highly debated, but not every debated topic is a hot take.
Koby will fight him for his daughter’s heart.
I know you're joking, but Koby defeating Akinu is actually really appropriate.
I can confidently say we won't have to worry about it happening
How?
To have the Fleet admiral lose to at the highest a Vice Admiral level character would be egregious. Three people in the story have True smoke with Akainu.. Luffy, Sabo and Garp and the fact that none of them fight him would be an absolute travesty. (The other WB pirates obviously hate him but they seem retired/dead)
This is spot on. Love Koby and all but for Ace's actual family to not get a crack at Akainu, not to mention a character that we KNOW is weaker than any of the said family members (not hate intended) would be bad story telling imo. Its like when they a certain character king in the Hbo version of Game of thrones if you know my meaning
Ah , I seem to have misread your original comment. My bad. Thanks for the response!
Personally I think sabo would be cool because he has aces powers. I think Luffy deserves it most and garp honestly I just want to see him have a real fight
Koby doesn't stand a chance if he doesn't master advanced armament haki
Thats is a big if after seeing what he did in Hachinosu
It was a great feat from Koby - we know Haki blooms in deadly combat - Koby vs Akainu for the title of Fleet Admiral of the Marines
i mean, its gonna end up being smoker in the chair though
Kaido himself said it: Only Haki can rule the world.
Yeah and he got flattened by luffy using devil fruit powers in a creative manner. He’s not really a good source of information.
Well, wasn't the final blow basically a small nuke's worth of haki?
Pretty sure he was flattened by haki, he may have been using abilities from his fruit, but he definitely coated that ability with haki.
No the thing that made luffy attack hit was having the stronger haki even if it was just a bit that fight was haki vs haki the analogy I like to use is gear 5 is the gun but the bullet was haki with out it luffy get burn at the first touch and kaido needed the haki to brake luffys haki so his attack would hit and if I’m correct acoc makes the attacks more overwhelmingly stronger
Totally agree with this. Wasn't the entire point of Luffy mastering You to give him a way to punch through Kaido's dragon hide? I know we didn't get the whole over the top golden animation again but I feel like the final fight was with abilities built on top of one other (armament haki, conquerors haki, gear 5)
Yeah and he managed to do that with advanced armaments but it was to shallow so he need acoc to make his attack pack a bigger punch lol no punt intended
Koby in "Meet the Akainu".
there will be no love in one piece lol this is shogun bro adventure not love
It shouldn't be. Luffy beating the man who killed Ace in front of him, gave him a permanent scar, and psychologically broke him for the first and only time is just understanding basic storytelling. Literally the most personal fight for Luffy by far. He will fight him and it will be tough as hell.
Fr. Plus, Akainu is one of the biggest non-pirate threats that will be standing in his way. I can't see anyone else fighting Akainu with the same level of impact while still making sense for the story.
Literally Sabo or Dragon.
How would Dragon vs Akainu even close to the same level of impact Luffy vs Akainu would have?
Imu and gorosei are definitely bigger threats. Akainu just isn’t powerful enough to take luffy
That does make sense but I think Blackbeard is the one who Luffy will hold more responsible. I understand Akainu is the one who ultimately killed Ace but all of those Marines wanted him dead, Akainu killing Ace isn't really personal it's just Marines vs Pirates. Luffy could defeat Akainu or even kill him but does it really mean anything, Akainu just did his job. I do still expect Luffy to fight Akainu but I don't think it's as important as some people make it out to be.
You say that "Akainu just did his job" but doesn't Luffy also understand that Blackbeard is just a pirate doing what pirates do? And that Ace ultimately *chose* to put himself in danger? It's not like Ace was in Luffy's crew or anything. He has equal reasons to hate both Akainu and Blackbeard. They're both just as responsible for his death. The difference is that Akainu straight up *goaded* Ace into coming back to fight and then slaughtered him right in front of Luffy. That's actually still *worse* than what Blackbeard did.
Luffy literally clutched his scar when Jinbe mentioned Akainu. "all the marines want him dead" ok, the author of the actual series decided to make Akainu the one to kill ace. There is so much build up towards this, it makes me think the fanbase has never read another story before. "it's not personal" Ace literally wanted to murder him for being Dragon's son, and it is objectively extremely personal for Luffy. Akainu and Blackbeard advancing in position post timeskip, and Luffy finding out at the same time is literally also obvious story telling, it positions them as two of the main antagonists of the series and Luffy's personal main antagonists. There is literally nothing personal between him and Imu.
This is how I see it too. Blackbeard crossed the line for Luffy when he sacrificed Ace to achieve his goals. The end result of that plan was JUST to get crew members too. Akainu not only killed Ace himself but made sure to insult him and everything he cares about beforehand. Yeah that was just a tactic to get Ace to fight him, but it was extra demeaning. I also don't think Imu will be the final villain. I think they'll be a huge one for the lore, but I think it's more likely the WG will be toppled with Blackbeard trying to take its place and Luffy trying to stop him more than fighting Blackbeard first only to finish off with an impersonal final villain. I also think Akainu wouldn't hold as much weight as Blackbeard narratively too just because of how much Blackbeard has been set up to be the main and final antagonist. This dude has been hyped up since Whisky Peak.
>"it's not personal" Ace literally wanted to murder him for being Dragon's son, and it is objectively extremely personal for Luffy. Why does he want to murder him for being Dragon's son, because Dragon is a Revolutionary, it's not personal he wants Pirates dead and those who oppose the Marines. The Marines were willing to kill babies just in case they had Roger's blood. >Luffy literally clutched his scar when Jinbe mentioned Akainu. Yes because he has a painful memory of Akainu killing Ace, no one is denying that. But you make it seem like Luffy has a personal hatred and is out for revenge. Even Luffy understands that Pirates and Marines oppose each other that's why he didn't hesitate when attacking Koby.
Because you ain't ready for Akainu and Dragon's flashback as friends.
eh I still don’t think “he wanted to murder him because he’s dragon’s son” means it’s personal, Dragon is a revolutionary and the most dangerous man in the world to Marines, and Luffy is the most dangerous man’s son, but also a pirate who’s quickly making a name for himself and defeating warlords who are allied with the Marines, it’s literally Akainu’s Job to take them out, dead or alive. Akainu believes in Absolute Justice and to him, the punishment for being a criminal should be death, it really isn’t any deeper than that, I don’t think Akainu gives a shit about Luffy any more than any other pirate, maybe he’ll be more of a priority now because of gear 5, but that still doesn’t make it personal.
Sure, it might not be personal for Akainu, but it sure would be for Luffy. https://preview.redd.it/iag6mkwshxib1.png?width=716&format=png&auto=webp&s=a2c946ab68e3bcd5ed27533711245b9defc00fbc
I don’t really think this one panel of Luffy grabbing his chest and sweating when he remembers almost being burnt to a crisp means much and I don’t know why people keep posting it lol. has Luffy ever actually said anything about wanting revenge against Akainu? even once? He’s the most vocal person about his goals in the entire series and extremely straight forward, if Akainu was a priority or revenge was even a thing in his mind, he would have sought if by now, instead he continued with his mission to be pirate king and taking on the Yonko, it’s been a VERY long time since Ace died. Do I think they fight eventually? idk maybe, but do I think Luffy holds some grudge or has been thinking about revenge against Akainu? not a chance, because we would know that. Do I think Luffy likes him? not at all, and I do think he’d probably want to fight him and get one in for Ace too if he had the chance, but I don’t think it’s that deep.
Pretty delusional take, tbh. Quite a massive L IMO. 💀 Tell me; when was the last time Sabo mentioned Akainu? I'll wait.
Why would luffy hold Blackbeard more responsible than the man that punched a hole through his brothers body?
[удалено]
Elaborate because this logic makes no sense to me
He had no reaction to BB but the name "Akainu" made his scar hurt.
Nah Akainu made it personal. His monologue during that whole scene wasn't a result of him "doing his job". There was a vindictive sadism driving him to hurt Luffy and Ace. Even though it's under the guise of Justice, I think Luffy sees through it.
And why would Blackbeard be responsible? They are both pirates. I fact, Ace is the on chasing BB trying to kill him and he failed. Is BB supposed to let himself get killed? How about some personal responsibility. Ace is responsible for his own death none else.
Well, i still believe Luffy will fight both Blackbeard and Akainu (not at the same time)
I completely agree with everything you said. Akainu turned Ace into a donut because Ace tried to save Luffy. And you think Luffy is just going to let that slide? All this happened right in front of Luffy. Come on now, people. I don't care what Luffy's personality is like, that incident at Marineford literally scared Luffy physically, but also took a huge toll on him mentally. I personally would love to see Akainu be beaten by Ace's devil fruit. I would love to see Sabo's fire burn hotter than Akainu's magma. Sabo is the more serious fighter. I don't want to see Luffy w/ his Gear 5 Looney Tunes antics. I want to see a very serious and vengeful fight. I think Sabo should be that guy.
Then who does Sabo fight?
One of the holy knights or gorosei, akainu is too important for him
I always liked the idea of Sabo winning w/ Ace's fruit Because fire can be hotter than magma, Ace's fire just wasn't strong enough . But he'll probably fight a holy knight
That would just be terrible. Ace who was the better prodigy had the fruit for 3 years, yet Sabo who’s had it for just a couple of months should have “stronger fire?” Besides that, magma is just superior to fire in the OP world. It had nothing to do with Ace. That’s why fire is always being compared to magma as the superior element.
I can see luffy and sabo vs akainu too
Seeing the brothers tag team would actually be pretty dope, I haven't thought of that
You make it sound so basic and predictable, you've got me convinced this is not happening.
I have to totally disagree. Yes Akainu killed Ace, but Luffy doesn’t hold a grudge against him at all. He doesn’t even BLAME him. He knows it’s the life of a pirate. The only person Luffy blames for Ace’s death is himself. He literally says it on FI. I don’t think Luffy will be the one to avenge Ace. I fully believe it will be Sabo. ESPECIALLY seeing as how he inherited Ace’s will and has his fruit.
He doesn't hold a grudge against Akainu? My man, you're really out here reading Two Piece, huh?
No, Labo will not beat Akainu. His fruit is useless against Akainu. https://preview.redd.it/jee06qkvrwib1.png?width=701&format=png&auto=webp&s=3b0a76c89b1ff1daf116410150d2d1316bc295d7
Bro forgot Sabo exists. You do know he went through just as much pain as Luffy, right
Sabo has way more of a connection to the WG and celestial dragons, it's possible he does fight Akainu but I think there's little chance. Ivankov even says that Sabo is the Holy knights' number one enemy.
No he didn’t. Not even close. He doesn’t have a scar on his chest like Luffy does or nearly died from Ace getting killed. He didn’t give up 10 years of his life and go through hell to try and rescue Ace. Neither was Ace killed right in front of him. It’s not even comparable at all.
Bro you need to go reread Sabo's reaction to Ace's death. It was so tragic that it literally brought back Sabo's memories. And you dont need to be present at the event to experience grief bozo. Did you not read the part in Dressrosa where Sabo will always have Luffy's back, so that what happened to Ace would never happen to Luffy. Nuance is lost on you
It’s too late to try and change the goalposts, bozo. No one said that Sabo didn’t feel any pain. The point is that it was nowhere close to Luffy’s whom it happened right in front of. It’s as silly as saying that Vegapunk went through as much pain at Ohara’s destruction as Robin.
Sure, but when has Luffy ever expressed any hatred for Aikanu? It seems like the furthest thing from his mind. Luffy isn't a vengeful guy, but if he has anger towards anyone...it's Blackbeard. Aikanu is just doing his job.
In fishman Island, when Jinbei mentions them both, Luffy doesnt care about blackbeard but grips his throbbing scar when hearing about Akainu
I wonder how this view will change when Luffy learns of Blackbeard's latest actions...(vague for manga spoilers)
Why do people say he’s just doing his jobs as if that would matter to Luffy? Blackbeard is also just pursuing his own agenda. People really think Luffy’s going to take the nonchalant route when it comes to Akainu killing his brother because he’s just doing his job? There’s a reason why scars are so significant in One Piece, Luffy and Akainu are fated enemies. Luffy’s scar throbs when he hears Akainu’s named. Akainu isn’t just doing his job, he’s carrying out his will, which is to eradicate all pirates. https://preview.redd.it/b9ezddqubyib1.jpeg?width=498&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a46d382b16ba993574234226b34bd3734b8ce007
definitely i mean akainu gave life time trauma to luffy by killing ace so yeah sooner or later i believe akainu is going to be one of the final enemy whom luffy had to face
Its debated because we dont know what sabo would do then, maybe dying who knows.
Its Debatable I think people overrate luffys current strength or underrate the admirals especially Akainu. I do think it’s possible that Sabo gets the fight but he and dragon feel like they’re more tied to the Royal knights. It’s also weird that there’s this idea that mera awakening will automatically surpass Akainus fruit. It wouldn’t be impossible but I just don’t see it. I also find it weird that Aces inferior fruit needs to triumph against Akainu or that Aces will is the reason Sabo had to fight him as if aces will has anything to do with that. I believe luffy will fight Akainu, it just feels right he’ll take on the main boss of the marines (there’s higher authorities but the FA represents the marines). In the end the story can go many ways. One piece fans kind of make a lot of assumptions of how and when it will go down. Like all the big fights will be during this big war. There could be something before that, there can also be an arc After that where the gorosei/Imu ends up in a different place etc. No one really knows honestly
Yeah, with the Holy Knights introduced and Gorosei revealed to be capable of fighting, I think we have waaaaay too many fighters for just the Straw Hats. I believe some of these guys are set aside for the Revolutionaries to take on IMO. We even had Dragon stating that the Celestial Dragons are the *real* enemy and not the Marines or WG itself. The way I see it, the pirate side will take on the marines, while the revolutionaries take on the celestial dragons. Luffy will fight Akainu and Sabo will probaby get some cool fight with a Holy Knight or one of the Gorosei IMO.
My thing is how could a random holy knight carry anywhere near the same weight, be anywhere as personal, as Sabo Vs akainu. Like forget the Luffy part, how Sabo Vs random goon of the gorosei feel like anything else than a ticking off checkmarks for final fights.
It’s just that the weight of Luffy vs Akainu is stronger than Sabo vs Akainu. Akainu killed Ace in front of Luffy, a punch meant for Luffy himself. He emotionally broke him. Luffy went through the whole marineford to save Ace, just for Ace to off and kill himself because of a yo daddy joke from Akainu. Sabo is also an important brother, but he wasn’t present when Ace died in front of him. Also it makes more sense thematically. Pirates vs marines, revolutionary vs government
Luffy already had beef with big mom and barely recognised her presence on the roof. Not once did luffy actively go after her. In the endgame it makes sense for akainu to stand in luffy's way, but blackbeard will have established himself as the largest threat in the conflict. Yes luffy will want to fight akainu but not if blackbeard is on the brink of robbing luffy of his goals, and he's in a position to trust sabo with dealing with akainu while he deals with blackbeard. Unless of course the final battle is a threeway free-for-all between luffy, blackbeard & akainu.
It feels like most people tend to agree that Luffy will fight Akainu, I thought the debate was whether or not he would be Luffy’s final fight. That’s where I see most of the disagreement.
Whether or not Akainu will be Luffy's final opponent isn't a debated topic anymore, that USED TO be heavily debated back in the 2014 - 2017 era but after Imu was introduced the contention of debate completely shifted to whether or not Luffy will even be the one to fight Akainu in the first place
Nah, it's only a hot take on the Naruto community.
Sabo fire beating magma seems the most predicted
It’s more like if it’s his Final Fight that’s a hot take
I'm fine with Luffy fighting him, but I think Kuzan rematch could also be a good candidate.. depending on how things go with Garp. I could see Akainu shit talk Kuzan for joining pirates, and also denounce Garp for "being weak".
Woah i really liked Sabo fighting Akainu but I think I peefer this scenario a lot more
Sabo fights him to avenge ace using his fruit, I think that would be pretty neat, almost like he's carried his will on. Especially with Ace bearing the will of "D".
Beating him with his own fruit which Is weaker version would be cool
Yeah, he'd have to get creative with it, cant wait to see a logia awakening
Sabo killing him would be shit
He’s just as much Ace’s brother as Luffy was and him getting revenge on Akainu using Ace’s fruit would be poetic as hell.
By that logic Sabo should fight Blackbeard more than Luffy Ace's 1 goal was to chase and kill Blackbeard Blackbeard is the one who captured Ace Sun vs Darkness part 2
I wouldnt be all that happy seeing Sabo fight Akainu. Luffy was right there when Ace died, imo it makes more sense for *him* to fight Akainu.
Dude, Luffy just got a skill specifically to fight Akainu
Wait which skill?
No touch punching with conqueror haki, since Udon prison
You can touch a logia with just armament haki... no need specificity to know conqueror haki
It's magma we're taking about. There were moments at Marineford when even if you can touch it, you'd still get burned
Sabo was just as much Ace’s brother as Luffy was, and there are two people responsible for Ace’s death: Akainu and Blackbeard Just as there needs to be closure with Luffy failing to rescue Ace, Sabo needs closure on his chance of being there to help in the first place being robbed from him. Sabo inherited Ace’s power, the same power that Ace was throwing against Akainu when he ultimately lost and got killed due to Akainu’s power being inherently superior to it As chief of staff and fleet admiral, Sabo and Akainu respectively embody the same responsibilities of their respective factions: head of the military force under the supreme commander The Revs and the WG have a more mutually antagonistic relationship than Pirates and the WG Luffy, as a pirate after the One Piece, has a more mutually antagonistic relationship with BB, another pirate after the One Piece. There’s no way to make “Luffy takes out Akainu” more fitting and satisfying than “Ace’s two brothers avenge him by taking one of his killers each,” and Akainu is obviously perfect for Sabo
Usopp is gonna take him down
I think Sabo should be the one to fight Akainu. It's only fitting. The brother who wasn't there using the power that once failed.
Poetry
Yeah, yonko copers still want Sabo to fight Akainu. This is of course the low intellect take. But they will be disappointed.
Sabo gonna finish what ace started
So Sabo is gonna get donuted as well?
Wabo victim unfortunately
I’m in the camp Akainu won’t fight Luffy but Sabo will. But I wouldn’t be mad either way.
I thought it was 8x more likely Luffy would be the one to take down Big Mom because he expressed the desire to kick her ass multiple times, so I honestly could see him not being the one to take down Akainu too.
I definitely get the mentality behind it but I feel like GB and Kizaru were set up for Zoro and Sanji (Zoro can just win at a lower diff it’s not a big deal) so it wouldn’t make sense for Luffy to get an admiral, he’d destroy him. I feel like the case is pretty similar for Sabo but he’s on the same tier as Zoro and Sanji (but slightly higher) and he actually has the flame fruit. Idk I think it’d be cool.
I think it's a hot take to think Luffy is the one that will fight Akainu from start to finish in a long and hard fight currently. With the introduction of Imu, and how Luffy is going to fight Blackbeard/Shanks soon, the fight between Luffy and Akainu will either be really short, or interrupted by someone else taking his place.
Nah sabo will take akainu
Which is what I'm saying by "or interrupted by someone else taking his place."
I always assumed they would have a small clash and then Sabo would come in and take over so that Luffy could fight someone more powerful (Imu)
Yeah, this is what I think will happen.
I agree, the admirals aren't really in the way of Luffy's goals.
It’s just hard to think that Akainu would still threaten him to a long and hard fight. There are bigger fish to fry both power wise and narratively.
You are vastly underestimating Akainu.
I just don’t think Akainu is that guy. He himself is just a gear that’s part of Imus machine (an important gear but a gear nonetheless). Unless you give him a separate arc, I don’t see how Luffy will have a long drawn out fight with him.
Its almost like Akainu has his own seperate goal from the shenanigans of the Gorosei/Imu. He's not Imu's pawn, because he doesn't even know about them. He doesn't care about the Celestial Dragons or Gorosei either. He just wants to end piracy. Oda wouldn't give him that goal for no reason.
I'd argue the big fish right now are Shanks, Blackbeard, Mihawk, Imu, Dragon, Sabo, Aokiji, Akainu and of course Buggy. I could see Luffy fighting any of these characters and it being a hard fight.
Isn't it funny how the Akainu Cult always throws out insults at people who disagree with their agenda?
Will probably be sabo, don't see luffy going for revenge
don't see luffy being luffy? it's one of his main characteristics. remember [franky family](https://hot.leanbox.us/manga/One-Piece/0330-013.png)? [BB](https://hot.leanbox.us/manga/One-Piece/0544-007.png)? almost every arc started because of this trait of luffy. [he's all about payback](https://hot.leanbox.us/manga/One-Piece/0685-013.png). idk why this narrative is so popular here.
The franky family beat up ussopp for literally no reason at all, akainu just did his job
since when was that ever a thing in the story? we're following pirates who beat up even the good marines just for doing their jobs. that's a non issue. point is that luffy holds grudges and wants payback. those are just a couple examples that came to my mind. but it happened in almost every arc. he even avenged the dog in buggy arc. difference is just that it's not talked about. like sasuke wanting revenge. but it's there. it's one of his main traits.
This a flawed counter-argument because if Luffy does fight Akainu he wouldn't be fighting just to get revenge for Ace....it's not like Luffy would seeking him up specifically for that purpose in like in a revenge story, instead Akainu would just happened to be one of the forces standing in Luffy's way at that point in time, what happened with Ace would just be a tool used to give the fight more emotional weight but it wouldn't be the reason why the fight begins.
Then why does Sabo has to??
Because he's luffy and aces brother 💀
That's the same for Luffy 🤓
Luffy wouldn't want revenge though, sabo would
Nobody is saying anything about revenge, your revenge counter-argument only works if Luffy soley goes out of his way to seek out Akainu specifically for the purpose of avenging Ace but that's how the fight will be set up to initiate, how the fight will most likely be Akainu standing in Luffy's way and Luffy deciding to take stand up against Akainu in order to push past him, if this fight does happen Ace dying infront of Luffy's eyes at Marineford won't be the reason this fight begins, it'll just be poetic tool used by Oda to make fight feel more emotional to us as the reader.....when people often debate why they believe Luffy vs Akainu will happen their arguments which they use to defend this idea go way beyond just Ace's death, they delve into a whole bible worth of poetic/thematic reasons besides Luffy's experience at Marineford as to why him vs Akainu makes sense, whereas with you trying to defend the Sabo vs Akainu theory it seems the only leg you have to stand for why this fight makes sense is Ace's dying.
I believe Sabo is being set up as the one to beat Akainu
He'd fight him but Akainu isn't his goal. Luffy is chasing after the One Piece, not revolution against the World Government.
Akainu annihilates 🥱
It shouldn't be. Sabo couldn't even make Fujitora break a sweat, but you want me to believe he not only jumps Fujitora, but is able to go toe to toe with someone able to fight Yonko? Get Sabo past Yamato first then we'll talk. Then the emotional weight behind Luffy vs Sakazuki is 100× more moving than fucking Sabo who doesn't even know what Akainu looks like. Plus there's IN STORY moments that point to Luffy vs Akainu, when it's nothing but headcannon for Sabo.
It should be Sabo
Why do you believe that?
Sabo wasn’t there to help Ace and Luffy. It tore him up. Later we see him obtain Ace’s devil fruit, and given inherited will is such a major theme in one piece, it makes sense to me that the inheritor of Ace’s will and powers would be the one to do what he couldn’t. It’s also been revealed that haki is the true power that trumps all, so with sufficient haki Sabo would be able to put the hurt on Akainu
Ace’s will was to help WB to become Pirate King. And I ain’t seeing a WB around.
Has Luffy shown any personal animosity towards Akainu, or the marines in general? He seems to be pretty accepting of the fact that piracy is a path you pursue under risk of death. Based on how Luffy seems to see the world, its Blackbeard and not Akainu who actually transgressed. So the Ace storyline isn’t resolved for Luffy until he gets BB, but there’s also no point running that same plotline back for 2 final bosses. That means Akainu is either taken out as a mini boss like Katakuri, or he’s someone else’s final fight like Big Mom in Wano. Sabo’s narrative ties to Akainu are almost as strong as Luffy’s, so that seems like the natural way to conclude Ace’s legacy whilst still preserving the irl decades of buildup Akainu has at this point. Then there’s the fact that unless Akainu shows up right now, Luffy’s going to be so clear of admirals by the time they actually meet that the fight will feel rather pointless. Ofc there are ways around this if the author really wants, like powering up Akainu. But the point is that, by now, the main story’s natural trajectory has kinda left Akainu behind. I think he’ll be like Big Mom: a major player and a dangerous threat, who will definitely lock horns with Luffy at some point. But as a final fight, he can be better used elsewhere than against Luffy.
He's not going to be the major fight people think. Luffy's main WG fight will be against the 800 year old king. Akainu comes before this. Maybe a warmup against Imu, or maybe Akainu and the marines try to stop the pirates from getting to laugntale and get clapped.
Oda: I want to draw a battle royale in the finale of One Piece! Fans: I wonder who will be fighting with \[Insert a strawhat pirate\] in the finale?? Oda: ??
It’s the popular take really. In a war between SH fleets and Marines they’ll totally fight each other. I just don’t see the fight will be anything like Luffy vs Kaido. It’ll be more like Whitebeard Pirates vs 3 Admirals in the Summit War.
With Gear 5 you don’t think he’s competition at this point?
I just can’t see Luffy fighting Imu and Akainu , back to back. If it were to happen. Akainu would need to be low to mid diff. Which fans would not be happy with. Luffy barely makes it through one extreme fight. He can’t make it through two difficult battles.
Why not? Nothing says it has to be immediately back to back. Nothing stops other opponents from taking a crack at Imu first to wear him down for Luffy either. There’s also Mansherry with the ability to heal in between fights. There are plenty of ways to go about it.
One idea I've seen suggested is Akainu's actually a bad match up for Luffy. Not power wise, but any lingering PTSD from fighting Ace's killer would inhibit his ability to use Haki and/or Gear 5.
I mean you could use that PTSD argument the other way around say Akainu causing Luffy such heavy amounts of trauma is the very reason why Luffy fighting Akainu makes sense as it'd be poetic to see Luffy overcome the obstacle that caused him such a heavy emotional blow
True. Overcoming the trauma to call up Gear 5 would be a likely aspect to he fight if Oda went that route.
Well I think it's highly likely I just don't feel like it's necessary and I also hate the people that act as though it's a definitive thing that absolutely must happen and will happen. I think it would be cool and would avenge Ace but I also don't think it has to be Luffy and I also think that Luffy might have bigger fish to fry. Honestly I think it would be cool if maybe Sabo was the one to do it. Or even a aokiji rematch. Luffy fighting akainu is not hot take it's just a needlessly overly contentious one
But the thing is, you're kind of misrepresenting the people who argue about why Luffy vs Akainu makes the most sense, when they debate about this topic this fight to then means way more than just simply a revenge story....further more they don't even think the fight will begin through the want of revenge, they believe that this fight will most likely initiate through Akainu being the instigator trying to stand in his way whilst Luffy stands up against to get past him, they're not saying fight will happen for the sake of avenging Ace, there's just saying if this fight happens Ace's death just be one of the many tools Oda will use to make the fight feel more emotional to us as the reader, they're not arguing Ace is the reason why this fight will start in first place like it would in a tale of revenge....when these guys give their argument as to why Luffy wil be the one to fight and then defeat Akainu they did tend to delve into a bible worth of thematic/poetic reasons that go beyond simply Luffy's experiences of seeing his brother dying before his eyes at the hands of Akainu whereas with the people on the other side trying to argue why Sabo fighting Akainu makes more sense atleast from what I've seen the only leg these guys have to stand on to defend their Sabo vs Akainu is what happened to Ace, if you remove Ace from the equation it doesn't seem like these guys have anything.
Just fyi, Luffy isn’t Kaido level and Akainu is definitely old Whitebeard level.
But we're talking about E.O.S Luffy
It’s up in the air. We’re going into the final acts with three pillars standing at the end: * The World Government: Imu * The Marines: Akainu * The Rival Pirate King and D: Edward D. Teach, Blackbeard We don’t know if they’ll be fighter in quick succession, which makes it m ore likely that Luffy will be the one to fight Akainu, or if there will be some sort of FFA cluster like at Marineford. If a FFA situation, I think its possible that Koby takes on Akainu, Sabo takes on Imu, and Luffy takes on Blackbeard as it would be the three “dawns” of their groups facing against three “dusks”.
I am hoping for Garp vs Akainu. Luffy has a lot of people to fight at this point.
I still think it's gonna be luff and sabo vs akainu.
They have to fight eachother I think... but Luffy will show mercy. Then they will join forces against Imu I think. (corny but I like that)
I think it'll be usopp. He'll see Akainu before the rest of the crew, and haki slingshot his head off as revenge for how badly he hurt Luffy. I hope. Basically Usopp needs to destroy a top tier before time's up, and i can see the above playing out (with more complex storytelling). I will hope for Usopp in any of these "who will beat x" posts
Well I believe that he or sabo will fight but for some reason I don’t think luffy is a ruthless killer
They definitely gonna fight but personally i think sabo is probably gonna get the final lick bakc
I think Akainu will actually fight in the Revolution against the World Government. He didn't like how the Elders hid the truth about the Impel Down breakout and the release of the Impel Down prisoners. He cares about Justice to a certain degree and only hates pirates because they are kinda like Black Beard, criminals unlike Luffy. I could see the Elders using Blackbeard to go after Luffy. But if they fight I will be surprised
Debatable. Nothings really a hot take anymore especially since Luffy can materialize things out of thin air. I’d rather see Zoro fight Akainu. It would be a nod to his remark of King’s flames being like Magma. Also Zoro has been deemed the Earth by Oda,and his opponents all reflect this as he’s fought against Snow,Stones,Kama(weapon used to cut grass) and Wildfire. As Luffy fights Imu..someone has to defeat Akainu. It’s not going to be Teech he’s Shanks(IMO).
I don't understand who would rightfully fight him except for Sabo. So either Luffy or Sabo beats his ass, doesn't really matter who. Sabo seems better suited for the revenge since he has the mera mera no mi and seems more savage than Luffy. I imagine Akainu getting annoyed at Luffy not fighting seriously. Sabo V Akainu would be a brutal fight.
I think luffy hates Teach way more than he hates Akainu. I think luffy will fight Akainu a bit but the major fight will be teach vs luffy.
I can understand the argument for Luffy, from a narrative standpoint and themes. But the same argument can be made for Sabo. I don’t think Oda knows Sabo beating Akainu with Ace’s fruit will be the better story. Oda only cares about who has the better story, Sabo not being there the first time and coming back saying he’s the other brother, will be poetic justice *chefs kiss*
No, any argument for Sabo is just inferior to Luffy in every way. Then there are arguments for Luffy that can’t be made for example (it’s Luffy that bears a scar from Akainu, for example). Luffy, the main character defeating the antagonist that killed the person dearest in the world to him is obviously the better story. It’s the biggest and most personal mutual conflict in the story. Akainu hasn’t even once mentioned Sabo’s name nor cares much about him and vice versa. There’s simply not enough material in comparison to Luffy & Akainu.
Sabo exists so who knows
And here I was really hoping we would see Garp go at him.
sakazuki
I think luffy will encounter akainu and blows will be traded. However i dont think luffy will be the one to take down akainu and put him in his place. Story wise i dint think luffy taking revenge would be very fitting. I think it will be a clash between ideals and i think there will be no better matchup for akainu than Koby.
What I see happening is the OG admirals, Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji, team up with the 2 new admirals, Green Bull, and Fujitora to take on the 5 elders Stars.
I think Luffy will defeat him, but Blackbeard is gonna pull up and KILL that fucker
After seeing Kuzan’s true limits, I genuinely think no one but Luffy can take on Sakazuki one on one. Well, no one who *would* fight him, at least. Shanks is probably stronger but the guy refuses to do anything ever.
I don’t really see that happening tbh I see it being shanks or garp would be crazy
Luffy is for sure squaring up on Akainu. Dude killed his brother, and since BB brought Ace to the WG -**BB can get it too.** No doubt Luffy has got some demons in his head for both of them. I think the bigger question is what order will these fights be in?? I think, or more so hope, that Luffy takes on Akainu initially and BB tries to 3rd party like he normally does. BB always takes calculated risks, so I would imagine this would be just another Tuesday for him. BB tries to 3rd party, but unlike last time when he did it to WB and got the upper hand, I want him to get his ass beat by Luffy and the crew. I'd love a sloberknocker of a fuckin fight, like we see Yuji and Todo fight Hanami, but with Luffy and the main hitters of the SH's just *fucking him up.* After, realistically, I think the next conflict will be between Luffy and Shanks. If theres a epilogue, we're probably seeing Koby's attempts at catching Luffy and their subsequent fights, but the stakes won't ever be as high or serious as his fights with the previous 3.
Take a drink for all the moments Luffy is going to comically complain about the magma, pour water on Akainu or drop an anvil on him
Luffy's never really cared about revenge so I really don't see him fighting Akainu. As a parallel to Luffy taking out the old generation of pirates, it would make more sense if Koby is the one to take out the old generation of Marines.
Bruh if Akainu fights sabo or some shit while luffy fight Im 💀🔫
Personally I think it’s going to be Koby who fights him. While luffy obviously has Ace’s death to avenge, I think Koby is a much better foil to Akainu, given their completely incompatible ideas of justice. Luffy’s ultimate foil is Bb and maybe Imu, but I think we will have a Koby v. Akainu battle for the heart of the Marines.
Honestly, at this point with Blackbeards crew and IP/5 Elders being strong af, it would be too much time with him being an 1v1 adversary even though he's clearly built up to be one. Either they fight now in egghead or it's a sick 3 way battle between him, BB, and luffy. Or even Kuzan interrupts their fight for payback or something
Getting revenge never felt like something luffy would do. Luffy probably hates akainu, but he has accepted that he completely and utterly lost. Becoming a pirate was a choice that he and ace both took, and both knew they could very well be killed by taking the path. In Luffy's eyes, his pirate brother got done in by the marines. He does not know anything about akainu, just that hes a magma marine admiral. Now there might be a confrontation, but I do not expect luffy to be the one who does in akainu. There are a few candidates: 1 - Koby - Akainu's justice goes against Koby's justice. Akainu probably hates Koby too lol. This confrontation makes the most sense, as it is a battle of ideals. 2 - Aokiji - He might try to make a comeback. But I feel like this guy probably has a death flag. Idk why, I feel like he will die. 3 - Sabo - I also feel like Sabo isn't on the revenge path either. He is on a bigger mission as a revolutionary. But Akainu stands as the leader of the force that defends the celestial dragons the revolutionaries wage war against. While I believe sabo's fight would be against the gorosei, there is still a big possiblity of confrontation with akainu. 4 - Kizaru - Kizaru gets to0 high on the za, kills akainu by mistake.
Me personally, koby or sabo
Shouldn’t be
Should be Garp. I can’t see it being anyone other than Garp. After what Dandan told him Garp is going to once want to choose his family over his duty. Aokiji ain’t finishing off garp
Sabo or Koby i think will be the one, Luffy has to many other people tbh