This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf arc.
Marshall D. Teach, also known as Blackbeard, is one of the most powerful pirates in the world of One Piece. Starting his pirate career with Whitebeard, Teach eventually went on to break the iron rule of the crew and kill a crewmate to steal a Devil Fruit. Since then, he has become incredibly powerful, going as far as becoming a Yonko.
Blackbeard is incredibly powerful, and much of his strength is due to the fact that he has access to two Devil Fruits. He has access to the Logia-type Yami Yami no Mi, and at the same time, the Paramecia-type Gura Gura no Mi already. But, as seen recently, Blackbeard isn’t done searching for powerful Devil Fruits. Recently, it was revealed to the fans that Blackbeard is still hunting for strong Devil Fruits and his next target has already been set up by Oda to be none other than the ruler of the world, Imu.
Blackbeard Will Target Imu After The Elbaf Arc
Blackbeard Will Fulfill The Promise Rocks Made To Imu
- Imu Vs Blackbeard Is Inevitable In One Piece
- Imu Has The Strongest Power
One Piece fans know that Blackbeard is a very important character who will go on to play a major role in the Final War, which is about to begin. Blackbeard is written to be one of the biggest antagonists in One Piece, and someone on the same level as Imu, importance wise. In fact, Imu themself has taken notice of four specific characters in the Final Saga of One Piece.
With these two abilities, I’m now the strongest! — Blackbeard
The first one is, of course, Luffy, who fans know to be the Sun God Nika. Luffy is incredibly dangerous to Imu and the World Government in general. The second one is Shirahoshi, who is known to be the Mermaid Princess of Fishman Island. The third one is Vivi, whom Imu ordered the kidnapping of very recently, and the final one is Blackbeard. Just as Imu had Luffy’s bounty poster, they also had the poster of Blackbeard with them, which automatically suggests that Imu is deeply interested in this individual.
The recent events of One Piece, that is, the Elbaf arc, have revealed to the fans why Imu fears Blackbeard. It is simply because of his father, Rocks D. Xebec. As was shown in the manga recently, Imu came face-to-face with Rocks D. Xebec when he invaded the Holy Land of Marijoa. When this happened, Rocks promised Imu that he would be back, right to the Room or Flowers. Of course, Rocks died, but his will lives on with none other than Blackbeard. This only means that Imu vs Blackbeard is inevitable, and their clash could happen any moment now.
Don’t waste any time. Let’s prepare to go, men! — Blackbeard
Blackbeard Will Try To Steal Imu’s Devil Fruit
Fans Underestimate Blackbeard Because Of Imu
Given that Imu vs Blackbeard is about to happen in One Piece, fans need to remember that Blackbeard often hunts down the strongest of all abilities. Imu, as fans know, has a very overpowered fruit. With it, Imu can become the devil itself and even turn others into his demon slaves. A good demonstration of this power was given to the fans in the Elbaf arc.
When Blackbeard fights Imu, it will be with the goal of stealing this Devil Fruit and becoming the King of the World, which, once again, ties to the ambition of Rocks. Of course, it won’t be easy, but if Oda wants Blackbeard to be the final villain of One Piece instead of Imu, then this is the setup for him to become the ultimate enemy for Luffy by stealing Imu’s Devil Fruit.
One Piece Chapter 1158 will be out this week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on August 31. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1158 is August 31, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.