Why Blackbeard vs Shanks Is Happening Soon, Explained

This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.

Key things

• Shanks and Blackbeard's Roles in Final Saga Revealed
• The Elbaf Arch sets the stage for the inevitable Shanks vs Blackbeard battle.
• Blackbeard vs Shanks will clash to rock the One Piece world soon.

The final saga of One piece has seen quite a bit of attention turning to the likes of Blackbeard and Shanks. These are two powerful individuals that fans know will be very important in this segment of the story, and for good reason. Both Blackbeard and Shanks have a deep rivalry that even fans don't know the extent of. They know each other very well and Shanks really knows the threat that Blackbeard really poses.

The Paramount War arc saw a confrontation between the two and since then fans have been waiting for it to happen. Now in the Final Saga of One piecebut potentially in Elbaf as well, this battle could finally take place and fans absolutely cannot wait for it to take place.

Shanks and Blackbeard's Role in the Final Saga

• Shanks and Blackbeard have been on the sidelines until now
• Oda finally reveals the main players of the final saga

Shanks and Blackbeard are both key players in the Final Saga of One Piece. These are both characters that Oda used sparingly in the early parts of the series, as they were meant to play larger roles in the Final Saga. Right now, both Shanks and Blackbeard are part of the Four Emperors, and while Shanks is certainly the one with the highest reward, Blackbeard is right behind him. These are two monstrously powerful individuals and characters whose strength is almost incomparable. Before the events of the Wano Country arc, Shanks, the redheaded emperor, was on the sidelines and didn't do much. It was almost as if Shanks was waiting for something to happen before making his move. Once Luffy took down Kaido, Shanks declared that he wanted to get One Piece and defeat everyone else. He is now an active player in the battle for One Piece and fans absolutely cannot wait to see him join the fray.

It's not time for us to fight yet! – Blackbeard

Likewise, Blackbeard is now more active than ever. He became emperor about a year ago and has been going from strength to strength ever since. Blackbeard has amassed more infamy as well as more power for himself and his crew, and he doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. Right now, Blackbeard is a tremendously powerful enemy that anyone can face in battle, and he keeps getting stronger, aiming to become the king of the entire world.

Oddly, Shanks has been looking for Blackbeard for some time and this confrontation could be coming soon. Readers absolutely cannot wait for this to happen and it will be incredible to see them face off, especially if it happens in the Elbaf arc.

Why Elbaf will be Major for Shanks and Blackbeard

Winner takes all in Clash of the Emperors

Naturally, fans believe that Blackbeard and Shanks will fight at some point. However, few would have thought that this fight between these two powerful individuals would come in one piece in the Elbaf Arc. However, that is where the story is headed now. As fans know, Shanks has been tracking Blackbeard ever since the events of Wano. When Shanks was at the shores of Wano land, he was there to stop Blackbeard from attacking the next generation because he was afraid of him being around. When Shanks left Elbaf, he sought out Blackbeard again, wanting to go and confront him before he did enough damage. Right now Shanks is sailing the seas somewhere and his destination is unknown. He's already dealt with Bartolomeo, which means he's most likely going to Blackbeard now.

Was Shanks here? What business did he have with you? – Luffy

Blackbeard himself, of course, has his own goals. As fans know, he set out with his crew fairly recently, and whatever he's planning has to do with the siege of Marijo. Fans don't know exactly what Blackbeard intends to do, but it is highly likely that he will be captured by Shanks when he embarks on this mission.

These two are on track to collide at some point sooner or later, and this may just be the point where they properly collide.

Of course, fans may think it's too soon for these two monsters to clash, but One Piece is already at the end of the game and Luffy is incredibly close to getting One Piece. Elbaf may be the arc where he finds out where the final Road Poneglyph is, meaning there are bigger fights to be had right now.

The inevitable fight between stopwatch and blackbeard

Shanks vs Blackbeard is coming

The battle between Shanks and Blackbeard is inevitable and will be one of the biggest in One Piece. However, this fight may not turn out as expected by many fans. Most fans believe that in a battle between Shanks and Blackbeard, Shanks will fall and Blackbeard will emerge victorious. However, this is unlikely to happen. This is because Shanks has to fight Luffy as well and this reunion that has been built up since the first story arc has to come no matter what. Luffy can't meet Blackbeard before he fights Shanks, because if he did, then a battle between Shanks and Blackbeard wouldn't make much sense, given that Luffy would most certainly not lose to fellow Yonk.

Similarly, Blackbeard cannot fight Luffy before he fights Shanks because Luffy will defeat him, and if he is to claim victory against Shanks, he must fight him first. At the same time, fans know that Luffy and Shanks will meet in Elbaf, as that is the territory that Shanks protects, and Oda has been hinting at their reunion in that land for quite some time. Basically, this means Blackbeard and Shanks will meet in battle very soon and completely rock the whole world One piece.

As for how the battle between Shanks and Blackbeard will play out, no one can say for sure what Oda intends to do. But the fact that Blackbeard can't fall at the hands of Shanks means that at least he won't die. At the same time, Shanks cannot fall at the hands of Blackbeard before meeting Luffy, meaning that their battle could be a stalemate, or Blackbeard would be saved by someone or something and lose Shanks' sight. . That said, this fight is going to be absolutely incredible from start to finish, with both monsters showing their full power right from the start. Here, Oda will illustrate the past of these characters, and in the process, fans will learn a lot about Blackbeard's strange body, his ability to hold two devil fruits, as well as his past.

Also, for the very first time, Shanks' purpose and almost everything else about his character will be revealed to fans. In addition to all this, fans will see an exciting battle that could be the best One piece had to add to this date and it is safe to say that this fight will not only shake the world One piecebut also fandom.

One Piece Chapter 1132 New Release Date

One Piece is available to read through Viz Media. Fans can officially read the series for free on the Shonen Jump and Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next One Piece chapter, One Piece 1132, is set for November 17, 2024.