The Luffy Fan Theory That Changes Everything On One Piece

Since 1997, the Straw Hat Pirate Crew from Eiichiro Oda's manga and anime hit "One Piece" have gone on a journey across the Shonen seas so lengthy that it earned its title as one of the longest-running anime adventures ever. Luffy and his crew have encountered some of the best islands and massive story arcs "One Piece" has to offer. Still, the manga's latest Wano Country Arc feels like "One Piece" is racing towards an ultimate conclusion for the series, with hints of some character origins spinning out and raging battles pushing the action towards another level.

If the Wano Arc seems like a sail away closer to the end, that's not a coincidence. In 2019, Oda announced that he planned to end the series in five years (via Anime News Network), so we're getting closer to Oda's planned conclusion to the series. In the meantime, there could be some big changes for the series, including the power and influence of its main character. Via Crunchyroll, back in episode 878, Luffy had officially reached the level of Fifth Emperor of the Sea, a title that placed him just slightly below the status of the Four Emperors of the Sea, who are regarded as the strongest pirate captains in the world. But a theory about Luffy following the Wano Arc could drastically change his placement among the other emperors.

So far, Luffy's confrontations with Kaido, one of the official Four Emperor of the Seas, haven't exactly resulted in a clear victory. In "One Piece" manga chapter 923 (via Viz Media), Luffy and Kaido have their first real clash. The Straw Hat leader unleashes a barrage of potent Gear Third and Gear Fourth attacks against his opponent who can turn into a dragon. However, Kaido not only comes away from those attacks unscathed but knocks out Luffy with one blow. The two are currently going at it for round two in the latest manga chapters, but even after he deals with Kaido, Luffy will likely have to battle again with Big Mom, another member of the Four Emperors of the Seas.

It's likely that Luffy, much like his previous major battles throughout the series, will achieve victory during this arc thanks to some old-fashioned Shonen hero skill, and that will likely mean that he will technically become one of the official Four Emperors of the Seas. Or at least, he'll reach that level of power and influence. Fans on the subreddit r/One Piece are theorizing that Luffy could likely eradicate the Emperor system altogether. "The Yonko system that world government preferred will be destroyed by Luffy," u/Twenty-Two-Twenty wrote, with several fans agreeing.

Those potential actions would undoubtedly be in character for Luffy. After all, as one Funimation article on the character pointed out, Luffy ultimately desires not to rule, but to be as utterly free as possible.