The Final Battle For The Dawn

Introduction – How One Piece Will End

This theory builds on several ideas from Mr Morj's theory about the ending of One Piece: that the One Piece is the ancient sun, sent into the future and capable of turning imagination into reality; that Blackbeard will absorb it through his Yami Yami no Mi, gaining nearly unlimited power; and that Luffy's Nika abilities will be the key to challenging him. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL1VHLG7Qc4

I agree with these basic premises and will build this narrative on them.

I have four central predictions:

1. Blackbeard will create a lawless world of unrestricted freedom, but pirates will unite with the Marines against him.

2. Blackbeard will kill Luffy and steal his Nika Devil Fruit,

3. Law gives his heart to Luffy, reanimating him and he regains his Nika powers through prayers

4. Luffy will ultimately destroy the One Piece itself with his final attack, Red Dawn.

This theory is structured in three parts:

1. What Will Happen?

2. Why This Ending Fits Thematically

3. How All Of It Was Foreshadowed

---

1. What Will Happen?

1.1 Blackbeard's New World – The Pirates Unite

This theory begins after the Marines and pirates have joined forces to defeat Imu, and Luffy and his crew have finally found the One Piece on Laugh Tale.

Blackbeard then appears, after Luffy found the One Piece, and absorbs the ancient sun through his Yami Yami no Mi, gaining nearly unlimited power.

With the World Government defeated, Blackbeard will attempt to create his ideal world: turning the entire world into a giant Hachinosu, where pirates can do whatever they want without laws or restrictions.

However, this freedom comes at a cost. Without laws to protect the weak, pirates can steal, kill, and enslave anyone they want. Blackbeard's idea of freedom would ultimately lead to a Hobbesian war of all against all, exposing the horrors of anarchy just as Imu showed the horrors of totalitarianism.

But many pirates will recognize the dangers of this lawless world and remain allied with the good Marines against Blackbeard.

In this final war, Luffy will spearhead the alliance against Blackbeard and his followers. By ultimately defeating Blackbeard in the end, he will be recognized by these other pirates as their new Pirate King.

1.2 Blackbeard Kills Luffy – The Third Devil Fruit

During the final war, Luffy confronts Blackbeard. His Nika abilities make him the only one capable of fighting Blackbeard's reality-warping powers, much like his rubber body made him the only one who could fight Enel. The battle could also mirror his fight against Katakuri, whose abilities allowed him to replicate Luffy's techniques, only bigger and better.

However, Luffy has a real chance because the ancient sun's overwhelming power comes at a cost. Just as Hody Jones' Energy Steroids made him incredibly powerful while destroying his body, absorbing the sun could slowly destroy Blackbeard's body as well.

I also believe Blackbeard will wield a trident, just like Enel, Hody Jones, and Katakuri wielded tridents against Luffy. It is by far the most fitting weapon for him.

At a critical moment, Luffy gets distracted by something. Blackbeard knowingly takes advantage of this opening and pierces Luffy through the heart with his trident, delivering a fatal blow. Unlike Katakuri, Blackbeard once again shows that he fights without honor and does not have conquerers haki.

After Luffy dies, Blackbeard steals his Nika Devil Fruit, just as he stole Whitebeard's powers. This was always his plan. He now possesses three Devil Fruits, one from each category: Logia, Paramecia, and Mythical Zoan.

And with the Nika Fruit, Blackbeard will finally be able to control the sun's unlimited power without destroying his own body, because only the Sun God can freely wield the sun. Maybe he can hold the sun clad in darkness in his hand, like depicted in the mural. Now he is truly the strongest being imaginable in One Piece.

This is the lowest possible point for the story.

To crush the last remaining hope, Blackbeard presents Luffy's lifeless body to his allies, and reveals that he has stolen his Nika powers. He believes that undeniable proof of Luffy's death will finally make everyone surrender.

But nothing, not even death, can shake the Straw Hats' faith in Luffy.

1.3 The Return of Nika – Dream Luffy

Even after seeing Luffy's lifeless body and knowing that Blackbeard has stolen his Devil Fruit, the Straw Hats refuse to surrender. They continue fighting and protecting their captain's body, refusing to abandon their faith in him.

This might be what allows Luffy to succeed where Joy Boy failed. Joy Boy's crew may have failed to protect him, perhaps because they were too weak, like the Scabbards with Oden, or because they lost faith when all hope seemed lost.

Meanwhile, Chopper and Law desperately try to save Luffy. Chopper might even awaken his Devil Fruit, gaining extraordinary healing abilities. But Luffy's heart has been destroyed, and there seems to be no way to bring him back.

This is where Law makes the ultimate sacrifice.

Having learned the true meaning of the Will of D., Law decides to give his own life to ensure that Luffy can bring about the Dawn of the World.

Using his Ope Ope no Mi, Law removes his own heart and transplants it into Luffy. His abilities allow him to remain alive long enough to complete the operation. But once he permanently transfers his heart to Luffy, Law begins to die.

In the final seconds of his life, Law uses Counter Shock to restart Luffy's new heart. And because Luffy has lost his Devil Fruit, his body is no longer made of rubber and can now be affected by electricity.

Just as Jinbe once saved Luffy by giving him his blood, Law now saves him by giving him his heart.

Meanwhile, people around the world begin praying for liberation, just as the people of Skypiea prayed for their salvation. Because the ancient sun has returned, their dreams and wishes manifest as countless small glowing lights, resembling the lanterns released during Wano's Fire Festival and the lights depicted in the ancient mural on Elbaf.

These lights gather around Luffy, and something incredible happens.

Just as Nightmare Luffy once received the power of 100 shadows in Thriller Bark, Luffy now receives the collective dreams of humanity.

After all, the Harley describes the Sun God appearing in response to the prayers of the enslaved. And Vegapunk suggested that Devil Fruits themselves originated from people's dreams and desires.

Blackbeard might have stolen the Nika Devil Fruit, but he cannot steal the dream that created it.

As the lights reach Luffy, his new heart begins beating to the rhythm of the Drums of Liberation. The collective dreams of humanity allow him to become Nika once again.

Dream Luffy is born.

1.4 Red Dawn – The Destruction of the One Piece

Luffy and Blackbeard continue their fight. Both now possess Nika's powers, but Blackbeard also has the Darkness and Tremor Fruits, as well as the ancient sun. Luffy, however, has his superior Haki and the power of humanity's hopes and dreams.

Blackbeard grows increasingly frustrated. Unlike Luffy, he does not enjoy fighting strong opponents. To crush the people whose prayers are giving Luffy his power, Blackbeard unleashes the ancient sun's full power, enveloping it in darkness and creating an enormous black sphere resembling Enel's Raigo. High above the Red Line, this black sun threatens to destroy everyone who opposes him, potentially even the entire world.

But Luffy will not let this happen. He prepares an enormous flaming fist, the ultimate evolution of Red Hawk and Red Roc.

Red Dawn.

Luffy's fist collides with Blackbeard's black sun, destroying the One Piece without hesitation and defeating Blackbeard.

The impact also destroys the Red Line, where Blackbeard was standing, finally removing the barrier that has divided the world for centuries. As the red continent collapses from his punch, the entire horizon lights up like an enormous red sunrise.

The Dawn of the World.

1.5 Luffy's Dreams

Blackbeard falls into the sea beneath the shattered Red Line. As he sinks, he cannot understand how Luffy could have destroyed the One Piece without a moment's hesitation. The greatest treasure in the world, the very thing he had dreamed of possessing his entire life, simply gone.

Both Blackbeard and Luffy have always been driven by their dreams. But for Blackbeard, it was always about the destination. He wanted to obtain the ultimate power and hold on to it forever. After all, he famously declared that people's dreams never end. And perhaps because Blackbeard never sleeps, he never learned that dreams do eventually end when we wake up.

For Luffy, however, it was always about the journey. The adventures, the battles, and the connections he made along the way were what mattered most. He wanted to find the One Piece, not possess it forever. Once he had found it, his dream had already come true. He could let it go without hesitation.

And in the end, Luffy has achieved both of his original goals.

Through his adventures, he found the One Piece on Laugh Tale. And by defeating Blackbeard, he has earned the recognition of the other pirates as the new Pirate King.

But Luffy has always had one more dream. One he would never have wanted to achieve using the unlimited power of the sun. Whatever that dream may be, he will achieve it through the gratitude and unity of the people he has brought together.

He found the One Piece through adventure. He became Pirate King through fighting. And he will achieve his final dream through connection.

1.6 The World After the Dawn

With the Red Line destroyed and the sea level finally falling, the world itself begins to change. Lands that were once submerged emerge again, connecting the islands that had been separated for centuries. The world is finally becoming one again.

But the greatest change is not geographical. It is political and social.

After experiencing both Imu's totalitarian rule and Blackbeard's lawless anarchy, humanity has learned that neither absolute authority nor absolute freedom can create a just world.

And having fought together against both enemies, people from every race, nation, and social class have learned to see each other as equals. Fish-Men, humans, giants, nobles, and commoners all depended on one another for survival. The divisions that once defined their world finally begin to disappear.

Vivi will lead the creation of a genuinely democratic new world order, where power comes from the people. The good Marines and the Revolutionary Army will work together to maintain peace and protect the weak. And pirates will still be free to sail the seas, seek adventure, and pursue their dreams. But they will have to respect the freedom of others, following the example set by their new Pirate King, Luffy.

For this new world, the destruction of the ancient sun is absolutely necessary. As long as absolute power exists, anyone who possesses it could impose their own will on everyone else. Even in the hands of someone like Luffy, the world's freedom would ultimately depend on the decisions of a single individual.

By destroying the One Piece, Luffy ensures that no one will ever possess such absolute power again.

Because the future of the world should not be decided by a god, but by the people themselves.

---

2. Why This Ending Fits Thematically

2.1 Why Blackbeard Needs to Create His Ideal World

Freedom is the central theme of One Piece, but the story also needs to address its limits.

Imu represents totalitarianism, where absolute authority suppresses individual freedom. Blackbeard represents anarchy, where unrestricted freedom leads to a Hobbesian war of all against all, allowing the strong to oppress the weak.

Blackbeard therefore needs to realize his ideal world to demonstrate that both extremes ultimately destroy freedom.

This also explains the alliance between pirates and good Marines. The Marines learn to protect people rather than blindly obey authority, while the pirates recognize that freedom requires respecting the freedom of others.

Luffy represents a third approach: he values his own freedom but refuses to let others take away the freedom of the weak, without seeking authority over anyone himself

2.2 Why Blackbeard Needs to Steal Luffy's Devil Fruit

Blackbeard's entire rise to power has been based on stealing powerful Devil Fruits. Acquiring Luffy's Nika Fruit would complete this progression, giving him three fruits, one from each category: Logia, Paramecia, and Mythical Zoan.

More importantly, absorbing the ancient sun should come at a devastating physical cost, similar to Hody Jones' Energy Steroids. Blackbeard would therefore need the Sun God's abilities to control its power without destroying his own body.

The final battle also needs the ultimate low point. With Luffy dead, his Devil Fruit stolen, and Blackbeard seemingly unstoppable, all hope appears lost. This makes Luffy's eventual return and victory all the more meaningful.

But the most important reason is Luffy's own character development. By losing his Devil Fruit, Luffy proves that he does not become the world's liberator simply because he happened to eat a particular fruit or because destiny chose him. Instead, he earns his Nika powers again through his own actions and the relationships he has built.

Ironically, losing his fruit also removes Luffy's rubber properties, allowing Law to revive him using Counter Shock.

Blackbeard steals Nika's powers, but Luffy earns them.

2.3 Why Everyone Needs to Save Luffy

Luffy's greatest strength has always been his ability to bring people together. Therefore, his final victory should depend on the people he has inspired throughout his journey.

At the ultimate low point, when Luffy is dead, his powers are stolen, and all hope seems lost, his friends must prove that their faith in him is stronger than ever.

First, the Straw Hats refuse to abandon him, potentially succeeding where Joy Boy's companions failed. Their unwavering faith allows Chopper and Law to attempt to save his life.

Law's sacrifice embodies the theme of inherited will. Just as Corazon gave his life to save Law, Law now gives his heart to Luffy, allowing him to fulfill the Will of D. This also explains, why Law was always so strongly associated with the heart.

Finally, humanity itself must save Luffy. Since Nika represents people's dreams of liberation, their collective prayers and dreams should play a role in bringing the dawn.

This also reverses Blackbeard's approach to power: Blackbeard takes everything from others, while Luffy receives their strength voluntarily.

Luffy can save the world because the world first saves him.

2.4 Why the One Piece Must Be Destroyed

The destruction of the One Piece is necessary because absolute power is incompatible with true freedom. As long as the ancient sun exists, whoever possesses it could impose their will on the entire world. Even if Luffy controlled it, humanity's future would depend on a single individual.

Destroying it also allows Luffy to break the cycle of history and escape his own predetermined destiny as Joy Boy. Rather than simply fulfilling an ancient prophecy, he makes his own choice and ensures that the mistakes of the past cannot be repeated.

Furthermore, Luffy has always valued the journey over the destination. He wanted to find the One Piece, not possess its power forever. Nor would he want to use it as a shortcut to achieving his final dream. Blackbeard believes dreams never end and therefore needs to possess his ultimate power forever. Luffy, however, has already fulfilled his dream by finding the One Piece and can let it go.

Throughout the story, Luffy has liberated people without creating a perfect world for them. Instead, he has given them the opportunity to shape their own future.

This also explains Vivi's importance. Her political and diplomatic abilities would be unnecessary if Luffy simply used the ancient sun to create a perfect world. Instead, she can help humanity establish a democratic system through cooperation and compromise.

By destroying the One Piece, Luffy gives the entire world the freedom and responsibility to determine its own future.

---

3. How All of It Was Foreshadowed

3.1 Skypiea – A Blueprint for the Final Battle

• The perfect counter: Enel possesses a seemingly unbeatable power, but Luffy's fruit makes him the only one capable of fighting him. Similarly, Nika's abilities make Luffy the only one capable of challenging Blackbeard's reality-warping powers.

• The trident: Enel transforms his staff into a trident and uses it against Luffy, potentially foreshadowing Blackbeard's weapon. He is the first of multiple characters Blackbeard parallels who use a trident.

• Survival game: Both Enel and Blackbeard (in Impel Down) create a survival game to see who they will take with them.

• The alliance: During Enel's survival game, characters from opposing factions decide to eliminate Enel rather than each other, anticipating the final alliance against Blackbeard.

• The electrical resurrection: After Wyper stops Enel's heart, Enel restarts it using his electrical powers. This directly parallels Law potentially restarting Luffy's transplanted heart with Counter Shock. Ironically, Luffy would first have to lose the rubber properties that protected him from Enel's electricity.

• The prayers: As Enel prepares to destroy Skypiea, the people pray for a miracle. This could foreshadow humanity's prayers bringing Nika back.

• The black sphere: Enel creates Raigo, an enormous dark sphere capable of destroying entire islands. Both the shape and color of Raigo is very different from Enels other attacks, meaning it could have been designed specifically to look similar to Blackbeards final attack. Luffy disperses the sphere as the people pray. This closely resembles the predicted final confrontation between Red Dawn and Blackbeard's black sun.

• Symbolically uniting everyone: Ringing the bell in Skypiea achieves the same as destroying the Red Line in the end.

3.2 Thriller Bark – Nightmare Luffy and the Coming Dawn

• Nightmare Luffy: The victims of Moria give Luffy the power of 100 shadows, transforming him into Nightmare Luffy. This could foreshadow Dream Luffy receiving the collective dreams of humanity.

• Stealing Luffy's powers: Moria steals Luffy's shadow and places it inside Oars, who can then imitate Luffy's fighting techniques through Moria's abilities. This could foreshadow Blackbeard stealing Luffy's Nika Fruit.

• The ultimate power comes at a cost: Moria absorbs 1,000 shadows into his own body, gaining enormous strength but losing control of them. This parallels Blackbeard absorbing the sun and being overwhelmed by the insane power. Hody Jones will also show this pattern.

• The Black Box: Moria traps Luffy inside a black cube and attempts to crush him, but Luffy survives because of his rubber body. Just like against Enel, Luffy's unique Devil Fruit abilities give him a chance against an otherwise overwhelming power. This could foreshadow Nika being the only one capable of challenging Blackbeard.

• The coming dawn: The victims will disappear if the sun rises before their shadows return. Luffy defeats Moria just in time, allowing everyone to survive the sun. This needs no explanation.

3.3 Marineford

• Sun vs. darkness: During his fight against Blackbeard, Ace unleashes an enormous sphere of fire, while Blackbeard counters with his darkness (Chapter 441). The confrontation explicitly contrasts the sun with darkness, potentially foreshadowing Red Dawn against Blackbeard's black sun.

• Blackbeard's ideal world: In Impel Down, Blackbeard recruits powerful prisoners by forcing them to fight each other, with only the survivors joining his crew (Chapter 581). This reflects how his ideal world would look -> everyone vs everyone. It also parallels Enel's survival game.

• The first Devil Fruit theft: Blackbeard kills someone and steals their Devil fruit, while Luffy is unconscious and needs to be protected by his allies and ultimately be healed by Law. This is basically exactly what will happen in the finale but bigger.

3.4 Fish-Man Island – Why Hody Represents Blackbeard

• The destruction of an ancient treasure: Luffy attempts to destroy Noah, an ancient ark connected to Joy Boy, to save Fish-Man Island. Luffy is willing to sacrifice an irreplaceable treasure to protect people's lives. This could foreshadow him destroying the One Piece to save the world.

• Hody Jones is Blackbeard: He parallels Blackbeard because of the following points but I first want to mention that his name is really similar to Davy Jones.

• Wrong lessons: Hody is motivated by what happened to his predecessors, however he took the wrong lesson from it, much like Blackbeard probably took the wrong lesson from what happened to Rocks.

• Power at a terrible cost: Hody becomes incredibly powerful through Energy Steroids, but they ultimately destroy his body and drastically age him. Similarly, absorbing the ancient sun could grant Blackbeard overwhelming power while slowly destroying his body.

• Chapter 650: Remarkably, the devastating consequences of Hody's Energy Steroids and Blackbeard's systematic hunting of Devil Fruit users are revealed in the same chapter. This could connect Blackbeard's pursuit of stolen powers to the physical cost of obtaining them.

• The trident: Hody uses a trident to stab his own ally Vander Decken. This could foreshadow Blackbeard using a similar weapon to deliver a fatal blow to Luffy, showing the same disregard for others.

• Red Hawk: Luffy first uses Red Hawk against Hody Jones. This is the beginning of the progression from Red Hawk against Hody (Blackbeard parallel) to Red Roc against Kaido (Blackbeard parallel) and ultimately Red Dawn against Blackbeard himself.

• Jinbe's blood donation: After Luffy nearly dies from blood loss, Jinbe saves him by donating his blood. This could foreshadow Law saving Luffy by donating his own heart. Both sacrifices involve giving a part of one's body to keep Luffy alive.

3.5 Trafalgar Law - How His Heart-Transfer Was Foreshadowed

• Counter Shock: Law first uses Counter Shock in Chapter 667. Remarkably, this is also the chapter in which Law proposes his alliance with Luffy. From the very start Law's ability to remove hearts and his counter shock are established, because those are the abilities he needs to save Luffy.
• The Will of D.: Corazon reveals that the D. are considered the natural enemies of the gods. If Law eventually learns its true meaning, sacrificing himself to help Luffy bring about the Dawn of the World could complete his personal journey.
• Refusing to accept death: When Doflamingo claims that Law is dead, Luffy refuses to believe him. In the finale, Law could similarly refuse to accept Luffy's death.
• Corazon's heart: Chapter 798 is literally titled "Heart." Law explains that Corazon gave him both his life and his heart, in a figurative sense. Law could eventually repeat this sacrifice literally by giving Luffy his own heart.
• Blackbeard's crew already targets Luffy's Fruit: When Luffy becomes defenseless after Gear Fourth, Jesus Burgess attempts to kill him and steal his Devil Fruit. Sabo intervenes and saves him. This is an especially direct precedent for a helpless Luffy needing protection from his allies against Blackbeard.
• Everyone protects Luffy: During his ten-minute recovery, former enemies and allies protect Luffy while the citizens, pirates, and even Marines work together against Doflamingo's Birdcage. Law himself joins the effort to protect Luffy. This could foreshadow the entire world fighting to protect him during his resurrection.
• Pirate King: The grand fleet is essentially what all pirates will be like after they declare Luffy the Pirate King.

3.6 Zou and Whole Cake Island

• The alliance: The Straw Hats, Heart Pirates, Minks, and samurai form an alliance against Kaido. This anticipates the much larger alliance of everyone against Blackbeard.

• Pedro's sacrifice: Pedro believes the Straw Hats will bring about the Dawn of the World. He willingly sacrifices his remaining life to ensure their survival, potentially foreshadowing Law sacrificing himself so Luffy can fulfill the Will of D, which is to bring the dawn.

• A superior version of Luffy's powers: Katakuri can replicate Luffy's techniques, making them bigger and stronger. This could foreshadow Blackbeard using the Nika Fruit and the ancient sun to outperform Luffy's own abilities.

• The trident and unfair advantage: After Flampe secretly interferes with their fight, Katakuri pierces the distracted Luffy with his trident. However, Katakuri deliberately inflicts a similar wound on himself to restore fairness. Blackbeard could repeat this attack, this time piercing Luffy's heart, but without Katakuri's sense of honor. This shows us explicitly, why Blackbeard does not have CoC, and this is why in the end he loses to Luffy.

3.7 Wano – Luffy's Death, the Return of Nika, and Red Dawn

• Kaido and Orochi foreshadow Blackbeard and Imu: Orochi represents authoritarian rule, while Kaido eventually betrays him and announces his New Onigashima Project, turning Wano into a lawless pirate paradise. This could foreshadow Blackbeard betraying Imu and replacing his oppressive world order with his own world of unrestricted freedom for pirates, at the expense of ordinary people.

• Destroying hope: After defeating Luffy, Kaido regrets not cutting off his head and displaying it to his allies, knowing that they will otherwise continue believing in his victory. Blackbeard could finally carry out this strategy by presenting Luffy's actual corpse and his stolen Devil Fruit.

• Praying for Nika: Who's-Who explains that enslaved people once prayed to the Sun God Nika for liberation, so this specific aspect was brought up right from the beginning with Nika. This directly supports the possibility that humanity's collective prayers will play a role in Nika's final return.

• The unfair blow: A CP0 agent interferes with Luffy's fight against Kaido, allowing Kaido to knock out Luffy. Unlike Blackbeard in the predicted finale, Kaido is furious about winning through outside interference. This yet again displays how someone with CoC would handle such situations.

• Luffy's apparent death: Kaido announces Luffy's death, and even Law can no longer sense his presence. Chopper cries, but Nami refuses to believe Kaido, while Marco, Kid, Law, and the remaining fighters continue resisting. This could foreshadow the Straw Hats refusing to surrender even when Blackbeard presents undeniable proof of Luffy's death. Especially Chopper might have grown by the end and react more mature, thus fulfilling his character arc and awakening his fruit, giving him the healing powers necessary to help Law revive Luffy.

• The will of Devil Fruits: The Five Elders explain that Zoan fruits possess wills of their own and that the Nika Fruit has evaded the World Government for centuries. This raises the question of whether Luffy was chosen by his fruit or destiny. Losing the fruit and earning Nika's powers again would resolve this tension.

• Haki over Devil Fruits: Kaido declares that Roger conquered the seas without a Devil Fruit and that Haki ultimately surpasses Devil Fruit powers. This could foreshadow Luffy defeating Blackbeard thanks to his CoC, despite the latter possessing several overwhelmingly powerful fruits and the sun itself.

• The people's wishes: During the Fire Festival, the people of Wano release glowing lanterns carrying their wishes for liberation. This could foreshadow the dreams of humanity manifesting as countless lights and gathering around Luffy.

• The final attack: Luffy defeats Kaido with Bajrang Gun, an enormous Haki-coated round, black fist striking Kaido's flaming dragon form. Red Dawn could visually reverse this confrontation: an enormous flaming fist striking Blackbeard's black sun.

3.8 Why Was The Wano Finale So lackluster???

The real reason there were many missed opportunities to make the finale of Luffy vs. Kaido better is that it is very similar to the final Blackbeard fight and Oda did not want to repeat these great scenes beat for beat.

• Why did we not have a single full chapter of hopelessness when Luffy seemingly died? Because this will literally happen again but far worse!
• Why did the citizens in the Flower Capital not know about the battle and pray for freedom? By that is what will happen on a global scale in the end!

3.9 Taking turns beeing foreshadowed

Every major villain in the Grand Line foreshadows either Imu or Blackbeard in posession of the sun:

• Crocodile is Imu -> Manipulating a great Kingdom to gain access to an ancient power
• Enel is Blackbeard -> Seemingly ultimate power, can only be defeated by Luffy
• World Government is Imu -> Well... yeah.
• Moria is Blackbeard -> Great external power, gained by a long and careful plan, absorbed by him to get far stronger.
• World Government is Imu again
• Marineford -> Duality of the evils of both is shown and both have to be defeated by the end
• Hody is Blackbeard -> Great External power that is not his own, but with drawbacks
• Doflamingo is Imu -> Also quite obvious
• Katakuri is Blackbeard -> "I can do everything you can but better"
• Kaido and Orochi are both Imu and Blackbeard again.

---

4. Remaining Pieces of the Puzzle

There are several additional possibilities that could fit this ending, although their exact roles remain unclear.

• The Red Serpent: The Harley describes a Serpent of Hellfire, possibly connected to the Red Line. Blackbeard might release an enormous serpent during the final war, forcing Luffy's allies to fight it while Luffy confronts Blackbeard. This would mirror the additional giant enemies in Skypiea (Nola), Thriller Bark (Oars), and Wano (Big Mom).

• The mysterious trident: Blackbeard might obtain a trident associated with Davy Jones or the mysterious weapon seen at Mary Geoise. Its significance and connection to Blackbeard still need to be established.

• The Ancient Weapons: Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus will likely play important roles in the final war. Their connection to the ancient sun, the destruction of the Red Line, and the restoration of the world remains uncertain.

• The falling sea level: Vegapunk revealed that the sea level rose dramatically during the Void Century. But what would cause it to fall again? The destruction of the Red Line or the ancient sun might reverse the process, reconnecting the world's submerged lands.

• The fate of Devil Fruits: If Devil Fruits originated from humanity's dreams, could the ancient sun be responsible for turning those dreams into actual powers? Destroying it might prevent Devil Fruits from reincarnating, gradually ending the age of supernatural powers without eliminating humanity's ability to dream.

• The three worlds of the Harley: The First and Second Worlds both end in catastrophe. Perhaps destroying the ancient sun is necessary to prevent history from repeating itself and finally end this cycle.

• Blackbeard's death: Blackbeard might ultimately drown after falling into the sea. This would be particularly ironic: a man who spent his entire life collecting Devil Fruit powers would die because of their shared weakness.

• Luffy's final dream: Its exact nature remains unknown. The theory predicts that he will achieve it through the relationships he has built, rather than by using the ancient sun. The actual revelation could provide further support for this interpretation.