Luffy Will Destroy the One Piece — 61% Confidence Theory

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Introduction – Building on Morj's Theory

This theory builds on several ideas from Mr Morj's theory about the ending of One Piece: that the One Piece is the lost sun, capable of turning imagination into reality; that Blackbeard will use his Yami Yami no Mi to absorb it and gain nearly unlimited power; and that Luffy's Nika abilities will make him the only person capable of challenging Blackbeard in the final battle. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL1VHLG7Qc4

I agree with these basic premises, but I believe the story will end very differently.

Luffy will find the One Piece before Blackbeard steals it. And rather than reclaiming the sun and using its power to fulfill his dreams, Luffy will ultimately destroy it.

I believe this ending would provide a more fitting conclusion to Luffy's journey, the central conflict between freedom and oppression, and the story's overarching themes of dreams and friendship. More importantly, I think both Skypiea and Wano have already foreshadowed how this ending might unfold.

1 What will happen:

1.1 Luffy Finds the One Piece First

I believe Luffy will find the One Piece before Blackbeard gets his hands on it.

Luffy's goal has always been to find the One Piece, not to possess or use it.

The Straw Hats will reach Laugh Tale and discover the legendary treasure: the ancient sun, capable of turning imagination into reality.

But shortly afterward, Blackbeard will appear and steal it, absorbing the sun's power through his Yami Yami no Mi and becoming nearly omnipotent.

The crucial point is that Luffy will already have achieved his dream before Blackbeard steals the treasure. He has found the One Piece and completed the adventure he always dreamed of. Possessing or using the treasure was never part of that dream.

Blackbeard, meanwhile, will finally possess the ultimate power he has spent his life pursuing. Unlike Luffy, obtaining and controlling the treasure is precisely what matters to him. In that sense, both will have achieved their dreams. But for Blackbeard "dreams never end", so he needs to keep and be able to use this power indefinitely.

This difference will become essential in their final confrontation, when Luffy must decide whether to preserve the greatest treasure in the world or destroy it to save his friends.

1.2 Blackbeard's New World

With the power of the sun, Blackbeard will attempt to destroy the existing world order and replace it with a world of absolute freedom for pirates.

In his ideal world, there would be no World Government, Marines, or other authorities restricting what pirates can do. Everyone would be free to pursue their own desires, take whatever they want, and fight for power without consequences imposed by law.

But such freedom would come at a terrible cost. Without anyone protecting ordinary people, the world would descend into chaos, with the strongest pirates free to exploit everyone else.

Blackbeard might even use his Gura Gura no Mi to break open the Red Line and unleash the ancient serpent described in the Harley, further accelerating the destruction of the existing order.

Blackbeard would promise a world without oppression by authority, only to create one in which people are at the mercy of those stronger than themselves.

And ultimately, the people of the world will have to unite to stop him.

1.3 The World Unites Against Blackbeard

I believe the final war will bring about two unexpected alliances.

First, the good Marines will turn against Imu, realizing that blindly following authority can make them complicit in oppression.

But after Imu's defeat, Blackbeard will present the opposite threat: a world without laws or authorities restricting pirates.

And this time, I believe it will be the pirates who unexpectedly turn against him.

They will realize that absolute freedom for pirates would leave everyone else at the mercy of those strong enough to take whatever they want. Even pirates who value their own freedom will recognize that some form of law and order is necessary to protect others.

Ultimately, Marines, pirates, revolutionaries, and civilians will stand together against Blackbeard, many of them united by the friendships and alliances Luffy has built throughout his journey.

The Marines will have learned that authority must be questioned. The pirates will have learned that freedom needs limits.

Together, they will have overcome the two extremes represented by Imu and Blackbeard.

1.4 The Final Battle and the Black Sun

With the world now united against him, Blackbeard will face Luffy in the final battle.

Blackbeard will possess almost unlimited power. However, Luffy's Nika abilities will enable him to creatively counter Blackbeard's attacks, much like his rubber body allowed him to challenge the seemingly invincible Enel. But it will also be similar to Luffy vs Katakuri, "I can do everything you do but better".

As the battle reaches its climax, Blackbeard will unleash the sun's full power to destroy the existing world.

I imagine him releasing the sun from his darkness as an enormous black sphere, resembling Enel's Raigo, looming over the Red Line and threatening to "engulf and destroy everything", just as Blackbeard threatened to do at Marineford.

The greatest treasure in the world will have become its greatest threat.

And Luffy will realize that simply defeating Blackbeard is no longer enough. As long as the sun exists, Blackbeard or someone else could potentially seize its power again.

To save his friends and the world, Luffy will have to destroy the One Piece itself.

1.5 Red Dawn – The Destruction of the One Piece

As Blackbeard's enormous black sun threatens to destroy the world, people everywhere begin praying for Luffy to save them, just as the people of Skypiea prayed during Enel's final attack.

And then something extraordinary happens.

Small glowing lights begin rising from across the world, resembling the lanterns released during Wano's Fire Festival. I believe these lights could be the dreams and wishes of the people, taking physical form through the sun's power. Similar to what was depicted in the First World of the mural.

They rise toward Luffy, perhaps even giving him the strength he needs for one final attack. After all, the Harley describes the Sun God appearing in response to people's prayers.

High above the Red Line, Luffy prepares an enormous flaming fist, his ultimate evolution of Red Hawk and Red Roc.

Red Dawn.

The flaming fist collides with Blackbeard's black sun, shattering the One Piece itself. The impact also destroys the Red Line, finally removing the barrier that has divided the world for centuries.

As the flames illuminate the collapsing red continent, the entire horizon begins to glow like a gigantic red sunrise.

Blackbeard is sent falling from the Red Line into the ocean below, becoming the only character in One Piece who actually drowns because of his Devil Fruit.

Luffy doesn't hesitate to destroy the treasure he spent his entire journey searching for, and Blackbeard cannot understand why.

Because that part of Luffy's dream already ended when he found the One Piece, and for Blackbeard, a dream cannot have an end. Since he cannot sleep, he never learned that dreams must come to an end.

1.6 The Dawn of a New World

With Blackbeard defeated, the One Piece destroyed, and the Red Line gone, the world will finally enter a new era.

The fall of Imu and Blackbeard will have ended both authoritarian oppression and the threat of a world without law and order. The people Luffy brought together will now have the opportunity to build a better world themselves, rather than relying on an all-powerful sun to fulfill their wishes.

I believe this is also how Luffy's mysterious true dream will finally come true: not through the power of the One Piece, but through the people he inspired and the connections he formed throughout his adventure.

And that would complete the contrast between Luffy and Blackbeard.

Both achieved what they set out to do. Blackbeard obtained the greatest power in the world, but ultimately lost everything because possessing that power was all that mattered to him.

Luffy, meanwhile, found the One Piece, became Pirate King, and experienced the adventure he always dreamed of. Destroying the treasure cannot take any of that away from him.

Blackbeard achieved his dream by obtaining the One Piece. Luffy achieved his by finding it. And in the end, only Luffy's dream survives its destruction.

2 Why the sun must be destroyed:

2.1 Journey vs. Destination

Ever since Jaya, Luffy and Blackbeard have been portrayed as two sides of the same coin. Both believe in dreams and freedom, but Blackbeard values the destination, while Luffy values the journey.

Blackbeard carefully plans his rise to power, while Luffy enjoys the adventure and the friendships he forms along the way. This difference becomes especially clear in Chapter 507, when Luffy stops Usopp from asking Rayleigh about the One Piece because knowing the answer would ruin the adventure.

For Blackbeard, possessing the One Piece and using its power is what matters. For Luffy, finding it and experiencing the journey is the goal.

This is why Luffy can destroy the One Piece without sacrificing his dream.

2.2 Two Forms of Oppression

Imu and Blackbeard represent two opposite threats to freedom.

Imu represents oppression through authoritarian structures, hierarchy, and control. Blackbeard represents the dangers of a world without laws or authorities, where powerful pirates can do whatever they want at the expense of others.

I believe the final war will force both Marines and pirates to reconsider their ideals. The good Marines will realize that authority must not be followed blindly, while the good pirates will recognize that freedom without law and order leaves the weak unprotected.

True freedom requires a balance between freedom and legitimate authority.

But simply defeating Imu and Blackbeard would not guarantee that balance. As long as the sun exists, someone else could seize its unlimited power and impose their vision of the world on everyone.

To permanently free the world from the threat of another all-powerful ruler, Luffy must destroy the sun rather than merely take it from Blackbeard.

2.3 Why Absolute Power Cannot Create True Freedom

Even if Luffy defeated Blackbeard and reclaimed the sun, using its power to create a perfect world would contradict one of the central themes of One Piece: freedom.

If the sun can turn any wish into reality, Luffy could end poverty, rebuild destroyed countries, and fulfill everyone's needs almost instantly. But who gets to decide what a perfect world should look like?

Even with the best intentions, one person reshaping reality according to their own wishes would take away everyone else's ability to shape their future.

And I don't believe Luffy would ever want to use the sun to fulfill his own mysterious true dream. That would essentially be a cheat code, a shortcut to achieving his dream without actually earning it. It's exactly the kind of approach Blackbeard would take, but completely contrary to how Luffy has pursued his dreams throughout the story.

Similarly, Luffy has never tried to create a perfect society for the people he liberates. He defeats their oppressors and leaves them free to build their own future.

Instead of using absolute power to fulfill dreams, Luffy would give humanity the freedom and responsibility to make those dreams come true themselves.

2.4 Breaking Destiny

There is another thematic problem that I believe destroying the sun could resolve: Luffy's apparent destiny.

Throughout One Piece, Luffy has increasingly been portrayed as the return of Joyboy, the Sun God Nika, and the person destined to bring the dawn. But isn't there something contradictory about the character who values freedom above everything else seemingly following a predetermined path?

If Luffy simply recovers the sun and uses its power to create a better world, he might be doing exactly what was expected of him centuries ago.

But what if Luffy does something nobody anticipated?

Instead of using the sun to fulfill his destiny, he destroys it, choosing his own path regardless of what the prophecies might have intended.

And perhaps that would be the ultimate expression of his freedom: the Sun God himself deciding that the world doesn't need a god.

Rather than becoming the instrument of an ancient prophecy, Luffy would determine the future through his own choices.

2.5 The World After the Dawn

Throughout One Piece, the countries Luffy liberates are often left in terrible condition. Alabasta has suffered through civil war, Dressrosa lies in ruins, and Wano faces the consequences of decades of exploitation. Yet these endings are portrayed as hopeful, because the destruction of the old order creates an opportunity for the people to build something better themselves.

I believe the same will happen on a global scale. Rather than using the sun to instantly create a perfect world, Luffy will leave humanity with the opportunity to rebuild it.

This is also why I believe Vivi could become a central figure in a reformed World Government. Her strengths lie in political wisdom, empathy, diplomacy, and pragmatic leadership. These are precisely the qualities needed to rebuild a damaged world and establish a fairer political order.

If the story were heading toward a future in which unlimited power could make virtually anything possible, I would expect Vivi to have been characterized differently, perhaps as someone with extraordinary visions of a perfect society. Instead, she is a pragmatic and politically capable leader who understands the difficulties of governing.

Vivi's character seems far better suited to rebuilding an imperfect world than to designing a perfect one with unlimited power. And that is exactly the kind of world I believe Luffy will leave behind.

3 Parallels in prior Arcs

3.1 Skypiea – A Blueprint for the Final War

I believe Skypiea foreshadows not only the final battle between Luffy and Blackbeard, but also the events leading up to it.

Interestingly, Blackbeard is first introduced in Chapter 223, shortly before Enel's introduction in Chapter 254, both with four loyal followers. And I think the similarities between them go far beyond their seemingly godlike powers.

First, both are almost invincible opponents whom only Luffy can effectively counter. Enel's lightning abilities make him virtually untouchable, but Luffy's rubber body provides the perfect counter. Similarly, Blackbeard's nearly unlimited reality-altering powers could only be countered by Luffy's Nika abilities.

Second, Enel organizes a survival game. He forces the different factions of Skypiea to fight until only a handful remain, intending to take the survivors to his promised paradise, Fairy Vearth. Blackbeard has already used a remarkably similar method in Impel Down, where he had Level 6 prisoners fight each other and recruited the survivors. Perhaps he will eventually apply the same principle on a global scale.

The conclusion of Enel's game is particularly interesting. In Chapter 273, when Enel demands that one more participant must be eliminated, Zoro, Robin, Wyper, and Gan Fall all point at Enel instead of turning against one another. I believe this foreshadows the world's different factions ultimately uniting against Blackbeard.

Third, Enel's ultimate attack, Raigo, looks remarkably like a black sun. Unlike his usual lightning attacks, it takes the form of a gigantic, almost perfectly round black sphere. I believe Blackbeard will unleash the sun in a similar form, enveloped in his darkness.

In Chapter 297, the people of Skypiea pray for salvation as Luffy destroys Raigo. This could foreshadow the entire world praying for Luffy during his final confrontation with Blackbeard, with their collective hopes perhaps even contributing to his ultimate attack.

Finally, after destroying Raigo, Luffy rings the Golden Bell, symbolically reconnecting communities separated for centuries. I believe the destruction of the black sun and the Red Line will mirror these two events: first saving the world from destruction, then physically reconnecting it.

There is even another possible parallel in Nola, the giant serpent that disrupts the fighting throughout Skypiea. It could foreshadow the great serpent described in the Harley, potentially connected to the Red Line.

Taken together, these parallels suggest that Skypiea may be a smaller-scale version of the final war, from the seemingly invincible villain and the survival game to the destruction of the black sphere and the reunification of the world.

3.2 Wano – A Second Blueprint for the Final War

I believe Wano provides another striking parallel to the final conflict, both thematically and visually.

First, Orochi and Kaido could foreshadow Imu and Blackbeard. Orochi represents oppression through authoritarian rule, while Kaido dreams of a world where strength determines everything, regardless of someone's social status or birth. His New Onigashima Project would turn Wano into a lawless paradise for pirates.

This resembles the two threats I believe Luffy will overcome in the final war: Imu's authoritarian control and Blackbeard's vision of unrestricted pirate freedom, where the powerful can do whatever they want.

Second, Wano features another survival game. In Chapter 994, Queen infects fighters from both sides with the Ice Oni virus and forces them to compete for the antidote. But in Chapter 1007, Chopper develops a cure and saves both allies and enemies. Some of Queen's own subordinates then turn against him.

This could foreshadow the pirates ultimately rejecting Blackbeard's lawless world and joining their former enemies against him.

Third, the final clash between Luffy and Kaido could visually foreshadow the exact opposite imagery in the final battle. In Wano, Luffy's enormous, almost spherical, black Haki-coated fist collides with Kaido's glowing, fiery dragon form. In the finale, I imagine the colors reversed: Luffy's gigantic, flaming Red Dawn colliding with Blackbeard's spherical black sun.

And there is one final parallel that I find particularly interesting.

During Luffy's final attack against Kaido, the people of Wano release glowing lanterns carrying their wishes for freedom into the sky. I believe the final war could repeat this imagery on a global scale, with the dreams and prayers of people around the world taking the form of small glowing lights that rise toward Luffy, perhaps even giving him the strength to destroy the sun.

Just as Wano's people wished for liberation while Luffy fought Kaido, the entire world could place its hopes in Luffy during his final battle against Blackbeard.

4. Additional thoughts (optional)

4.1 The Fate of Devil Fruits

If the sun is the original source of the power that turns human dreams into reality, its destruction could also have consequences for Devil Fruits.

I believe existing Devil Fruit users would retain their abilities, but no new Devil Fruits would emerge, and existing ones would no longer reincarnate after their users die.

Over generations, supernatural abilities would gradually disappear from the world.

This would also fit the broader meaning of Luffy's final decision. Throughout One Piece, Devil Fruits have represented humanity's wishes for extraordinary possibilities. But with the sun gone, people would no longer be able to rely on supernatural powers to fulfill those wishes.

Humanity would still be free to dream of the impossible, but would now have to make those dreams come true through its own efforts.

4.2 Blackbeard's Possible Betrayal of Imu

I also believe Blackbeard might temporarily ally with Imu before the final war, only to betray him once he gets what he wants.

Blackbeard has already used this strategy before: he became a Warlord to gain access to Impel Down, recruited its most dangerous prisoners, and then betrayed the World Government.

Perhaps he will repeat this on a much larger scale, offering Imu his military strength in exchange for access to Mary Geoise and its mysterious national treasure.

This could also parallel Wano, where Kaido initially allied with Orochi before betraying him and attempting to take control himself.

If Orochi and Kaido foreshadow Imu and Blackbeard, their alliance and eventual betrayal might also foreshadow how Blackbeard becomes the final villain.

4.3 The Giant Serpent

The Harley describes a great serpent of hellfire associated with the destruction of the First World, while the giants refer to the Red Line as a bloodstained serpent.

I believe this serpent could return during the final war, paralleling Nola's role in Skypiea.

Perhaps the serpent is imprisoned within the Red Line, and Blackbeard will use his Gura Gura no Mi to break it open and release the creature. Alternatively, the Red Line itself might be the dormant serpent, which Blackbeard could awaken using the sun's power.

If the serpent's existence depends on that power, destroying the sun might also cause it to revert to its original state.

This would connect Blackbeard's destructive powers, the serpent of the First World, and Luffy's eventual destruction of the Red Line into a single final conflict.

4.4 Additional Visual and Symbolic Clues

There are a few more speculative details that could support this ending.

Blackbeard might wield a trident in the final battle. Both Enel and Katakuri use tridents against Luffy, and the weapon would be particularly fitting for Blackbeard, who is repeatedly associated with the number three: his Jolly Roger features three skulls, he carries three pistols, and he gave Shanks three scars.

Katakuri's fight against Luffy might foreshadow the power dynamic of the final battle. Katakuri can imitate Luffy's rubber attacks and perform stronger versions of them. With the sun's power, Blackbeard could similarly reproduce everything Luffy can do with his Nika abilities, but on a much greater scale. Just as Luffy eventually overcame Katakuri through adaptation and creativity rather than simply matching his superior abilities, he might find an unexpected way to defeat Blackbeard.

Blackbeard might be the only Devil Fruit user in the entire story to actually die by drowning. After spending his life collecting the world's most powerful Devil Fruits, dying because of their most fundamental weakness would be particularly ironic. I imagine Luffy's final attack sending him falling from the Red Line into the ocean below.

The Red Line's color might be deliberate foreshadowing. If Luffy's final flaming attack destroys the Red Line, the collapsing red continent could create the image of an enormous red sunrise, making Red Dawn both the name of his attack and a literal depiction of the world's new dawn.

There is another striking parallel in Chapter 441, during Blackbeard's fight against Ace. As Ace unleashes Entei, an enormous sphere of fire resembling a sun, Blackbeard explicitly frames their final clash as a battle between the sun and darkness.

Finally, there is the question of Luffy's destiny and the Harley. The Second World describes humanity killing the sun and becoming gods. Perhaps this refers to Joyboy's death and the rise of the Celestial Dragons, while the actual sun was preserved for the future.

If Luffy is destined to recover that sun and use it to bring about a new world, destroying it instead would be the ultimate expression of his freedom. Alternatively, he might fulfill the prophecy in an unexpected way: the sun returns, but its destruction allows the true dawn to begin.