• The latest chapters of One Piece have left fans in doubt about the future of the series, with important characters like Monkey D. Garp being seriously injured and captured by the Blackbeard Pirates.
• Blackbeard's schemes to gain power and authority, including ambushing the Heart Pirates and holding Koby hostage, are in full swing.
• Luffy's intense desire to protect his loved ones, coupled with his growth in power, may lead him to rush to his grandfather's aid and face Blackbeard in a showdown between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates.

Events in the Final Saga of One Piece have reached a fever pitch, with the latest chapters of the manga leaving fans perplexed as to how the current state of events around the world will affect the future of the series.

Chapter 1088 saw the SWORD Marines make a hasty retreat from Hachinosu after saving Captain Koby, who had been held hostage by the Blackbeard Pirates.

Unfortunately, this victory came at the cost of leaving the "Hero of the Marines", Monkey D. Garp behind, as he had been seriously injured in the conflict.

Subsequently, news of Garp's capture spread throughout the world, along with the revelation of a siege on Egghead Island, where the Emperor of the Sea, Straw Hat Luffy, had barricaded himself in Dr. Vegapunk's laboratory.

In chapter 1089 of the One Piece, it was revealed that the Straw Hats subjugated Vegaunk's satellite York, who betrayed the scientist and made a deal with the Five Elders to obtain Celestial Dragon status.

Considering the state of affairs with Garp, who is now in the custody of the Blackbeard Pirates, the chances of Luffy rushing to help his grandfather and facing Blackbeard in the process are plausible, to say the least. is anyone's guess.

The Marines' Hero in Peril

After disobeying orders from Marine Headquarters, Garp rushed to Hachinosu, the Blackbeard Pirates' base, to save his student Koby.

The young Marine captain and SWORD member turned himself in for the Marines who traveled to Amazon Lily Island to arrest the pirate empress Boa Hancock.

With Helmeppo and a few other Marines in tow, Garp made a dramatic entrance into Hachinosu, where he leveled much of the city with a single devastating attack, showing his true strength for the first time in One Piece.

In the ensuing conflict, the Marines managed to rescue most of their comrades who had been taken hostage by the Blackbeard Pirates. Unfortunately for Garp, as the Marines began to retreat, Koby fell for a cheap trick by Blackbeard's troops, one of whom disguised herself as a damsel in distress to attract his attention.

As the innocent Marine dove into the fray to rescue her, Shiryu of the Rain, who was hiding with his Suke Suke no Mi powers, took the chance to attack. Luckily for Koby, Garp noticed this and attacked himself in his student's place.

Badly injured, Garp instructed his subordinates to overcome the Blackbeard Pirates' attacks, but was left behind in poor condition. The next day's newspapers would declare him missing in action, leaving his current fate unknown.

Blackbeard's Schemes in Motion

An opportunist at heart, Blackbeard has always conspired to facilitate his rise to the top of the pirate world.

Starting with his assassination of Thatch to gain the Yami Yami no Mi, his attack on Impel Down to build a strong crew, and finally his theft of Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi after the great pirate's death during the Marineford Summit War, Marshall D... Teach has repeatedly demonstrated his penchant for gaining power through underhanded means. This is in direct contradiction to someone like Luffy, who only accepts victories that have been earned.

Blackbeard was even shown waiting to ambush the Heart Pirates on Winner Island. This was motivated by his desire to obtain a Road Poneglyph marking from the crews that left Wano Country after the Raid on Onigashima, which saw the defeat of Big Mom and Kaido.

While Teach managed to defeat Law, the Surgeon of Death was saved by his navigator Bepo, who used his Sulong Form to save his captain and escape Blackbeard's clutches.

Furthermore, Blackbeard was also trying to get the World Government to recognize his authority over Hachinosu by holding Koby hostage.

Now that his crew has Garp—a famous Marine of even higher rank who is considered a hero throughout the world—in their hands, they have even more leverage to negotiate with the World Government and get what they want.

Luffy's determination to protect his family

What Blackbeard has not considered in his current line of intrigue is Luffy's immense growth in power after his battle with Kaido, as well as his intense desire to protect his loved ones after losing his sworn brother Ace at Marineford.

Prior to the events of the Marineford War, Fire Fist Portgas D. Ace – Luffy's sworn brother and son of the late Pirate King Gol D. Roger – fought Blackbeard on Banaro Island for the latter's role in killing Thatch.

Emerging triumphant in the duel, Blackbeard handed Ace over to the Marines in exchange for becoming one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Now that Garp is in a similar situation where his life is at stake, or he could be handed over to the Cross Guild in exchange for a considerable bounty on his head, it's likely that Luffy will rush to help his grandfather.

Considering the World Government's diminished power and authority, it is doubtful that they would openly rush to save Garp, especially when one thinks of the animosity present between Garp and Akainu after what happened at Marineford.

That said, a last-ditch effort by Garp's SWORD loyalists is still quite possible.

Despite this, a match between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates has been in the cards for quite some time now, and what better reason is there than Garp's capture for Luffy to finally flex his newfound skills and push Gear 5 to the limit against the might of Blackbeard's twin Devil Fruit powers.

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