Events in the Final Saga of One Piece have reached a fever pitch, with the latest chapters of the manga leaving fans stumped on how the current state of events all over the world will impact the future of the series. Chapter 1088 saw the Marines from SWORD 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, the news of Garp's capture spread across the globe, alongside the revelation of a siege on Egghead Island, where the Emperor of the Sea, Straw Hat Luffy, had barricaded himself in the laboratory of Dr. Vegapunk. In Chapter 1089 of One Piece, it was revealed that the Straw Hats had subdued Vegaunk's satellite York, who had betrayed the scientist and struck a deal with the Five Elders in order to attain the status of a Celestial Dragon. Considering the state of affairs with Garp, who is now in the custody of the Blackbeard Pirates, the odds of Luffy rushing to his grandfather's aid, and taking on Blackbeard in the process, are plausible, to say the least How this will actually play out is anyone's guess.

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The Hero Of The Marines In Jeopardy

After disobeying orders from Marine Headquarters, Garp rushed to Hachinosu, the base of the Blackbeard Pirates, to save his student Koby. The young Marine Captain and member of SWORD had given himself up instead of the Marines who had journeyed to the island of Amazon Lily to apprehend the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock. With Helmeppo and a few other Marines in tow, Garp made a dramatic entrance on Hachinosu, where he leveled much of the city with a single devastating attack, showcasing his real strength for the very 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 played by Blackbeard's troops, one of whom masqueraded 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 had been hiding with his Suke Suke no Mi powers, took his chance to attack. To Koby's fortune, Garp noticed this and took the attack himself in his student's place. Gravely injured, Garp directed his subordinates to overcome the Blackbeard Pirates' attacks, but was himself left behind in very bad condition. Newspapers from the following day would declare him missing in action, leaving his current fate unknown.

Blackbeard's Schemes In Motion

An opportunist to his very core, Blackbeard has always been scheming to facilitate his ascent to the top of the pirate world. Beginning with his murder of Thatch to gain the Yami Yami no Mi, his raid on Impel Down to build a strong crew, and finally, his theft of Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi following the great pirate's death during the Summit War of Marineford, Marshall D. Teach has repeatedly displayed his proclivity to gain power through underhanded means. This is in direct contradiction to someone like Luffy who will only accept victories that are earned.

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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 who had left Wano Country following the Raid on Onigashima which saw the defeat of Big Mom and Kaido. While Teach was successful in beating 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.

Additionally, Blackbeard was also attempting 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 regarded as a hero the world over — in their hands, he possesses even more leverage to parley with the World Government and get what he wants.

Luffy's Resolve To Protect His Family

What Blackbeard has not accounted for in his current line of scheming is Luffy's immense growth in power after his battle against 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, the Fire Fist Portgas D. Ace — Luffy's sworn brother and the son of the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger — fought Blackbeard on Banaro Island over 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 hangs in the balance, or he may be handed over to Cross Guild in exchange for the sizable bounty on his head, it is likely that Luffy will run to his grandfather's aid. Considering the World Government's diminishing power and authority, it is doubtful that they will openly rush in to save Garp, especially when thinking of the animosity present between Garp and Akainu, following what transpired at Marineford.

That being said, a last-ditch effort by Garp loyalists in SWORD is still quite possible. Notwithstanding this, a match up between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates has been in the cards for quite a while now, and what better reason is there than Garp's capture for Luffy to finally flex his newfound abilities and push Gear 5 to the limit against the might of Blackbeard's twin Devil Fruit powers.

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