With the Wano Country arc coming to an end, One Piece has taken a giant leap towards its conclusion. The race for the legendary treasure, the One Piece, is heating up, and there are many people who would like to get their hands on it. For a long time, there was a possibility that One Piece did not exist, and it wasn't a treasure but something abstract. Whitebeard's final words at Marineford cleared almost all the doubts regarding the One Piece as an abstract thing could not shake the entire world, so it has to be something materialistic.
At the moment, the fans have no idea what the treasure could be, and this mystery won't be getting solved anytime time soon. In the past, there were debates that there would be a war in One Piece after the treasure is found, but Oda has reiterated that the story will conclude once somebody gets their hands on the treasure. So, the important question is, who is the closest to reaching the Laugh Tale?
The Worst Generation
The Worst Generation has continued to shock the world time and time again with their strength. In particular, three members of the Worst Generation stood out in the Wano Country arc. These were: Monkey D. Luffy, Eustass Kid, and Trafalgar Law. Kid and Law managed to get the better of Big Mom, and ended her reign as the Yonko.
They had to work hard to beat Big Mom, but Law's overpowered devil fruit came in handy. On the rooftop, Luffy was engaged in a gruesome duel with Kaido, a fight that would decide the future of Wano. While they were engrossed in their duel, a member of the CP0 snuck on the rooftop and distracted Luffy, which allowed Kaido to land a powerful hit. Kaido declared himself to be the winner of the fight, but he did not know that Luffy had awakened his devil fruit and that the fight was far from over.
With his newfound power, Luffy took down Kaido once and for all by sending him into a magma pit, where he rested alongside Big Mom. As the three crews started to leave Wano, Law gave Kid a copy of the Road Poneglyph, which made things even more interesting. Currently, the Straw Hats have three out of the four Road Poneglyphs, which puts them in the lead. The Heart Pirates and the Kid Pirates both have two each.
While it is true that Luffy has an advantage over his fellow Supernovas, Law and Kid seem to know about the "man with the burn scar," who according to Kid, gives them an edge over Luffy. It remains to be seen, who the mystery man is, and there are already several theories floating around. The most plausible explanation would be that the mystery man would be someone who has gone to Laugh Tale in the past, which narrows it down to the Roger Pirates. The prevalent theory is that it could be Scopper Gaban.
The Others
The members of the Worst Generation aren't the only ones who are after the One Piece. One of the biggest names, who is after the treasure, is Shanks. When Shanks sailed with the Roger Pirates, he didn't go to Laugh Tale as he decided to stay behind with Buggy, who was sick.
Since the Roger Pirates disbanded, Shanks has made a name for himself, and currently, he is arguably the strongest character in the series. In the final chapters of the Wano Country arc, Shanks talked to Ben Beckman about claiming the One Piece. It is safe to say that Shanks is not going to sit idly while others are trying to claim the great treasure. Judging from the manner in which Shanks talked to his right-hand man, it seems that Shanks doesn't need to collect the Road Pongelyphs, so he could just go to the Laugh Tale.
Another man who has been monitoring the incidents happening around the world is Marshall D. Teach, better known as Blackbeard. He managed to become a Yonko in a very short period of time, and it was down to his immaculate planning. He carefully schemed that he would become a Shichibukai by handing Luffy to the Marines, but he had to make adjustments after Ace tried to stop him. Nevertheless, Blackbeard ended up becoming a Shichibukai by offering Ace to the Navy, and then he proceeded to invade Impel Down with his crew.
Blackbeard stole Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi, which elevated him above most characters in terms of power. After the war, he went toe-to-toe with the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates and defeated them to claim the spot left by Whitebeard. Blackbeard has not been involved in the story in the last few arcs, but he has made appearances occasionally, so there is still a lot that the fans don't know about him, including his plans.
But, considering the fact that Whitebeard told him off at Marineford, it seems Blackbeard is also interested in the treasure. The location of one Road Poneglyph remains unknown, which has led to many believing that it might be in Blackbeard's possession. However, there is no concrete proof available, so it is reasonable to assume that Blackbeard does not have any Road Poneglyphs, which puts him at the very end of the chasing pack, but he is known for his cunning, so it is still early to count him out. When all is said and done, the people closest to Laugh Tale are Shanks and Luffy.