One Piece Theory 104 (With Roger): The Supernova Rivalry

So many matches in the New World. Someone is bound to get burned.

Hello everyone, I am Roger, and welcome back to the fourth installment of One Piece Theory. This is where I look close into the latest developments of the grand epic that is One Piece, and through proper deciphering of the past, attempt to prophesize what may be ahead of our heroes (and villains) in the future. Very seldom are these theories guaranteed to read Oda's mind, as the man never seems to be out of surprises, but some critical thinking about a series no one knows for sure yet when it will actually end never hurt anyone now did it.

With the grand battle at Dressrosa finally put to our rudder, the stage is already being set for what feels like another war. And the catalyst this time? Looks like it may very well be the young blood that stepped onto Sabaody Archipelago 2 years ago.

On one side we got The Strawhats and the Heart Pirates aligning together. Then on another side we have the Kid, Hawkins, and Apoo Pirates aligning. Heaven knows how Bonney, Capone, Drake, and Urouge are going to fit into this equation, and perhaps only time will tell (though some could speculate that Drake has now joined Kaidou's army of Beasts). Their plans seem to be pretty clearly set. And then of course, this had to happen.

 

 

With Kaidou dropping in [literally] on Kid's domain, it appears there may be a wrinkle in both factions plans. So what happens from here?

Does the Kid alliance fight Kaidou and win? After all, Kid is looking to top Luffy, who just raised his bounty higher than Kid's after Dressrosa, but here is a Yonkou right in front of him, providing the chance to up himself again. My answer: Not likely. Oda has been building up the tension of Luffy and Law having to face Kaidou if they took out Doflamingo, and now that Doflamingo and the Smile Factory are out, this is the consequence of their actions. So if Kidd's gang conveniently takes out Kaidou now, all that tension would be for nothing.

Other option, does the Kid alliance fight Kaidou and lose? That would be a good way to show Kaidou's strength and make the tension of this monster facing Luffy even more intense if he already defeated one of his greatest rivals. My answer: Not likely either. Like I said, Kid is one of Luffy's greatest rivals, and they have been building him up even longer than Kaidou. It would be a huge letdown if Kid gets taken out before he and Luffy can officially have their own confrontation. It'd almost be like if Ash never got to have a Pokémon Battle with Gary (which, if I remember properly, they built up all the way into the Johto League).

Some would say that if the Kid alliance doesn't fight Kaidou here, THAT would be a letdown. To which I respond, not if it leads to more and better fights in the future. Kid is very rash and a bit over zealous in his actions (similar to Luffy in that regard), so it wouldn't surprise me if he'd be ready to jump in for a fight right then and there. BUT, that is why he has a very cool, collected first mate in Killer, who would jump in and make a more sensible call. Kaidou at this moment is calling out to Joker, meaning he is completely unaware of what has happened in Dressrosa. Killer can regale the news to Kaidou about what has happened to Doflamingo and the Smile Factory, and make it very clear that Strawhat and the Surgeon of Death are the ones responsible. Added to the fact that the one Yonkou that they are looking to take out happens to be someone Kaidou has already fought in the past, showing that they have common enemies. This is a quick, efficient way to throw Luffy and Law under the bus, they avoid a confrontation with Kaidou completely unscathed, and are therefore free to continue pursuing their original plan.

  

Now remember, among the Kid's Pirate Alliance is Basil Hawkins, who is a fortune teller. He can prophesize the probability of any situation he and his allies find themselves in. So their decision to go after Shanks was probably not a light one. He most likely weighed their chances of failure and success against all four of the Yonkou before they decided that Shanks was their most viable option.

So here is my theory. There will probably be a few arcs at Zou, Green Bit, and/or the Wano Country, make sure all their crewmates and allies are reassembled beforehand, but Luffy and Law's fight with Hundred Beasts Kaidou is coming soon...ish. It will happen, and it will be huge. A massive shift in power that, if Luffy and friends succeed, may end with Strawhat himself being crowned one of the Yonkou. However, while all this is going on, there will be an equally as massive battle in another part of the New World where the Kid alliance is going to war with Red Hair Shanks at the same time. Luffy is going to be completely unaware of this until both battles are complete, and there will be a super important newspaper article the World Government will release with a title reading:

Two Pirate Rookies Conquer Two Pirate Emperors!  

...Or something like that.

So this is the hard part. This is where I have to confirm to heart broken fans that if my theory were to come to fruition, am I in fact condemning Eustass Captain Kid to defeat, and perhaps most likely Kill Red-Hair Shanks, to which I must respond... yes. That is my theory. I am well aware that means the one moment that millions fans have been waiting so diligently for years to finally come (I am of course speaking of the reunion of Luffy with his childhood hero, fulfilling his promise to prove himself a great pirate and returning the straw hat), would now never happen, and would thus create a tragedy on par with the death of Portgas D. Ace. This is all true, and is all the more reason I feel it would make such a powerful story.

Obviously, as I make this theory, I assume Oda would be sure to give Shanks a proper sendoff that fans would be proud of. Show the fight between Shanks and Kid. Let Kid reveal his own tragic backstory (come one guys, you all know he has one) and what exactly it was that brought him to have very similar dreams as Luffy but to be extremely vicious and blood thirsty about them. Have Shanks give him a serious run for all his Berries and push Kid to his limits. Have Kid respect Shanks for putting up such a good fight. Kid can say something like no matter how powerful his opponents may be, he has fought through every seemingly unbeatable obstacle through sheer force of will, and that his ambition is more powerful than anyone's in the whole world. And then Shanks right before his life forfeits can give a little laugh and be like, "I think I know one guy."

And then, once the dust has settled from both battles, and the tsunami of sweat blood and tears from both sides finally dries up, the stage is already set for yet another battle. Cause when Luffy and Kid finally meet, it is going to be EPIC!!!  

It will probably be epic regardless.

And I believe that is enough speculation for one day. Clearly there are many variables yet to consider, as well as specifics for each situation. The slightest change can set the course of this story down completely different routes that I cannot yet imagine.

So One Piece fans, any theories on the Supernova Rivalry you care to speculate? Feel free to share in the comments below. And until next time. I'm Roger, and class is dismissed.