This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.

One Piece’sFinal Saga has set up quite a lot of exciting events for the fans to follow, all of which eventually lead to the Final Island, Laugh Tale. As fans know already, the Final Island and theOne Pieceare going to be the most significant part of this segment of the story, which is precisely why those on the quest for theOne Pieceare especially important in this part of the story.

Oda has made it quite clear that Luffy is one step away from becoming the Pirate King, evident from the fact that he has three ofthe four Road Poneglyphs. However, he has many rivals who are quite close to attaining the treasure as well. In fact, Oda has already revealed Luffy’s biggest rival when it comes to theOne Piece.

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Luffy Is One Of The Four Emperors Of the Sea

When it comes to theOne Piece, fans know very well that there are only a handful of individuals who can rival Luffy to claim it. This might have sounded preposterous a few years ago, but now, it is the reality, especiallyafter Luffy took down Kaido. To get to the Final Island and claim theOne Piece, one needs four Road Poneglyphs, and Luffy has already acquired three of them. He got his first Road Poneglyph on Zou, where the Minks handed it to him on a silver platter. Meanwhile, for the second Road Poneglyph, he had to work incredibly hard after infiltrating Totland. His third Poneglyph was the most difficult to acquire as it required him to take down Kaido, something he successfully managed.

I’m Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King! — Luffy

Right now, Luffy is one step away from claiming greatness, and that’s what makes his journey so impressive. But, Luffy isn’t the only man close to the One Piece. There are others out there who want this treasure and have made significant advancements in that regard.

Blackbeard Is Luffy’s Greatest Rival Right Now

Blackbeard Is Gunning For Glory In His Own Way

While Luffy has many rivals, especially in the Worst Generation, the biggest rival that he has currently is none other than the Yonko Blackbeard. Just like Luffy, he was a part of the Worst Generation, and is now one of the Four Emperors of the Sea.Blackbeard is extremely powerfuland there is no denying that. In terms of hunger, he aims even beyondOne Pieceas he wants to be the King of the World. But, to do all that, he needs Road Poneglyphs, and it seems he’s acquired them.

Our desire? The world! — The Blackbeard Pirates in Egghead

He has the Road Poneglyph from Wano,and that’s thanks to Trafalgar Law. He should also have the Zou Poneglyph, given that Law saw it and likely took a copy, just like the Straw Hats. When Kuzan went to Whole Cake Island in Big Mom’s absence, he kidnapped Pudding, but it is also likely that he stole the Road Poneglyph that Big Mom had. This means that he’s on equal footing with Luffy.

Blackbeard Vs Luffy is inevitable and Oda has been setting him up to be one of One Piece’s Final villains, and at the same time,Luffy’s greatest and most formidable rival.

One Piece Chapter 1155 will be out this week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on July 20. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1155 is June 18, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free onManga Plus.