Each new chapter of One Piece has been jam-packed with shocking reveals and exciting payoffs for mysteries that have been on the mind of audiences for years. Chapter 1079 of One Piece saw Shank’s reveal his staggering power, but not before showing a ship with Blackbeard’s pirate flag approaching Egghead Island. If Blackbeard’s forces are indeed making their way to the same island Luffy and his crew currently reside on, a significant battle that’s been brewing for more than twenty years may soon arrive.

The Straw Hats May Fight Blackbeard Sooner Than Fans Expected

With the Blackbeard Pirates approaching Egghead, they would be joining the current chaos on the island, consisting of Luffy’s crew, The World Government, and a civil war between The World’s Smartest Man and herself. It’s presently unclear if Marshall D. Teach is on the boat approaching the island, as he was last seen fighting Trafalgar Law on a separate island. The ship sailing under the Blackbeard Pirate’s flag could be a scouting ship that’s part of the notorious pirate group’s fleet and could report information back to Teach. One way or another, this is a clear sign that Blackbeard’s and Luffy’s forces are preparing to clash.

Luffy & Blackbeard Are Much Stronger Than Their Last Meeting

Luffy and Blackbeard have been simultaneously growing in power and notoriety. Teach’s crew made their appearance first known with their attack on Drum Island, which would trigger King Wapol to meet Luffy’s crew and the eventual joining of Chopper. Eiichiro Oda finally introduced Marshall D. Teach, now one of the series’ most fearsome and disruptive characters, in a restaurant with Luffy, whose opposite tastes in food and drink caused tensions to soar into a bar brawl upon their very first encounter. Not long after that encounter, Blackbeard would set in motion the Paramount War and the deaths of Luffy’s brother and the world’s strongest man, Whitebeard.

The battle between The Straw Hat Crew and the Blackbeard Pirates has been long brewing. With absolutely devastating results, the powerful Devil Fruit abilities of Teach’s crew were on full display against Law’s Heart Pirates, which did not end well for Law if Blackbeard is making his way to Egghead Island. With Luffy and Teach’s paths to accomplish their dreams escalating and indirectly affecting each other’s lives, the two seem destined to fight before the One Piece series ends. With Oda teasing Blackbeard’s presence so close to Luffy’s location, it may happen much sooner than anyone anticipated.