Dragon’s Enemy In The Final War Is Stronger Than You Think

Throughout the entire Shonen anime genre, there is a common trend that sees writers introducing the strongest characters in their respective universes much later on in the story. Of course, this makes the most sense, since characters tend to get stronger over time and further along in the journey, and One Piece is no stranger to this, with most of the strongest characters in the entire world only being recently unveiled.

Because of this, almost all fans are in agreement over the fact that Monkey D. Dragon is going to be among the most powerful of them all, since he still hasn’t made his combat debut yet, meaning that Oda is deliberately saving him for the Final War. In this case, it’s safe to assume that his opponent during this conflict will, at least, be just as strong as him, so let’s take a look at the most likely adversary Dragon will face in One Piece’s Final War.

St. Marcus Mars Is Clearly Being Set Up As One Of The Strongest Villains

The Warrior God of Environment

• Mars will probably be Dragon’s Final War opponent.

It’s pretty clear that One Piece’s Final War will include some of the greatest fights between the strongest characters in the entire series. For this very reason, the fights in which the Gorosei take part are set to be the most important after Luffy’s ultimate battle against Imu, since these are the most powerful characters fighting on the side of the World Government.

For most of the Elders, their battles are already pretty clear, such as Zoro’s inevitable fight against V. Nusjuro or Shanks’ fight against Garling. Keeping this in mind, St. Marcus Mars is currently without a clear opponent, but it seems that the most likely one is set to be Dragon due to the visible similarities between the two. The clearest of these is their demeanor, since Dragon’s role as the leader of the Revolutionary Army has put him in charge of one of the most important factions in the world, so he has often been shown to be stoic and logical.

Although the Elders don’t have such a hierarchical system, since they all seem to be on the same level in terms of importance and authority, St. Marcus Mars has always stood out from his contemporaries as being a voice of reason, always staying calm and taking more of a leadership role within their ranks. He has often been the one to speak first and gives the impression of himself being the most level-headed, such as how he went around Egghead Island and asked many people about the location of where Vegapunk’s transmission was coming from.

Many have seen his demeanor and mannerisms and likened them to Dragon’s own, prompting them to believe that Oda may have subtly been building these two as an endgame match-up for years. Plus, another detail is the fact that Mars’ Yokai transformation, the Itsumade, is a dragon-like creature from Japanese folklore that can breathe fire, so fans have made that connection as well. However, this one leans on speculation much more.

Dragon is one of the most important figures in the entire world as the leader of the Revolutionary Army and is rumoured to be incredibly powerful too, so it’s only fitting for him to have an opponent who mirrors his strength and importance. None fit these requirements more than one of the Gorosei, as all the other allied parties of the World Government have already had their match-ups more or less confirmed. Due to the strength of these villains, it’s become increasingly clear that Oda has set their match-ups with Luffy’s most powerful allies.

Of course, none of this is set in stone and the Final War could throw a wrench into everyone’s speculation, as that would be something completely on-brand for Oda. However, many fan theories have come true over the course of the series, and this one seems like it will as well because of how much sense this fight makes. Only time will tell if fans are right about Dragon and Mars’ fight, but right now, it seems like the perfect one to make.

There Is Another Gorosei Who Fans Think Could Fight Dragon In The Final War

The Father of Shanks

• Some think Dragon vs. Garling could be a potential match-up.

Conversely, there are some fans who think that Dragon and Garling could potentially duke it out in the Final War. Again, the argument comes more from a thematic sense than anything else, since the fathers of Luffy and Shanks fighting in the Final War would be really cool to see, especially because they are on opposing sides even though their sons share a mentor-student kind of dynamic.

One funny thing that fans have noted is that they have another connection as absentee fathers in their sons’ lives. However, in all truth, this battle is highly unlikely since there aren’t many things forcing the two of them to fight, and that Garling’s endgame match-up will most likely be his son, Shanks. Though this could work, it would be far better for the story if Dragon ends up battling St. Marcus Mars.

One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll.