When Luffy becomes the Pirate King, who will be his Whitebeard? The two choices I’ve seen debated: Trafalgar Law and Charlotte Katakuri.
Now, for those unaware of what I mean by this, this argument refers to a scene that we witnessed during Whitebeard’s death. It showed Whitebeard and Roger, right before Roger turned himself in, sharing sake together and just chatting like old friends under the cherry blossoms.
Myself, personally, I think that Luffy’s Whitebeard will not be Law. Law will be something else. I think that Luffy’s Whitebeard is going to be Charlotte Katakuri. And here’s why:
Respected Enemies: Despite the memes, I don’t think that Katakuri will ever be Luffy’s ally, outright. They are enemy pirates with opposing allegiances and Luffy has already committed several violent acts against Katakuri’s most valued treasure, his family. No matter what, from what we’ve seen of Katakuri, he could never openly forgive that.
However, we’ve also seen the level of respect that the two have for each other. They’re worthy foes for one another and, much like with Roger and Newgate, I feel like this respect could leave to some form of civility down the line. If Luffy, after he completes his dream and gains more experience, decided that he should hand himself over for execution, I feel like he would want to sit down with the first real challenge he had in the New World and clear the air.
Family: Another reason I feel that Katakuri is destined to be the Whitebeard to Luffy’s Roger is the similarities between Katakuri and Newgate. Although their definitions of family may differ, the main theme is the same, if you mess with Whitebeard’s family, he’ll kill you. If you mess with Katakuri’s family, he’ll slaughter you.
Story-Based Themes of Succession: This is the most important reason why I think Katakuri will be the new Whitebeard to the new Pirate King. It has to do with subtle similarities between the Whitebeard and Katakuri characters. Their backgrounds are uniquely alike when you look very closely. Just take this sentence “A massively powerful young man, feared by those around him for strength and intimidation, uncaring of what people think of him, and with a major desire for a loving family to protect.”. Now, did I just describe Edward Newgate as a child, or did I just describe our favorite Mochi-Boy as a child? I know many people hate the idea of “prophecy” and people inheriting roles from the past rather than carving their own destiny. But, one of the main themes that has come through in One Piece is the idea of history repeating itself. Luffy isn’t Roger, and he isn’t trying to be, but their backgrounds are very similar. Katakuri isn’t Whitebeard, and I doubt he’s ever considered being anything like Whitebeard, but their backgrounds are also very similar.
*Theory by Feraligreater328
