I think we all have an idea of the finale of the story involving Luffy and all the allied forces of the world coming together to fight the World Government one last time, as a united front. But how exactly could this all come together?
After all, Luffy has never really viewed himself as this grand hero who must bring the dawn of the world despite this clearly being his role in the story. He has only ever viewed himself as a pirate and operated as such. His goal has always been to find the One Piece and become Pirate King, and while that will likely involve fighting the World Government in some way, it would still be a bit out of character for Luffy himself to be commanding a gigantic alliance of disparate forces. This is where three key characters could come into play. I am confident that Sabo, Koby and Vivi are set up to play very pivotal roles in One Piece Final Saga.
Similarities
I find it interesting that not only were Sabo, Koby and Vivi all reintroduced into the story during the Reverie arc, but all three of these characters are in dangerous situations and/or in need of help post-Reverie.
Sabo is one of the most infamous men in the world right now and is wanted for the murder of Nefertari Cobra, which he likely didn’t commit.
Koby was just revealed to have been kidnapped by the Blackbeard Pirates, and could even be sold off to Cross Guild for a bounty (though that’s obviously speculation).
Vivi has been on the chopping block since Imu and the Five Elders took interest in her, along with the fact that she has gone missing and her father was seemingly murdered.
Aside from all that, they are all fairly similar characters in a few ways:
- They all have a personal connection to Luffy and have known him since various “early points” in his life, with Sabo being Luffy’s brother since he was a child, Koby meeting him at the start of his journey in East Blue, and Vivi meeting Luffy and the Straw Hats at the start of the Grand Line.
- They all are level-headed, fan-favorite characters that most readers love. They have been portrayed to be fundamentally good, brave people who wish for peace above all else, each fighting for freedom in different ways.
- Each of them embodies a somewhat “ideal” version of the factions that they represent. Sabo is the ideal Revolutionary, a strong fighter who inspires freedom across the world as the “Flame Emperor” and is 2nd in command of the Revolutionary Army. Koby may not be the ideal Marine in the story since he isn’t that strong or prejudiced against pirates, but he is the most empathetic and truly caring Marine we have seen, which makes him the ideal in a sense. Vivi is set up to be a great leader, with a large part of her arc in Alabasta being learning the value of leadership and how she can best serve her people as a symbol of the nation, a role she may have to continue growing into as she mourns the death of her father.
- Finally, they all have personal experience with the evils of the World Government and have seen how badly it needs to be abolished or, at least, reformed. Sabo’s upbringing in the Goa Kingdom showed him how bad the World Nobles can be, and he was even scarred as a child by a Celestial Dragon before being rescued by Dragon himself. Koby was on the front lines of the Marineford war and was even nearly killed by Akainu before he was saved by Shanks, a pirate. Vivi had to enlist the help of pirates to save her kingdom from being destroyed by a civil war caused by Crocodile, a Warlord of the Sea employed by the World Government. It is also safe to assume she knows that the World Government covered up the Alabasta incident in order to save face.
Theory
So the main idea is that during the final saga Sabo, Koby, and Vivi will form a makeshift alliance to stop the upcoming Final War, which would likely involve the World Government fighting various allied nations and forces across the One Piece world. I would also say it is likely that each of these three characters will help mobilize all of the world’s forces against the World Government, and even help lead them in the Final War.
As mentioned before, all three characters have similar ideals and seek to improve the One Piece world, despite having completely different allegiances. If we assume that the “Great Cleansing” that the Five Elders mentioned in Chapter 908 comes into play, all of the various nations, allied forces, and factions of the world would be made aware of the evils of the World Government and finally be willing to fight back. However, they would likely need one last push to mobilize against the World Government and/or fight alongside Luffy, the Straw Hats, other pirate crews, etc.
At this point in the story, Sabo, Koby, and Vivi are all in highly compromised situations. It seems that Sabo is currently trying to contact the Revolutionary Army but there is no guarantee that they will be able to provide him much support. Koby is being held hostage by arguably the most dangerous man in the world right now. We have no idea where Vivi is or what her status is. It would make sense if, through some twists of fate, these three manage to come into contact and team up with each other. It would make even more sense if Sabo and Vivi’s disappearances were connected to a plot by the World Government, which would then spur Koby to assist them.
As for the finale of the series, rather than having Luffy command the forces of the Final War, I think it would make more sense for him and the SHtraw Hats to focus on their matchups, allowing Sabo, Koby and Vivi to lead the charge:
– Sabo could lead the Revolutionary Army and other independent allies;
– Koby could lead SWORD and potentially other sympathetic Marines who disaffect from the World Government over the course of the Final War (e.g. Smoker, Garp, Fujitora, X Drake, etc.);
– Vivi could lead the various nations across the Grand Line that are likely sympathetic to Luffy and/or have a grudge against the World Government (e.g. Alabasta, Water 7, Fishman Island, Dressrose, etc.).
*Theory by Smooth-Tear-65
