No doubt some of you have seen the theory running around that Usopp will defeat the Numbers due to this panel here, the idea being that Usopp lied about defeating 10 gargantuan creatures on his own.
Since I love the idea of Usopp turning all of his boasts into unbelievable realities, I came up with a scenario which turns this lie into truth all while demonstrating his growth as a sniper.Usopp Vs The Numbers
- Fact the First: Usopp’s lies have a tendency of coming true; we’ve seen it happen countless times in the series. This time, we focus on Chapter 222, where he tells Chopper that he was once able to defeat 10 giants/monsters on his own. This is the lie that needs to become fact.
- Fact the Second: Kaido’s crew is based on a deck of cards. Traditionally, a deck of cards has 10 numbered cards and 3 royal cards. We’ve already met the royals – Jack, Queen, and King. As for the numbers, as can assume there’s at least 10 of them because in Chapters 976 and 977, we overhear 4 of the Numbers laughing. One of them’s laugh is Jukikiki, Ju meaning 10. We also have a Hachachacha for 8 (this is clearly Hatcha, the only Number we’ve met); a Gokiki for 5, and Kunyunyu for 9. Since we already have 5, 8, 9, and 10, I don’t see a reason why Oda wouldn’t go for the full set.
- Fact the Third: We’ve seen the silhouettes of the Numbers in their transformed state. In this form, they look formidable and dangerous. However, when we get Hatcha’s design, his non-transformed state isn’t all that remarkable and doesn’t stand out in terms of design, giving the impression that he’s weak. Yet, we know Queen comfortably places the Numbers above Gifters in terms of strength but below the Tobi Roppo. Hatcha is also vying for the Tobi Roppo position Queen promised to open. So clearly they aren’t complete fodder; they just can’t compete with the likes of Luffy, Zoro, and Kid.
- Fact the Fourth: Usopp, in Franky’s Battle Shogun’s lower half, is currently running through a room full of “giants”. This means there’s a good chance he’s talking about the Numbers, likely in their non-transformed states. If they were in their transformed state, he’d have probably call them monsters or demons instead of giants.
- Fact the Fifth: In Dressrosa, we saw that Usopp was able to snipe a target across the span of an entire island, from the former royal plateau to the top of the flower hill.
- Fact the Sixth: Van Augur, Usopp’s potential 1v1 among the Blackbeard Pirates, was able to shoot down seagulls from such a distance that the crew wasn’t even able to see the island he was sniping from. This is important to mention because this is ultimately the level of sniping feat that Usopp needs to be able to one day accomplish.
The main assumption I’m making regarding the Numbers is the following: We are being misled with regards to their strength. I remember when Hatcha’s design was first revealed, people were largely disappointed because he seemed unimpressive compared to the large silhouettes we saw back in Act 2. Oda was also heavily focusing the Tobi Roppo at this time, likely so that our focus wasn’t on Hatcha and the still absent Numbers. However, by deliberately showing that Hatcha can’t handle someone of Luffy’s caliber, a lot of fans dismissed him — and therefore the other Numbers — as anyone substantial.
I believe them being dismissed as weak is a false assumption. I think the reality of the Numbers is that they are extremely powerful in their transformed form but, while in their regular state, they aren’t stronger than your average Gifter – which, to be fair, is still quite strong.
As such, I think Kaido’s ace in the hole regarding the raid is that no one knows the Numbers can actually transform. Much like how the Minks hope to transform into their Sulong form to take on Kaido, he could potentially command his Numbers to do the same and even things out. If the transformed Numbers are on par with the Mink’s Musketeers and Guardians in their Sulong form, it would make the Numbers out as incredibly powerful fighters.
However, the secret to them is that unlike the Minks, the Numbers are far weaker in their regular forms. Usopp, having seen them in 986, will either know this or figure it out. He’ll eventually come to understand that it’s imperative that The Numbers are taken out before they have the chance to transform. As a sniper, he’s most adept at this since he can take them out at a distance.
With all this said and done, here’s my Usopp theory:
In the climax of Wano, Usopp will use his newly developed Haki to snipe and defeat all 10 Numbers. He’ll be pushed by circumstances to force his Haki to bloom and he will end up creating a feat similar to Van Augur’s – sniping someone on an island while being on a completely different island. It’s by doing this that he will defeat the Numbers in their untransformed state and fulfill his lie that he can defeat 10 gargantuan monsters on his own.
This will continue Oda’s trend of having Usopp defeat opponents with seemingly overpowered or broken abilities (Perona, Sugar, and now all 10 Numbers) while keeping the running gag of his lies coming true.
*Theory by Therrester
