One Piece Already Confirmed Luffy Is Destined To Be The Pirate King

Since Gol D. Roger's death, pirates have been fighting to replace him as the Pirate King. The World Government now has its own idea on who it will be.

Outside of his crew and friends, few in the One Piece world believe that Luffy will actually become the King of Pirates. However, after Kaido's defeat, a new ranking of pirate power means Luffy's success makes him the most serious contender to that title, and even the World Government admitted it.

While Kaido may have held the rather infamous title of "Emperor of the Sea," the World Government actually gave him a lot of freedom of action. Chapter #1055 provided crucial context for that, while also showing where the future is headed for Monkey D. Luffy. The World Government thought coming after Kaido would have required an enormous outlay of funds. Being in command of one of the strongest forces in the world, engaging Kaido and the Beast Pirates in battle would require significant forces and the losses would be significant, regardless of the winner. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, as Admiral Ryokugyu (Green Bull) reveals, Kaido's actions meant that he wanted to keep Wano Country closed to the outside world, which was exactly what the World Government wanted.

The World Government Sees Luffy As The Main Candidate To Becoming The Pirate King

Luffy's defeat of Kaido completely destroyed the script the World Government had been following in regard to Wano Country, eliminating a known threat and replacing it with a radical unknown. With Luffy now in de facto command of Wano Country, anything was possible, including the opening of its borders. More importantly, in taking down Kaido Luffy presented a direct threat to the World Government by clearly demonstrating his potential to become the Pirate King: if Luffy defeated the creature they considered to be the strongest in the world, what could stop him from finding the One Piece and finally replacing Gol D. Rogers as the most feared and funded pirate in the world?

Thus, sending Green Bull to Wano Country to eliminate Luffy so soon after he beat Kaido reveals the World Government's belief that of all the pirates in the Grand Line, Luffy is the one destined to become the next Pirate King if he's not stopped. Surely enough, there may be other contenders after Kaido and Big Mom's demise, chiefly Shanks and Blackbeard. However, as far as the series has revealed, the World Government never made an open move against these two. This means that they not only fear and respect their power, but also don't consider them an immediate threat to the world order that Imu and the Five Elders have carefully built.

Luffy's Actions In Wano Made Him The Biggest Threat To The World Government

For so many years, the World Government refrained from moving against Kaido, most likely due to their mutual interests in regard to Wano Country. However, they also chose not to make similar moves against Shanks, Big Mom, or Blackbeard despite the fact that they clearly have the resources to go after the One Piece. Instead, they made Luffy their main target, possibly because he awakened his Devil Fruit and unveiled the power of Nika, which was one of the things that the Five Elders feared the most. The World Government's actions after Luffy defeated Kaido in Wano prove that, in their eyes, Monkey D. Luffy is the most likely candidate to finding the One Piece and becoming the King of Pirates