This One Piece Figure Shows [SPOILER] Defeating Black Beard

Warning! Spoilers for One Piece’s ‘Battle of Marineford’ arc lie below:

It’s not odd for One Piece fans to wonder how the series could have changed if Portgas D. Ace hadn’t died. The pirate was a undeniable favorite, and his fiery personality hugely influenced Luffy D. Monkey as the two grew up as adoptive brothers. Still, a series of events did lead to Ace’s untimely death, but One Piece isn’t afraid to explore what might have happened if one tipping point had gone a different way.

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You know, like if Ace had beat Marshall D. Teach at Banaro Island.

Over on Reddit, an image of one decked out One Piece collectible is making the rounds. The picture, which can be seen below, shows Ace standing over the blackened body of Black Beard as he pours wine over the villain’s toasted chest. The figure is one that pays homage to a popular ‘what if’ scenario fans created which imagines what would have happened if Ace did beat Black Beard before the Battle of Marineford took place.

One Piece fans will be familiar with the explosive Duel at Bonaro Island. The conflict is one of the anime’s most visual spectacular encounters, and it shows fans why Ace and Black Beard were feared pirates.

After years of searching, Ace finally finds the Black Beard pirates on the tiny island and seeks to defeat his former crew mate. The pair were part of White Beard’s pirates years ago, but Marshall Teach abandoned the ship after he killed a comrade for their Yami Yami no Mi fruit. Ace’s battle against Black Beard was an intense one, but he did lose in the end. The loss gave the Marines the chance to put up Ace for execution, and they marched the pirate to Marineford where he ultimately died.

If Ace had beaten Black Beard at Banaro Island, the pirate would have been made untouchable. His status as a Shichibukai would have put serious pressure on the Marines, and Ace would have likely avoided his death during the Marineford saga. So, for now, fans can only look at this stunning figure and wonder what all could have been.

Viz Media’s synopsis for One Piece can be read below:

As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates. But his life changed when he accidentally gained the power to stretch like rubber—at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years later, Luffy sets off in search of the One Piece, said to be the greatest treasure in the world…

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Eiichiro Oda began his manga career in 1992 at the age of 17, when his one-shot cowboy manga Wanted! won second place in the coveted Tezuka manga awards. Oda went on to work as an assistant to some of the biggest manga artists in the industry, including Nobuhiro Watsuki, before winning the Hop Step Award for new artists. His pirate adventure One Piece, which debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1997, quickly became one of the most popular manga in Japan.