Here are some characters who might not make it at the end of the One Piece story.
One Piece’s Wano arc marked the conclusion of the long Yonko Saga that spanned over half of the post timeskip, and with that, the manga is finally entering its final saga as Luffy approaches the final island, Laugh Tale.
One Piece usually does not feature a lot of deaths, and so far, only a couple of major characters have died after the timeskip, such as Izo, Shutenmaru, or Pedro from the Yonko saga. However, the Final Saga is the endgame of the story and with it, most characters will conclude their character arcs. As such, Eiichiro Oda, the author, could choose to kill off more characters, even if it isn’t in his nature to do so.
7/7 Blackbeard
Marshall D. Teach is a recurring antagonist throughout the One Piece series, ever since his first proper introduction in the Jaya arc. Following this arc, his actions led the story into the Summit World Saga that shook the world of One Piece with the deaths of Yonko Whitebeard and the son of Gol D. Roger, Portgas D. Ace.
Blackbeard is a character that has been set up to play a major role in the final saga as an antagonist to Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy isn’t the type to finish off his opponents but it’s fair to assume Blackbeard will meet his end one way or another.
6/7 Sabo
Sabo is a character the readers were introduced to at first in the post-Marineford arc, where fans got to witness Portgas D. Ace and Monkey D. Luffy’s childhood in the East Blue. There, it was discovered that Luffy had a second brother, Sabo. As fans know, Sabo was perceived to have died but was later revealed during the Dressrosa arc as being alive. During this time, Sabo had risen to the Revolutionary Army’s Chief of Staff and their Number 2, after Monkey D Dragon.
Sabo was believed to have died during the Reverie while rescuing the enslaved former Warlord, Bartholomew Kuma from Marigeoise. Recently, Oda confirmed that Sabo had survived, however, shortly after, he was struck by Imu and his fate remains unknown.
5/7 Monkey D. Dragon
Monkey D. Dragon is the father of One Piece’s protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, as well as the son of Marine legend, Monkey D. Garp. He is the head of the Revolutionary army and one of the most wanted men. With all that said, he is a very mysterious man with little known about him.
As the Revolutionary army infiltrated Marigeoise to save their cammarade, Bartholomew Kuma, the group also declared war on the Celestial Dragons, meaning it’s a matter of time before Dragon goes into action during the final saga. He could very well die to accomplish his goals.
4/7 Usopp
Usopp is a member of Luffy’s Straw Hat Pirates crew and acts as their marksman. He is one of the first few people Luffy recruited back in the East Blue and has, since then, accompanied Luffy on his journey despite some conflicts and disagreements here and there. With the end of Wano, Usopp has come close to death on a few occasions, most recently in his attempt to fight the Tobi Roppo, Ulti, and Page One.
Usopp’s dream is to become a great warrior of the sea and this conflicts with his cowardice and deceiving nature. One way he could realize his dream is by sacrificing his own life. He is also symbolized by the number 4 in the crew, being the 4th member to join, and it is a number used to represent death.
3/7 Akainu
Sakazuki, also known by his epithet of Akainu, is the current Fleet Admiral in the Marines, having taken over after Sengoku retired. He fought for the position with Aokiji on Punk Hazard. Akainu is a cold and heartless individual who only cares about one thing: Absolute Justice. He can be so ruthless as he doesn’t mind killing innocent people if he deems fit, with Ohara being the prime example where he struck down the ships of the civilians.
Most notably, during the Summit War in Marineford, he was the one to end Portgas D. Ace’s life. After reaching the Fleet Admiral position, he relocated the headquarters of the Navy to the New World to prepare for the new pirate age and conflict that will arise during the final saga. It wouldn’t be shocking if someone managed to kill Akainu for everything he’s done.
2/7 Shanks
Red Hair Shanks is one of the 4 Emperors of the Sea, making him an extremely infamous pirate in the One Piece world. He is the man who set Luffy on his path to becoming the King of the Pirates by entrusting him with his Straw Hat.
Shanks bears a scar on his face which could just be a taste of his fate to come. Indeed, even though he is a Yonko, a clash with Blackbeard led to his face being scarred. This leads a lot of people to believe that Shanks will die at Blackbeard’s hands in the final saga.
1/7 Imu
Imu is an extremely mysterious individual that has been introduced in the story only very recently during the Reverie arc. This individual is someone who sits on the Empty Throne in Marigeoise, having even the 5 Elders bow down to them, marking them as the character with the highest authority in the World Government, or even the entire world.
Imu is sure to be properly introduced during the final saga at some point as, so far, only their silhouette has been seen. It’s not unlikely that to truly free the world from the grasp of the World Government, Imu will have to die – perhaps at the hands of the Revolutionary Army.
Src: gamerant.com