One Piece Chapter 1071: Why Garp is a great matchup against Blackbeard

One Piece Chapter 1071 presents a great challenge for Marshall D. Teach in the form of Monkey D. Garp.

Blackbeard made the risky decision to kidnap poor Koby and practically declared war on the Marines by doing so. Garp has made his intentions very clear in One Piece Chapter 1071. He's going to beat up Blackbeard and rescue his former trainee. Of course, that's much easier said than done.

Nonetheless, the Hero of the Marines has just the right skillset to go up against Blackbeard. Garp is among the very few who can deal with the latter's Devil Fruit powers after One Piece Chapter 1071.

Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.

---

There are a few reasons why Blackbeard would have difficulty fighting Garp after One Piece Chapter 1071

Haki is what determines the real winners and losers

Shortly before he was defeated by Luffy in the Wano Country arc, Kaido stated his belief that Haki is what determines the strongest fighters, not just powerful Devil Fruits. He specifically cited Gol D. Roger, a legend who conquered the entire Grand Line without any special powers.

It turns out that Garp is among the very few characters who could rival the late Pirate King. This speaks volumes about his power level in One Piece Chapter 1071. Let it be known that Roger could also evenly fight Whitebeard in his prime, despite the latter wielding a Devil Fruit that Blackbeard currently uses.

The Gura Gura no Mi may cause powerful earthquakes, but if someone like Roger can deal with that just fine, Garp should also be able to do the same. That's not to say it wouldn't cause trouble, but there is historical precedence for a character to survive it while only using Haki and nothing else.

---

Garp also isn't helpless against the Yami Yami no Mi

Blackbeard should be sweating at the prospect of fighting Garp after One Piece Chapter 1071. Since most fighters heavily rely on their Devil Fruit powers, Blackbeard often nullifies them with physical contact via the Yami Yami no Mi. However, this signature ability is useless against Garp.

Of course, Blackbeard can still use the dark vortex to consume everything via gravity. Regardless, he is not a natural born enemy to Garp like he would be to Devil Fruit users, so he can't pull out that particular trump card. Garp will always have full access to his powers, unlike Portgas D. Ace.

Blackbeard will have to use a different approach when fighting Garp after One Piece Chapter 1071. It can also be argued that his Devil Fruit is detrimental in this matchup. Blackbeard takes extra damage in battle since he can absorb painful attacks by accident, including Garp's devastating punches.

---

With that said, Blackbeard will likely win against Garp

There's a reason why so many readers believe One Piece Chapter 1071 is hinting at death flags. Narratively speaking, there's no way Blackbeard can lose against Garp before he eventually fights Luffy. The latter clash has been slowly built up over the course of a few decades now.

It's time for the newer generation to surpass the older one. Silvers Rayleigh said it himself back in One Piece Chapter 1059. Roger's strongest crewmate admitted that if Blackbeard continued his assault on Amazon Lily, Rayleigh would've been defeated due to his advanced age holding him back.

Garp might be a powerhouse in One Piece Chapter 1071, but he is no longer in his prime. Nonetheless, his potent Haki and lack of a Devil Fruit is the perfect counter to Blackbeard's cheap tactics. Garp will force the pirate to use dirty tricks or come up with a different plan altogether.

Disclaimer: All external media in this article are the property of their respective owners and Sportskeeda claims no ownership of the same.