One Piece: Why the Cross Guild may free and recruit Doflamingo from Impel Down

The newly formed Cross Guild is one of the trending topics in author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda's smash-hit One Piece manga series. Born as the brainchild of three former Shichibukai, the Cross Guild is built upon the foundation of a mercenary company and criminal syndicate, with two of its three leaders having experience in both areas.

However, the reunion of Shichibukai via the group's formation has understandably piqued many fans' interest. While One Piece's once-mighty group has now been disbanded with the status of many of its former members remaining unknown, there is one ex-Shichibukai whose whereabouts are largely known.

Follow along as this article explains why One Piece's Cross Guild may free Doflamingo from Impel Down and attempt to recruit him.

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One Piece's Donquixote Doflamingo may finally get his revenge on Mariejois

Why would Doflamingo join?

Donquixote Doflamingo is one of One Piece's most beloved characters and arguably the most liked antagonist in the series. Starting from his backstory to his actions, he's consistently a fan favorite.

He's also been one of the most complex characters in the series, having been a Celestial Dragon initially. While he now promises to destroy both heaven (Mariejois) and hell (the world outside of it), there was a time where he expressed a desire to return, attempting to use some hidden knowledge.

This hidden knowledge is theorized by many fans and analysts to be incredibly significant in the series' story. As a result, fans suspect Doflamingo's departure from the underwater prison Impel Down to be just a matter of time.

With this in mind, Oda may have just introduced the means by which Doflamingo could escape prison. The Cross Guild's underworld connections will likely enable them to do whatever they can to free Doflamingo and have him join their ranks. It can range from breaking into the prison to working outside to free their former comrade.

The most significant connection between the two parties is their former status as Shichibukai, being extremely familiar with each other as a result. With Crocodile and Doflamingo specifically, we must remember their talk during the Marineford War of potentially teaming up with one another. While the former rejected the latter's proposal, the outcome may be different this time.

One of the more prominent reasons why the Cross Guild would be interested in bringing Doflamingo out would be for the reputation his name holds. Both in the pirate world and One Piece's shadier, black market underworld, Doffy's name carries plenty of weight. This could help the Cross Guild achieve some of their more complex goals and bolster their overall strength, power, and numbers.

From a narrative standpoint, there is a loose thread of the secret at Mariejois and the mystery surrounding Doflamingo's knowledge about it. By the time he left Mariejois at his father's behest, he was only a child, not older than 12. It's unlikely that he was meant to know much at such a young age, necessitating further explanation, which him being in Impel Down won't yield.

Knowledge of the Mariejois secret, as well as Crocodile's knowledge of and desire to obtain Pluton, could combine and make the Cross Guild a legitimate, third-party threat. This would establish them on a similar level of power and scale to the World Government and the Revolutionary Army, even potentially fighting at the series' end.

The hardest part, however, will be exactly how Doflamingo escapes Impel Down. The breakout that Buggy, Crocodile, and Luffy were a part of was only the second in the prison's history and was successful thanks to some extraordinary circumstances. Such conditions are likely inimitable.

However, the Cross Guild can help Doflamingo escape without them breaking into the prison. With the Marine bounty system in full swing, there are undoubtedly many Marines who would gladly assist the Cross Guild for their guaranteed safety. With this in mind, there could easily be a string of events that see Doflamingo being freed.

Unfortunately, this is all speculative, and there are no indications within One Piece that suggest such an event. The pieces, however, are present for when Oda decides to put them together whichever way he feels best.

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