One Piece: 10 Old Generation Characters Who Will Return In The Final Saga

The old generation of One Piece was a time of legends, where some of the most iconic and fearsome forces that the world has ever seen were freely roaming the seas. Some of the greatest pirates and Marines in history would routinely battle to see whether lawful order or sheer chaos would end up victorious.

This generation saw legends from both sides make their names in the history books due to their strength and status in the world. Although most of them have either perished or have gone into retirement, One Piece fans are convinced that many of them will somehow play a role in the Final Saga of the series, so let’s look at who the most likely candidates are.

10

Davy D. Xebec Had An Incredibly Mysterious Fate

Chances of Returning: Low

As arguably the most important character after Joyboy himself whose name has been lost to the annals of history, Davy D. Xebec, more commonly remembered as Rocks D. Xebec, was the most powerful pirate of the old generation. As the captain of the strongest pirate crew of the time, he made his name through many legendary endeavors and moments, most notably God Valley.

In the closing moments of the God Valley Incident, Xebec was Domi Reversi’d and fought against the combined forces of Garp and Roger, which led to all 3 being weakened and drained. From here, Xebec seemingly met a strangely unceremonious end at Garling’s hands, leading some to believe that he may actually be alive somewhere, maybe even in Elbaf’s Heaven Realm.

9

Sengoku Is The Old Generation’s Most Underrated Character

Chances of Returning: Low

One doesn’t rise to the level of Fleet Admiral without being an absolute powerhouse. Unfortunately, Sengoku is often underrated by fans of the series due to his sparing performances, but it should be remembered that he is spoken of as being Garp’s equal and one of the only two Marines whom Roger himself considered his rival.

Although he is alive and is still aligned with the World Government, Sengoku likely won’t return in the Final Saga on anyone’s side as a fighter, since his days of battling are behind him, and he has an honorary administrative role in the Navy. However, judging by his character, it’s quite likely for him to change his allegiance at the end, but he likely won’t play a meaningful role.

8

Golden Lion Shiki Is Still Out There Somewhere

Chances of Returning: Medium

As one of the most iconic and powerful figures of the old generation, Shiki the Golden Lion was a prominent member of the Rocks Pirates, and was strong enough to take on Garp and Sengoku simultaneously in a fight that leveled Marineford. Despite his resulting incarceration at Impel Down, he eventually escaped the legendary prison by using his flight-granting Devil Fruit.

In the canon of the story, Shiki is still out there somewhere, though no one has heard anything about him or what he is doing at the current moment. A prevailing theory places him as the elusive Man Marked by Flames, which actually makes a lot of sense, so Shiki may make his return as one of the franchise’s most important characters.

7

Big Mom May Currently Be Alive Beneath Wano

Chances of Returning: Medium

There is an unofficial rule among the One Piece fandom which states that unless a character is explicitly shown or stated to have died, they are likely still alive. With this rule in mind, there’s a decent chance that Big Mom still lives after being thrust into the heart of Wano’s Mt. Fuji volcano, which is where she was last seen.

Of course, her more probable fate implies that, even if she isn’t dead, she is likely out of commission for the rest of the story. However, judging by her innate strength and unparalleled durability, it’s quite possible that she will make her return towards the end of the series, perhaps with a specific endgame power-up.

6

Kaido Met The Same Fate As Big Mom

Chances of Returning: Medium

Just like Big Mom, the last time we saw Kaido was in Wano, where he fought against Luffy in one of the best fights in One Piece. Despite battling non-stop for many days before that and not even being fresh when he took him on, Kaido’s performance was incredible, forcing Luffy to awaken Gear 5 to push him down Mt. Fuji at the same time as Law and Kid did to Big Mom.

Ultimately, the same rule applies just as much to Kaido, as he was never directly shown or stated to have met his end here, only defeated. A very common theory suggests that he and Big Mom will return in the Final War atop the legendary Ancient Weapon Pluton, as they are now below Wano where Pluton is said to have been resting since the Void Century.

5

Rayleigh Will Be One Of The Greatest Allies

Chances of Returning: High

One of the most important people that Luffy and the Straw Hats met on their entire journey was the legendary Dark King Rayleigh, who was among the greatest masters of Haki that the world has ever seen and was even the Right Wing of the Pirate King. Because of this, Rayleigh served as Luffy’s mentor during the 2-year time skip.

Although he is very old and decades past his prime, he is assuredly going to return in the Final Saga, fighting alongside Luffy and the others. The main reason for this is that he knows the secrets of the world, and he recognizes Luffy as the man that his captain was waiting for, so he will play a necessary role in helping Luffy out in the end.

4

Scopper Is Already Helping In The Elbaf Arc

Chances of Returning: High

Just like Rayleigh, Scopper was one of the most important figures of the old generation and is one of the greatest Haki users that we have ever seen, particularly because of the damage he was able to inflict on Imu despite being quite old and relatively frail. However, unlike the others, Scopper is already an active part of the Final Saga.

At the end of Chapter 1191 of the manga, Scopper loses an arm fighting against Imu, rendering him incapable of using his twin axes and perhaps even taking him out of commission for the rest of the story. However, just like Rayleigh, his role in the greater story is crucial to the Final Saga and the final power boost that the Monster Trio need, so he is incredibly important.

3

St. Figarland Garling Is One Of The Greatest Enemies

Chances of Returning: High

One of the major figures who were active during the time of the old generation was St. Figarland Garling, the long-time Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights. In essence, he represented the strongest forces working on the side of the World Government with the exception of Garp, which is why he played such a pivotal role during the God Valley Incident.

Since then, Garling has been elevated to the status of Warrior God of Science and Defense within the ranks of the Five Elders. This means that he has gotten an insane power boost through Imu’s gifts, which probably also includes a Yokai form, making Garling one of the main villains that the heroes have to defeat at the end of the series.

2

Garp Will Help Luffy To Defeat Some Powerful Foes

Chances of Returning: High

The Navy and World Government never really had an answer to the pirates of the old generation, since Roger, Rocks and the others were far stronger than even the Admirals of the time. However, Garp and Sengoku were the only ones who were considered to be their equals, with Garp being one of the greatest masters of Conqueror’s Haki that history has ever seen.

As such, his strength is still remembered to this day, allowing him to take on the entirety of the Blackbeard Pirates by himself at the age of 78. Currently, Garp is captured by them but will almost definitely be released at some point in the Final Saga, upon which he will bring a legendary beating to some of the major villains of the franchise.

1

Gol D. Roger Will Return In Some Capacity

Chances of Returning: High

Throughout the history of the franchise, no single figure inspires as much awe and terror as the only man to be called the King of the Pirates; Gol D. Roger. As the captain of the only crew to find the legendary One Piece treasure, Roger singlehandedly started the Golden Age of Pirates atop his execution platform in order to bring Joyboy’s ancient plan to completion.

Of course, one of the most important moments in history was Roger’s public execution, so to say he will return is strange when he is famously dead. However, most fans speculate that he will return in some capacity at the very end, whether through his spirit, essence, or just by some inexplicable means in order to complete his story and to guide Luffy in some way.

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