Recent events in One Piece following the conclusion of the Wano Arc have eliminated and added several key players to the final race towards Laugh Tale and Gol D. Roger's infamous treasure. More importantly, after spending a large portion of the series moving in the shadows, Shanks has also finally expressed his interest in the One Piece, raising the stakes even higher. However, who's closest to Laugh Tale and the treasure rests on where the fourth Road Poneglyph is and who finds it first.
The location of the final Road Poneglyph is one of the many mysteries in One Piece. All that is known about the final Poneglyph is that it was last seen at Fishman Island during Roger's journey to Laugh Tale that was later moved elsewhere. That said, Oda has hinted at three possible locations in the special booklet Road To Laugh Tale — Elbaf, Fullalead, and Vira. Now that Blackbeard and Shanks have acquired Law and Captain Kid's Poneglyph sheets following the recent battles at Winner Island and Elbaf respectively, which of these three islands holds the final Road Poneglyph is key to determining who currently has the most Poneglyphs and is closest to finding Laugh Tale.
Blackbeard Possibly Has Three Poneglyphs
Following the battle against Law at Winner Island, Blackbeard has most likely gotten his hands on Law's copies of the Poneglyphs from Zou and Wano. Moreover, considering his attack on Whole Cake Island Blackbeard may possess a copy of Big Mom's Road Poneglyph as well. If the final Poneglyph is truly at Fullalead then Blackbeard could possess all four Road Poneglyphs. He could easily be the closest to Laugh Tale considering he has also taken Pudding hostage who has awakened her third eye, and with it, the ability to decipher the Poneglyphs. Blackbeard having the final Poneglyph could also conveniently set up the long-anticipated battle between the Blackbeard and Luffy for the title of the Pirate King.
One argument for the final Poneglyph being on Fullalead is that it would explain why Blackbeard was so eager to gain control of Fullalead, even at the risk of going up against the fearsome Wang Zhi, the former boss of Fullalead, former Rocks Pirate, and a man speculated to be the "man with the burn scar" mentioned in chapter 1056 and chapter 1081.
Shanks Has Two Poneglyphs, But Could Be the Closest
Shanks currently has copies of two Poneglyphs — the one from Whole Cake Island and the one from Wano, which he acquired after annihilating the Kid Pirates at Elbaf in chapter 1079. That said, Shanks is easily one of the front-runners in the race to Laugh Tale, and could easily acquire all four Poneglyphs if the final one is truly at Elbaf as speculated. Having accompanied Roger for much of his final journey 25 years ago, Shanks not only knows about the Poneglyph at Zou but also likely has a general idea of where Laugh Tale is. Needless to say, the Poneglyph at Zou is his for the taking assuming he has a way to find Zunesha.
Shanks also accompanied Roger to Fishman Island, as seen in chapter 967, and could have easily moved the Road Poneglyph there to Elbaf with help from the giants. Shanks possessing the final Poneglyph could explain his confidence in being able to claim the One Piece in chapter 1054, especially if he already has a general idea of where it is and has only been waiting for the right moment to do so. However, the only hole in this theory is the aforementioned man with the burn scar. While Jaguar D. Saul who was revealed to be well and alive on Elbaf with many burn-scars from the Ohara incident, Saul does not seem to fit the rest of the description of the mysterious man, especially his violent nature and all-black ship.
Regardless, even if the last Poneglyph is indeed at Elbaf, it seems unlikely that Shanks will simply hand it over to Luffy, further setting him up as the final hurdle for Luffy to overcome towards becoming the King of the Pirates.
Luffy Has Three Poneglyphs
At present, Luffy has three of the four Road Poneglyphs, these being the ones from Whole Cake Island, Zou, and Wano. Although the crew is finally set to head to Elbaf, it seems too convenient for them to stumble upon the last Poneglyph at Elbaf so soon after finding one at Wano. However, Luffy could still get his hands on the final Poneglyph first if Dragon and the Revolutionary Army have it and have hidden it at Vira.
Of the three locations hinted at by Oda, very little is known about Vira other than it is an island in the Grand Line that staged a rebellion and overthrew its rulers with the help of the Revolutionary Army two years ago. If the final Poneglyph is indeed at Vira, then the man with the burn scar could be none other than Dragon. Not only would this create an excellent chance for a reunion between Luffy and Dragon, but would also effectively explain several mysterious surrounding Dragon since his introduction to the series.
Dragon's mysterious face tattoo could be a branding mark instead of a tattoo or could be covering an older burn mark. Moreover, his ship, the Wind Granma, has also always been shaded in dark colors in the manga, and fits the description of the all-black ship rumoured to belong to the man with the burn scar. However, the most incriminating piece of evidence is Dragon's supposed ability to control the weather which could very well create the ocean vortexes said to drown any ships that get too close to the mysterious all-black ship. All things considered, Dragon fits the bill the best but his possible agenda behind stealing the last Road Poneglyph is yet to be revealed.
Either way, only time will tell who the man with the burn scar truly is, where the last Poneglyph is, and who will be the first to find it. Regardless, Luffy seems destined to face both Shanks and Blackbeard in due time and although One Piece is nearing its end, it seems that plenty of adventure might still await before the Straw Hats can set their sights on Laugh Tale.
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