User blog comment:Ghmorello/Chapter 925: The King And Queen Of Thanksgiving/@comment-24850639-20181126161025/@comment-7614831-20181126230434

I would view Catarina as more Nami's opponent, as their respective (though fundamentally different) abilities to change forms, and even their choice of weapon (pole v. spear) suggest a contrast which I think will be played out throughout the ultimate Blackbeard/Straw Hat conflict.

Agree with you on Catarina's devil fruit being broken, though it is something of a surprise in terms of a devil fruit that one would totally associate with Wano (as opposed to Tama's, say) being introduced in this arc...outside of Wano. Throw into the mix Gekko Moriah, a character with a well established grudge against both Kaido and Luffy, and the beginnings of a potential appearance from both Catarina and Moriah as rogue entities sent by Blackbeard, in a way not disimilar to Burgess' appearance in Dressrosa, starts to feel plausible. In fact, I would not be surprised if it became something of a fixture in the overall plot if future arcs were equally blighted by the appearance of other members, or at least allies (such as Kuzan in the Punk Hazard arc), of the Blackbeard pirates (almost akin to the narratival build up of the Baroque Works organisation).

I love your point about Blackbeard's up-to-the-minute information, and the implication that there is some sort of spy, if not outright traitor, amongst either the Beast Pirates or, more disturbingly, the Straw Hat alliance supplying Blackbeard with the particulars of the situation is really, really intriguing (that, or some kind of scrying technique/fruit under Blackbeard's command, but that wouldn't be so juicy a plot twist now, would it? -_-)

Oh my lord, that lady in Samurai Champloo o_0