I had an interesting thought once.. actually it was rather a scary thought, and I'm surprised at myself for coming across it so randomly… Plus the title 'last episode of One Piece' got me thinking about it again-----what if something happened to Oda (God forbid and no I'm not trying to curse him T__T...) and One Piece was left UNFINISHED?? Now, most of us know that Oda pretty much thinks up a lot of stuff on the fly and doesn't plan too much in advance, but shouldn't he have some sort of 'emergency ending' in mind in case something were to happen (again, God forbid, it's really depressing to think about) and he were unable to complete this fantastic series?
My thoughts really just run along the lines of 2 writers/creators, that really have no connection whatsoever but logically come to mind–and sorry if my logic seems screwy @_@:
1.) J.K. Rowling– she mentioned once in a documentary (ages before it was completed, mind you) that she had written the ending of Harry Potter and sealed it away in a safe so that no one could try and steal it, but I also believe for the purpose that if she were unable to complete it, it could be used to finish up the story.
2.) Sunao Yoshida– original author of Trinity Blood. After his death his good friend Kentaro Yasui helped complete the manga series, but was it something that Yoshida had begun to plot out, or did Yasui come up with it on his own? Did he end the series in a way that Yoshida truely would have wanted?
Truthfully this question of 'what if' can be posted towards any ongoing writer/manga-ka, but since One Piece IS so far one of the longest ongoing manga series AND most popular in Japan, shouldn't he have some sort of contingincy plan? I know it sounds silly, but if you really think about it… what would the ending of One Piece be like without Oda? Would it be what he wanted? Or would his successor just find the most acceptable way of making Luffy into the Pirate King quickly after wrapping up whatever arc he happened to be in? Or even worse, would it turn into something random along the lines of DB GT?
Again, I do not wish ANY ill thoughts for Oda at all and seriously fear any curse some sort of thread reply like this might inact searches for prayer talismans, but it's just some thought for you all to chew on. So, chew away.