One Piece Is About 70% Complete According To Editor

[Louis-1988]

Apologies if this has been posted already, but I looked and found nothing so…

On the July 17th episode of the late-night show Gold Rush, the eighth One Piece editor, Suguru Sugita, was interviewed by the show’s host Ken Watanabe. We have translated a transcription of that eight-question interview, including some discussion on the progress of One Piece and what we can expect to see next:

Q1: Is it true that author Eiichiro Oda only reveals the ending of One Piece to his editor?
A: Yes, it’s true. [He told me] about seven hours after I became his editor on the phone. He asked me whether there was anyone around. I told him no, and he said, “alright, I don’t have anyone around me either, so let’s talk,” and then he told me.

Q2: How far along is the story right now, percentage-wise?
A: He told me that the first part of the story, the part prior to the time-skip, was around halfway through. That was about 60 volumes, so maybe we’re at 70%? I don’t think it’s at 80% yet. Something like that.

Q3: Is it true that he’s decided not to write another long story after One Piece is finished?
A: He hasn’t decided, but he said he probably wouldn’t be able to write one. He’s already been going on for eighteen years, so just how old will he be by the time it’s all over? I think it’s more of a question as to whether he’d be able to write another long serialization after that, realistically speaking.

Q4: What are some of the rules you have to abide by as the editor for One Piece?
A: He asked me not to pitch him too many ideas. The reason behind that is that if it’s another person’s idea, then he won’t be as inclined to draw it. Because it’s his own story, he wants to draw his own ideas. Also, he wants to work on the manga on the same playing-field as his editor, so he asked me not to call him Oda-sensei, but instead Oda-san. And Oda-san also calls me, a 26-year-old newbie editor, “Sugita-san”. [He] also asks me to honestly tell him what I think.

Q5: What aspects of Eiichiro Oda do you think are “great”?
A: Of course there’s his talent, but what surprised me was just how much effort he puts into the series. There might come a day when I’ll have a new manga artist I’m working with who has more talent than Oda-san, but I’m not so sure anyone will put in more effort. He is someone who only sleeps for maybe two or three hours a night and he always thinks about his manga. He does not compromise. When he thinks that something isn’t funny or will not surprise the readers, then he just looks for something else, which I think is really amazing. He’s the quintessence of manga author-ness.

Q6: There’s also a rumor that his annual earnings exceed ¥3,000,000,000 (around US$24,000,000), but what does he spend his money on?
A: Hmm, well apparently he’s really gotten into grilling meat lately. He bought a barbecue and invited friends and his [past and present] manga editors over to his home. While barbecuing the meat he’ll say things like “I’m letting it rest on the grill” or “I’m gonna grill it one more time!” Oda-san also likes physical objects, so he collects figures of American celebrities and all sorts of stuff.

Q7: So his house is amazing too?
A: Yes. Oda-san often says: “I want to be what new manga authors dream to be.” That’s why he often jokes that he lives in a nicely built house and buys cool things so his assistants would think, “aaah, I should work hard and get drawing, too!”

Q8: Lastly, what kind of fun can we expect in the future for One Piece?
A: Well, now that we’re in the second half of the story, I think there will be more and more chapters that revolve around the main plot. The Four Emperors will also appear more in the story, so I think you’ll really enjoy what happens next!

Credits: http://onepiecepodcast.com/2015/07/20/working-with-eiichiro-oda-an-interview-with-one-piece-editor-suguru-sugita/
Original Source: http://getnews.jp/archives/1050895

It was chapter 691 back when Oda said the story was 60% complete, so that means every 230 chapters comprises 20% of the story. He's pumped out 103 chapters since that announcement, so "about 70%" is pretty accurate.

Great news! Sounds like we're going to start digging into the real meat & potatoes of the plot from here on out.

[joekido the Second]

We have a thread called Oda's Interview but thanks anyway and that's not very suprising to me

[Louis-1988]

@joekido:

We have a thread called Oda's Interview but thanks anyway and that's not very suprising to me

But this isn't an Oda interview.

[MasterKingJC]

You can tell the editor is guessing based on what Oda told him. Not even he is really sure. Take this with a grain of salt.

[flandrian15]

intereseting but I can't see it over 70% yet with the final war and the reveal of the ancient history, the defeat of the yonkous that needs to happen and all the craziness that the new world entails…

[Don Quichotte De Flamingo]

Yeah, we still have a huuge bunch of stuff to happen, people to meet and islands to visit.
Knowing how bad Oda is with predicting the lenght of his story you should see it with a smile.
Also when Doffy just got 100 chapters, how much do the yonkou get or the final war, that was said to be 2/5 of the whole story in the beginning.
But yeah, the tempo is going rapid and the big players now finally the focus, but the crew still has only spend two days on the NW, so that has to be fleshed out before they should come close to reaching Raftel etc.
I would guess by now, that we will come in at around 1300-1500 chapters in the end, depending if the great war will see many big players go down, or if we take them out one by one arc after arc as usual.

[Louis-1988]

@Don:

Yeah, we still have a huuge bunch of stuff to happen, people to meet and islands to visit.
Knowing how bad Oda is with predicting the lenght of his story you should see it with a smile.
Also when Doffy just got 100 chapters, how much do the yonkou get or the final war, that was said to be 2/5 of the whole story in the beginning.
But yeah, the tempo is going rapid and the big players now finally the focus, but the crew still has only spend two days on the NW, so that has to be fleshed out before they should come close to reaching Raftel etc.
I would guess by now, that we will come in at around 1300-1500 chapters in the end, depending if the great war will see many big players go down, or if we take them out one by one arc after arc as usual.

We could very well have 2 Yonkou fall within the next 200 or so chapters. Heck, Whitebeard was offed in less than 30. There are only 5 out of the 28 arcs in OP that have spanned more than 50 chapters, with Dressrosa being the longest at 95 and counting… I'm sure Dressrosa is an exception and not the new gold standard of arc length. The events of Dressrosa are probably the impetus that's setting up this final 350 ~ 400 chapter run. 1300-1500 would just be too much.

[Hiatus]

@Louis-1988:

Heck, Whitebeard was offed in less than 30.

Whitebeard was introduced in volume 25 and he was facing the marines, not Luffy. The Yonko sagas are going to be huge for obvious reasons.

@Louis-1988:

1300-1500 would just be too much.

That would actually give the manga a proper ending.

[Don Quichotte De Flamingo]

I hope Dressrosa is kind of an exceptions, but i highly doubt that the now coming big players will be defeated in "smaller" arcs like we got in the beginning for example.
Bringing the whole crew into an arc with each of them having to do something, fightsomeone already makes each arc blow up.
I think we sure get top players done together in some arcs (like Zoro defeating Kuma while Luffy defeats Kaidou((just for example))) but most of the big players Luffy will fight will have the focus on them for a longer time for sure.
Also add to that, what the other supernovae might do.
In the end Luffy will be the one who defeats the big guys he is supposed to fight (Kaidou/Big Mum/Akainu/BB) and Zoro his opponents (Kuma?!/Fuji/Shiliew/Mihawk) and only the rest might be optional to be defeated by others.
I am not sure about Sentamarou/Onigumo/Kizaru/the last shichibukai and Aokiji, who could go out in Oda knows which ways.
But i assume most of them will be SH or at least supernovae material and those fights also have to be presented and shown in my opinion.(actually having some supernovae vs big player fights would be damn cool)
Could be done quicker in a final war, but it can turn out either way.

[Louis-1988]

@Hiatus:

Whitebeard was introduced in volume 25 and he was facing the marines, not Luffy. The Yonko sagas are going to be huge for obvious reasons.

That would actually give the manga a proper ending.

They don't all have to have massive arcs spanning 100 chapters a piece. The main antagonists (2 Shichibukai, Enel & Lucci) of Paradise all went down in a span of 380ish chapters. 1500 chapters is just over overkill and isn't in line at all with the "about 70%" statement. If the manga spans 1500 chapters that puts us at just barely over 50% of the way though in actuality… no thanks. :getlost:

[Hiatus]

@Louis-1988:

They don't all have to have massive arcs spanning 100 chapters a piece. The main antagonists (2 Shichibukai, Enel & Lucci) of Paradise all went down in a span of 380ish chapters. 1500 chapters is just over overkill and isn't in line at all with the "about 70%" statement. If the manga spans 1500 chapters that puts us at just barely over 50% of the way though in actuality… no thanks. :getlost:

Do you really feel like we are going to see Raftel and the One Piece in 300 chapters? It really feels much, much farther to me, especially given the current pacing.

[Don Quichotte De Flamingo]

Okay let´s say around 1300-1400 chapters, so that you won´t have to stop the series because it´s becoming too long ^^
You almost make it sound like it would be a bad thing when it goes on longer and finds a proper space to end this grand epic.
I mean we all want to witness the ending of it all, but being patient is one thing you have to be while reading this manga…iam now reading this for 15 years and we just reached the last part the NW, so being unpatient will kill you

[Louis-1988]

@Hiatus:

Do you really feel like we are going to see Raftel and the One Piece in 300 chapters? It really feels much, much farther to me, especially given the current pacing.

Within 350~400 chapters, yeah, I can see it. That's a solid 8 more years of content that will put the series over a quarter century old at that point. Oda isn't getting any younger/healthier and the series has been on a slow decline since the height of the Marineford arc, so in my opinion it would behoove him to wrap it up sooner rather than later. I think a lot of people forget or underestimate just how much content can be covered over 400 chapters.

[Don Quichotte De Flamingo]

We still have the whole really big player stuff to happen and it was never like Oda was rushing from one big boss to the next.
We always got arcs like WP/LG/Drum/Yaya/LRLL/PH in between those arcs to have some breathing room and now having Zou as a nect destination just underlines this trend.
I would assume when we would sprint from one final villain to the next final villain we might reach Raftel in 300ish chapters, but that´s not being the case in OP,it seems unlikely that we will see the OP let alone the final war before we are way over the 1000 chapter mark.

Oda has now almost spend 18 years on this manga, iam pretty sure he will reach his 30th anniversary at least.
Saying his health may be a factor is true, but well he could get an illness anytime and seeing some other mangakas working non-stop for 40+ years….

[uniaka ikuzakas]

The way Oda doesn't rush things, I expect each yonkou that Luffy will have to deal with to get 100 chapters, even if I would guess more like 150 chapters in 2 arcs.

That if there won't be any real villains except them like warlords, marines and smaller pirates in between. So yeah, I expect at least another 300- 450 chapters only for the yonkous.

[TheGreatestSwordsman]

I'm going to go ahead with the idea that One Piece will still be done in about 15 years from now.

[LuffydaPirateKing]

@Louis-1988:

But this isn't an Oda interview.

rekt(sorry was just playing league of legends)

ty for this thread though. very cool to hear. How many chapters do we usually get a year, like 40ish? Looks like we still have years and years worth of content to go

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

i really hope we do get a proper ending. Not like some of these mantas where the final arc is done with and they give like 1 chapter of what everyones been up too. Would be cool to get an arc of whats king on after the big finale

[Don Quichotte De Flamingo]

Here you can see how many weeks Oda was on hiatus during the years.
You can do the math yourself how many chapters he published in each year then
[1997] 0

[1998] 0
[1999] 0
[2000] 0
[2001] 1
[2002] 2
[2003] 3
[2004] 3
[2005] 4
[2006] 3
[2007] 4
[2008] 4
[2009] 6
[2010] 8
[2011] 5
[2012] 6
[2013] 9
[2014] 9

[MiyamotoMusashi]

To be fair though, 2010 was the timeskip and the last 2 years, he was hospitalized. This year we are 3 chapters ahead of 2014 at the same time iirc, meaning we should get around 42 chapters this year.

[King Cannon]

@Don:

Here you can see how many weeks Oda was on hiatus during the years.
You can do the math yourself how many chapters he published in each year then
[1997] 0

[1998] 0
[1999] 0
[2000] 0
[2001] 1
[2002] 2
[2003] 3
[2004] 3
[2005] 4
[2006] 3
[2007] 4
[2008] 4
[2009] 6
[2010] 8
[2011] 5
[2012] 6
[2013] 9
[2014] 9

2015 will probably go back to 5-6. Oda had exams and surgeries during 2013 and 2014.

[Qaaz]

@King:

2015 will probably go back to 5-6. Oda had exams and surgeries during 2013 and 2014.

We are already past 5 breaks I think…

I lost my personal count somewhere between 4 and 5

[Robby]

Its just the editor guessing. 70% is probably about right (same with Berserk) but that still leaves it with another 10-15 years to go. Even early on when the series was on a 5 year plan, Oda-san figured the final arc would be a full 1/5 of the thing, so we know that's gonna be huge. I can't imagine the post raftel great war ancient weapons every character ever gets a final appearance drag down battles with Blackbeard arc taking less than three years. Hell, the battles on Enies Lobby itself was a full year, and that was just CP9 shmucks, not the final battles.

Oda-san is notorious about guessing his own pacing though. Even if he knows exactly how many islands and big events are left right now, he doesn't know how long that will take. Like he didn't know Skypeia was going to take 2 years, or that it would take years to get to the death of Going Merry, for instance.

Stories grow in the telling, and that fine. Long as we keep making progress.

[King Cannon]

@The:

We are already past 5 breaks I think…

I lost my personal count somewhere between 4 and 5

Like somebody said before, we are 3 chapters ahead from 2014.

Holidays don't count.

[Zach Logan]

@Robby:

Its just the editor guessing. 70% is probably about right (same with Berserk) but that still leaves it with another 10-15 years to go. Even early on when the series was on a 5 year plan, Oda-san figured the final arc would be a full 1/5 of the thing, so we know that's gonna be huge. I can't imagine the post raftel great war ancient weapons every character ever gets a final appearance drag down battles with Blackbeard arc taking less than three years. Hell, the battles on Enies Lobby itself was a full year, and that was just CP9 shmucks, not the final battles.

Oda-san is notorious about guessing his own pacing though. Even if he knows exactly how many islands and big events are left right now, he doesn't know how long that will take. Like he didn't know Skypeia was going to take 2 years, or that it would take years to get to the death of Going Merry, for instance.

Stories grow in the telling, and that fine. Long as we keep making progress.

You hit the nail on the head. Oda was saying we had around 10 years to go about two years ago, but we know how Oda is. He said it was half-way through in Skypiea, Enies Lobby and Marineford. I think we're safe to assume the series will not end until at least 2025-2030. Even if it's a few years less than that, that's plenty of time to enjoy _One Piece_​. Think about how old you'll be when it's over.

[Kaptayn]

I don't think that we should rely on the editor's estimations. Even though Oda seems to have revealed him the end of the story, I don't think that he told him about all the small (or even major) arcs between.
And there are chances that Oda-san comes out with new ideas along the way, or that some arcs take more time than expected (who would have thought that Dressrosa would be so long ?).

I personnaly just hope that One Piece lasts as long as possible, without losing quality along the way.

[Robby]

Even if from this point on, we ONLY saw places that have already been set up and teased as absolute must see spots, (and assuming Zo is a short breather arc to lead into Wano) and each arc was relatively short (at say a year, rather than the 2-3 that's more common for the bigarcs, and Wano has been set up for so long and as the likely Kaido arc, I have to imagine that'll be a biggie)…

Zo, Wano, Elbaf, and Raftel alone would be three-four years, plus 3-5 years for the final arc.

Nevermind other surprise islands yet to come, short breather arcs, the inevitable meeting of Davy Jones, views around the world, flashbacks, the reverie, whatever the fights with the emporers will actually entail, the new warlords, the revolutionaries... There's a lot to go yet, and at least 10 years seems totally right, and 15 is not at all out of the question. More than that I wouldn't mind but I really have to imagine it'll be winding down around that point and we'll at least be in the final arc by then.

(Hell, both Naruto and Bleach stretched their final arcs for several years full of nothing but lame fights. Naruto's final arc was 1/4 the entire series! Just imagine what OP with its actual plan and characters will entail!)

And for anyone complaining "that's too far off!" well... I can see that if you're currently in your teens or your 20's and thats equivilent to your entire life so far. But otherwise, its fine.

[SuburbanErrorist]

I wonder if I'm still alive in 10-15 years or what I'll be doing.

[genocyber]

I hope we get another 10 years out of One Piece before it ends.

[Game And Guy]

We know that Elbaf, Wano, a huge all out War, and Raftel are going to be arcs or sagas. We didn't even know that Punk Hazard as gonna happen, and to an extent, Dressrosa, though Doflamingo has been set up a very long time ago. With the arcs we already know are going to happen, all of which sound like they will be huge arcs, I won't be surprised if all the other arcs we don't know are gonna happen yet will push the series to 15-30 more years. Dressrosa is a good example of how some of these arcs going to take crazy long.

[Qaaz]

@King:

Like somebody said before, we are 3 chapters ahead from 2014.

Holidays don't count.

I know, I don't count Jump breaks

[joekido the Second]

http://lifestyle.sindonews.com/read/1026640/158/manga-one-piece-segera-tamat-1437998931

This is in Indonesian. Not sure if it's legit so biting my head off is not gonna help

[ThequotDquot]

2-3 hours of sleep per night???
I don't mind if One Piece goes on for 10 or 20 more years, but can Oda last that long with such an unhealthy lifestyle? :blink:

[Fuzzyy]

Started reading OP 1998, Never ever did i think i would still be reading it 17 years later, another 10-15 years? I dont mind

[Rogues' Gallery]

@Robby:

the inevitable meeting of Davy Jones,

Say whaaat?

Didn't Oda already reveal One Piece's version of Davy Jones as an old greedy pirate in an SBS, or was that supposed to be taken as a joke answer and we're gonna get treated to the real deal, Bill Nighy-style?

Care to elaborate, Robby?

[StrawHatJedi]

@Robby:

Even if from this point on, we ONLY saw places that have already been set up and teased as absolute must see spots, (and assuming Zo is a short breather arc to lead into Wano) and each arc was relatively short (at say a year, rather than the 2-3 that's more common for the bigarcs, and Wano has been set up for so long and as the likely Kaido arc, I have to imagine that'll be a biggie)…

Zo, Wano, Elbaf, and Raftel alone would be three-four years, plus 3-5 years for the final arc.

Nevermind other surprise islands yet to come, short breather arcs, the inevitable meeting of Davy Jones, views around the world, flashbacks, the reverie, whatever the fights with the emporers will actually entail, the new warlords, the revolutionaries... There's a lot to go yet, and at least 10 years seems totally right, and 15 is not at all out of the question. More than that I wouldn't mind but I really have to imagine it'll be winding down around that point and we'll at least be in the final arc by then.

(Hell, both Naruto and Bleach stretched their final arcs for several years full of nothing but lame fights. Naruto's final arc was 1/4 the entire series! Just imagine what OP with its actual plan and characters will entail!)

And for anyone complaining "that's too far off!" well... I can see that if you're currently in your teens or your 20's and thats equivilent to your entire life so far. But otherwise, its fine.

Yes, I agree with this completely. I even think 15 years might be a conservative estimate. At Oda's current rate that would be about 600 more chapters. Certainly a possibility, but I could see it going even longer, maybe even 800 - 1000. I'm not saying it will last that much longer, but as long as Oda is willing to keep writing, I don't think it would be a stretch. It depends on if he really goes all-out. At this point he doesn't seem to be holding back ideas and really I don't see any reason he should. One Piece is most likely to be his greatest work, so might as well make it as grand an epic tale as possible.

Consider that even if he only has three more major arcs in the New World focused on Kaidou, Big Mom, and Blackbeard that would be between 300 - 450 chapters. That's assuming Reverie, Return to Fishman Island, Wano, Elbaf, all conflicts with the Supernovas and Warlords, Raftel, the true history, etc. are all encompassed within those arcs with no deviation from that linear path, that none of them get more time or attention than Doflamingo. That would bring us to about 1200 chapters just to reach One Piece. Factoring in the final war as 1/5 of the total story, we reach 1500 chapters.

If anything, One Piece just keeps getting longer the more Oda writes. Unless he has a change of heart and grows tired of writing, I honestly think it could last beyond that factoring in for other surprises.

Personally, I'm of the opinion that Reverie will also be a major arc within the New World (possibly following a showdown with Big Mom and the destruction of Fishman Island when such an event would be most relevant), not a final war event.

[Doffy. D Evil]

@Robby:

**Even if from this point on, we ONLY saw places that have already been set up and teased as absolute must see spots, (and assuming Zo is a short breather arc to lead into Wano) and each arc was relatively short (at say a year, rather than the 2-3 that's more common for the bigarcs, and Wano has been set up for so long and as the likely Kaido arc, I have to imagine that'll be a biggie)…

Zo, Wano, Elbaf, and Raftel alone would be three-four years, plus 3-5 years for the final arc.

Nevermind other surprise islands yet to come, short breather arcs, the inevitable meeting of Davy Jones, views around the world, flashbacks, the reverie, whatever the fights with the emporers will actually entail, the new warlords, the revolutionaries... There's a lot to go yet, and at least 10 years seems totally right, and 15 is not at all out of the question. More than that I wouldn't mind but I really have to imagine it'll be winding down around that point and we'll at least be in the final arc by then.**

(Hell, both Naruto and Bleach stretched their final arcs for several years full of nothing but lame fights. Naruto's final arc was 1/4 the entire series! Just imagine what OP with its actual plan and characters will entail!)

And for anyone complaining "that's too far off!" well… I can see that if you're currently in your teens or your 20's and thats equivilent to your entire life so far. But otherwise, its fine.

So much stuff has to be addressed in the series but that also makes me a little worried about whether Oda can actually pull them off or not .

[Smudger]

@Robby:

Its just the editor guessing. 70% is probably about right (same with Berserk) but that still leaves it with another 10-15 years to go. Even early on when the series was on a 5 year plan, Oda-san figured the final arc would be a full 1/5 of the thing, so we know that's gonna be huge. I can't imagine the post raftel great war ancient weapons every character ever gets a final appearance drag down battles with Blackbeard arc taking less than three years. Hell, the battles on Enies Lobby itself was a full year, and that was just CP9 shmucks, not the final battles.

Oda-san is notorious about guessing his own pacing though. Even if he knows exactly how many islands and big events are left right now, he doesn't know how long that will take. Like he didn't know Skypeia was going to take 2 years, or that it would take years to get to the death of Going Merry, for instance.

Stories grow in the telling, and that fine. Long as we keep making progress.

Even if he commits to this schedule, I'd be surprised if he doesn't release mini stories after the series is complete to cover all the secondary characters missed during the finale, as cover stories have only succeeded in filling in the blanks of a handful of characters so far.

[Robby]

@Rogues':

Say whaaat?

Didn't Oda already reveal One Piece's version of Davy Jones as an old greedy pirate in an SBS, or was that supposed to be taken as a joke answer and we're gonna get treated to the real deal, Bill Nighy-style?

Care to elaborate, Robby?

For one thing, we already had the Davy Back fight… which as much as people label it as filler, was blatant foreshadowing if I ever saw it. That name? Those rules? Something that's just accepted among all pirates? That's a big deal and will come up again.

For another, Davy Jones is one of THE big things in all pirate stories, and actual ocean lingo in general, one of the most commonly thrown around terms. I can't imagine Oda won't deal with Davy Jones's locker in some way at some point.... though yes, PotC already did an iteration thats kind of what I'd expect Oda to do. They might not actually meet the man himself, but... we're going to get more on that eventually. It could always be a movie story I suppose, or something within a flashback. He's basically the Sailor's devil, so maybe he's connected to devil fruits, I dunno.

For a third thing, Foxy was one of the only arc enemies to NOT get a cover story chronicling further adventures of at least someone in the group (Krieg and Gin are the other, and we're supposed to believe they're dead) that we haven't heard anything at all from since, even though their new flag and Davy Back rules would make for easy cover story filler. Instead we went right from Geddatsu and then Enel to CP9. Given that Oda-san never throws any character away, Foxy is gonna have a big surprise later. (I always assumed he'd get absorbed into Buggy's crew, but...) Moria is one of the only others to not get a cover story, but we know what he, Perona and Absol all did after Thriller Bark and then we had a timeskip, so...

@Vongola_Boss_XI:

Personally, I'm of the opinion that Reverie will also be a major arc within the New World (possibly following a showdown with Big Mom and the destruction of Fishman Island when such an event would be most relevant), not a final war event.

No telling. But I think a collection of ALL the nobles including the folks of every country the strawhats have saved (and will save over the next few days/weels) really feels like a finale sort of thing. Especially with the integration of Fishmen as a topic, and thats something that won't be till the end.

@Smudger:

Even if he commits to this schedule, I'd be surprised if he doesn't release mini stories after the series is complete to cover all the secondary characters missed during the finale, as cover stories have only succeeded in filling in the blanks of a handful of characters so far.

Actually I just forsee Oda-san taking his time with the finale/epilogue. I'm sure every named character we've ever met will put in at least a cameo appearance during the final war, however many years of real time that lasts.

And failing that, a long ass epilogue that unlike the random 1 chapter Naruto flashforward, does a Decks of the WOrld to just cover everyone major and minor before finally showing what the strawhats themselves end up doing. (And the decks of the world coverstory was able to cover a fairly healthy portion of the good friends characters that won't be turning up in large roles, and it was what, 48 installments? That's a single chapter or two. (But of course he'd give more time to everyone's home villages… and all the reformed villains.)

[StrawHatJedi]

@Robby:

For one thing, we already had the Davy Back fight… which as much as people label it as filler, was blatant foreshadowing if I ever saw it. That name? Those rules? Something that's just accepted among all pirates? That's a big deal and will come up again.

For another, Davy Jones is one of THE big things in all pirate stories, and actual ocean lingo in general, one of the most commonly thrown around terms. I can't imagine Oda won't deal with Davy Jones's locker in some way at some point.... though yes, PotC already did an iteration thats kind of what I'd expect Oda to do. They might not actually meet the man himself, but... we're going to get more on that eventually. It could always be a movie story I suppose, or something within a flashback. He's basically the Sailor's devil, so maybe he's connected to devil fruits, I dunno.

For a third thing, Foxy was one of the only arc enemies to NOT get a cover story chronicling further adventures of at least someone in the group (Krieg and Gin are the other, and we're supposed to believe they're dead) that we haven't heard anything at all from since, even though their new flag and Davy Back rules would make for easy cover story filler. Instead we went right from Geddatsu and then Enel to CP9. Given that Oda-san never throws any character away, Foxy is gonna have a big surprise later. (I always assumed he'd get absorbed into Buggy's crew, but...) Moria is one of the only others to not get a cover story, but we know what he, Perona and Absol all did after Thriller Bark and then we had a timeskip, so...

No telling. But I think a collection of ALL the nobles including the folks of every country the strawhats have saved (and will save over the next few days/weels) really feels like a finale sort of thing. Especially with the integration of Fishmen as a topic, and thats something that won't be till the end.

Actually I just forsee Oda-san taking his time with the finale/epilogue. I'm sure every named character we've ever met will put in at least a cameo appearance during the final war, however many years of real time that lasts.

And failing that, a long ass epilogue that unlike the random 1 chapter Naruto flashforward, does a Decks of the WOrld to just cover everyone major and minor before finally showing what the strawhats themselves end up doing. (And the decks of the world coverstory was able to cover a fairly healthy portion of the good friends characters that won't be turning up in large roles, and it was what, 48 installments? That's a single chapter or two. (But of course he'd give more time to everyone's home villages... and all the reformed villains.)

Completely agree with you about Davy Jones.

As for Reverie, it would definitely make sense as a final war event. I guess I'm imagining it as a meeting of kings, but not necessarily the Celestial Dragons / Gorousei. At least based on the very brief flashback with Dalton, Wapol, and Vivi. All three are now poised to be in attendance at the same event in the present story.

This is probably just my own personal bias I guess. My rational would be as follows; I think all the Straw Hats will be at Raftel. I just feel like that's one event that any character that bears that title needs to be in attendance, otherwise it just wouldn't feel right. I strongly feel Jimbei will join and I still think Vivi's distinction among all other past allies as an 'honorary' Straw Hat is significant.

Considering these points, the only way Jimbei could join is if things have been settled with Big Mom / Fishman Island. As such, I think the Straw Hats will return to FI before Raftel.

I could see Reverie fitting into a transition point in the story where Luffy has defeated one of the Yonkou and now can sort of boast that title or may even be considered at that level himself. Some major fallout could occur where Shirahoshi's identity is discovered and Luffy throws his weight around to protect her. Ancient Weapons being a topic of conversation, I could see Alabasta and Pluton entering the equation. Perhaps the World Gov takes more of Alabasta, forcing Vivi aboard the Sunny. For some reason I'm still tied to the idea that she should be at Raftel if she's in any way, shape, or form a 'Straw Hat'. Considering she left for several years to stop Baroque Works, I could see her voyaging with the Straw Hats again as the times change, should a Pirate King be needed to solve Alabasta's problems.

This is all pure speculation / conjecture without much basis, so I could be way, waaay off and I'm sure Oda's version will be better than my theory.

I completely agree with you about Davy Jones though. It's interesting you brought up Gin / Krieg as well since we know Oda at one point planned to have Krieg return. I imagine he'll still throw Gin / Krieg back into the story at some point even in some minor role.

I really like the idea of a 'Davy Jones Locker' arc and the way Foxy spoke during the Davy Back Fight, he seemed to fully believe him to be a real person rather than a myth.

The idea of the final war storyline still seems so exciting, more so than anything else to date. I agree with your point about all characters returning in some capacity. I'm sure Oda will make it feel like a real war rather than the string of battles that comprised the final arc of Naruto…...and whatever the hell is going on in Bleach. My personal hope is that the final war will take the story completely off the rails leaving the Straw Hats to voyage to all 4 Blue Seas, not just the Grand Line and New World. I've always felt that the Straw Hats would accomplish their dreams individually rather than all at once. Luffy, Robin, and Franky all accomplish their dreams by reaching Raftel (in a sense), but I've always hated the idea that Chopper will miraculously discover plants that create a panacea, the All Blue will surround the island, Mihawk will show up for Zoro to defeat him, Nami will complete her map, Usopp will be brave, Brook will just hop on over to see Laboon real quick, and then they'll call it a day. Kind of hoping that the final arc / saga will be the segment of the story in which Sanji discovers All Blue, Zoro defeates Mihawk, Nami completes a map of the world, etc. It would be very satisfying to see the other Straw Hats accomplishing their dreams as the final battle is being waged around the world against the Government (presumably).

I also really like the idea of Oda going all out with an epilogue that spans the entire globe of One Piece.

[SuburbanErrorist]

@joekido:

http://lifestyle.sindonews.com/read/1026640/158/manga-one-piece-segera-tamat-1437998931

This is in Indonesian. Not sure if it's legit so biting my head off is not gonna help

Last volume has been created? What the hell

[Robby]

I'm sure Vivi will rejoin the strawhats, but given that her father is currently bedridden and she has to act as Queen rather than Princess… I dunno that she can just toss aside her duties so freely.

She'll definitely sail with the crew again, jut maybe not till the end.

I also can't see Luffy being officially considered a yonkou, not when he'll be taken as Pirate King before the end. He might unnoficially carry that sort of weight and allies, but in-story there just won't be enough time for that to really sink in, I don't think.

[SuburbanErrorist]

@Robby:

I'm sure Vivi will rejoin the strawhats, but given that her father is currently bedridden and she has to act as Queen rather than Princess… I dunno that she can just toss aside her duties so freely.

She'll definitely sail with the crew again, jut maybe not till the end.

I also can't see Luffy being officially considered a yonkou, not when he'll be taken as Pirate King before the end. He might unnoficially carry that sort of weight and allies, but in-story there just won't be enough time for that to really sink in, I don't think.

Luffy has no interest in being a Yonkou, If i recall correctly, YONKOU means four emperors?
Luffys aim is on the top. The Pirate King.

Even though Luffy might be equivalent to a Yonkou at some point in the story due to power and allies, I agree that there won't be time for it to sink in. Luffy keeps pushing forward dominating, emperors like Kaido are just sitting there building themselves up.

[MiyamotoMusashi]

@Robby:

I'm sure Vivi will rejoin the strawhats, but given that her father is currently bedridden and she has to act as Queen rather than Princess… I dunno that she can just toss aside her duties so freely.

She'll definitely sail with the crew again, jut maybe not till the end.

I also can't see Luffy being officially considered a yonkou, not when he'll be taken as Pirate King before the end. He might unnoficially carry that sort of weight and allies, but in-story there just won't be enough time for that to really sink in, I don't think.

He will certainly have island he saved wear his flag, that was already indicated at FI but like you said, the NW will be in chaos with more than one of the Yonkou being beaten, so i would even say the concept of Yonkou will simply disappear as the third great power.

I don´t know about Vivi to be honest, i can´t imagine her sailing with the crew before the end, the New World is simply too dangerous for that.

[The Spaceman]

I think the Emperors will still be a thing, as Law and Kidd (regardless of his impending curbstomp) seem like the ones likely to fill the position. I doubt Luffy will be considered one because of time. Big Mom, Kaido, and Shanks will all fall in quick, rapid succession (and with Fuji after the Warlords, there's probably an huge collapse in the balance of power coming (Revolutionaries make their move?)). There's going to be a huge vacuum of power soon, and seizing that seems to be what Law's and Kidd's alliances are after.

[Rogues' Gallery]

@Robby:

For another, Davy Jones is one of THE big things in all pirate stories, and actual ocean lingo in general, one of the most commonly thrown around terms. I can't imagine Oda won't deal with Davy Jones's locker in some way at some point….

To somewhat counter your point, the Flying Dutchman is a HUGE name in nautical mythology, the quintessential ghost ship of all ghost ships, and as well known as Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge….yet it turned out to be a relatively standard pirate ship in comparison to other ships we've seen such as Wapol's submarine ship, Shiki's flying ship, or Big Mom's candy ship, which were all much more uniquely detailed and visually intimidating. Vander Decken himself was a foolish goober who was written as an idiotic comedic villain to Hody's serious villain, and neither were much of a threat to the Straw Hats.

Likewise, the KRAKEN, perhaps THE most infamous sea monster (excluding the Biblical Leviathan) and a classical staple of pirate lore....ended up being this ridiculously cuddly and friendly creature that was easily tamed by Luffy. I had always imagined that the Kraken would be that gargantuan shadow that was behind Thriller Bark and responsible for the hundreds of missing ships, and what Oda gave us was far less impressive.

Both the Flying Dutchman and the Kraken are rich pieces of sailor mythology & history, and both were let-downs in the actual story, so I have my doubts that Oda is going to do something with Davy Jones in a big way.

@Robby:

For a third thing, Foxy was one of the only arc enemies to NOT get a cover story chronicling further adventures of at least someone in the group

What about Kuro? Anime cameo aside, we last saw his unconscious body being tossed back towards his crew, who presumably took him out to sea on their ship. We haven't had the slightest update on his whereabouts or what he's been up to in years, and I doubt that Oda wouldn't have a future revenge plan for the character he stated had the second highest intellect in East Blue beneath Benn Beckman.

[Robby]

@Rogues':

What about Kuro?.

Django was the arc villain we followed from that group. Same as following Hachi from Arlong, or Wasamatsu from Hody's gang. Kuro's dream is crushed and he's done, there's nothing TO see of him anymore… though I still expect to see him again for a panel or two maybe fighting the corrupt government at the end, ala Android 17 helping power up the spirit bomb.

Krieg/Gin, and Foxy, are the only arc enemies to not get any follow up.

(Though I suppose even there, Krieg's arc had us follow up on Fullbody becoming best buds with Django.... but he really wasn't allied with Krieg in any way... which REALLY leaves Foxy as the odd man out)

[Rogues' Gallery]

@Robby:

Kuro's dream is crushed and he's done, there's nothing TO see of him anymore…

How about calculated revenge against the only crew to ever cause one of his plans to fail? Retribution for the personal attack on his pride and intellect?

Arlong's dream of ever-lasting superiority over humans and Crocodile's goal of conquering Alabasta and gaining control over Pluton are crushed and gone, but they're going to undeniably make future appearances…

But barring a massive power-up, Kuro's abilities have been completely outclassed at this point.

[Qaaz]

Ummm about the Luffy being a Yonko thing after beat one….

Yonko is not some kind of title like the Shichibukai or King/Queen of England, it's some kind of "epithet" for the 4 current stronger Pirates on the world. They could be more or less it's not a fix number just Oda wanted 4 and it's some "epithet" that people have give to them. Blackbeard get the title not only because he beat one but b/c he got the areas that was under Whitebeard's protection and people named him Yonko b/c of fear. If Luffy beats Big Mom (for example) and get some areas like Fishman Island some people will call him a Yonko or/and just a Super Notorious Pirate. Even if Luffy wants the "title" of Pirate King (again not some official title) some people may call him Yonko for a while or maybe things will change and Yonkou will be over like Shichibukai soon or later

[Robby]

@Rogues':

How about calculated revenge against the only crew to ever cause one of his plans to fail? Retribution for the personal attack on his pride and intellect?

That's dumb. He was beaten, he crazy master scheme for retirement ruined, so he called it a day and went off to doing something, anything else. Revenge is for suckers.

Arlong's dream of ever-lasting superiority over humans and Crocodile's goal of conquering Alabasta and gaining control over Pluton are crushed and gone, but they're going to undeniably make future appearances…

Nope. Arlong is never showing up again. He actually killed someone on his own, so to the readers he just can't ever be redeemed or forgiven, he'll be in jail the rest of his days. He worked better as a legend to inspire Hody and his crew, and we saw how empty and futile that turned out.

ANd yes, Croc is clearly coming back, people obviously died because of him, but no one he personally killed on camera.

[Miss Saturday]

This really isn't anything surprising or new. We knew the timeskip marked the half way point in the story. 50%.

Since then, we've had Fishman Island, Punk Hazard and Dressrosa, three pretty big arcs, so it stands to reason we'd be about 65-70% done now. There's still a lot of loose ends and characters to tie up, but the story definitely seems to be winding down and starting to focus on key players and plot lines.