Volume 97 Predictions/Discussion

[andre]

@theackwardstation:

This statement sounds kinda ambiguous to me… because while the message is that OP won't end in 5 years but only Luffy's adventure, Oda explains it as if the "greatest war" will happen before Laugh Tale (right after Wano) and it will streamline the ending.

So what exactly is supposed to happen after Laugh Tale and how long should it take?

Also… if the greatest war happens before Laugh Tale, is the True History supposed to be a plot twist to the events that just transpired?

I said that two pages ago and no one responded even though I can't imagine it reading it any other way.

[theackwardstation]

@Gia:

Honestly it sounds more like he is setting it up/escalating it after Wano, but not that the Final War is actually happening at this point. Essentially:

• Wano Ends
• Number of Arcs between Wano and Laugh Tale. In this timeframe Oda will setup the final war (read "it'll lead to a worldly development"), but not that it will actually happen.
• Laugh Tale happens, Luffy becomes PK (he potentially defeats BB here too considering Whitebeard told Blackbeard Roger was not waiting for him to change the world)
• Final War Begins.

This structure also just makes sense in the context of the story like @Jabra was saying and the fact that there is a huge volume of content that needs to be addressed, either prior or during the Final War.

Obviously this structure makes sense, but that's not what's written there. I don't know if it was poorly translated, or if Oda didn't explaint it right. Or if the other structure is what'll happen.

[andre]

Based on the translation we have, for whatever its grammar is worth, Oda is saying that the war will come right after Wano. If he said something else then they've failed at grammar.

[All Fiction]

@theackwardstation:

But that's exactly why it sounds confusing.

We have always assumed that the greatest war would be triggered after finding the One Piece, just like you said… but Oda is explaining it in the SBS like the war is coming before it. The order is inverted.

No? That's not how I read it, at least. I still interpret it as Oda saying that the Final War will take place AFTER One Piece is found. He said that Luffy's adventure ends when we find out what the One Piece actually is. And now in the present arc, if Luffy and crew manage to leave Wano safe and sound, it will result to a worldwide development leading up (including finding the One Piece in the lead-up) to that great war.

[Kuröwon]

From Drumz:

Orochi cover (Anon, from Tokyo)

–-------------------------

D: Please tell me the names and heights of the Oniwabanshu members! (P.N.: Crying Kyoshiro)

O: Sure thing. Don't worry if you can't memorize them. I threw in their special attacks too for good measure.

<< Left-to-right, Top-to-bottom >>

Fukurokuju: 221cm, "Earlobe Cracker"
Daikou: 436cm, "Metamorphosis"
Hanzou: 544cm, "Floating"
Sarutobi: 378cm, "Illusion"
Kazekage: 192cm, "Summoning"
Jigoku Benten: 225cm, ? (unreadable)
Fujin: 200cm, "Oil Wrestling"
Raijin: 200cm, "Oil Wrestling"
Bishamon: 182cm, "Water Droplet"
Chome: 150cm, "Paralysis"
Yazaemon: 180cm, "Arrow"

–---------------------------

D: Orochi has 2 really long teeth, doesn't that make it hard to eat? Please ask him for me!
O: Indeed, let's ask him.

Shogun Orochi, how is it? Orochi: Not at all! Chomp chomp chomp! See!?

O: Not at all, it seems!

Translated by Rainbow - TCB Scans

[Candide]

@andre:

Based on the translation we have, for whatever its grammar is worth, Oda is saying that the war will come right after Wano. If he said something else then they've failed at grammar.

But he still tries to set apart some "worldwide developement" and the big war. And I think it's safe to assume that finding One Piece and learning the true history won't finish a war but rather start it.

[DruMzTV]

@Raydjahs:

From Drumz:

Orochi cover (Anon, from Tokyo)

–-------------------------

D: Please tell me the names and heights of the Oniwabanshu members! (P.N.: Crying Kyoshiro)

O: Sure thing. Don't worry if you can't memorize them. I threw in their special attacks too for good measure.

<< Left-to-right, Top-to-bottom >>

Fukurokuju: 221cm, "Earlobe Cracker"
Daikou: 436cm, "Metamorphosis"
Hanzou: 544cm, "Floating"
Sarutobi: 378cm, "Illusion"
Kazekage: 192cm, "Summoning"
Jigoku Benten: 225cm, ? (unreadable)
Fujin: 200cm, "Oil Wrestling"
Raijin: 200cm, "Oil Wrestling"
Bishamon: 182cm, "Water Droplet"
Chome: 150cm, "Paralysis"
Yazaemon: 180cm, "Arrow"

–---------------------------

D: Orochi has 2 really long teeth, doesn't that make it hard to eat? Please ask him for me!
O: Indeed, let's ask him.

Shogun Orochi, how is it? Orochi: Not at all! Chomp chomp chomp! See!?

O: Not at all, it seems!

Translated by Rainbow - TCB Scans

edit Etenbobys corrections in, thanks

[theackwardstation]

@All:

No? That's not how I read it, at least. I still interpret it as Oda saying that the Final War will take place AFTER One Piece is found. He said that Luffy's adventure ends when we find out what the One Piece actually is. And now in the present arc, if Luffy and crew manage to leave Wano safe and sound, it will result to a worldwide development leading up (including finding the One Piece in the lead-up) to that great war.

"O: By "ending", I mean the juiciest part of Luffy's adventure.
Since that's when the mystery of "what is the One Piece?" is to be revealed.
Right now Wano is heating up, if Luffy is able to leave here in one piece, we'll get to a development that will engulf the entire world, the likes of which no one has read before - the greatest war in One Piece history. I said what I said so that the reader's hearts would be prepared, since it'll be such a long arc, and one that will really pin things towards the finish line. That being said, I'm really enjoying writing and drawing Wano right now, and am pumped to finishing it!"

It's impossible for me to not understand that the greatest war in One Piece history will happen just after Wano, the next saga. And it'll streamline the finish line, which I suppose is Laugh Tale.

[andre]

@Candide:

But he still tries to set apart some "worldwide developement" and the big war. And I think it's safe to assume that finding One Piece and learning the true history won't finish a war but rather start it.

it’ll lead to a worldly development , an exciting story no one has ever read, I’ll be drawing the “Biggest War” of OP history.

The grammar implies that the worldy development is the war. Based purely on what he's saying, there's no reason to think these things aren't related. It could be the translation, but the next person to translate it isn't far off from that understanding:

Right now Wano is heating up, if Luffy is able to leave here in one piece, we'll get to a development that will engulf the entire world, the likes of which no one has read before - the greatest war in One Piece history.
This translation actually even more strongly implies that the worldly development is the war (or is alongside it) The dash can only mean that the translator believes this development is the war, and all that Oda has said is that it is what will happen if Luffy can leave Wano in one piece. He doesn't say anything about arcs in between or a lack of them, only that the development/the war is coming after Wano and that One Piece will be found in 5 years. If there's ambiguity, it's with the story itself, but what he said seems pretty cut and dry.

[Gia Sado]

@andre:

Based on the translation we have, for whatever its grammar is worth, Oda is saying that the war will come right after Wano. If he said something else then they've failed at grammar.

It actually sounds like he is simply setting it up or starting it without Luffy and crew.

Guys, the final plotline is the final war, however its super unrealistic to think that the strawhats will be propelled into it immediately after Wano. It requires escalation, Oda pretty much says that after Wano, the story will "lead to a worldly development".

Its very likely the final war gets setup and starts, but without the Strawhats at first.

It took 3 arcs for the Reverie to be set up as an outside event, even though the strawhats were not part of it. Now imagine a world scale event even larger, but now you have to drag the main characters into it. Luffy still needs to finish his journey. Oda says this in the SBS. But he also says the story isn't even finished at that point. That should make it entirely clear about what he means.

[NightGrinder]

Japanese sentences can be pretty ambiguous, especially to a non-native speaker. Due to that, it is sometimes hard to fit them into "proper" english equivalents. I don't know the background of the current translator - it may be worth it to wait for a couple of other translations before drawing definitive conclusions. And even then, it may end up being ambiguous. Maybe intentionally so.

[All Fiction]

@theackwardstation:

Right now Wano is heating up, if Luffy is able to leave here in one piece, we'll get to a development that will engulf the entire world, the likes of which no one has read before - the greatest war in One Piece history.

Yeah, I'm interpreting that "Finding One Piece" is actually included in the development that will engulf the entire world.

[DruMzTV]

Kinemon cover
Kinemon: This design represents the meeting place.
Momo: Wrong!!
(Patrick, from Osaka)

–--------------------------------

D: Oda, I heard that a few months ago it was discovered that Page One's fruit model, the Spinosaur, actually swam in the ocean! I'm telling you this now, so you can-- wait, what!?!? You had already fixed it on chapter 983 to a tail with fins!?! Oh, c'mon! When I finally had some news to give... (P.N.: Yuchabin)

O: Oh, so you noticed it? Indeed, since Page One's introduction, they found a fossil part that is thought to be from a Spinosaur. And that changes his bone structure! I was caught in a bit of a pinch, but I thought I could sneakly change it and no one would notice, lol. Paleontology is making new discoveries every day!

---

D: The next person to join the Strawhat crew is actually me. (P.N.: Momo Daifuku)

O: Wait, really!? Such confidence... well, you are 12 afterall...

---

D: Rules are getting harsher all over the world, but I'm very grateful that there's no such thing here. By the way, is it okay if I sniff Nami's used towel? Her ninja outfit is so small, I worry about her. (P.N.: Sanadacchi)

O: Sanada!! Guards, come quick! Why did you let him in? Haven't I told you to kick him out already? There ARE rules here! One perv comment and you're out! This is a family corner here! Now begone, you!

Translated by Rainbow - TCB Scans

[Jabra]

@theackwardstation:

"O: By "ending", I mean the juiciest part of Luffy's adventure.
Since that's when the mystery of "what is the One Piece?" is to be revealed.
Right now Wano is heating up, if Luffy is able to leave here in one piece, we'll get to a development that will engulf the entire world, the likes of which no one has read before - the greatest war in One Piece history. I said what I said so that the reader's hearts would be prepared, since it'll be such a long arc, and one that will really pin things towards the finish line. That being said, I'm really enjoying writing and drawing Wano right now, and am pumped to finishing it!"

It's impossible for me to not understand that the greatest war in One Piece history will happen just after Wano, the next saga. And it'll streamline the finish line, which I suppose is Laugh Tale.

The key word is "development". Everything that happens post Wano will directly lead to the world-spanning war. It's not limited to just finding One Piece, but all the little things already set in motion. The Warlord system being abolished, the balance of power shifting beyond recognition (if we can still talk about a balance of power post Wano), the great cleansing, Imu etc.

Luffy finding One Piece might not even be the trigger for the war, but the reason why Luffy will decide to get involved.

[andre]

@Gia:

It actually sounds like he is simply setting it up or starting it without Luffy and crew.

Guys, the final plotline is the final war, however its super unrealistic to think that the strawhats will be propelled into it immediately after Wano. It requires escalation, Oda pretty much says that after Wano, the story will "lead to a worldly development".

Its very likely the final war gets setup and starts, but without the Strawhats at first.

It took 3 arcs for the Reverie to be set up as an outside event, even though the strawhats were not part of it. Now imagine a world scale event even larger, but now you have to drag the main characters into it. Luffy still needs to finish his journey. Oda says this in the SBS. But he also says the story isn't even finished at that point. That should make it entirely clear about what he means.

_"O: By "ending", I mean the juiciest part of Luffy's adventure.
Since that's when the mystery of "what is the One Piece?" is to be revealed.
Right now Wano is heating up, if Luffy is able to leave here in one piece, we'll get to a development that will engulf the entire world, the likes of which no one has read before - the greatest war in One Piece history.
I said what I said so that the reader's hearts would be prepared, since it'll be such a long arc, and one that will really pin things towards the finish line. That being said, I'm really enjoying writing and drawing Wano right now, and am pumped to finishing it!"

It's impossible for me to not understand that the greatest war in One Piece history will happen just after Wano, the next saga. And it'll streamline the finish line, which I suppose is Laugh Tale._ I'll let theawkwardstation speak for me.

[King Cannon]

@andre:

_"O: By "ending", I mean the juiciest part of Luffy's adventure.
Since that's when the mystery of "what is the One Piece?" is to be revealed.
Right now Wano is heating up, if Luffy is able to leave here in one piece, we'll get to a development that will engulf the entire world, the likes of which no one has read before - the greatest war in One Piece history.
I said what I said so that the reader's hearts would be prepared, since it'll be such a long arc, and one that will really pin things towards the finish line. That being said, I'm really enjoying writing and drawing Wano right now, and am pumped to finishing it!"

It's impossible for me to not understand that the greatest war in One Piece history will happen just after Wano, the next saga. And it'll streamline the finish line, which I suppose is Laugh Tale._ I'll let theawkwardstation speak for me.

Which is directly contradicted by the first sentence stating that the ending is not the ending.

[Sengokusgoat]

I think the 'very long arc that will stramline things towards the finish line' is actually referring to Wano itself.

Basically Oda brought up the 5 years thing so people don't start rolling their eyes when we spend 3+ years in Wano.

[theackwardstation]

@Jabra:

The key word is "development". Everything that happens post Wano will directly lead to the world-spanning war. It's not limited to just finding One Piece, but all the little things already set in motion. The Warlord system being abolished, the balance of power shifting beyond recogniton (if we can still talk about a balance of power post Wano), the great cleansing, Imu etc.

Luffy finding One Piece might not even be the trigger for the war, but the reason why Luffy will decide to get involved.

Makes sense what you're saying, and it might be exactly what happens.

But I do feel like this interpretation tries to force the statament into a preconceived notion that we already had instead of reading it in a more straightforward way.

[King Cannon]

@theackwardstation:

It's impossible for me to not understand that the greatest war in One Piece history will happen just after Wano, the next saga. And it'll streamline the finish line, which I suppose is Laugh Tale.

Isn't that line referring to Wano?

Oda already stated we would know more about what the ending entails once Wano is over.

[theackwardstation]

@King:

Which is directly contradicted by the first sentence stating that the ending is not the ending.

And that's why it's really confusing.

It reminds me of one of Oda's comments in a Jump Festa a few years ago that just didn't have a lot of internal coherence.

[All Fiction]

@theackwardstation:

And that's why it's really confusing.

It reminds me of one of Oda's comments in a Jump Festa a few years ago that just didn't have a lot of internal coherence.

I get what you mean. Japanese language can be like that.

This is also why people came to think that the arc that will make Marineford arc look cute compared to it was going to be Wano when Oda never specified it as such.

[KaidoBoby]

I think it wouldn't be bad to wait for the one piece podcast since they'll probably have Stephen to go through the SBS questions

[Gia Sado]

@All:

Yeah, I'm interpreting that "Finding One Piece" is actually included in the development that will engulf the entire world.

Whitebeard said it best:

"That will has been passed from long ago!! ..And in the future, someday "that" man will appear, bearing the weight of centuries of history upon his shoulders, to challenge the world!! I wasn't interested, but when someone finds that treasure, the world will be shaken to its core!!"

That RIGHT there should tell people:

• Luffy's journey
• Laugh Tale/One Piece/Pirate King
• Final War

Even Roger and Rayleigh hinted that they were "too early" in finding that treasure. Someone needs to find that treasure, i.e. present time, then "challenge the world".

[DruMzTV]

Apoo cover (Boss DJ, from Tochigi)

–----------------------------

D: Odacchi, pleased to meet you! The introduction of the Flying Six on chapter 978 was so cool, I just had to write in!
I'm sure many are asking the same question, but please, could you spare us the height, age, and favourite food of each of the Flying Six? (P.N.: Youki Genia)

O: Yeah, I guess. They have sure become a fan favourite, the Flying Six. Gotta give what the people want.
But please show some love for Queen too!

<< Left-to-right, Top-to-bottom >>

Who's Who: 336cm, 38yo, crab paella
Black Maria: 820cm, 29yo, skewed dango
Sasaki: 318cm, 34yo, asparagus
Ulti: 173cm, 22yo, twisted fries
Page One: 171cm, 20yo, nachos
X Drake: 233cm, 33yo, chicken rice

---

D: On volume 96 you introduced the main members of the Roger Pirates, and one character in particular you called Nozdon, but he had already been introduced on BLUE DEEP as Seagull. Now I can only think of him as Seagull... what do I do? (P.N.: Marine Captain Tobbi Ota)

O: Wait, what?! ....ohh, him? Ahh, heheh. Seagull Guns Nozdon, you mean? Yes, yes. Y-You can call him by whichever name you prefer... or even forget him outright. It's up to you.

Translated by Rainbow - TCB Scans

[fana]

It's getting obvious that there won't be anymore stand-alone arc and that we have basically entered an era of successive plot-ending arcs. Kinda like Gintama after a certain event happened.

We know that whatever happened to Sabo and Vivi will be major news to the crew when they leave Wano. And I wouldn't be surprised if the beginning of the war start there (the first battle not the final battle).

If either one of the two is in danger (or both), I think the next arc will have the crew go back to the beginning of the New World to save them and that would be the first spark to the war.

The thing I'm having the most doubt is that we will ever have an Elbaf arc. At least not the way people imagined it to be.

[Gia Sado]

@Jabra:

The key word is "development". Everything that happens post Wano will directly lead to the world-spanning war. It's not limited to just finding One Piece, but all the little things already set in motion. The Warlord system being abolished, the balance of power shifting beyond recognition (if we can still talk about a balance of power post Wano), the great cleansing, Imu etc.

Luffy finding One Piece might not even be the trigger for the war, but the reason why Luffy will decide to get involved.

This is exactly my line of thinking.

Its kind of exciting to see that we may be understanding this structure correctly with more concrete evidence now.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

@fana:

It's getting obvious that there won't be anymore stand-alone arc and that we have basically entered an era of successive plot-ending arcs. Kinda like Gintama after a certain event happened.

We know that whatever happened to Sabo and Vivi will be major news to the crew when they leave Wano. And I wouldn't be surprised if the beginning of the war start there (the first battle not the final battle).

If either one of the two is in danger (or both), I think the next arc will have the crew go back to the beginning of the New World to save them and that would be the first spark to the war.

The thing I'm having the most doubt is that we will ever have an Elbaf arc. At least not the way people imagined it to be.

Honestly, with how coy Oda was being about them in Chapter 956, I'm starting to think those 2 (and Hancock) aren't really in any immediate danger. Like with Ace it was either clear he pretty much lost when he fought BB. That battle "triggered" an incident. Reading in between the lines there made it easy. IMO, this is just another way of Oda doing what he did with Jinbe, a means to create intrigue and to setup future plotwork with the characters. I have entirely different theories about Vivi/Sabo/Hancock and I don't see them getting the exact same "captured" treatment Ace got, at least not yet.

[All Fiction]

@Raydjahs:

Fan: Is it true that One Piece is ending in 5 years?! …
Oda: The most exciting part of Luffy's adventure is over. The Wano arc is reaching its climax. After Wano-kuni, I will draw the "biggest war" in manga history. It will be very exciting...

Can you tell me who the fuck is the guy who did this (mis)translation? Everyone in twitter is now spreading this shit around thinking that Oda said "The most exciting part of Luffy's adventure is already over now" when what he actually said is "The most exciting part of Luffy's adventure, which is finding out what the One Piece really is, will be over in 5 years".

[andre]

@King:

Which is directly contradicted by the first sentence stating that the ending is not the ending.

There's nothing contradicting. Wano-Final War-One Piece-Other final stuff might be the actual order of it. I don't really know, but the translations we have now only seem to imply that order. I've mentioned the translations over and over because I'm not committing to Oda saying that, but it is precisely how it appears.

@King:

Isn't that line referring to Wano?

Oda already stated we would know more about what the ending entails once Wano is over.

Right now Wano is heating up, if Luffy is able to leave here in one piece, we'll get to a development that will engulf the entire world, the likes of which no one has read before - the greatest war in One Piece history.
How could that possibly mean Wano?

[All Fiction]

@Gia:

Whitebeard said it best:

"That will has been passed from long ago!! ..And in the future, someday "that" man will appear, bearing the weight of centuries of history upon his shoulders, to challenge the world!! I wasn't interested, but when someone finds that treasure, the world will be shaken to its core!!"

That RIGHT there should tell people:

• Luffy's journey
• Laugh Tale/One Piece/Pirate King
• Final War

Even Roger and Rayleigh hinted that they were "too early" in finding that treasure. Someone needs to find that treasure, i.e. present time, then "challenge the world".

Hmm, so I take it that after finding the One Piece, Roger had every intention of challenging the World Government to a world war, but couldn't because of his health. It's all up to Luffy now (who himself had his lifespan shortened by a couple of years already).

[Gia Sado]

@All:

Hmm, so I take it that after finding the One Piece, Roger had every intention of challenging the World Government to a world war, but couldn't because of his health. It's all up to Luffy now (who himself had his lifespan shortened by a couple of years already).

If you look at chapter 968, it definitely had to do with being too early for Poseidon's birth, so yeah. Though this might be only a part of it.

[Cockycent]

Not just Poseidon. The other "princess or prince" wasn't around either. I always lean back on Rayleigh's words. Dragon said the world is waiting for an answer and Rayleigh implied that the crew will have their own response to the knowledge gained. It's beyond just being a pirate, but at the same time relates to the core of what a pirate is.

The fact that there are some gaps in the journey to Laugh Tale that are fed to the audience shows that knowing the location isn't the end. So I don't know what it takes to get to Laugh Tale, I don't know what is required to do what is expected of a PK, post finding Laugh Tale and the crew is obviously not ready for the any of it. Yet, some wanted me to believe that 5 years to end the series was possible because Oda said it. This man is constantly adding onto his statements, even tho he clearly knows what he wants. Should have never made the attempt imo

[RevolutionaryOfThe6Paths]

So where do you think the foreshadowing at the end of Dressrosa takes place?

[Gia Sado]

@RevolutionaryOfThe6Paths:

So where do you think the foreshadowing at the end of Dressrosa takes place?

"That" has already begun. Kaido and BM were part of that speech Doflamingo gave, so are many of the Supernova. All of this is inherently part of the "battle" to dictate the world's future, just not the actual "Grand War" that Oda is specifying here. Hell, if you believe Blackbeard may battle Luffy for the PK seat and One Piece, even Blackbeard may not be part of that Final War.

[RevolutionaryOfThe6Paths]

No im talking about the chapter 800 foreshadowing with the Grand fleet

[Gia Sado]

@RevolutionaryOfThe6Paths:

No im talking about the chapter 800 foreshadowing with the Grand fleet

Ohhh, not sure lol.

[All Fiction]

@RevolutionaryOfThe6Paths:

So where do you think the foreshadowing at the end of Dressrosa takes place?

@RevolutionaryOfThe6Paths:

No im talking about the chapter 800 foreshadowing with the Grand fleet

I think the Grand Fleet is going to rescue Vivi, Hancock, and Sabo. Bartolomeo for one, knows full well that Sabo is Luffy's brother.

[FelRes]

Does Hancock really need rescuing? They sent a fellow Luffy fanboy of all people after her.

[theackwardstation]

Coby arriving at Amazon Lily and he sees this:

[Deicide]

@FelRes:

Does Hancock really need rescuing? They sent a fellow Luffy fanboy of all people after her.

It's not like Coby, a captain, is in command of a whole fleet to take down a hostile nation and a Shichibukai.
It's like in the Buster Call, in which the battleships were filled up with captains, and under the command of five vice-admirals.
Just because we only saw Coby I don't think there's any chance of he being able to take any decisions that wouldn't be viewed as treason at best.
And that if he actually finds out about Hancock's link to Luffy.

[FelRes]

@Deicide:

It's not like Coby, a captain, is in command of a whole fleet to take down a hostile nation and a Shichibukai.
It's like in the Buster Call, in which the battleships were filled up with captains, and under the command of five vice-admirals.
Just because we only saw Coby I don't think there's any chance of he being able to take any decisions that wouldn't be viewed as treason at best.
And that if he actually finds out about Hancock's link to Luffy.

Personally I kinda expect for them to quietly work together in some way, with it looking like she was captured. Or if she is captured, the Luffy link eventually pops up to change the situation's direction. It would just be too odd to me for that to not come up somehow.

[Captain M]

@NightGrinder:

Japanese sentences can be pretty ambiguous, especially to a non-native speaker. Due to that, it is sometimes hard to fit them into "proper" english equivalents. I don't know the background of the current translator - it may be worth it to wait for a couple of other translations before drawing definitive conclusions. And even then, it may end up being ambiguous. Maybe intentionally so.

Nuance? Patience? An awareness of intentional ambiguity? Get outta here, what kind of a forum do you think we're running? We need emotional, unprocessed knee jerk reactions and we need them now!

I wonder if the back and forth over this, and the uncertainty about how the resolution of the hunt for the One Piece lines up with the actual end of the series indicates that the final leg of the story will be structured different to any of the stuff we've seen before. Multiple plot threads happening all around the world and quick moves between locations with less of a clear arc structure. Hell, if the hints that Laugh Tale is in, under or around Mariejoa pay off, it might even be that the One Piece is uncovered during the crescendo of the war.

The only thing we can really say for sure at this stage is that Wano is the series' penultimate arc and everything after it is going to be endgame material. We may not get a better idea of what that endgame looks like until we've seen how much Laugh Tale/One Piece/Joyboy lore Oda actually intends to give away in the post-Wano cooldown.

[Randy1031]

@All:

I think the Grand Fleet is going to rescue Vivi, Hancock, and Sabo. Bartolomeo for one, knows full well that Sabo is Luffy's brother.

Leo and Sai are already at the Reverie. My theory is that they rescued Vivi after Cobra was assassinated.

Wapol will have outed her as a former pirate and now wanted, Leo and or Sai will be bringing her to Luffy using their vivrecard until she can return to Alabasta safely.

All this 5 years business with Oda at least has me relieved to know that after he finds the One Piece there will be much more story to tell.

@DruMzTV:

Anyone know the name of RandyTroy on APForum here?

Hey man!

[theackwardstation]

@Captain:

Nuance? Patience? An awareness of intentional ambiguity? Get outta here, what kind of a forum do you think we're running? We need emotional, unprocessed knee jerk reactions and we need them now!

The manga itself is hardly as ambiguous as these Oda's statements. I know that he doesn't want to reveal too much, but I don't think it's language getting in the way (although I'm wating for better translation of this SBS).

That Jump Festa announcement will never make sense as a cohesive piece of writing, though.

[Captain M]

@theackwardstation:

The manga itself is hardly as ambiguous as these Oda's statements. I know that he doesn't want to reveal too much, but I don't think it's language getting in the way (although I'm wating for better translation of this SBS).

That Jump Festa announcement will never make sense as a cohesive piece of writing, though.

Oh yeah, there's no question just from basic storytelling awareness that we're near to the end. It's just a matter of whether or not Oda lowballed his original and more recent 5 year estimates, and now, apparently, what he even meant by it in the first place. An improved translation, or even just a breakdown of what was translated and what about the Japanese made it so ambiguous, will be extremely helpful in this case.

[Gia Sado]

@Captain:

Oh yeah, there's no question just from basic storytelling awareness that we're near to the end. It's just a matter of whether or not Oda lowballed his original and more recent 5 year estimates, and now, apparently, what he even meant by it in the first place. An improved translation, or even just a breakdown of what was translated and what about the Japanese made it so ambiguous, will be extremely helpful in this case.

I think they are also referring to the fact that Whitebeard and Roger made it evident that whomever finds OP will challenge the WG, but not really before.

Yes, we can have endless discussions of whether or not we should take Whitebeard's words literally and in that order, or that the war won't happen organically.

Frankly, my argument is that Luffy and his crew's participation in said war won't happen until he finds One Piece. Not that the final war won't start before this.

In fact, I think the Revolutionaries, along with the incident with Alabasta, will already gain the traction needed to start a world war. This will be without Luffy's influence or participation, and this will go on for some time. Only until after Luffy finds out what One Piece is, what the Void Century and true history are, will Luffy rise up and fight the World Government. This is in complete alignment with Rayleigh's (Chapter 507), Whitebeard's (Ch 576) and Roger's (Ch 968) words. There seems to be an "order" to how this is supposed to be done. Rayleigh says they "shouldn't rush" to it. Maybe they shouldn't.

That said, Oda apparently is calling this final arc "long" from that answer, which in his case, meaning gargantuan, so it really doesn't matter anyhow.

Edit: And tbh, I dont see Oda shortchanging the Journey or taking away from it. If it takes 5 years to set up a monumental war, have Luffy travel the rest of GL, then sail to Laugh Tale, id sooner believe that than propelling him directly into another War directly after dealing with Kaido

[Captain M]

@Gia:

I think they are also referring to the fact that Whitebeard and Roger made it evident that whomever finds OP will challenge the WG, but not really before.

Yes, we can have endless discussions of whether or not we should take Whitebeard's words literally and in that order, or that the war won't happen organically.

Frankly, my argument is that Luffy and his crew's participation in said war won't happen until he finds One Piece. Not that the final war won't start before this.

In fact, I think the Revolutionaries, along with the incident with Alabasta, will already gain the traction needed to start a world war. This will be without Luffy's influence or participation, and this will go on for some time. Only until after Luffy finds out what One Piece is, what the Void Century and true history are, will Luffy rise up and fight the World Government. This is in complete alignment with Rayleigh's (Chapter 507), Whitebeard's (Ch 576) and Roger's (Ch 968) words. There seems to be an "order" to how this is supposed to be done. Rayleigh says they "shouldn't rush" to it. Maybe they shouldn't.

That said, Oda apparently is calling this final arc "long" from that answer, which in his case, meaning gargantuan, so it really doesn't matter anyhow.

Edit: And tbh, I dont see Oda shortchanging the Journey or taking away from it. If it takes 5 years to set up a monumental war, have Luffy travel the rest of GL, then sail to Laugh Tale, id sooner believe that than propelling him directly into another War directly after dealing with Kaido

Mmm, I'd say the war starting before the crew gets involved is pretty reasonable. There was a lot of Marineford setup happening out of sight while they were just messing around on Thriller Bark and it could definitely happen again here. Seems like a good, fairly likely idea.

Really the bottom line is that it'll take as long as it takes and we all agree that Oda doesn't tend to rush or shortchange things (you don't get to 1000 chapters by being a fast storyteller) but the exact path from here to end is anyone's guess. Everyone's got their own gut feelings about what is an isn't good storytelling and we're all trying to find our own way to what seems like a good way to get to the final destination. I don't want to get into too many back and forths because it is such a personal thing in that way. We've got a lot of scattered pieces, but very little concrete information on how they go together to work from.

[Gia Sado]

@Captain:

Mmm, I'd say the war starting before the crew gets involved is pretty reasonable. There was a lot of Marineford setup happening out of sight while they were just messing around on Thriller Bark and it could definitely happen again here. Seems like a good, fairly likely idea.

Really the bottom line is that it'll take as long as it takes and we all agree that Oda doesn't tend to rush or shortchange things (you don't get to 1000 chapters by being a fast storyteller) but the exact path from here to end is anyone's guess. Everyone's got their own gut feelings about what is an isn't good storytelling and we're all trying to find our own way to what seems like a good way to get to the final destination. I don't want to get into too many back and forths because it is such a personal thing in that way. We've got a lot of scattered pieces, but very little concrete information on how they go together to work from.

Touche. I do trust that he will reach the points of conflict organically.

I think once Wano actually finishes and we know where the story is actually going next, it'll be that much clearer to play out in our heads.

It'll certainly be interesting how he puts everything together that's for sure.

[theackwardstation]

To be clear, I don't have any intention here to force a specific way for things to play out. I'm really open for the ride to take me anywhere. I just think Oda's statement here is really confusing in regards to what he's referring to in some phrases.

It's like someone talking to you by using many wink winks in order to omit the dirty words, but expecting you to guess the words by context… and you just have no idea what the person is talking about.

[King Cannon]

Fukurokuju's secret technique makes me think he actually fights with his earlobes.

Does he swing them like whips?

[All Fiction]

The chapters focusing on whatever it is that the Grand Fleet does will be the "Duel on Banaro Island" of post time-skip. I can feel it.