@StrawHatJedi said in How much time do you think is left before One Piece ends?:
I don't think Laugh Tale will directly follow Elbaf; Geographically, the Straw Hats aren't even in the second half of the New World. That isn't to say the New World is only half finished chapter / story wise, but it just doesn't seam realistically they can then sail all the way to the end without stopping after Elbaf.
I still expect Lodestar and Fullalead will be visited along the way, and it seems unlike Oda to outline all the places the Straw Hats will visit in the latter part of the New World long before they arrive. I still feel like there could be at least one completely out of the blue location thrown in for good measure. Maybe someplace like Vira could work for example, though equally possible there could be a location we haven't even heard of.
I think Egghead probably has 20 - 30 chapters remaining, taking us through most of 2024. I give Elbaf 80 - 100 chapters; Not Wano length, but not short either. I'm thinking WCI / Dressrosa length seems about right. Egghead & Elbaf alone already take us into the 1200 - 1250 range if my estimates are correct. Which brings me back to my standing estimate of about 1500 total chapters, accounting for the fact that the final battle alone is inevitably going to outlast Onigashima's 80 chapters. In terms of major flashbacks / backstories, we still need the God Valley flashback - which will probably double as a Shanks / Blackbeard backstory (and maybe Buggy). There's almost certainly some important history on Elbaf, especially considering the lifespan of the Giants. And of course the JoyBoy / Void Century flashback, which I can't imagine will be shorter than Oden's 14 chapters. Plus other backstories Oda will likely want to fill in before all is said and done.
I think Egghead is over pretty soon, we are approaching the climax and could be done in 10-15 Chapters. The real question is where we will head next and what the cutaways will reveal after Egghead is over. If we more or less beeline to Elbaf, fair enough. But there have been hints at Hachinosu and to a smaller extent Vira, and many players havent settled down yet. Lodestar I'd like to see, but given the information we have I don't think it is that important of a location anymore. I can see the SH's just passing it on the way to LT and stopping by for a chapter or so.
I fully expect the final war to be WCI to Wano length, though. We got the Gorosei, Imu, God Knights, the Grand Fleet, the VC flashback, Admirals, Kong, Seraphim, some extra revelations that Oda probably saved for that occasion.. so many of these players and plot points need at least some elaboration and fights and that narrative debt has to be cleared somehow.
I expect - or rather hope - to get an eplogue that is a bit longer than one volume. Kinda similar to the Post-Marineford arc in a sense, where we took some time to go over all factions. Given the amount of characters in the story, even a volume-long montage with all of them would feel kinda rushed. If you commit to write LotR, you gotta have a LotR epiloque as well.