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One Pieceis an incredibly long-running series, having started back in 1997 and going strong to this day, 28 years later. If anything,One Piecekeeps on getting better with each passing chapter, and that truly is a testament to Oda’s incredible skills as a writer. But, now,the story has entered its Final Saga. It is here that the biggest of revelations in the story are going to be made.
At the same time, fans also know that after this saga,One Piecewill officially wrap up, which means Luffy finding and claiming theOne Pieceis going to happen sooner rather than later. All this will still take some time to unfold, and while Oda’s story is coming to an end, the initial plans he had for it are wildly different.
Oda Wanted One Piece To End In 2002
One of the most shocking revelations that Od has made in recent years is the fact that he intended for One Piece to end in 5 years. Given thatOne Piecehas continued for 28 years already and still doesn’t look like it’ll end anytime soon, fans know just how much of an underestimation that is. For Oda,the Final Saga of the serieshas been in the works since 1999 at the very least, and that just goes to show how long he’s been thinking about the future events of the story.
The mysteries of the world, I’ll draw them all! — Oda on the Final Saga
But, Oda has hoped to reach the Final Saga of One Piece around 3-4 years after One Piece began. According to Oda, One Piece was actually supposed to be a battle Vs the Four Emperors. This is certainly an idea that Oda has incorporated in the current One Piece as well, but it certainly isn’t the only plot point, or even the central plot point of the series.
The Shichibukai Became The Biggest Reason For One Piece’s Length
Oda Blames The Shichibukai For One Piece’s Length
When it comes to the end ofOne Piece, Oda seems adamant that he would’ve ended the series in 5 years had it not been for the Shichibukai. But, then again, the Shichibukai are powerful figures who have now developed a very important role in the series. It is safe to say that One Piece would’ve been starkly different had they not been involved in the plot. Here’s what Oda had to say about his original plans for the end of One Piece, and the Shichibukai:
One Piece was originally intended to be a story that would end in 5 years, fighting the Four Emperors. Warlords are the reason why OP hasn’t ended yet. I casually came up with Warlords. I should have at least restrained it to 2 or 5 people, not 7. I regret it a bit. — Eiichiro Oda, 2017
When Will One Piece End?
In 2022, Oda stated that he was ready to wrap upOne Pieceand that he believed he would end it in 3 years. However, 3 years later, in 2025,One Pieceis only inthe beginning phase of the Elbaf arc. This means it’ll take at least 2-3 years for Elbaf to end, and then for other arcs to get some attention. Needless to say, there are multiplayer arcs still remaining that Oda needs to tackle, and at the very least,One Piecewon’t be ending before 6 years.
One Piece Chapter 1149 will be out in two weeks. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on May 11. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1149 is July 13, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free onManga Plus.
