This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.
Summary
One Pieceiscurrently in the Final Saga, which means that the story is incredibly close to finally wrapping up. Oda had previously hoped that the series would be done by 2024, but, as things stand,One Piecestill has a ways to go. Even though the story is close to the end, the pace at which the manga is moving, and at the same time, the enormous arcs that Oda has in front of him, essentially confirms that the series is around five-plus years away from its end.
That said, fans know the clues about theOne Pieceare finally being presented one by one, and that more about the treasure will be revealed to the fans soon enough. Interestingly enough, Oda’s editor, who has served with him for quite a while now, has recently dropped an interesting hint about theOne Piece, and while it certainly does not reveal what the treasure itself is, it tells fans what the treasure isn’t and what it potentially could be.
Luffy’s Quest For The One Piece
Fans know that Luffy set out on the quest for claiming theOne Piecelong ago in the story. After being inspired by Shanks, Luffy promised that he would one day make his own crew and surpass the Red Hair Pirates, all the while claiming theOne Pieceitself. At the age of 17, Luffy set out on his journey from the East Blue, and while he certainly had his doubters, he ended up proving all of them wrong by becoming a successful pirate. It did not take Luffy long to become the most infamous pirate in the East Blue, acquiring a bounty of 30 million berries in the process. Luffy then headed to the Grand Line, where he fought against the powerful and most seasoned Pirates of the ocean, such as the Shichibukai Crocodile, Moria, and even government officials, such as Lucci. Luffy crushed everyone in his way all the way up to the end of the first half of the Grand Line, called Sabaody Archipelago.
By this point, Luffy had become a super rookie already, and had acquired a bounty of 300 million berries. Clearly, Luffy was a force to be reckoned with at this point in the story, and fans knew that he was far from done. Of course, Luffy faced his fair share of hardships along the way, but his faith in his dream never wavered, aside from when Ace died. Still, Luffy quickly regained his composure and trained hard with Rayleigh for 2 years. After returning from the training, Luffy was stronger than ever before, and was able to utilize Haki with Incredible precision. Luffy has, since then, grown tremendously in the New World, and bythe time of the Wano Country Arc, even defeated an Emperor in Kaido.
Right now,Luffy himself is one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, and closer to theOne Piecethan ever before. Luffy has three of the four Road Poneglyphs in his possession already, which makes him the pirate closest to this treasure right now. The only Road Poneglyph he is missing is the one that no one knows the whereabouts of, other than the Man with the Burn Scar. Soon, Luffy will locate this Road Poneglyph as well, and after that, claim the final treasure, One Piece.
Editor Sugita Reveals A Hint About The One Piece
Editor Sugita Knows What The One Piece Is Already
Recently, Oda’s editor, Sugita, spoke about theOne Piecetreasure and what it could potentially be. Of course, it shouldn’t be a surprise for the fans to know that Oda’s editors are very well aware of what the treasure is. Oda has even made it public to some other interesting people, and even offered for the voice actorsof the Straw Hatsto know what the treasure is, although they respectfully declined the offer. Clearly, there are people out there who know what the One Piece is, and Sugita is certainly one of them. Sugita has often teased theOne Piece, and he has done so again recently. According to him, theOne Pieceis such a treasure that it cannot be described in a single word.
Here’s what Editor Sugita had to say recently:
Editor Sugita: It’s difficult to explain in one word what the One Piece as a treasure is.Editor Naito: Stop it! Since you spilled the beans, I ostensibly disagree with you in order to protect our jobs.
Editor Sugita clearly implies that theOne Pieceis a treasure that cannot be described in one word. It isn’t simply gold, or a weapon, or even the bond of friendship. These things can easily be described using simple words. TheOne Pieceis something far more complex, which means that its true identity is nothing that the fans can predict.
There have also been theories about theOne Piecebeing Binks’ Sake, but the fact that the editor said that theOne Piececannot be described in a single word eliminates that idea as well. Clearly, this is a more defined hint by the editor and it tells fans what theOne Pieceisn’t in many ways. Curiously enough,Oda also revealed a hintabout what theOne Pieceisn’t long ago, and fans who are not aware of this might be interested in knowing this.
Oda Reveals What The One Piece Isn’t
Oda Confirms That The One Piece Isn’t The Bond Of Friendship
Oda has often been asked about what theOne Pieceis or what it could be. Of course, any author hiding a big secret from his fan base would not spell the beans easily. Oda will reveal the true nature of theOne Piecewhen the time is right. But for now, he has stated what theOne Pieceis not, and according to him, something abstract like friends made along the way or the bond of friendship is far from what the treasure truly is. Here is what Oda had to say about this treasure:
Oda (2019): One Piece is not a bond of Straw Hats. I hate that kind of thing. When I was a kid, I was not happy with the ending of The Wizard of Oz, that the adventure is itself a treasure. That story was unacceptable. Luffy has a great journey, so give him a proper treasure.
At the very least, fans know for a fact that theOne Pieceitself exists as a treasure. It isn’t something related to friends, or just a tale. While it is true that friendship and, most likely,the story of the Void Century, which is a very deep and possibly even a funny tale, is going to be a part of it, theOne Piecewill include some sort of treasure that will potentially have a particular use. Fans don’t know where that is at this point in the story, but, eventually, they will likely figure it out for themselves. At the very least, Luffy will be rewarded at the end of the journey, and fans absolutely cannot wait to see that.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and theManga Plusapp. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1130, is set to be Jun 29, 2025.
