[SPOILER] Singlehandedly Extended ‘One Piece’ By 15 Years

It’s no secret: One Piece is the franchise that never seems to end. The series began in 1997 under creator Eiichiro Oda, and the Straw Hat Pirates are still sailing today. According to Oda, fans have seven specific characters to thank for his story’s length.

Thanks to Japan Today, an author’s note from Oda was translated into English for fans to read over. The note sees Oda admit that seven One Piece villains transformed his once-simple series into the multi-arc behemoth it has become.

“The reason why One Piece has been continually running for the past 20 years is because of the Seven Warlords of the Sea (the Shichibukai),” Oda admitted.

“One Piece was initially intended to be a tale of fighting against the Four Emperors (the Yonko), wrapping up after just five years. It struck me that having these cool Seven Warlords of the Sea in the comic would be awesome; it was just a passing thought really. And then, just like a horror movie, it’s spiraled into such a long series!!”

Oda went on to say he created seven Warlords of the Sea because the phrase “sounded so much cooler.” The artist also said he doesn’t have regrets about extending One Piece, but he does have “just a little more” to go.

One Piece fans will be extremely familiar with the Shichibukai. After all, some of the franchise’s most popular villains lie within the gang. The Shichibukai is a notorious organization consisting of seven pirates-turned-privateers who ally themselves with the World Government. The organization is known for having only the strongest pirates head it up, and each member is considered to be a loose canon. Villains like Marshall D. Teach, Buggy, Boa Hancock, and Donquixote Doflamingo are all current members of the Shichibukai, so fans can see how powerful the group must be.

Of course, One Piece will have to come to an end some day, so the Shichibukai will have to be taken care of. Luffy may be the pirate who dismantles the organization, or the Shichibukai may turn leaf and somehow reorder itself. Oda has a wild enough imagination to do what he pleases with the gang, so fans can only speculate about the Shichibukai’s future for now.