One Piece Was Never Intended to Be This Long, But It Turned Out For the Best

One Piece is the best-selling manga in history and one of the longest-running series ever, after debuting in 1997. The story follows a young pirate who sets out to sea in hopes of acquiring a legendary treasure and claiming the title of the “Pirate King.” However, as the story unfolds, we meet countless new characters and learn more about the oppression of the World Government and their desperation to hide the world’s true history. Even after almost 28 years, we’ve barely scratched the surface of the world’s true history. The Void Century was a technologically advanced era, something that the modern era has yet to replicate.

Although the manga is in its Final Saga, the story is far from over. We are currently in the highly anticipated Elbaf Arc, where the Straw Hat Pirates visit the land of the Giants. As the strongest nation in the world with direct ties to Nika and the Void Century, the island has several secrets hidden within it. The mural in Chapter 1138 is simply the beginning, as we will surely learn more in the upcoming chapters. The story has come a long way in over two decades, but creator Eiichiro Oda never wanted One Piece to last this long.

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One Piece Creator Wanted the Manga to Conclude in Five Years

Each One Piece volume contains an SBS, short for Shitsumon o Boshū Suru, which translates to “I’m taking questions.” It’s a special Q&A session in every volume where Oda answers fans’ questions. Each volume usually contains about 3 to 6 SBS sections, with each section answering multiple questions (about 3 to 5 per section). Hence, a single volume usually features around 15 to 30 questions in its SBS, divided within the volume. There’s no fixed number of questions, and it varies from volume to volume, depending on how much space is available after the main chapters and other extra panels.

In Volume 42, which was released in 2006, a fan asked Oda, “Hi, Oda-sensei! I have a serious question. One Piece has been going on for quite some time, hasn’t it? Have you thought of the ending already? Though, personally, I wouldn’t mind if it continued on forever. One Piece is the BEST!!!”

Oda’s response confirmed that One Piece was supposed to end in five years: “I’ve answered this in some magazines and interviews. Originally, my plan was that One Piece would continue for five years. I’ve always had the climax in my head from the start, I’ve just been working toward it since.”

He continued, “But my original estimates were a bit short, and I was unable to finish up my story within five years (ROFL). And now our pirates have been adventuring for nine years, and I have no idea how much longer they will be at it (hey!).”

Considering One Piece’s vast worldbuilding and the layers of mysteries being slowly unfolded throughout the story, it’s actually best that Oda decided to continue it for this long.

One Piece’s Longevity Is Its Biggest Strength

For new readers, the sheer number of chapters may be overwhelming. However, that’s what makes One Piece so interesting, as the world feels more alive the more we learn about it. Oda can only explore the stellar worldbuilding to this extent because of its longevity. The world isn’t just big, but it’s rich in history, and every island, sea, and character has roots that stretch far beyond their first appearance. The beautiful islands we see throughout the story don’t just exist for the sake of the plot.

They have economies, politics, folklore, wars, and ideologies, and Oda can fully let each of them breathe because the story has run for so long. Additionally, One Piece’s longevity allows for so much foreshadowing as fans end up circling back to an old chapter after a big reveal. For example, in Chapter 287 of the Skypiea Arc, Kalgara’s daughter is being sacrificed to the serpent to save her people. One may easily forget this plot hundreds of chapters later, as the series even encounters a time-skip, but Oda never forgot to reincorporate this.

While the ritual was ongoing, the people of Skypiea prayed to the God of the Sun, Rain, Forest, and Earth, and this is the first time the four gods were mentioned together. The only time these four gods are mentioned again is in Chapter 1138 during when the mural is shown and the narration recites a few paragraphs from the ancient text of Harley. So, while it’s true that One Piece is really long, Oda made its longevity its biggest strength, which turns a great adventure into a generation-defining epic saga.