This article contains spoilers from the Final Saga of One Piece.
One Piece fans are eagerly waiting for the next arc of the story to kick off. For now, One Piece is in the Elbaf arc, which focuses on Luffy and the crew's adventures in the land of giants. It goes without saying that the Elbaf arc of One Piece is incredibly exciting, and it's also evident that sales for One Piece are starting to pick up again. But the Elbaf arc will not last long. In his annual announcement at Jump Festa, Oda made it abundantly clear that he intends to end the Elbaf arc in 2026 and kickstart the next phase of Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates.
One Piece: 7 arcs to come after Elbaf
Elbaf is good, but even bigger arcs come after it in One Piece.
This also means that One Piece will go even deeper into the final saga in 2026. What is actually even more surprising is the fact that Oda hinted that One Piece could even tackle its next arc in 2026. This is very scary for the fans, but exciting at the same time.
One Piece is already deep into the final saga
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Egghead was the first arc of the final saga
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Elbaf is the second last story arc
One Piece's last saga started with Egghead Arcthe island of science, where Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates met Vegapunk and discovered many secrets about the Void Century and the origin of the Devil Fruits. This arc was massive and focused on characters like Jewelry Bonney and Bartholomew Kuma. It was easily one of the best arcs fans have seen, in terms of the beginning of a saga, but it was just a teaser for what was to come.
This is the land of giants. The fierce warriors of Elbaf once conquered the New World long ago in the past. The world government must have its power, no matter what! — Shamrock Figarland to Gunko in One Piece's Elbaf Arc
So far, the last tale of One Piece has yet to heat up, but the story is still more intense than it's ever been. It means that once One Piece goes deep into the final saga, which should happen after the events of the Elbaf Arcthings will get even more exciting. In the Elbaf arc, Oda has referred to the battles that take place as the prelude to the final war to come. The final war, also called the great war by many, will start very soon and it seems that this will happen after the Elbaf Arc ends.
This also means that once this arc is over, One Piece will take the deepest dive it has ever done in the history of the world, as well as give fans the biggest battles it has ever delivered, and that is incredibly exciting. What is even more exciting is that according to Oda, The Straw Hat Pirates will be heading to a very special place after the Elbaf Arc which may actually be tied to the final arc of the entire story. This place could very well be Laugh Tale, the hidden island that only Pirate King Roger could find.
Eiichiro Oda's announcement confirms that the final arc is coming
Every year at Jump Festa, Eiichiro Oda delivers his exciting message telling fans what's to come in the following year. This year was no different, and Oda revealed quite a few exciting things to fans. Oda talked about the live-action coming in 2026 as well as the confirmation of the live-action season 3. He also spoke briefly about the WIT anime as well as the upcoming One Piece movie.
But most of all Oda talked about the manga and what to expect from it in 2026. While Oda teased many confrontations and reunions, what fans were most excited about was seeing Oda confirm that One Piece will head towards an island that only the Pirate King has reached before. As fans know, this island could very well be Laugh Tale. At least it's one of the two strong possibilities, so it's a 50-50 chance at the moment that One Piece's next arc can only be Final Islandand with that, the Final Arc.
Now then, since it's Jump Festa, let's talk about the original Jump manga!
After a long, long flashback – more like a deep dive into history – we return to the present, and just when your perspective on Elbaf has started to change… boom!! It ends with a big, flamboyant finish. And from now on it gets really intense.
To that island that only the Pirate King reached!? The man marked by flames appears!! Two people who never crossed paths finally meet!! And the two bump into each other too!! Will next year be a full-blown festival of meetings?
The story moves at lightning speed, but unfortunately I'm getting older, so while taking care of my health, next year I'll continue to sail through One Piece at its fastest pace yet – steady and full force. A festival is ahead!! Please look forward to it!!!” — Eiichiro Oda
Elbaf will open the gate to the end of One Piece
At this point, it's quite clear that whatever happens in Elbaf towards the end of this arc will be the gateway to the end of One Piece. Oda has teased several times that Elbaf will mark the beginning of the Great War, and fans know very well that it is now almost upon them. The Revolutionary Army is ready, as are the Holy Knights, Imu has also moved, and the Straw Hats are now stronger than ever before. This might just be the perfect opportunity for One Piece to enter its final arc and for the Straw Hats to head for the island that only the Pirate King reached.
The next member of the Straw Hat Pirates will officially be the strongest in one piece
The Straw Hat Pirates are about to gain a powerful member. This member will be the strongest Yonko Commander of all time in One Piece.
To be clear, this next island could either be Laugh Tale, or it could be Lodestar Island. Both of these islands have only been reached by the Pirate King before, so it's going to be incredibly exciting going forward. Either way, it doesn't matter because both of these arcs will be the beginning of the end for One Piece, as the battle for the 4th Road Poneglyph heats up. Consequently, One Piece will soon be acquired by someone, most likely Luffy.
One Piece may end in 2032
Based on Oda's own comments, it seems One Piece is quickly coming to an end. If the final arc starts in 2026, which is a 50-50 case at the moment, fans may think that One Piece will end soon. That said, the thing about Oda is that he's almost never accurate with his time estimates. Previously, Oda had set up things that would happen in the following years that took at least three to four years to come to fruition. This means that even if Elbaf somehow ends in 2026, some things may take much longer than Oda anticipated.
The final arc, or even the island where only the Pirate King set foot, will most likely not come in 2026. Even if it does, the flow of events will most likely take Oda at least four to five years, if not even longer. A fair estimate for the end of One Piece would be around 2032which is six years from now, and that's if the fans are very generous.
One Piece is a very long story, where many plot points must be tied together and many stories must be revealed before the end. It goes without saying that all this will take Oda a very long time, quite easily at least six to seven years. So for now, fans have nothing to worry about.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece focuses on the journey of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates as they sail the seas to claim the great treasure known as One Piece. The manga is currently in its Final Saga. One Piece will be featured in this week's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue. The official release date for One Piece Chapter 1170 is January 4, 2026. In Japan, One Piece is released at 12:00 JST on Monday, which is 11:00 EST or 8:00 PT. Fans can read the chapter for free on the Manga Plus and Shonen Jump apps. If you do that, the fans will always support the author.
