After 20 years, One Piece prepares for the Yonko's death

Yonko was officially introduced in One Piece chapter 432 by Monkey D. Garp, Luffy's grandfather, on October 30, 2006, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #48. Upon their introduction, the Yonko, who were stated to be the crowning glory of the pirate world, were said to rule the new world as absolute kings with authority so great that not even the World Government would dare oppose them directly.

Over the years, Yonko has been an integral part of the overall story of One Pieceespecially during the second half, which covers Monkey D. Luffy's journey and the Straw Hat Pirates in the New World. While the Yonko are at the center of everything that happens in the story, their time is about to end, and the entire order will be destroyed at the same time, because One Piece is found in the last section of the story.

The race of emperors after One Piece will officially kill the Yonko system

The last tale of One Piece officially began in Chapter 1058, which marked the beginning of the Egghead arc on August 29, 2022, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #39. The final race for One Piece officially began here, with a brand new adventure for Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates on the horizon. At the end of the Wano arc, the Worst Generation trio Luffy, Law, and Kid went their separate ways, each aiming for One Piece. In other parts of the New World, meanwhile, powerful pirates gathered the power required to target One Piece.

In One Piece Chapter 1121, which was officially released on July 22, 2024, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #34, Eiichiro Oda revealed the main players in the hunt for One Piece. Of course, this included the four emperors, as well as characters like Nerona Imu, Garling, Figarland, Shamrock and members of the Blackbeard Pirates, like Kuzan, and even some marines. All of these characters will be significant in the race for One Piece, and in the end, whoever finds One Piece will gain enough power to control the entire world.

“The fate of this world will be decided by whoever finds it. It all depends on the person who claims One Piece!” —Dr. Vegapunk explains the meaning of the next king, One Piece Chapter #1121

But another side of it is that whoever finds One Piece will officially kill the Yonko system. This is because all Yonko exist for one reason, and that is to find One Piece. Each Yonko has its own territory and its own hold on the different parts of the seas, as there is no undisputed king. Once the Pirate King is chosen, the Yonko will serve absolutely no purpose and will have an even bigger target to turn against. This one undisputed king of the seas will then be the one to find One Piece.

Why there can't be a Yonko after One Piece is found

The Yonko system is fairly new to the world of One Piece. Over the years, Eiichiro Oda has given us glimpses of different timelines that have existed in the One Piece world. For example, in One Piece Chapter 1154, which was officially released on July 14, 2025, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33, Eiichiro Oda officially introduced Rock's D. Xebec to us. During this time period there were no four emperors. The Rocks were said to be the strongest on the sea, and although characters like Roger came along over the next 10 years or so, the Emperors were never established.

38 years ago, after the events of God Valley, some of the most powerful pirates were shown going their separate ways. In One Piece Chapter 1167, which was released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #1 on December 1, 2025, Eiichiro Oda highlighted the next generation of pirates who make a big name for themselves in the New World and gain great strength. These were characters like Roger, Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, Shiki, Wang Zhi and many others from the era. Once again, the four emperors were nowhere to be seen. They only came into the picture after Roger died, and the entire world of One Piece was thrown into chaos.

“The pirates who had gone their separate ways after God Valley continued to rise in prominence and would grow in power over the next decade or two until they reached their prime and became the faces of the era.” — Narrator confirms the beginning of a new era, One Piece Chapter #1167

In other words, the establishment of the Four Emperors is coincidental with the beginning of the Great Age of Piracy. By claiming One Piece, this era will officially end as a new Pirate King will be chosen, meaning the hunt for One Piece will officially die. As such, the Four Emperors simply cannot exist as there will no longer be equality among them.

One Piece's new era will have Monkey D. Luffy at the top

Image via Toei Animation

When it comes to the identity of the person who will find One Piece, we all know that it will be none other than Monkey D. Luffy, the protagonist of the series. Luffy set out on a quest to claim One Piece at the beginning of the story, 29 years ago. Since then, he has made great progress, and currently holds three of the four Road Poneglyphs. With another Road Poneglyph, Luffy will officially be able to sail to the Final Island, Laugh Tale.

In his latest Jump Festa announcement, which was officially published on December 21, 2025, Eiichiro Oda mentioned that after the events of Elbaf, the Straw Hat Pirates will set foot on an island that only the Pirate King has visited, meaning that Luffy will make great strides towards claiming One Piece. One way or another, the Straw Hat Pirates will find the One Piece and make Luffy the Pirate King. When Luffy claims this top position, the era of the Four Emperors will officially end, and the one and only undisputed King of the Sea will be announced.

“We're headed to 'that island' that only the Pirate King could ever reach!!? The man marked by flames will also appear. Characters who never had the chance to meet will finally meet each other. The two will meet, and the two will meet too.” — One Piece Author Eiichiro Oda at Jump Festa 2026

Of course, there is still much to uncover One Piecesuch as many massive battles against the likes of the Holy Knights and the World Government led by Nerona Imu. Meanwhile, the Marines are also in the equation, as well as other powerful crews such as the Cross Guild, Blackbeard Pirates, and Red Hair Pirates. Every powerful organization has a huge stake in the power play currently going on in the One Piece world, but the one who will stand on top of it all will be none other than the Pirate King, Monkey D. Luffy.

All the latest manga chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.