I think he said One Piece ends in 5 years cause he worked that out to 120 volumes which he wants to stick to but it’s not happening in any way lmao
Nah I think it's a bit more complicated than that. I've spoken about this at length, but if you read quite a few interviews about Oda's thoughts when it comes to Luffy's journey, it heavily suggests he's simply talking about the journey to Laugh Tale.
He doesn't really talk about the manga ending, just Luffy's journey. For context:
1 - He stated that Marineford was a sidestory and not part of Luffy's "Journey"
2 - Every progress measurement in percentages has always referred to the journey. Wano is meant to be 80% of the journey. Leaving Wano could still be 80%
3 - The SBS in volume 97 about how it's when One Piece will be found/known (which it's translation is heavily up for debate because of how Japanese people can interpret this statement):
**Translated by Rainbow - TCB Scans + Etenboby WG Forum ** So a big thank you for those translations.
Boa Hancock cover (Miito, from Shiga)
D: Odacchi! Is it true that One Piece will end in 5 years? Even if that's the case, a public statement like that is really vexing for the fans! Many friends of mine who are fans burst into tears with this sudden announcement! I feel like shouting "How could you do this to us!?", but I don't want to stress you out. (P.N.: pari_bentham)
O: By "ending", I mean the juiciest part of Luffy's adventure. Since that's when the mystery of "what is the One Piece?" is to be revealed. Right now Wano is heating up, if Luffy is able to leave here in one piece, we'll get to a development that will engulf the entire world, the likes of which no one has read before - the greatest war in One Piece history. I said what I said so that the reader's hearts would be prepared, since it'll be such a long arc, and one that will really pin things towards the finish line. That being said, I'm really enjoying righting Wano right now, and am pumped to finishing it!
4 - Finally, Whitebeard's speech and Oden's flashback. Both suggest you NEED One Piece to fight the World Government (or at least succeed).
Rayleigh alludes to this next scene back in Sabaody (they found One Piece too early):
So in turn, I 100% believe that Oda thinks Luffy will become PK in "5 years" (now certainly will take longer). But the Final War is not included in this moment. I think everything (Elbaf, Vegapunk, Lodestar?) leading up to Laughtale will coincide with the Final War starting, but without Luffy and the crew.
Hopefully that makes sense. I do believe Oda wants to make Luffy PK quickly, but I doubt:
- it's happening in a few years (clearly there's more journey to Laugh Tale)
- The series it at all ending soon (when you include what is meant to happen after this point).