We’re getting into the final saga after Wano, so this is a general outline to how I think it will go:
Wano -> Cooldown arc -> Elbaf -> Lodestar -> Laugh Tale -> Epilogue
1. Blackbeard is such an obvious contender for main villain. He’s been set up since Drum Island and was the main reason the Marineford War ever happened. His crew will most likely have the same number of people as Luffy’s, giving each crewmate their own final boss. And after 1044, he wields the darkness fruit to contrast Luffy’s sun god fruit
2. Imu probably won’t get played straight. It is abundantly clear by now that One Piece is not a manga that takes itself seriously. Yes, it has serious moments and plot lines. But it is an inherently goofy series at the end of the day. The fact that they’re keeping Imu’s appearance a mystery, to me, indicates that he/she will probably turn out to be a goofball with an over the top appearance. I don’t think Imu will be some super powerful stoic badass because that is not how One Piece works.
3. The series has always had forward-progression. From day one this manga has been about Luffy heading toward a specific point, Laugh Tale, and getting wrapped up in a bunch of adventures along the way. Luffy fighting the WG after Laugh Take would require backtracking, which would feel weird after over 1000 of heading towards a ser destination. And yeah I get that there’s the FMI deal, but I’m half expecting it to be a situation where Luffy metaphorically destroys the island by getting the Fishmen to come to the surface
Wano -> Cooldown arc -> Elbaf -> Lodestar -> Laugh Tale -> Epilogue
- After the really big arcs in this series, there’s usually a fairly short cooldown arc before things start up again. After Alabasta there was Jaya, after Skypiea there was LRLL, after Enies Lobby there was Thriller Bark, etc. So I’m thinking that after Wano we’ll get a 10-15 chapter arc like that. It’ll probably focus a lot on crewmate interactions and have Jimbei/Yamato bond with the crew. It’d also be a good time to bring the crew’s dreams back into the picture before the endgame starts up
- Elbaf is where I think Shanks’ plot line will be resolved, and the main reason I think that is because of Usopp. Usopp is the Strawhat most associated with the giants and his father is in Shanks’ crew. So if we’re gonna get an arc dedicated to him we might as well wrap up his plotline of wanting to be a great warrior of the sea. Shanks may or may not be the antagonist here, and honestly imo it could go either way.
- Lodestar is where I think the first part to the final war will take place, where the Strawhats will most likely fight against the WG, or at least part of it. I think Blackbeard will do something that will cause the WG to split into multiple factions, with one faction having characters like Smoker, Coby, Fuji, etc who rebel against Imu while the other consists of characters like Akainu and those loyal to Imu. Also if I had to guess there will probably be some major plotline that focuses on Nami because she’s the Strawhat most interested in Lodestar. This will likely also be where Zoro defeats Mihawk.
- The final battle will probably be between the Strawhats and the Blackbeard Pirates on Laugh Tale. This is where Luffy will claim the mantle of Pirate King, the truth of the void century will be revealed, and where the series’ driving mystery—the identity of the One Piece—will be answered.
- After all this, there will be an epilogue dedicated to the adventures the crew has and the lives they end up leading
1. Blackbeard is such an obvious contender for main villain. He’s been set up since Drum Island and was the main reason the Marineford War ever happened. His crew will most likely have the same number of people as Luffy’s, giving each crewmate their own final boss. And after 1044, he wields the darkness fruit to contrast Luffy’s sun god fruit
2. Imu probably won’t get played straight. It is abundantly clear by now that One Piece is not a manga that takes itself seriously. Yes, it has serious moments and plot lines. But it is an inherently goofy series at the end of the day. The fact that they’re keeping Imu’s appearance a mystery, to me, indicates that he/she will probably turn out to be a goofball with an over the top appearance. I don’t think Imu will be some super powerful stoic badass because that is not how One Piece works.
3. The series has always had forward-progression. From day one this manga has been about Luffy heading toward a specific point, Laugh Tale, and getting wrapped up in a bunch of adventures along the way. Luffy fighting the WG after Laugh Take would require backtracking, which would feel weird after over 1000 of heading towards a ser destination. And yeah I get that there’s the FMI deal, but I’m half expecting it to be a situation where Luffy metaphorically destroys the island by getting the Fishmen to come to the surface
