In every published One Piece volume, between chapters, readers can find the “SBS corner”, where the author answers selected questions from the fans. In volume 97, answering a question regarding the announced end of One Piece 5 years from now, Oda revealed interesting details on what is waiting for Luffy and his crew after the end of the Wano arc. At the moment, the Straw Hats are locked in battle against two of the Four Emperors: Kaidou and Big Mom. These are the strongest enemies the crew has ever had to face, with victory still nowhere in sight. If they will be able to leave Wano safely, however, Oda has hinted at an even bigger threat looming next. Based on what has been shown until now, and on some clues that the author himself dropped, it is possible to make some predictions.

In every published One Piece volume, between chapters, readers can find the “SBS corner”, where the author answers selected questions from the fans. In volume 97, answering a question regarding the announced end of One Piece 5 years from now, Oda revealed interesting details on what is waiting for Luffy and his crew after the end of the Wano arc. At the moment, the Straw Hats are locked in battle against two of the Four Emperors: Kaidou and Big Mom. These are the strongest enemies the crew has ever had to face, with victory still nowhere in sight. If they will be able to leave Wano safely, however, Oda has hinted at an even bigger threat looming next. Based on what has been shown until now, and on some clues that the author himself dropped, it is possible to make some predictions.

“There will be developments on a global scale,” Oda wrote. “a thrilling story the like of which no one has ever read before, I’ll draw the “greatest battle ever” in OP history.” There have been many “great battles” until now in One Piece. The most famous is certainly the “Summit War”, a massive conflict between the World Government and the Whitebeard Pirates, which was set in motion by the defeat of Portgas D. Ace at the hands of Marshall D. Teach, and led to Ace’s execution, the disbanding of the Whitebeard pirates, and the world power balance being upshifted with Blackbeard becoming the newest of the Four Emperors. Perhaps the greatest conflict took place 800 years before the events depicted in the manga and saw the Great Kingdom being defeated by the forces who would later create the World Government, at the end of a time period known as “the Void Century”, which holds the key to many of the mysteries in One Piece. Finally, the conflict going on in Wano is also on a significant scale, considering it will determine not only the future of a whole country but could also change the balance of world power forever if two of the Four Emperors will be defeated. Even more interesting, these events could all be connected to the upcoming “greatest battle”.