Highlights
- 2023 was a successful year for One Piece and Oda, with the Final Saga continuing to captivate fans.
- The arc on Egghead Island surpassed expectations, introducing anticipated characters and showcasing major events.
- Oda teased a major battle in 2024, possibly between Luffy and Shanks or Shanks and Blackbeard, with unexpected results anticipated.
2023 has almost wrapped up and One Piece has enjoyed quite an amazing year. The Final Saga has been continuing in full swing and some of the most incredible events in the story have been illustrated by Oda this year. It is safe to say that 2023 was extremely successful for One Piece and Oda for many reasons, and that only excites the fans even more because there are better things to come and the Final Saga of One Piece is not going to be losing its steam anytime soon.
Oda has recently left a very intriguing message for the fans, suggesting big things are coming for One Piece in 2024 and a major fight on the way as well.
One Piece in 2023
2023 saw One Piece cover Egghead Island throughout the year and, now, this art is almost at its end. Currently, the arc is dealing with its climax and it has certainly surpassed all expectations. When Egghead Island was first announced, fans did not go into it with high expectations. This doesn't mean that One Piece as a whole was suffering at the time. It simply meant that after the conclusion of the Wano war, which was the final arc in a major saga of One Piece, things were expected to be a bit less turbulent. However, Oda surpassed all expectations and made it so that the beginning of the final saga was just as exciting, if not better.
As soon as Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates got to Egghead Island, fans got to meet some of the most anticipated characters, such as Doctor Vegapunk. At the same time, a lot of information pertaining to characters such as Dragon and the members of the Revolutionary Army was also provided to the fans in this year.
But, that certainly isn't all. Major characters such as Shanks made their move in the year and Blackbeard appears to be making ground on the red-haired Emperor as well. If that wasn't enough, Buggy was elected a member of the Yonko and fans got to see bits from him as he declared himself to be gunning for the One Piece as well. As far as Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates go, on Egghead Island, a large war is currently being fought between them and the Marines. The Marines have an Admiral and a member of the Five Elders with them and this battle is going to be of historic proportions, which fans absolutely cannot wait to be illustrated by Oda further.
Oda's Hints For 2024
When speaking at this year's Jump Festa, Oda revealed quite a lot of interesting information to the fans and, one thing that stood out quite a lot is the battle that Oda teased. According to Oda, there's going to be a major battle between two characters in One Piece in 2024 that is going to be groundbreaking, and the result of which is going to be very unexpected. Here is what Oda mentioned during Jump Festa 2024:
“In the anime, the Wano Country's emotional last scene was animated, and we head to Egghead!! The anime episodes are also streaming on our Japanese YouTube channel, so please give that a watch. Next year, the anime celebrates 25 years!! We have a massive project in mind for that. It'll be fun!!
Though, of course, I'll keep working hard on the manga as well, but this past year, many characters have faced many events. Truly a terrifying world! If Luffy and the others can leave Egghead safely... they should be going to that island. I also considered not taking that route, but I may not be able to stop Luffy. And finally, at last, it'll happen. The battle between that character and that character may lead to unexpected results!! Onward, to next year, alongside the 25th anniversary of the One Piece anime!! I'll be in your care once again!!
– Eiichiro Oda.”
The Major Battles To Look Out For in 2024
Judging by Oda's statement itself, it is clear for the fans to see that Oda is planning something massive for 2024 and, given how things are going right now in One Piece, 2024 is going to start off with a bang. The last few chapters of One Piece have been nothing short of sensational and as the Kuma flashback wraps up, battles on Egghead Island will finally continue. When that happens, fans will know that the arc is now edging closer to its end and, with that, One Piece is also going to be preparing for the upcoming arcs. As Oda said himself, he plans for Luffy to head to that particular island and it is quite obvious that he's talking about Elbaf. However, Oda also mentions that he has prepared an alternative route, however, whether Luffy will let him go that route or not remains to be seen.
Regardless, Oda also mentions that a major fight is going to take place in One Piece in 2024 and this is a fight that will “finally” happen, meaning that it has been awaited for long. When taking into consideration the major fights that fans can predict, only two that come to mind and that fans should expect to see in 2024.
Luffy Vs Shanks
The very first fight that Oda could potentially be talking about is Luffy vs Shanks. Fans know that Luffy has to fight Shanks at some point in the story. Of course, it is not going to be a battle where Luffy is intent on crushing his enemy. Instead, it is going to be a test for Luffy where Shanks sees if he has truly surpassed him or not. This is a battle that is inevitably going to happen and it's something that Luffy himself wants as well. He has previously made it clear that he wants to take down Shanks as well, and now is the time for it to happen. Once Luffy gets to Elbad, perhaps, that is where he ends up fighting against Shanks and, given that this is a battle that fans have been waiting years for, it could end up being the one that Oda mentioned in his message.
Shanks Vs Blackbeard
Of course, another battle that Oda could have been referring to is Shanks versus Blackbeard. Just like Luffy versus Shanks, Shanks versus Blackbeard is a fight that is inevitably going to happen at some point in One Piece. During the Paramount War, Blackbeard himself made it clear that it was too soon for him to fight Shanks, however, it was clear that there would be a battle between them in the future of One Piece. Following the conclusion of the Wano war, Shanks was seen chasing Blackbeard. In fact, the entire reason why he was in the seas around Wano was to look out for Blackbeard.
When Shanks left Elbaf, once again, he was on the lookout for Blackbeard. This appears to be a great buildup for Shanks to eventually find Blackbeard, possibly intercept him and eventually, fight him. This fight is going to happen at some point in the story very soon and it is possible that Oda might be teasing it in his Jump Festa message. Oda mentioned that the conclusion to the big fight in 2024 will be unexpected, so fans can potentially expect Shanks to lose. However, nothing can be said for sure and fans can only hope that Oda shocks everyone and surpasses all expectations, as he always has.
One Piece is available to read via Manga Monster. Since One Piece is going to be on break, the release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1103, is set to be January 7, 2023.
