The legendary One Piece manga has reached a monumental milestone, surpassing 600 million copies in worldwide circulation this week. To mark the occasion, series creator Eiichiro Oda finally addressed a question that has tantalized fans for decades: what exactly is the One Piece?
For years, Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates have sailed the Grand Line, chasing the fabled treasure that could make Luffy the next King of the Pirates. Yet despite decades of adventures, the true nature of the One Piece has remained a mystery.
Oda has previously confirmed that the One Piece is a tangible treasure, not something abstract like “friendship” or “the journey itself," but he had never publicly revealed what it actually is.
In a special video celebrating the milestone, Oda shared that the answer to this enduring mystery has always existed in his mind. And for the first time, he has finally put it on paper.
The document was placed in a treasure chest, secured inside a pressure-resistant glass sphere, and then transported to a secret location in the ocean. As shown in the video, the chest was finally submerged 651 meters beneath the sea, where it now rests on the ocean floor.
"At long last, the secret has been written down by creator Eiichiro Oda, and now rests far beyond anyone’s reach at the bottom of the ocean," the video teases. "Onwards to flagless waters. The piece of paper bearing the truth will be revealed after the story is complete."
The One Piece mystery has sparked over two decades of fan speculation. We now know Oda has written down the answer, but it won’t be revealed until the story concludes. Until then, the secret remains buried, quite literally.
Oda has long hinted at the ending timeline of One Piece, but hasn't given a fixed date. He did hint that the story is in its final saga back in 2023, but estimated the manga would conclude in about four or five years, suggesting a possible ending in 2027 or 2028. So it would seem that we've still got a few more years until we discover the secret of the One Piece.
The One Piece manga is available through several official platforms, including MANGA Plus by Shueisha and the official Shonen Jump website/app from VIZ Media. There's also the anime adaptation, which is available to watch on Crunchyroll and Netflix. The anime isn't fully caught up tot he manga yet, but it's also not terribly far behind.
What do you think the secret of the One Piece is? Let us know in the comments below!