‘One Piece’ Creator Eiichiro Oda Just Confirmed the Manga Still Has Years Left, and Fans Have Feelings About It

For nearly three decades, “One Piece” has been the story that refuses to end on schedule, with its creator repeatedly promising a finish line that keeps drifting further into the horizon. Fans have grown accustomed to treating every timeline estimate with a healthy dose of skepticism, and for good reason.

That pattern held true once again this week, as one of manga’s longest-running sagas received yet another update on just how much story remains before Luffy’s journey finally comes to a close.

Eiichiro Oda has confirmed there’s at least another four years of ‘One Piece’ stories left to tell, an announcement made during the franchise’s biggest annual celebration, One Piece Day, held on August 23. The confirmation pushes the manga’s expected conclusion into at least 2030, and likely well beyond, as the Straw Hat Pirates continue their push toward the series’ long-awaited final destination, Laughtale.

The timing carries a bit of irony for longtime readers, since the manga’s Final Saga technically began back in 2022, meaning Oda’s newly stated four-year estimate essentially resets a clock that’s already been running for four years. It’s a pattern that has repeated itself throughout the series’ history, with Oda offering shifting completion percentages and timelines dating back to the manga’s earliest days in 1997, when he originally envisioned the story wrapping up in just over five years.

Rather than signaling a slowdown, the announcement arrived alongside news of significant franchise growth. One Piece Day 2026 also revealed two new film projects, including ‘One Piece Film: God Valley,’ set for a summer 2027 release and notable for adapting a canon arc of the manga directly into a movie format rather than through the usual television episodes.

A second film, ‘One Piece Film: BAAD,’ is scheduled for 2029 and appears to be an original story rather than a manga adaptation, with Oda reportedly designing the movie’s title and poster himself, signaling a deeper level of personal involvement than his previous work on franchise films. Fans have noted that this level of direct creative input suggests Oda intends to remain closely tied to the franchise’s expansion well into the next decade.

The current Elbaf arc, part of the ongoing Final Saga, still has substantial ground to cover before the Straw Hats can even think about reaching their ultimate destination. Between unresolved mysteries, ongoing battles, and a world that has only continued to grow in scale and complexity, it’s become increasingly clear why Oda’s estimates keep sliding further out.

Fan reaction to the update has been a familiar mix of resignation and enthusiasm, with many longtime readers noting that Oda’s “four more years” promise has essentially become a running joke within the community at this point. Still, given the manga’s continued cultural dominance and the recent success of its live-action Netflix adaptation, few fans seem genuinely bothered by the extended timeline.

With two new films on the horizon and the Elbaf arc still unfolding, ‘One Piece’ shows no real signs of slowing down anytime soon, regardless of how many more years Oda ultimately needs. For a story that has already spanned nearly thirty years, a few more feels almost fitting.

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