As one of the longest-running manga series, One Piece has come a long way since its debut in 1997. The series begins with the light-hearted journey of a young pirate who aims to find the legendary treasure and claim the title of Pirate King. Raised in a small village in the East Blue Sea, he sets sail on his own and gathers a reliable crew before venturing into the Grand Line. However, as the story continues, layers of mysteries about the Void Century come to light that tie everything together, including the protagonist. The 33 canon arcs, split between 11 sagas, feature the expansive world created by Eiichiro Oda that hides a deeper, darker side of the World Government beneath its beautiful façade.
Every place Luffy visits brings him one step closer to uncovering the truth of the world. Compared to the first saga, many mysteries have been revealed, but several questions still need to be answered. The manga is now in its Final Saga, featuring the highly anticipated Elbaf Arc, which is unraveling the truth behind a certain incident that changed the current era. The story is far from over despite entering the Final Saga over three years ago. However, a certain chapter released 15 years ago changed the story completely, and for the better.
One Piece Entered Its Post-Timeskip 15 Years Ago, And It Changed Everything
One Piece released Chapter 598, titled “Two Years Later,” on October 4th, 2010. The chapter features the Straw Hat Pirates after a two-year separation as they prepare to continue their journey. The Return to Sabaody Archipelago Arc of the Fish-Man Island Saga offers a delightful contrast to the brutal Summit War, where Portgas D. Ace and Edward Newgate lost their lives. Watching his brother die while saving him completely broke Luffy, and it took him a while to stand on his feet again.
Thanks to the help of Jinbei, Boa Hancock, Silvers Rayleigh, and many other allies, he pulled himself together and strove to become stronger. Luffy spent two years on an island with Rayleigh, learning Haki and training to control his Devil Fruit abilities better so he would never have to witness a loved one die in front of him again. In the meantime, he also sent a cryptic message to his crew to reunite after two years.
The crew members had already been separated before the Summit War began, and after learning about the tragedy, they swore to become stronger for Luffy’s sake. The post-timeskip era completely shifted the tone of the story, introduced new designs for the beloved characters, and began a new journey in the New World, the second half of the Grand Line filled with greater dangers and more powerful enemies.
One Piece’s Post-Timeskip Era Is a Lot Better Than Fans Realize
One of the most common complaints fans have about the post-timeskip era is that the story isn’t as hilarious as it used to be. While it still contains a certain level of comedy, it’s clearly not as lighthearted as before. Of course, the anime also played a crucial part in supporting this claim since it made those scenes a lot funnier. Introducing filler arcs, such as G-8, also helped make the experience a lot more enjoyable. However, there’s a crucial reason for this, and it’s the growing intensity of the story as the journey becomes more difficult than ever.
The series explores several dark themes, such as corruption, war, genocide, slavery, pandemics, and more, beneath its cheerful facade. While the pre–timeskip era touches on these subjects, they are far more fleshed out in the post–timeskip story. Just the Native Hunting Competition during the God Valley Incident is enough to blow everyone’s minds. Even so, while the pre-timeskip era does have better comedy, the lore in the post-timeskip era is unmatched. Joy Boy, the four red Poneglyphs, the Voice of All Things, the existence of Imu, Oden’s backstory, the Sun God Nika, the truth behind Princess Lili of Alabasta, Vegapunk’s broadcast, and many such mysteries were all introduced in the post–timeskip era.
The story has evolved into something beyond what anyone could have imagined over 15 years ago. Not only that, but with the appearance of more powerful enemies and the Straw Hats becoming stronger than ever, the fights are far more intense and thrilling than they used to be. Now that the Final Saga has entered its second arc, the story will only continue to get more intense before it ultimately begins the Great War.
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