Summary
One Piecefollows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy as he follows his dreams to find theOne Piecetreasure and become Pirate King. To do so, he has to travelthrough the Grand Lineand reach the mysterious Laugh Tale, facing foes and challenges along the way. With each new arc, a new setting and cast of characters is introduced, and this ever-expanding universe is one the series’ strongest selling points, celebrated by fans for its detail, size and variety.
Of the antagonists, his strongest opponents inhabit the New World, home to the Yonko and separated from the first half of the Grand Line by the Red Line. This is where, ever since the timeskip, Luffy has been taking the world by storm, rapidly making a name for himself, and achieving status and recognition beyond everybody’s expectations. Though to a lesser degree, this is similar to what happened in the first half of the story, and in time, fans have realized thatOne Piecedraws parallels between the events that took place pre-timeskip, and the events that took place post-timeskip. In fact, this could even mean that Oda has already foreshadowed theOne Pieceendgame with theevents that took place at Marineford.
DoOne PieceArcs Parallel Each Other?
Any fan who has spent some timeonOne PieceRedditis acquainted with the theory that the post-timeskip narrative arcs parallel the pre-timeskip ones. Though just a theory, there are many factors in the story that validate it, and by this point it is considered almost a given. From antagonists to settings and themes, the series has both direct parallels and narrative inversions, and a lot ofOne Piecetheorists take advantage of this, using it to help predict the endgame events.
One example of an obviousOne Pieceparallel is between the Arabasta arc and the Dressrosa arc. Both arcs feature a villainfrom the Seven Warlordswho has taken over a country and supressed the citizen’s freedom. Though there are some differences, such as how Crocodile did so in the shadows whilst Donquixote Doflamingo is very publicly ruling Dressrosa, fans have realized how Doflamingo and Crocodile’s plans to take over were virtually identical, with Doflamingo succeeding where Crocodile failed due to Luffy’s intervention.
ThoughOne Piece’s Egghead Island Arc features new characters and settings, there is one pre-timeskip arc it shares a lot in common with. In fact, the community was quick to realize that due to there being many of the same characters, the most similar arc would be pre-timeskip Sabaody. Of course, the parallels are less direct than in other cases, but it is important to remember that pre-timeskip Sabaody was where the Science Division and the Pacifista were first introduced, such as Egghead is where fans finall met Vegapunk andwere introduced to the Seraphims.
Alongside the focus on the Marine SSG Unit, other elements from the original Sabaody Arc have taken a central role, such as Sentomaru’s guard and theLuffy and Kizaru matchup. Bartholomew Kuma is also likely making his way towards Egghead, and a popular theory states that as Kuma’s use of the Nikyu Nikyu No Mi saved the Straw Hats from annihilation during Luffy’s first battle against Kizaru, the same may happen if he arrives and intervenes in the fight against the Gorosei Saturn.
What Do These Parallels Mean For Endgame One Piece?
The last saga in pre-timeskipOne Piecehas Luffy recruiting allies as he breaks into Impel Down and participates in the Summit War, as he attempts to save his brother Ace. As his grandfather Garp has currently been captured by Blackbeard, and he intends to hand him off to the World Nobles in exchange for something, some fans believe that theOne Pieceendgame may have himbreaking into Hachinosuto try and prevent the hand-off, just as was the case with Ace being delivered to his execution.
If the parallels continue, this would imply that, after failing to free Garp, Luffy would go to Mariejois. Here, many characters from the series will likely come together to participate in a major showdown that will probably forever change the balance of power in theOne Pieceworld, such as was the case with the fallout from the events at the Summit War. This could even be where the members of theStraw Hat Grand Fleetcome together once more, and cause the major incident that Oda foreshadowed at the end of the Dressrosa arc.
Though there are undoubtedly parallels in theOne Piecearcs, Oda’s creativity makes it very hard to predict how they will play out. Only time will tell how theOne Pieceendgame will be structured, but as Oda has already promised so, fans can rest assured that it will featurea grand scale battlethe likes of which the series has never seen before, capable of outclassing even Marineford.
