This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Final Saga.
One Piece began its Final Saga after the conclusion of the Wano Country Arc, officially starting the most intense stretch of the entire story. Oda himself wanted to draw the Final Saga for decades, and one can clearly see why. One Piece's final saga began with the Egghead arc, and it was most certainly one of the most intense arcs that the fans have read in the story. Now, Elbaf has already begun, and it has been a thrilling ride so far, with even more exciting events to follow.
One Piece: 7 Arcs To Come After Elbaf
Elbaf is great, but even bigger arcs are coming after it in One Piece.
The Elbaf arc of One Piece began in 2024, and so far, it can safely be said that it is about halfway done. However, there is much more content to follow, and fans will see the vast majority of the next year focusing on the climax of this arc. Interestingly enough, Oda's comments seem to imply that Elbaf will finally end in 2026, and that towards the end of the year, a new arc will most likely begin. Fans had been wondering for many months as to what the next arc of One Piece would be. Now, Oda has given them a clear answer, and it is quite a shocking one. According to Oda himself, the next arc after Elbaf will be the island where only the Pirate King has ever set foot.
Oda Confirms Elbaf Will Likely End In 2026
- The Elbaf Flashback Will End Soon
- The Final Battles Of The Elbaf Arc Will Finally Begin
Eiichiro Oda dropped a huge message for the fans during Jump Festa 2026. While the Jump Festa event for One Piece was rather disappointing, given the lack of major reveals, Oda's message was a shining light, just as it is each year. Oda revealed quite a lot of exciting details about the manga, such as the coming of the Man with the Burn Scar in 2026. At the same time, Oda also revealed that there will be character interactions that fans have never seen before, and some very exciting face-offs in 2026.
In fact, he even stated that 2026 could be described as the year of new meetings for One Piece. Most importantly, Oda stated in his message that the Elbaf Arc will conclude in 2026, or so he hopes. This is because Oda clearly revealed his plans for the upcoming arc for 2026, and given that the long flashback of the Elbaf Arc is already over, it would make sense that the final battles of the arc will begin soon, and that the Straw Hat crew will then set sail for the next island. The ending of Elbaf is something that many fans are very excited for and look forward to seeing, because it will put Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates one step closer to achieving their dreams and finding the One Piece.
After Elbaf, The Straw Hats Will Head To The Last Island
While Oda revealing the conclusion of the Elbaf arc is exciting on its own, he did not leave the fans in the dark about what he was planning for the Straw Hats next. For many years, fans have been wondering how the Final Saga will be set up. Egghead was only the gateway to the final saga, and it can be said that Elbaf was the first major arc.
However, no fan can truly predict what the next arc after Elbaf is truly going to be. With Luffy only one Road Poneglyph short of reaching the Final Island, many fans believe that a battle for this last Road Poneglyph could take place in the following arc, and that might very well be true. According to Oda himself, the next arc in One Piece is going to be the most groundbreaking one.
In his Jump Festa message for 2026, Oda confirmed that after Elbaf, Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates will head to the island that only the Pirate King has ever been to. This is a huge shocker, because it officially means that One Piece will be heading into its last stretch of chapters following the conclusion of the Elbaf arc. As most fans know, Roger and his crew managed to do the impossible by completing the circumnavigation of the entire globe and reaching the final island, Laugh Tale. They became the only crew to have ever done so in about 800 years and made history, which eventually led to Roger being declared the Pirate King.
Now then, since it’s Jump Festa, let’s talk about the original Jump manga!
After a long, long flashback—more like a deep dive into history—we return to the present day, and just when your perspective on Elbaf has started to shift… boom!! It ends with a big, flashy finish. And from here on out, things get really intense.
To that island that only the Pirate King ever reached!? The man marked by flames appears!! Two people who never crossed paths finally meet!! And those two run into each other as well!! Is next year going to be a full-blown festival of encounters?
The story moves at lightning speed, but I’ve unfortunately gotten older, so while taking care of my health, I’ll continue next year to sail through One Piece at its fastest pace yet—steady and full force. Ahead lies a festival!! Please look forward to it!!!” — Eiichiro Oda
Naturally, most fans of One Piece would assume that Oda is talking about the Laugh Tale arc after Elbaf. However, there could be another major possibility that is much more likely, and that is Lodestar Island.
Lodestar is Most Likely The Next Arc After Elbaf
- Lodstar Island Is The Last Island On The Grand Line
- It Holds The Secrets Of The Poneglyphs
It goes without saying that Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates are very close to reaching the Final Island, Laugh Tale. It also makes sense for the next step to be Laugh Tale because, as Oda said, it is an island that only the Pirate King has ever been to. However, there is another island in the One Piece world that no one other than the Roger Pirates was able to find, and this island is none other than Lodestar.
Lodestar Island was first revealed to the fans in the Wano Country Arc. A year before the God Valley incident, that is 39 years ago in the One Piece world, Roger Pirates successfully found the last island in the Grand Line and Roger clearly stated that this was an island that nowhere before him had managed to reach, and its name is Lodestar. It was on this island that Roger found out about the Poneglyphs and their importance, and then he restarted his journey in search of these four special stones.
From now on, this will be ONE PIECE! I will draw all the mysteries left in this world that I have been hiding until now. It's going to be really interesting. Please fasten your seatbelts. Thank you so much, I hope you keep up with me a bit longer. — Eiichiro Oda, One Piece
On Lodestar Island, there is something that teaches pirates about the true meaning of the Poneglyphs, as well as the intrigue of the One Piece itself. This island is very special and Oda did not introduce it without it having played an important role in the story. It is also the last island that one can get to by following the Log Pose. Luffy does not have the last Poneglyph yet and he most certainly will not have it at the end of Elbaf. As such, Laugh Tale being the next arc of One Piece is impossible.
It is highly likely that the next arc will see Luffy using the Log Pose and head to the island of Lodestar, which could be next after Elbaf. This could also connect to the Man with the Burn Scar, who could be waiting for Luffy on this island, and then, the biggest battle for the One Piece will officially begin.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece focuses on the journey of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates as they sail the seas to lay claim to the grand treasure known as the One Piece. The manga is currently in its Final Saga. One Piece will be featured in this week's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1170 is January 4, 2026. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday, which is 11:00 AM EST, or 8:00 AM PT. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump apps. Doing so will ensure that fans always support the author.