One Piece, by the legendary mangaka Eiichiro Oda, is currently in its Final Saga. After having wrapped up the events of the Egghead Island arc, we are currently in the climax of Elbaf, which officially began its run over two years ago.
With quite a few chapters still to go, One Piece is most certainly not ending Elbaf in 2026. Instead, this arc, which Oda previously projected would end this year, is going to end sometime by the midpoint of next year, which means that One Piece is now officially making preparations for its next arc. Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the series, already announced his plans for the next One Piece arc at Jump Festa 2026. By the looks of it, the Straw Hat Pirates, led by Yonko of the Sea, Luffy, are set to head to Lodestar Island.
One Piece’s Elbaf Arc Will Officially Wrap Up Within The Next 15 Chapters
One Piece began its Elbaf arc with the release of chapter 1126 on September 16, 2024, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump issue 42. Initially, Oda intended for this arc to be significantly shorter than it ended up being, but that’s usually the case with every single One Piece arc. According to Oda’s projections, One Piece itself was supposed to end by 2025, but heading into 2027, the series isn’t even done with the Elbaf arc yet. That said, this new arc of One Piece is most certainly in its climax now.
Creator of the World Government (One of the 20 Kings)
Power: Akuma no Mi (The Devil’s Fruit)
King of the World St. Nerona Imu
— Imu’s introduction box, One Piece Chapter #1179
With the arrival of Nerona Imu in One Piece chapter 1179 on April 5, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 19, One Piece’s Elbaf arc officially entered its climax. Unfortunately, due to the slower publication rate of the manga, Elbaf hasn’t concluded yet. Based on the current plot developments of the story as of the release of One Piece chapter 1197, the series is going to give Elbaf at least 10 to 15 more chapters. In other words, the Elbaf arc will not be ending in 2026 and will be heading into its third year in 2027. Eiichiro Oda just wrapped up the battles of the Wings of the Pirate King against the Holy Knights of Nerona Imu, and there are still major battles involving the likes of Loki and Luffy to consider. Given that the final battle has not happened yet, One Piece’s Elbaf arc will most definitely continue for many weeks.
“Hey Zoro, you be Luffy’s sword, and I’ll be his shield!” — Sanji awakens Conqueror’s Haki, One Piece Chapter #1197
Furthermore, there is also the epilogue of the arc to consider, where Eiichiro Oda always tends to reveal a lot of exciting lore details over a multitude of chapters. Added to that is the fact that One Piece is getting more frequent breaks than ever before after having switched to a presumably biweekly schedule. All things taken into consideration, One Piece’s Elbaf arc will likely end sometime before the Summer of 2027, which will then mark the beginning of a brand-new arc that is Lodestar Island, which Eiichiro Oda himself teased during Jump Festa 2026.
Eiichiro Oda Already Announced Lodestar Island Arc For 2027
After One Piece marks the conclusion of the Elbaf arc, the series is going to become even more exciting. According to Oda himself, following the adventure in the Land of the Giants, the Straw Hat Pirates will be headed to a legendary island where only the Pirate King and his crew have set foot in recent history. While most fans mistakenly assume this to be the Final Island, that is Laugh Tale, this is most certainly Lodestar Island, which lies at the end of the Grand Line.
“We are heading to “that island,” which only the Pirate King was ever able to reach!!? The Man with the Burn Scar will also appear. Characters who never had the chance to meet will finally encounter each other. Those two will meet, and those two will meet as well.” — Oda’s message, Jump Festa 2026
Lodestar Island was first mentioned by none other than the Pirate King Roger in One Piece Chapter 966, which was officially released on December 23, 2019, as shown in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 45. Back then, it was confirmed that Lodestar Island lies at the end of the Grand Line and that, by following the Log Pose, one will eventually get to this legendary island. After Roger and his crew got to this island, they learned all about the Poneglyphs and the true history of the world, which is when their search for Laugh Tale officially began.
“It all started 13 years ago, when we landed at the destination of the final Log Pose, where no one had ever reached before…a place called Lodestar Island! But when we disembarked, giddy at what we might find…we realized that it was not the final Island!” — Gol D. Roger explains Lodestar, One Piece Chapter #966
Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirates are set to get to Lodestar Island sooner or later, and by the looks of it, this is going to happen after the events of the Elbaf arc. On top of setting up Lodestar Island following the events of the Elbaf arc, Eiichiro Oda also confirmed to us that the man with the Burn Scar will officially make his appearance, and that is something that all of us fans are incredibly eager for and eagerly waiting for.
One Piece’s Next Arc Will Reveal Many Reunions And Battles
The exact events of the Lodestar Island arc, which will begin at some point in 2027, are hard to predict, but according to Eiichiro Oda, the man with the Burn Scar will most definitely be heavily involved in this new arc. At the same time, Oda also confirmed that next year’s arc of One Piece will be a festival of reunions for both friends and enemies. A lot of exciting and important characters will cross paths and either reunite as friends or face each other as enemies. Characters like Shanks, Blackbeard, Mihawk, Luffy, Buggy, and many others come to mind.
Oda also warned fans that the next arc will be extremely intense and that the story will move at lightning speed from here onwards. All things taken into consideration, One Piece’s next arc, that is, Lodestar Island, is looking to be its most intense to date, with battles on an entirely different level. We are eagerly waiting for the next arc of the series, but it must also be kept in mind that from here onwards, the publication of One Piece manga chapters is being slowed down significantly. The reason behind this is Eiichiro Oda’s worsening health, and to take better care of himself, the author is now switching to what seems to be a biweekly release schedule. Regardless, One Piece continues at its fastest possible pace, releasing new chapters with new arcs in 2027 after three long years of exciting adventure in the Land of Giants, Elbaf.
All the chapters of the One Piece manga by creator Eiichiro Oda are available for fans to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
