Eiichiro Oda's One Piece is one of the longest-running manga series of all time and, at the same time, also the most popular one. The manga is nothing short of incredible and it follows the journey of Monkey D. Luffy, a young pirate who sets out to the sea in the quest for the grand treasure, known as the One Piece, to become the Pirate King. Luffy amasses a wonderful crew throughout his journey, forging beautiful friendships and saving countless people along the way.
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This character has brought smiles to not just those in the world of One Piece, but also the millions of fans reading his story all across the world. Interestingly enough, One Piece was never supposed to be as long as it is, as the author of the story once revealed that he had very different plans for it.
The Original Plan For One Piece
Fans know One Piece to be a series that has now been running for over 25 years and that is certainly an incredible achievement, given that its quality has only been getting better with time. While One Piece has proven to be a timeless masterpiece, Oda initially had different plans for the series. Of course, he never envisioned One Piece to be as long as it is right now. When Oda started writing One Piece in 1997, he had decided to end it in around 5 years.
During this time, Oda had laid down his careful plan for the story. One Piece was going to be a story about the fight against the powerful Emperors of the Sea, also known as the Yonko. These characters are some of the most influential ones in the world of One Piece and fans know them to be very central to the plot right now. The Yonko have taken over the story ever since One Piece entered its second half and, even today, they remain influential as ever. However, in the very first half of the story, the Yonko did not get directly involved in the plot at all. Oda, however, envisioned them to be the main antagonists from the very beginning of the story. This means that from the very start of the series, Luffy would have fought against the likes of Shanks, Kaido, Big Mom, and possibly even Whitebeard.
Over time, however, things changed quite a bit and One Piece went a different direction altogether. Essentially, the Yonko are not even the main antagonist of the series. They are just other pirates who also happen to be in the quest for the One Piece itself. The main antagonistic group in One Piece are the Celestial Dragons, particularly the Five Elders and Imu, the sovereign of the world. It is certainly incredible to see how different One Piece is from what Oda and visioned it first. Instead of simply introducing the Yonko and having Luffy fight against them, Oda took the longer route and in doing so, he introduced various incredible elements, one of which is the Seven Warlords of the Sea, also known as the Shichibukai.
Why One Piece Became So Long
According to Oda himself, One Piece became as long as it is because of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, or the Shichibukai. The Seven Warlords of the Sea are powerful pirates that work for the Government. Essentially, these pirates are given the freedom to do whatever they want as long as they fight for the Government and help them curtail the growth of piracy in the Great Pirate Era. The Shichibukai became extremely relevant to the plot of One Piece as soon as Luffy and the Straw Hat pirates ended the Grand Line. There, Luffy encountered Crocodile, who was the very first Warlord antagonist that fans were introduced to.
Even before Crocodile, fans were already introduced to Dracule Mihawk, a legendary figure in the One Piece world who is deeply tied to the character of Roronoa Zoro. In the Grand Line, Crocodile was soon followed by another Shichibukai and that was Gecko Maria. Soon, complex plotlines were developed around these characters and fans also saw the likes of Bartholomew Kuma, who had ties to the Revolutionary Army, and Boa Hanco*ck, a former slave and now powerful Pirate Empress.
The Shichibukai kept getting only more involved in the story as they also took part in the Paramount War against the Whitebeard Pirates and, after the timeskip, another one of their ranks, namely Doflamingo, took center stage as the main villain. It was only after the fall of Doflamingo that the story started focusing towards bigger enemies such as Big Mom and Kaido. Despite that, the Shichibukai still remain relevant as the dissolution of their group was a major plotpoint in the story and, even now, as former Warlords, they are incredibly important to the story.
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According to Oda, he regrets this decision of introducing the Shichibukai a bit and he would have liked if they were fewer in number, however, to the fans, this group has been nothing short of incredible as they are extremely fun to watch and also incredibly well written.
The Influence Of The Shichibukai In One Piece
The influence of the Shichibukai in One Piece goes far and wide. Not only did they offer fans some of the most incredible arcs such as Arabasta, Thriller Bark, Dressrosa, and Amazon Lily, among others, they also continue to affect the politics of the One Piece world even after they are no longer as big as they were. For instance, currently, a group named Cross Guild has been created by former Shichibukai, Buggy, Mihawk, and Crocodile. This group is actively hunting down Marines and is a major power in the One Piece world at this point in time.
Furthermore, another interesting group that has recently popped up in One Piece is that of the Seraphims. The Seraphims are Pacifistas taken to the extreme, created by Dr. Vegapunk and all of them are based on the former Warlords as well. In some aspects, the Warlords can even be considered to be more intriguing characters than the Yonko themselves. They introduce complex plot threads to the story and give fans nuanced characters who, in turn, help the main characters of the series grow further by putting their morals to the test.
Even though Oda might regret the decision of introducing the Shichibukai, it can be said that introducing them is one of the many reasons why One Piece is as great as it is today. These powerful pirates who have twisted morals and a thirst for wealth, fame, and power, were always going to remain iconic and, for many, is the reason why fans fell in love with One Piece in the first place.
Now, One Piece is in its Final Saga, however, it isn't going to end anytime soon. Fans can also expect the Shichibukai, along with all the other major power factions in the world of One Piece, to come into play and deliver what could very well be the greatest arc in the entire series and, judging by the way it has been going so far, fans are in for a spectacular ride.
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