A fragment officially aligns the two major arcs after Elbaf

a piece Series writer Eiichiro Oda is currently at the climax of the Elbaf Arc with the intention of wrapping it up in 2026. The series now goes deep into the final saga, a piece It is expected to end the adventure in the Land of the Giants and start a completely new story arc later this year and usher in a new era in the story.

Eiichiro Oda himself has already lined up two possible arcs after the conclusion of Elbaf, and both of them are important in the grand scheme of things, and bring us closer to the great treasure of One Piece. These two arcs are Lodestar Island and Laugh Tale, either of which could happen in Luffy's post-Elbaf journey.

Eiichiro Oda's Jump Festa message lines up the Lodestar and Laugh Tale Arcs in the final saga

of Elbaf arc a piece Shuisha's Weekly Shonen Jump officially began with chapter 1125 in issue #42 on September 16, 2024. This new arc has since continued and is already two years into the series. The Elbaf arc is likely to last a few more months, but Eiichiro Oda wants to start a new arc by the end of 2026. This is something the author teased himself at the end of 2025, in his Jump Festa message on December 21st. Eiichiro Oda clearly explained what his intentions were for the manga, and clearly appeared to have a lofty plan for 2026. A new arc. According to Oda, One Piece is going to start an entirely new arc this year, which will take us closer to the end of the series.

“We're going to “that island” that only the Pirate King could reach!!? The man marked by fire will also appear. Characters who never had the chance to meet will finally meet each other. The two of them will meet, and the two of them will meet. — A piece on Jump Festa 2026 by writer Eiichiro Oda

As evident from Oda's message, One Piece's next island takes Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates to an island where only the Pirate King has set foot. This means that two major arcs for the story are already lined up, and those are Lodestar Island, and Laugh Tail. While many fans immediately assume Laugh Tail is the island that Oda is referring to, Lodestar Island can't be dismissed either. Lodestar was first mentioned in One Piece Chapter 966, released on December 23, 2019, in issues #4-5 of Shuisha's Weekly Shonen Jump after a fight between Roger and Whitebeard. There is how Roger discovers the truth about the Poneglyphs and, at the same time, why he restarts his journey across the Grand Line from the beginning to collect the Poneglyphs and find the final island.

Roger reached Lodestar Island a year before the battle in God Valley, which means that as Luffy continues to pursue Log Pose, he will also reach Lodestar. Now, Luffy already has three Road Poneglyphs, Kaido's stone officially given to his team in One Piece Chapter 1055, which was officially released in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #35 on August 1, 2022.

“It all started 13 years ago, when we reached the final destination of the Final Log Pose, where no one had been before… a place called Lodestar Island! But, when we got there, what we found, we knew it wasn't the final island! – Roger tells Lodestar Island, One Piece Chapter #966

Now, Luffy has one foot on the last island, but he needs to find a way to get the last Road Poneglyph. Doing so will not be easy, as it will see the start of a major war. The Lodestar Island arc, which could potentially be next, is probably going to focus on the battle for the final Road Poneglyph, and we're incredibly excited to see what Eiichiro Oda delivers.

At the same time, by ensuring the battle for the final Road Poneglyph, Oda also aligns the second major arc in the Final Saga of One Piece, and that is the Laugh Tail arc. The Laugh Tail Arc is going to be one of the final arcs of the story, and it will lead Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates directly to the Final Island, which the Pirate King also set foot on almost 26 years ago. In doing so, Roger became the first pirate in 800 years to reach the island since Joy Boy, which was officially confirmed to us on January 4, 2020 in One Piece chapter 967 Weekly Shōnen Jump issues #4-5, as it properly marked the end of Roger's pirates' journey. These two arcs are next up after Elbaf, and looking at what they'll include, we can tell it's only going to get more intense from here on out.

The next arc of One Piece will be a 'celebration of reunion' according to Eiichiro Oda

With two major arcs already lined up by creator Eiichiro Oda, there's a lot to be excited about, and Oda has already explained what the next arcs will involve. According to Eiichiro Oda, a piece The next arc is going to be like a celebration of reunion. Many characters will face off against each other, and some of them have deep histories. This is probably going to be addressed in two different ways as the reunion is going to be in both a positive and negative light. For example, the reunion of Luffy and Shanks is going to be seen in a positive light. The reunion between Shanks and Blackbeard is definitely going to be antagonizing and seen in a negative light. It will be a face-off with high stakes and excitement at the same time.

“Two people who have never crossed paths finally meet!! And the two of them run into each other!! Is next year a full blown reunion festival?” – Eiichiro Oda sets up big reunions after Elbaf, Jump Festa 2026

Eiichiro Oda's words clearly highlight that next year will be a crucial one for the likes of the Four Emperors, which means many exciting fights will be on the cards. With four emperors at the center of things, a piece Luffy and Shanks will likely see each other for the first time. At the same time, Shanks and Blackbeard, as well as Shanks and Buggy, cannot be ruled out. Luffy and Buggy could also have their own reunion, as it would also fit in with what Oda wants to do with the next arc.

Another reunion that absolutely cannot be overlooked is that of Luffy and Vivi. One Piece Chapter 1130 already showed Vivi sending a big message to Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue #47 on October 21, 2024. After the adventure in Elbaf, it is Vivi for Luffy where there is a lot of possibility to go straight and, with that, give the fans another exciting reunion.

“When Luffy transforms into his free form, is that X mark visible on his hand? It looks unnatural to me. His hand looks blurry but the mark is crystal clear.” – Nico Robin highlights Vivi's message, One Piece Chapter #1130

Why Shanks, Vivi, Dragon, Burn Scar, and the World Government will be the focus of the next One Piece arc

As already evident, the next arc of One Piece will shed a lot of light on certain characters, and at the center of it all are going to be the likes of Shanks and Luffy, and potentially Buggy and Blackbeard. Other characters that will be focused on in the next arc of One Piece are: Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the revolutionary army, as well as the man with the burn scar, whom Oda will appear after Elbaf is finished.

“Two of the Four Road Ponglyphs belong to Big Mom and Kaido. But the other two, we couldn't find, and one of them belongs to the man with the burn scar!” – Blackbeard highlights his interest in Burn Scar, a fragment chapter #1081

All these characters are going to play an important role in the story, giving fans some of the most exciting battles and at the same time, major reunions. This all happens when Luffy and the Straw Hats step on an island that only the Roger Pirates have been to, which is probably going to be Lodestar Island, then Laugh Tale. Things are clearly heating up in the next two arcs of One Piece, and we can't wait to see what happens next.

The latest chapter of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga series is available through Manga Plus and Viz Media.