One Piece: The Second Timeskip, Explained

This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Final Saga.

Summary

• Luffy trained for 2 years after the Summit War to get stronger.
• A second timeskip in One Piece may happen in the future.
• Oda hinted at detailing Luffy’s entire life, potentially through another timeskip.
• (119 characters, 117 characters, 116 characters)

One Piece has officially entered its Final Saga, and it is safe to say that this part of the story is incredibly exciting. The Final Saga is the pinnacle of the post-timeskip of One Piece, and it is here that Oda will go on to write the most exciting and thrilling battles in the story. With the story having entered its last stretch, Luffy will finally go on to fulfill his dream by finding the Final Island, Laugh Tale, and claiming the One Piece.

Fans will also likely see a major war breakout in the Final Saga, but the timeline of how it will all go down is still unclear. In fact, there might be another timeskip in One Piece at some point later down the line, and Oda’s own words seem to be hinting at that as well.

One Piece’s First Timeskip Happened After The Summit War

• Luffy tried to save Ace
• The Straw Hats decided to train for two years

Timeskips are an efficient way for an author to strengthen his characters. Of course, there needs to be a proper reason for the timeskip to begin, and once the conditions are met, the characters then return aged up, and, most importantly, stronger and more mature than ever before. In the case of One Piece, fans saw a timeskip after the Summit War. Luffy failed to save Ace during the war, despite trying as hard as he possibly could. Because of this failure, he almost gave up being a pirate. But, thankfully, he continued to persevere, and this is where Rayleigh suggested that he train for 2 years to avoid a similar fate in the future.

Let’s meet in 3 days and 2 years on Sabaody Archipelago! – the Straw Hat Pirates

With Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates training for 2 years, fans knew that the New World would not be as threatening a challenge for them as it would have been otherwise. In the post-timeskip of One Piece, the Straw Hat Pirates have all shown their tremendous strength, and at the same time, conquered one obstacle after the other. In fact, Luffy is a Yonko right now, which is certainly worthy of praise. He is just one step away from attaining the One Piece now, and things finally seem in his grasp. But, a second time skip appears to be inevitable in One Piece. The only question is when this timeskip will happen.

Does One Piece Need A Second Timeskip?

Luffy Doesn’t Need A Timeskip To Become The Pirate King

The question of whether One Piece needs a second timeskip or not is certainly one that would split opinions among the fans. There are numerous fans who believe that the Straw Hat Pirates’ journey has not continued for long enough and that they have not spent enough time within the One Piece world with each other. To a certain degree, this is true. Luffy sailed with the Straw Hat Pirates for a couple of months in the pre-timeskip, and after reuniting, once again, for a couple of months in the post-timeskip. In fact, ever since the conception of the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy and the Straw Hats have spent less time together than they have apart, and the timeskip sees to that. It would make sense for the Straw Hat Pirates to sail the seas for longer and for there to be more timeskips in One Piece, be they big or small.

At the same time, timeskips are a surefire way to make the characters mature, and at the same time, make them stronger. Fans would absolutely love to see a more grown-up version of Luffy, and the same goes for individuals such as Zoro, Sanji, and others. In that sense, a second timeskip is absolutely incredible.

But, when wondering whether a timeskip is absolutely necessary or not, the answer is clearly no. One Piece does not need a second timeskip. A case could be made if Luffy was not as strong as he is right now, and then, another training timeskip would certainly fit in somewhere. But, Luffy is already a Yonko and he has shown previously that he can strengthen himself in the midst of battle. As such, having a timeskip just for the characters to grow stronger makes absolutely no sense, at least for now.

Simply put, while a timeskip would be exciting for the fans to witness, it is not absolutely necessary to move the story forward. That said, based on Oda’s own words, it is possible that fans will get a time skip at some point later down the line in One Piece.

Why Fans Could See Adult Straw Hats Eventually

Oda Wants To Depict Luffy’s Whole Life

Much to the surprise of the fans, Oda has previously hinted at skipping more time in One Piece, although indirectly. In 2016, Oda talked about drawing Luffy’s journey, and according to him, he wants to draw Luffy’s entire life right up until the very end. This is what Oda had to say:

Isn’t it crazy that I haven’t finished ONE PIECE after 20 years of drawing it? Anyway, I will finish depicting the great life of a pirate named Luffy fully. – Oda (2016)

As is clear from Oda’s words, he intends to draw the whole life journey of the pirate named Luffy. This can only be possible in two ways. Either Luffy dies incredibly young, and Oda covers all these events in the remaining arcs of the Final Saga, or, things can potentially change and there can be a massive timeskip in One Piece.

Given Oda’s reluctance to kill off major characters, it is likely that he does not intend to kill Luffy early. In fact, even attempting that, with Luffy as the main character, would be a suicidal move by Oda. As such, the only answer that one arrives at is that Oda intends for there to be another timeskip so he can detail the life of the Great Pirate Luffy right up until the very end, just as he claimed. As to when the timeskip should happen, fans can’t say for sure. But, it is likely that it too is going to mirror the pre-timeskip, and back then, Luffy headed into war at the very end. It’s likely that something similar will happen around here as well.

As things stand, Luffy’s incredibly close to claiming the One Piece. It would make no sense for the series to enter a timeskip right now. He will continue his adventure as a 19-year-old for now, and even go on to claim the One Piece. However, after Luffy claims that One Piece, there could potentially be a timeskip. This timeskip could be either immediately after, and in this case, rather short, or, it could happen after the Great War when things have settled down and the new world order has started coming into shape. The latter idea makes more sense, given that fans can then skip a few years into the future and see what their favorite characters look a bit older. This would be the perfect opportunity for Oda to incorporate a second timeskip into One Piece, and although it certainly isn’t needed, it would make for a fun addition to the story.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1134, is set to be December 22, 2024.