This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Marineford Arc.
Summary
- Ace and Whitebeard both died in the Marineford war.
- Shanks ended the war by showing up suddenly and challenging those who wanted to continue fighting.
- Oda’s original plan didn’t involve Shanks; his involvement was a last-minute decision that greatly affected the story.
The Marineford arc of One Piece was, quite easily, one of the most important arcs of the whole story, and it does without saying that it remains, to this day, the most tense arc that Oda has dropped. It has a solid claim for being the best arc in the entirety of One Piece, and that in itself makes this arc very special. The Marineford arc saw the story go through many twists and turns and it all centered around one character in particular, Portgas D. Ace, the pirate who was handed over to the navy by Blackbeard.
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The war began after Blackbeard concluded a deal with the Government and handed over Ace to them. In return, he got a Shichibukai title for himself. At the same time, the Navy recognized that Ace’s death was absolutely necessary, especially since he was the son of the late Pirate King, whose line they wanted to erase at all costs. All this led to a phenomenal war that was fought by the Marines and the Shichibukai against the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies in the Navy HQ.
How The Marineford War Concluded
- The Arc Saw Both Ace And Whitebeard Dying
- Shanks Ended The War
The Marineford arc saw 100,000 marines unite with the Shichibukai in an attempt to execute the son of the Pirate King, Portgas D. Ace. This war was absolutely massive and for good reason. It saw Whitebeard, the Great Pirate, attack Marineford with his 43 ally ships, and Luffy represented a whole other party as he came to the Marine HQ with a pirate vessel from Impel Down. This rescue arc was, undoubtedly, one of the greatest across all of anime and manga, and it certainly lived up to all expectations. Marineford war saw the Admirals and the legendary members of the Whitebeard Pirates show their true strength, and at the end of it, Ace’s execution was successfully thwarted. Ace was saved by Luffy, who risked his life for his brother, and successfully managed to set out towards the ship with him.
I’m here to put an end to this war. — Shanks
However, when Luffy was in danger, Ace guarded him with his own body, giving his life in the process. While Ace ended up dying, meaning the goal of the war was met, the Marines didn’t stop their slaughter. They attempted to eradicate the pirates there and then, and when Blackbeard showed up, Whitebeard lost his life as well. Two major losses were observed on this day, and the toll would’ve continued had a certain someone not shown up.
At the end of the War, it was Red Hair Shanks who showed up with his whole crew and stopped the war. Drawing his own weapons, Shanks challenged those who still sought a fight and the war successfully ended for good. This marked the end of the phenomenal Marineford arc, which is easily considered to be a masterpiece and an arc that will go on to resonate with the fans for years to come.
Oda’s Original Plan Didn’t Involve The Yonko Shanks
Shanks’s Involvement Was A Last Minute Addition
It goes without saying that Shanks elevated the arc with his appearance at the end. His involvement was most certainly a good decision from the author and one that sent fans into a frenzy as well. However, this decision wasn’t taken by the author right from the beginning. Oda didn’t intend to involve Shanks in Marineford right from the get-go. If anything, his initial plans were very different. Much about Marineford was decided at the very last moment.
Your father, your real father, is the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. — Sengoku
For instance, Oda never even intended for Ace to be the son of the Pirate King originally. This idea hit him suddenly, and he asked his editor about it. Based on the reaction of the editor, Oda decided to go ahead with the decision. Similarly, Shanks was never intended to be involved in the Marineford war. But, for one reason or another, Oda decided to end the war with Shanks’s involvement.
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It is safe to say that both of these decisions ended up being great, despite Oda not having planned them for long, like he usually does. It also goes to show that an author doesn’t necessarily need to have the whole story laid in front of them to be considered great, as many fans seem to believe.
But, it goes without saying a decision of such magnitude affected the story greatly. Originally, Oda intended for the war to end in a completely different manner, and it goes without saying that fans are wondering how Marineford would’ve ended if it weren’t for Shanks.
The True Ending Of The Marineford Arc Without Shanks
The War Would’ve Been Very Different
The true ending of the Marineford arc is hard to predict precisely, especially since Oda’s plans for it were never made public, but fans can always connect the dots and arrive at a solid conclusion. One thing that fans absolutely need to keep in mind is that the Marineford arc of One Piece would’ve bore the same result either way. Luffy would have to survive Marineford, and Ace would have to die. This is something that Oda confirmed himself. At the same time, Whitebeard’s death was also important for the final segment of the Paramount War, because otherwise, Blackbeard wouldn’t rise in prominence.
Given that the result would’ve largely been unchanged, it makes sense that Shanks’s role would’ve been carried out through a different character and also in a much different way. The best way for Oda to go forward here would’ve been for Whitebeard to put on a performance before bowing out. After Ace died, Whitebeard would then have challenged the whole Navy and fought them by himself. Akainu would’ve stayed defeated after his short clash with the Yonko, and the other Marines would’ve engaged in battle with him. Whitebeard would’ve sacrificed his life to allow his crew to escape and Marco, Jinbe, and the others would most likely have taken the passed-out Luffy.
Once the crew got away to a safe distance, Blackbeard would’ve shown up, stolen the Devil Fruit and given that the Navy would’ve already taken too much damage at this point, they would’ve not pursued him any further, given the damage sustained.
Blackbeard would’ve set out to the New World with mighty power, and Whitebeard would’ve most definitely died a heroic death by protecting his crew and all the other pirates in Marineford single handedly. Of course, Shanks being there certainly elevated the plot greatly, but it wouldn’t have changed much in the grand scheme of things.
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 1143, is set to be March 23, 2025.
One Piece
- Release Date
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October 20, 1999
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Directors
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Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
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Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
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Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)
