With the way the story has played out, it seems likely that we will be visiting the long awaited Wano Kuni fairly soon.
The way I see it, that's where the next arc will take place. After the events of Totland/Whole Cake Island play out, it seems most plausible that the next move for Luffy is Wano. When they get there though, how long will the arc last? Though the Straw Hats have split up for no, I don't think Oda will show the events of Wano until the end of the Whole Cake Island arc. We actually don't know if Law & co. + Samurais + Zoro & co. have left Zou yet. There could very well still be a confrontation with Jack there, so again, I think Wano will all come as one big block with the possible exception of 1 or 2 chapters showing a bit of Law/Zoro/Samurai arrival (like they did with Zou on Dressrosa.)
Now, as we know, there are plenty of plot points to cover during Wano. Some have been foreshadowed for a long time, some just got introduced. However, the buildup for this arc is insane and I really think it might be the longest arc in the entire series. There have been some arcs that have taken up a lot of chapters in One Piece like Dressrosa (101), Skypiea (65), Alabasta (62), Fishman Island (50), etc. but Wano arguably has more things to go over than ever. I'll start by discussing some key points to look forward to in Wano that will all contribute to the lengthiness. You guys let me know in the comments about anything definite I missed and also I'd love to hear theories pertaining to things I don't mention.
1.) Kozuki Momonosuke
This young, perverted, weird little boy seems to be the key to a lot of things. Though he will NOT be in Wano during the arc (unless Zou walks its way over there), there will surely be many revelations regarding his heritage and more interestingly, his Artificial Devil Fruit powers. What is most interesting is that the one Momo ate seems to be of particular curiosity since it was made by Vegapunk as opposed to Caesar.
So far from what we can tell, while Momo's fruit is still a Zoan class, it functions much differently from SMILE users. Momonosuke gets a full body transformation instead of just partial. It should also be noted that his, while seemingly incomplete/unmastered, is a Mythical Zoan unlike any of the SMILE users we've seen from Kaido's crew.
I'm also very sure that we will get further disclosure with Momonosuke's father and whether or not he is actually alive. As a member of Gol D Roger's crew, daimyo Oden Kozuki is sure to be full of valuable information if alive. However, either way I'm sure that there will be a decent amount of time spent revealing more about the Kozuki family's backstory and it is sure to empower Luffy and give him more to fight for. Also, though it has been explicitly stated that Oden was killed, there is still a possibility that he actually is alive. I'm sure that we have all seen this picture floating around already, but let us not deny the possibility of it being Oden. If it is indeed Oden sitting with Crokus, that means that he is alive post-timeskip and it seems very unlikely to me that Kaido has only occupied Wano for a few months.
It is also yet to be revealed what the deal was with Momonosuke being able to communicate with Zunisha... Not sure if we'll find out about that in Wano or not though.
2.) Shusui
We all know that Zoro was given the black katana Shusui by Ryuma, the zombie of the main character from Oda's one-shot manga, "Monsters." He's actually had it for almost 400 chapters now.
Though he uses it for a majority Ittoryu attacks and seems to be very fond of it, Zoro has been made well aware that he will more than likely have to return it once he reaches Wano Kuni since it is a national treasure to the people there.
That being said, Zoro will most likely be going through a weapon change during the arc and it is very unlikely that he will settle for any low-grade katana at this point. Considering they will be in a country full of samurai, I'm sure Zoro will finally get the opportunity to get his hands on 1 of the 12 Saijo O Wazamono grade swords.
3.) VS. Kaido
Well.. From what little we really do know for sure about the Yonko Kaido, it's that you probably shouldn't f**k with him. He's big... And scary... And strong...
But what have Law & Luffy been doing since they formed their alliance in the first place? F*****g with Kaido... Those boys are in for quite the battle when the time comes. I'm sure the actual fight will take up a looooot of chapter space, but you also have to consider; the guy has 2 other generals known as Calamities who we haven't even seen yet plus an entire army of fruit users! That's not something that the protagonists can just brush off.
It will take some serious time and effort for the protagonists to bring down Kaido on what is now his home turf. We all know Oda likes to drag on suspense for fights as much as possible and he's not gonna have a much better chance than vs. Kaido. Personally, I highly believe that Kaido himself has a Dragon based Mythical Zoan that is NOT artificial but regardless, he will be an extremely difficult opponent to defeat.
4.) Poneglyphs
This is a more straightforward but huge plot point that was more recently revealed to be associated with Wano. They were actually created there. Whether or not we will see any on Wano aside from Kaido's Road Poneglyph is unknown. However, we are bound to get important information about their creation and possible whereabouts. It is also possible that we may even get a huge revelation about the void century considering that there is valuable intel that the Kozuki clan never passed down to Momonosuke. Either way, being the country of origin for one of the stories biggest plot points makes Wano a perfect place for us to receive some key information.
5.) End Of Alliance
When and if Wano ends in the defeat of the Yonko Kaido, the reason for the Luffy/Law Alliance has been fulfilled.
At that point in time, they will still be on Wano and both crews will have to plan their next move. In the event that they do take down Kaido, there will be no more reason for an alliance and we will see the story diverge in a different direction which is not yet known. This will surely be explicitly discussed in the manga and will likely lead to the conclusion of Wano.
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Considering that Punk Hazard and Dressrosa were both quite long arcs and were buildup to the events of Wano, I'm sure that we will get at least 75 chapters out of the Wano Kuni arc, but likely more. Also, just because it is not the climax arc does not mean it can't be the longest. Note that Thriller Bark was longer than Marineford in Part 1.
So what do you guys think?
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The way I see it, that's where the next arc will take place. After the events of Totland/Whole Cake Island play out, it seems most plausible that the next move for Luffy is Wano. When they get there though, how long will the arc last? Though the Straw Hats have split up for no, I don't think Oda will show the events of Wano until the end of the Whole Cake Island arc. We actually don't know if Law & co. + Samurais + Zoro & co. have left Zou yet. There could very well still be a confrontation with Jack there, so again, I think Wano will all come as one big block with the possible exception of 1 or 2 chapters showing a bit of Law/Zoro/Samurai arrival (like they did with Zou on Dressrosa.)
You must be registered for see images
Now, as we know, there are plenty of plot points to cover during Wano. Some have been foreshadowed for a long time, some just got introduced. However, the buildup for this arc is insane and I really think it might be the longest arc in the entire series. There have been some arcs that have taken up a lot of chapters in One Piece like Dressrosa (101), Skypiea (65), Alabasta (62), Fishman Island (50), etc. but Wano arguably has more things to go over than ever. I'll start by discussing some key points to look forward to in Wano that will all contribute to the lengthiness. You guys let me know in the comments about anything definite I missed and also I'd love to hear theories pertaining to things I don't mention.
1.) Kozuki Momonosuke
This young, perverted, weird little boy seems to be the key to a lot of things. Though he will NOT be in Wano during the arc (unless Zou walks its way over there), there will surely be many revelations regarding his heritage and more interestingly, his Artificial Devil Fruit powers. What is most interesting is that the one Momo ate seems to be of particular curiosity since it was made by Vegapunk as opposed to Caesar.
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
So far from what we can tell, while Momo's fruit is still a Zoan class, it functions much differently from SMILE users. Momonosuke gets a full body transformation instead of just partial. It should also be noted that his, while seemingly incomplete/unmastered, is a Mythical Zoan unlike any of the SMILE users we've seen from Kaido's crew.
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
I'm also very sure that we will get further disclosure with Momonosuke's father and whether or not he is actually alive. As a member of Gol D Roger's crew, daimyo Oden Kozuki is sure to be full of valuable information if alive. However, either way I'm sure that there will be a decent amount of time spent revealing more about the Kozuki family's backstory and it is sure to empower Luffy and give him more to fight for. Also, though it has been explicitly stated that Oden was killed, there is still a possibility that he actually is alive. I'm sure that we have all seen this picture floating around already, but let us not deny the possibility of it being Oden. If it is indeed Oden sitting with Crokus, that means that he is alive post-timeskip and it seems very unlikely to me that Kaido has only occupied Wano for a few months.
You must be registered for see images
It is also yet to be revealed what the deal was with Momonosuke being able to communicate with Zunisha... Not sure if we'll find out about that in Wano or not though.
2.) Shusui
We all know that Zoro was given the black katana Shusui by Ryuma, the zombie of the main character from Oda's one-shot manga, "Monsters." He's actually had it for almost 400 chapters now.
You must be registered for see images
Though he uses it for a majority Ittoryu attacks and seems to be very fond of it, Zoro has been made well aware that he will more than likely have to return it once he reaches Wano Kuni since it is a national treasure to the people there.
You must be registered for see images
That being said, Zoro will most likely be going through a weapon change during the arc and it is very unlikely that he will settle for any low-grade katana at this point. Considering they will be in a country full of samurai, I'm sure Zoro will finally get the opportunity to get his hands on 1 of the 12 Saijo O Wazamono grade swords.
3.) VS. Kaido
Well.. From what little we really do know for sure about the Yonko Kaido, it's that you probably shouldn't f**k with him. He's big... And scary... And strong...
You must be registered for see images
But what have Law & Luffy been doing since they formed their alliance in the first place? F*****g with Kaido... Those boys are in for quite the battle when the time comes. I'm sure the actual fight will take up a looooot of chapter space, but you also have to consider; the guy has 2 other generals known as Calamities who we haven't even seen yet plus an entire army of fruit users! That's not something that the protagonists can just brush off.
You must be registered for see images
It will take some serious time and effort for the protagonists to bring down Kaido on what is now his home turf. We all know Oda likes to drag on suspense for fights as much as possible and he's not gonna have a much better chance than vs. Kaido. Personally, I highly believe that Kaido himself has a Dragon based Mythical Zoan that is NOT artificial but regardless, he will be an extremely difficult opponent to defeat.
4.) Poneglyphs
This is a more straightforward but huge plot point that was more recently revealed to be associated with Wano. They were actually created there. Whether or not we will see any on Wano aside from Kaido's Road Poneglyph is unknown. However, we are bound to get important information about their creation and possible whereabouts. It is also possible that we may even get a huge revelation about the void century considering that there is valuable intel that the Kozuki clan never passed down to Momonosuke. Either way, being the country of origin for one of the stories biggest plot points makes Wano a perfect place for us to receive some key information.
You must be registered for see images
5.) End Of Alliance
When and if Wano ends in the defeat of the Yonko Kaido, the reason for the Luffy/Law Alliance has been fulfilled.
You must be registered for see images
At that point in time, they will still be on Wano and both crews will have to plan their next move. In the event that they do take down Kaido, there will be no more reason for an alliance and we will see the story diverge in a different direction which is not yet known. This will surely be explicitly discussed in the manga and will likely lead to the conclusion of Wano.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Considering that Punk Hazard and Dressrosa were both quite long arcs and were buildup to the events of Wano, I'm sure that we will get at least 75 chapters out of the Wano Kuni arc, but likely more. Also, just because it is not the climax arc does not mean it can't be the longest. Note that Thriller Bark was longer than Marineford in Part 1.
So what do you guys think?
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images