HIGHLIGHTS

The true nature of the One Piece treasure remains unknown, leading to a sense of urgency in the search amidst a potential sinking world.
Environmental challenges, like global sinking, could drastically alter the strategies employed by pirates and navy to find the One Piece.
A potential flood could add moral complexity to the quest for the One Piece, affecting characters like Luffy and Blackbeard in different ways.

What is the One Piece? This question has had fans and characters alike wondering ever since the beginning of the One Piece series. The true nature of the ultimate treasure in the One Piece series remains unknown, and with the world about to potentially undergo a sinking, the method by which pirates search for the One Piece could also change in its entirety. If the world changes, the search for One Piece will change as well.

That leads to the question—how will Luffy and his competitors begin to look for the One Piece? And could the One Piece be, in itself, something that could potentially stop the world from sinking?

The Concept Of The One Piece

A New Perspective On The Treasure

Despite now knowing what it is or might be, Luffy and other pirates in the series have unceasingly searched for the One Piece and confronted various other pirates on the journey. With a potential sinking of the world about to happen, the question of what the One Piece is and where it could be once again comes into question. Is One Piece underground? Can it be used to fight? Is it information, history, and the secrets of what happened during the Void Century? Is it a legacy of the Ancient Kingdom? Could it be all of the above?

In Whitebeard’s last speech, he mentioned that a global war would ensue immediately after someone finds the One Piece.

Sengoku! You and the World Government are afraid of the gigantic war that will embroil the world in one day! …when someone finds the treasure, the world will turn upside down! —Whitebeard

Many people believe that Whitebeard’s statement that finding the One Piece will turn the world upside down is figurative speech. However, the possibility that finding the One Piece could literally cause the world to get overturned must be considered. For all fans know, the One Piece could be right beneath the Red Line. And the reason no overturning occurred when it was found by the Roger pirates is that ‘they were too early’. After all, what really could’ve made the Roger pirates “too early” in finding the One Piece? As many have speculated, it could be that the power of the Nika was needed.

Possible Environmental Challenges

The Reality Of Global Sinking

Regardless of what the One Piece is, with the world about to sink, the strategies employed to find it will only be rushed or changed entirely. If the One Piece is something that can prevent the sinking of the world, then Luffy and other pirates are sure to intensify their search for the last road poneglyph and the One Piece itself. However, if the world is destined to sink regardless of what happens, then pirates will need to develop a way to continue their search even after the world has been sunk.

With recent chapters in the One Piece manga, the global sinking of the world is now more than ever a possible reality. Pirates and citizens as a whole will have to adapt to it if it does happen. If the world does sink, the geography of the world is sure to change, with many islands becoming destroyed and inaccessible. However, the altered landscape of the world may also unveil many secrets that have been buried beneath the sea for no one to access. While this is certainly a possibility, how will Luffy and other individuals navigate the new sunken world?

Navigational Strategies In A Changing World

The Existence Of Noah Sends A Hidden Message

If the world sinks, pirates and the navy alike would have to change their strategies of how they navigate the world. Depending on whether new structures are built on top of pre-existing ones, transportation methods modeled after Water 7’s Sea Train may become more commonplace. However, if the inhabitants of the world find a way to live underwater instead, transportation will become heavily dependent on coated ships. In this scenario, it is also very interesting to note that Noah, also called the Ship of Promise, portrayed in Fishman Island, could play an important role regardless of the approach the various kingdoms of the world take to the potential flooding.

Moreover, a question also comes to light. As Fishmen can swim underwater, why would they need an Ark to relocate? The existence of an Ark shows that worldwide flooding could have occurred before or was always destined to occur from ancient times, as the Ark was created as a lifeline “until a certain day arrives.”as promised to Joy Boy.

No!! We mustn’t allow any harm to come to the ark!! It must never be moved until a certain day has arrived!! —Neptune

Redefining The Quest For One Piece

A Flood Could Add Moral Complexity To A Pirate Era

If the One Piece is something that can prevent global flooding, it will add a sense of urgency and moral complexity to the pirates that seek to find it. It’ll be hard to imagine a Cross Guild that rushes to find the One Piece to save the world. Moreover, Luffy has always shown himself to dislike being a hero. Rather than share his meat to save others, he’ll prefer to eat it himself. If he does rush to find the One Piece, how would he feel about becoming a hero for the rest of the world?

Characters like Blackbeard may try to keep whatever the One Piece might be to themselves, regardless of whether it can potentially save the world or not. After all, Blackbeard is not one to care about anything but his desires.

With a potential flood on the horizon, the quest for One Piece is sure to be redefined. Devil fruit users may as well be at a disadvantage if they always have to fight with water around them. This could be why Shanks and the entire crew do not have a single devil fruit user among them; however, whether or not this is true will only come to light as One Piece progresses.