SUMMARY

One Piece, one of the world’s longest-running series, has been going strong nearly three decades.
Oda has been working on the series for a long time, although his original idea for One Piece was rather different.
Oda stated in an interview that he intended to conclude One Piece only five years after its inception.

One of the longest series in the whole world, One Piece has been going strong for almost 30 years. With more than 1100 manga chapters and 1000+ anime episodes, the series has been entertaining fans since 1997, and it has only gotten better as the series has introduced some great elements and aspects over the years.
The Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece
After so many years, the series has finally entered the last saga of the story. The first arc introduced in the final saga is the Egghead Island arc, and being the beginning of the conclusion, it has started unraveling the infinite mysteries that Eiichiro Oda has been hiding in the story for so long.

Although Oda has kept the series running for many years, his initial plan for One Piece was completely different. During an interview, Oda explained how he wanted to end One Piece only after 5 years, and had no intention of extending it for so long. This would have taken the fun away from One Piece fans.

Eiichiro Oda Planned to End One Piece in 5 Years

In an interview with The New York Times during the release of One Piece live-action, Oda was asked about whether he imagined his magnum opus going strong for so long. In his reply, the manga creator mentioned that he never believed that One Piece would have lasted this long and his initial plan was to end the series after 5 years.

Oda stated:

“I never thought “One Piece” would last this long: When I began, I imagined it might run for five years. But it was my first time doing something serialized, and I found that as I kept writing, the characters took on lives of their own. Before I knew it, they were writing the story for me, and it just kept going.”

One Piece
According to Oda, when he started One Piece, he realized that as he kept writing, the characters started to develop on their own, and before he could do anything about it, they started creating the story for him. This in turn made the story more interesting and helped in making One Piece one of the best anime and manga series of all time.

When Will The One Piece Story End?

Eiichiro Oda has never explicitly mentioned the exact date for when he is going to end the One Piece story, but looking at the progress the series has made during the final saga, a rough estimate of the ending of One Piece can be determined. The first arc in the finale saga is almost at its conclusion and the series will then move on to the Elbaf arc.
One Piece – Egghead Arc
The Elbaf arc might take a little more time than the Egghead arc. Because it is going to unravel a lot more mysteries than Egghead did, as the Elbaf village, and the arc, have been talked about since the beginning of the series. Oda has a habit of introducing an element in the story and taking it to completion. Which is why the story has been extended for so long.

And looking at the mysteries and foreshadowing that Oda has done over the years, he might need a few more years to bring closure to all of them. Thus, the series might run for a few more years before it reaches its final arc, and end the tale of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece.