In One Piece, the ongoing Egghead Island arc has continued to reveal bombshell information on the world as a whole. Most importantly, the fact that the world of One Piece will sink as the ocean’s levels are rising. This is being revealed by Dr. Vegapunk, the scientist who had been working with the Marines, but has since become hunted by them. Yet author Eiichiro Oda actually has foreshadowed this plot point for a long time.

The most recent mention of it would be right after the destruction of the Lulusia Kingdom, where the ocean levels rose by a single meter. But this is just one of many references made to the ocean’s tides rising, as Oda had put references to it all the way back to around Dr. Vegapunk’s first mention. It’s possible he was even thinking of it as far back as the Alabasta arc.

Water 7’s Rising Aqua Laguna Was Just One of the Signs

The First Glimpse at the Fate of the World

The Water 7 Arc takes place on the titular island city of Water 7, a city clearly inspired by the rivers of Venice in design. But Water 7 actually has a big problem in the annual Aqua Laguna, a massive storm that sweeps through the island once a year. It floods the lower parts of the city with a big tidal wave as the storm peaks, and has gotten increasingly worse with every passing year.

It’s gotten to the point where the city leader, Mayor Iceberg, has just decided to try and make the whole city float to get around it. However, with Dr. Vegapunk’s announcement, Iceberg might be ahead of the curb. The flooding is getting worse because every year the ocean’s waters are getting higher. This revelation completely recontextualizes Water 7’s situation with Aqua Laguna as a problem the whole world will be facing before long. Given that Vegapunk is first alluded to towards the end of the Water 7 saga, it’s likely here that is where Oda began finalizing the sinking world reveal.

A Major Clue Was Dropped During the Alabasta Saga

Oda Was Planning Even Further Back

Even before Water 7, though, there were further implications. In the Alabasta arc, the Sandora River is a river that cuts through the desert nation that gets more flooded by the sea every year. This is brought up by Princess Vivi in Chapter 161, who elaborates on the issue. As seawater can’t be drunk or nourish crops, the river has become less usable over time. With the sea level now confirmed to be rising, this detail becomes more important. Akin to Aqua Laguna, the Sandora River’s problem in Alabasta will affect more than the desert nation before long.

Had Eiichiro Oda planned out this plot development this far back? Quite possibly. While Water 7 does cement a lot of details that become important again in the Egghead Island arc, Oda might’ve had a broad-stroke idea about what direction the plot would take this whole time. It’s also notable that this clue was dropped in Alabasta, as Vivi is a descendant of Nefertari D. Lili, one of the founders of the World Government who didn’t stay in Mary Geoise. Imu mentioned Nefertari as a traitor, so it’s clear that Alabasta’s ruling family has a major role in the story.

Whether Oda had planned this out all along or is simply tying the story back together, it’s undoubtedly an excellent job of connecting details together. One Piece has been ongoing for decades, yet still manages to cohesively weave together a plot with masterful foreshadowing even now. Chapters that happened years ago are still relevant to this day, and just go to show why the series earned its place among the all-time greatest series.