Summary
Oda brilliantly predicted the plot point of One Piece's sinking world, with hints dating back to the Alabasta arc. Rising sea levels in One Piece are linked to various arcs, such as Aqua Laguna in Water 7 and Sandora River in Alabasta. By connecting details from previous chapters, Oda demonstrates the longevity and excellence of One Piece's storytelling.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for recent chapters of One PieceIn A piece, the ongoing Egghead Island arc has continued to reveal shocking information about the entire world. Most importantly, the reality is that the world of One Piece will sink as sea levels rise. This is being revealed by Dr. Vegapunk, a scientist who worked with the Marines but was later hunted down by them. However, author Eiichiro Oda actually foreshadowed this plot point a long time ago.
The most recent mention of it was shortly after the destruction of the Kingdom of Lulusia, where sea levels rose one meter. But this is just one of many references made to the rising tides of the ocean, as Oda has made references to it since Dr. Vegapunk's first mention. Maybe he even thought about it as far as the Alabasta arc.
Water 7's Rising Aqua Laguna is just one of the signs
The first look at the fate of the world
The Water 7 Arc takes place on the island city of Water 7, a city whose design is clearly inspired by the rivers of Venice. But Water 7 really runs into a big problem during the annual Aqua Laguna, a massive storm that sweeps across the island once a year. It flooded the lower areas of the city with a massive tidal wave as the storm reached its peak and grew worse with each passing year.
It's gotten to the point where the city's leader, Mayor Iceberg, has just decided to try and make the whole city float to move around it. However, with Dr. Vegapunk's announcement, Iceberg may have been ahead of the curve. Floods are getting worse every year because sea levels are rising more and more. This revelation completely recontextualizes Water 7's situation with Aqua Laguna is an issue that the whole world will have to face for a long time. Given that Vegapunk was first mentioned at the end of the Water 7 story arc, it's likely that this is where Oda began to finalize the reveal of the sinking world.
An important clue was revealed in the Alabasta Saga
Oda has further plans
Even before Move 7, however, there were further implications. In the Alabasta section, The Sandora River is a river that cuts across the desert country that is flooded by the sea every year. This is mentioned by Princess Vivi in Chapter 161, who explains the matter in more detail. Because seawater cannot drink or nourish crops, the river becomes less and less usable. With sea levels now confirmed to be rising, this detail becomes more important. Similar to Aqua Laguna, the problem of the Sandora River in Alabasta will soon affect more desert countries.
Has Eiichiro Oda been planning to develop this plot for a long time? Entirely possible. While Water 7 reinforced many of the details that became important in the Egghead Island arc, Oda may have had extensive ideas about the direction of the plot during this time. It is worth noting that this clue was revealed in Alabasta, as Vivi is a descendant of Nefertari D. Lili, one of the founders of the World Government but did not stay in Mary Geoise. Imu mentioned Nefertari as a traitor so clearly the ruling family of Alabasta has a major role in the story.
Whether Oda planned it in advance or simply tied the story together, there's no doubt that tying the pieces together is a great job. A piece has been going on for decades but still manages to weave together a solid storyline with great foreshadowing even now. Chapters that happened many years ago are still relevant today and just goes to show why this series has earned its place among the best series of all time.