The creator of the longest-running manga series, One Piece, has buried its biggest secrets in the ocean
For nearly three decades, One Piece fans have been debating one question: What exactly is the legendary treasure known as “One Piece”? Mystery has been the driving force behind the story since the manga first began serialization in 1997, and its creator Eiichiro Oda has guarded the answer more carefully than almost any secret in modern storytelling. Now, in a move that seems to emerge from the story itself, Oda has done something unprecedented: He has written down the secret for the first time and sealed half of it inside a container dropped into the depths of the ocean. The unusual gesture, which was revealed in an official video released in early March, sparked a wave of speculation among fans. Within hours of the announcement, online communities began analyzing the footage frame by frame, convinced they might be able to pinpoint the approximate location of the capsule now sealed on the seabed.
A mystery that has defined One Piece for nearly 30 years
First published on July 22, 1997. one piece It follows Monkey D. Luffy, a rubber-bodied pirate captain, and his eccentric Straw Hat crew as they navigate the dangerous ocean route known as the Grand Line. Their quest is to find the legendary treasure left behind by the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, who revealed before his execution that he was hiding the world’s greatest treasure somewhere on the last island known as Laugh Tale.
The treasure is called “One Piece”, but its true nature has never been revealed. The story has since expanded into a wide-ranging saga involving rival pirate crews, corrupt navies, secret histories, and deeply personal journeys. While the treasure hunt remains the central premise, many of the events are driven by political strife, stories of redemption, and the crew’s personal ambitions. Over the years, fans have developed countless theories about the identity of the treasure. One popular prediction suggested that the story might end with an emotional twist, and that the real treasure was simply… The friendships made along the way. However, Oda has repeatedly insisted that One Piece is a real, tangible reward, not just a metaphor.
The first time the secret has ever been written
Despite working on the story for nearly 30 years, Oda never put the final answer down on paper. According to the official video, the secret only existed in the creator’s mind throughout the entire manga. That changed on February 8, when Oda sat in his studio and carefully wrote the answer on a piece of parchment-like paper. After finishing, he tore the paper into two pieces. One of these parts is placed inside a small treasure chest, echoing the pirate theme of the story. Four days later, the box was sealed inside a pressure-resistant glass ball, designed to withstand deep-sea pressure. The orb was then taken on a boat and transported to the middle of the ocean. In an unknown location, she was dropped from the ship. The capsule sank slowly until it reached the sea floor approximately 651 meters (2,316 feet) below the surface, about an hour and a half after the ship reached the landing point. In the video, the narrator explains the reasoning behind the gesture: “Until the whole story is revealed, the truth will remain beyond anyone’s reach, at the bottom of the ocean.” The video ends with a final message to the fans: “The one piece is there.”
“”one piece””
A symbolic echo of the story itself
The gimmick was released alongside another milestone for the franchise. With the launch of Volume 114 titled the Wadi Allah incidentThe manga has surpassed 600 million copies in circulation worldwide, cementing its position as the best-selling manga series in history. The chest hidden under the ocean reflects the central premise of the story, which is the treasure hunt that Gol D began decades earlier.
Roger’s final statement. In fact, Oda recreated the same feeling of mystery in the real world. However, the creator also emphasized that the secret cannot be fully revealed even if someone somehow manages to recover the container. Only half of the written message was placed inside the box. The remaining part remains undisclosed. The partial transcript that appears briefly in the video reveals almost nothing, with only parts readable: “As for the one piece, it is…” “And then, Monkey D. Luffy…”
Fans quickly began searching for clues
Despite the secrecy surrounding the fall, fans quickly began analyzing the footage. Within 24 hours, discussions on Reddit attempted to estimate the capsule’s location by studying small details visible in the video. A user on the r/OnePieceSpoilers subreddit, posting under the name XilLive, conducted a detailed analysis of several clues. The user suggested that the fall likely occurred off the coast of Japan, explaining that disposing of items in the ocean usually requires permission from the Japanese Coast Guard. The boat seen in the footage also appears to have colors associated with the Japanese Coast Guard. The Reddit post outlined several observations. among them: Idea 1: The drop likely occurred within Japanese territorial waters. “From the ship, the crew, and the fact that this would be illegal to throw into the ocean, I believe Oda had permission from the Japanese Coast Guard and that the treasure had a trace so they could find it later.” Idea 2: When the camera looks to the southwest, there is no land visible on the horizon. This indicates that the shoreline was most likely behind the camera in the northeast, meaning the boat was positioned in open water. Idea 3: The seafloor appears to contain fine alluvial deposits, indicating the presence of calm currents at a depth of about 600 metres, where the seafloor is rarely disturbed. By combining these clues, the user suggested a temporary location: Suruga Bay in Shizuoka Prefecture, a deep bay southwest of Tokyo that matches the depth and sediment conditions shown in the footage. The location also makes sense logistically, as it is relatively close to Tokyo, where Oda lives. Suruga Bay is also an area used for marine research by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). However, the Reddit user acknowledged that the theory may be flawed, suggesting that the footage may be edited or incomplete.
Fans joke about the secret being ruined
The same Reddit post ended with a sarcastic note referencing the One Piece movie Stampede: “If we find One Piece, I’ll vote to destroy him. Just like in the Stampede.” In the film, Luffy destroys an artifact capable of revealing the location of the treasure because he believes that discovering it easily might ruin the adventure. Other fans took a more skeptical view of the whole stunt. One commentator suggested that the capsule may simply be symbolic. “I seriously doubt they would pull something like this if there was any chance of finding it.” Another user said that even if the object was actually placed on the ocean floor, the chances of locating anyone would be very slim.
Even the streamers joke about going to find it
The idea of a capsule hunt has also extended beyond fan forums. During a live stream on March 4, popular internet personality Darren Watkins Jr., known as IShowSpeed, reacted to the video while streaming on his YouTube channel. He once excitedly told viewers: “We gotta go. We gotta go. I gotta find One Piece, bro. Chat, I gotta find One Piece, bro. Chat, what part of the ocean did they drop in? The Pacific? The Atlantic? The Arctic Ocean?”
IShowSpeed beats Resident Evil: Requiem 😱 (full stream)
The moment quickly spread across social media, with viewers joking about whether a streamer might attempt a deep-sea treasure hunt via live stream.
A story approaching its final chapter R
After nearly three decades, it’s widely believed that One Piece is coming to an end. The anime adaptation has already exceeded 1,100 episodes, running for more seasons than some of the longest-running TV series, while Netflix’s live-action version has brought the story to a wider global audience. Oda noted that the manga is now entering its final saga, meaning that the mystery of One Piece could finally be revealed within the next few years. However, until that moment comes, one part of the answer lies somewhere at the bottom of the ocean – a fitting dramatic reversal of the pirate treasure hunt that started the story in the first place.
