After 20 years, One Piece is preparing for Yongko's death.

Yonko was officially introduced. one piece Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump No. 48, October 30, 2006, Episode 432 of Monkey D. Garp, Luffy's grandfather. At the time of his introduction, the Yonko, who was called the best of the pirate world, is said to rule the New World like an absolute king with such strong authority that not even the world government dares directly oppose him.

Over the years, Yonko have become an important part of important stories, including: one pieceIn particular, the second half deals with Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hats' trip to the New World. The Yonko are at the center of everything that happens in the story, but their time is soon coming to an end, and the entire order is about to be destroyed at the same time. one piece It is found at the end of the story.

The Emperor's Race for One Piece Will Officially Kill the Yonko System

the last saga one piece It officially began in the 39th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump on August 29, 2022, with episode 1058 marking the beginning of the Egghead arc. The final race of One Piece officially begins here with the new adventure of Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates. At the end of the Wano arc, the three members of the Worst Generation – Luffy, Law, and Kid – went their separate ways with the goal of One Piece. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the New World, powerful pirates were gathering the strength they needed to target One Piece.

In Chapter 1121 of One Piece, officially released on July 22, 2024, in Issue 34 of Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump, Eiichiro Oda revealed the most important player in the One Piece quest. Naturally, this included the Four Emperors as well as characters like Nerona Imu, Garling, Figarland, and Shamrock, members of the Blackbeard Pirates like Kuzan, and even some marines. All of these characters will play important roles in the race for One Piece, and eventually whoever finds One Piece will gain enough power to rule the world.

“The fate of this world will be decided by the one who finds it. Everything depends on the one who claims the One Piece!” — Dr. Vegapunk explains what the next king means. One Piece Episode 1121

But another aspect is that whoever finds One Piece will officially kill the Yonko system. Because every Yonko exists for one reason: to find One Piece. Since there is no clear king, each Yonko has its own territory and its own dominion over different parts of the sea. As soon as the Pirate King is elected, the Yonko will be completely useless and will have bigger targets to turn their eyes to. This one and only King of the Sea will be the one who finds One Piece.

Why Yonko can't exist after finding One Piece

The Yonko system is a rather recent system in the world. one piece. Over the years, Eiichiro Oda has given us a glimpse into the various timelines that existed in the world of One Piece. For example, in One Piece Chapter 1154, Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 33, which was officially released on July 14, 2025, Eiichiro Oda officially introduced Rocks D. Xebec. There were no four emperors in this era. Rox was said to be the strongest in the sea, and even though characters like Roger appeared for about 10 years, the emperor was never established.

After the events of God Valley 38 years ago, some of the most powerful pirates were seen going their separate ways. In One Piece Chapter 1167, released in the first issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump on December 1, 2025, Eiichiro Oda highlighted the next generation of pirates who make a big name for themselves in the New World and gain great power. These were Roger, Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, Shiki, Wang Zhi and many other characters of the era. This time too, the Four Emperors were nowhere to be seen. They only appeared after Roger's death, and the entire world of One Piece was thrown into chaos.

“The pirates who went their separate ways after God Valley will continue to stand out, grow in power over the next 10 to 20 years, reach their peak, and become the face of their era.” — The narrator confirms the beginning of a new era, One Piece Chapter 1167

In other words, the establishment of the Sacheonje occurred simultaneously with the beginning of the pirate era. By taking over One Piece, this era officially ends. Because a new pirate king is elected. This means the quest for One Piece is officially over. Therefore, priests cannot exist because there is no longer equal status between them.

In the new era of One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy will rise to the top

Image via Toei Animation

We all know that the person looking for One Piece will be Monkey D. Luffy, the main character of the series. Luffy began his journey to find One Piece at the beginning of the story 29 years ago. Since then he has made great progress and he now holds three out of four Lord Poneglyphs. With one more Lord Poneglyph, Luffy can officially set sail for the final island, Laugh Tale.

In the Jump Festa message officially announced on December 21, 2025, Eiichiro Oda mentioned that after the Elbaf Incident, the Straw Hat Pirates would set foot on an island that only the Pirate King had ever visited, meaning that Luffy would make great strides to claim One Piece. One way or another, the Straw Hat Pirates will find One Piece and make Luffy the Pirate King. With Luffy taking this top spot, the era of the Four Heavenly Kings will officially end and the one and only King of the Sea will be announced.

“We are heading to ‘that island’ that only the Pirate King could go to!!? A man with a flame mark also appears. Characters who have never had a chance to meet finally meet. Two people meet, and those two meet.” — One Piece author Eiichiro Oda at Jump Festa 2026

Of course, there are still many things to discover. one pieceNumerous large-scale battles between the Holy Knights and the world government led by Nero or Imu, etc. At the same time, Marines are also included in the equation, as are other powerful crews such as the Cross Guild, Blackbeard Pirates, and Red Hair Pirates. In the power play currently taking place in the world of One Piece, each powerful organization has a huge stake, but the person who will stand at the top will be none other than the pirate king, Monkey D. Luffy.

All the latest manga chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece can be read through Manga Plus and Biz Media.