After 20 Years, One Piece Is Preparing For The Death Of The Yonko

The Yonko were officially introduced in One Piece chapter 432 by Monkey D. Garp, the grandfather of Luffy, on October 30, 2006, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #48. Upon their introduction, the Yonko, who were stated to be the cream of the crop when it comes to the pirating world, were said to rule the New World like absolute Kings with authority so great that not even the World Government would dare to directly oppose them.

Over the years, the Yonko have been an integral part of the overarching story of One Piece, especially in the second half, covering the journey of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates in the New World. While the Yonko are at the center of everything happening in the story, their time is about to come to an end, and the entire order is set to be destroyed simultaneously, as the One Piece is found in the last segment of the story.

The Emperors Race For The One Piece Will Officially Kill The Yonko System

The final saga of One Piece began officially in Chapter 1058, which marked the beginning of the Egghead arc on August 29, 2022, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #39. The final race for the One Piece officially began here, with a brand new adventure for Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates on the horizon. At the end of the Wano arc, the Worst Generation trio of Luffy, Law, and Kid went their own ways, each aiming for the One Piece. In other parts of the New World, meanwhile, powerful pirates were gathering the strength required to aim for the One Piece.

In One Piece Chapter 1121, which was officially released on July 22, 2024, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #34, Eiichiro Oda revealed the most important players in the quest for One Piece. Naturally, this included the Four Emperors, as well as characters like Nerona Imu, Garling, Figarland, Shamrock, and members of the Blackbeard Pirates, such as Kuzan, and even some Marines. All these characters are going to be significant in the race for the One Piece, and in the end, whoever finds the One Piece will gain enough power to control the whole world.

“The fate of this world will be decided by whoever finds it. It all comes down to the person who lays claim to the One Piece!” — Dr. Vegapunk explains the significance of the next King, One Piece Chapter #1121

However, another side of it is that whoever finds the One Piece will officially kill the Yonko system. This is because all the Yonko exist for one reason, and that is to find the One Piece. Each Yonko has their own territory and their own grasp on the different parts of the seas, because there is no undisputed King. As soon as the Pirate King is elected, the Yonko will serve absolutely no purpose and will have an even bigger target to turn their eyes to. This sole undisputed king of the seas will then be the one who finds the One Piece.

Why There Cannot Be A Yonko After The One Piece Is Found

The Yonko system is rather recent in the world of One Piece. Over the years, Eiichiro Oda has given us a glimpse of various timelines that have existed in the One Piece world. For instance, in One Piece Chapter 1154, which was officially released on July 14, 2025, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33, Eiichiro Oda officially introduced Rocks D. Xebec to us. In this time period, there were no Four Emperors. Rocks was said to be the strongest on the seas, and even though characters like Roger came about in the next 10 years or so, the Emperors were never established.

38 years ago, following the events of God Valley, some of the most powerful pirates were shown going their own way. In One Piece Chapter 1167, which was released in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #1 on December 1, 2025, Eiichiro Oda highlighted the next generation of pirates making a great name for themselves in the New World and acquiring great strength. These were characters like Roger, Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, Shiki, Wang Zhi, and many others of the era. Once again, the Four Emperors were nowhere to be seen. They only came into the picture after Roger died, and the whole world of One Piece was thrown into turmoil.

“The pirates who had gone their separate ways after God Valley continued to rise in prominence, and would grow in power over the next decade or two until they reached their primes and became the faces of the era.” — Narrator confirms the beginning of a new era, One Piece Chapter #1167

In other words, the establishment of the Four Emperors is coincidental with the beginning of the Great Pirate Era. By claiming the One Piece, this era will officially come to a close because a new Pirate King will be elected, meaning the quest for One Piece will officially die. As such, the Four Emperors simply cannot exist because there won’t be an equal standing among them anymore.

One Piece’s New Era Will Have Monkey D. Luffy At The Very Top

Image via Toei Animation

When it comes to the identity of the person who will find the One Piece, we all know that it is going to be none other than Monkey D. Luffy, the protagonist of the series. Luffy set out on the quest to claim the One Piece at the very beginning of the story, 29 years ago. Since then, he has made great advances, and right now he holds three of the four Road Poneglyphs. With one more Road Poneglyph, Luffy will be officially able to set sail to the Final Island, Laugh Tale.

In his latest Jump Festa message, which was officially published on December 21, 2025, Eiichiro Oda mentioned that following the events of Elbaf, the Straw Hat Pirates will set foot on an island that only the Pirate King has visited, which means Luffy will make great advances towards claiming the One Piece. One way or another, the Straw Hat Pirates will find the One Piece and make Luffy the Pirate King. As Luffy claims this top position, the Four Emperors’ era will officially come to an end, and the sole undisputed King of the seas will be announced.

“We are heading to ‘that island’ which only the Pirate King was ever able to reach!!? The man marked by flames will also appear. Characters who never had the chance to meet will finally encounter each other. Those two will meet, and those two will meet as well.” — One Piece Author Eiichiro Oda at Jump Festa 2026

Of course, there is still a lot to uncover in One Piece, such as many massive battles against the likes of the Holy Knights and the World Government led by Nerona Imu. At the same time, the Marines are also in the equation, as are other powerful crews like the Cross Guild, the Blackbeard Pirates, and the Red Hair Pirates. Each powerful organization has a massive stake in the power play that is currently underway in the One Piece world, but the one who will stand at the top of it all will be none other than the Pirate King, Monkey D. Luffy.

All the newest manga chapters of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.