Eiichiro Oda's OnePiece stands as the most well-known manga series in existence and is the very definition of consistent quality in the industry. Currently, the manga is focused on the Wano Country arc, where Luffy and co. are fighting against Kaido and his Beasts Pirates. Despite the series edging closer to the culmination of another arc, the truth behind the One Piece's identity remains its biggest mystery.
At a certain point, the existence of this treasure was considered dubious by many, however, the great pirate, Whitebeard confirmed the existence of the treasure. Many arcs have passed since the Marineford arc, and there's still only a handful of clues about what the One Piece actually is.
Joy Boy and the Void Century
The Void Century is another mystery surrounding the world of One Piece. It is a hundred-year gap in history, which has just been erased from existence. The information regarding the Void Century has been inscribed onto the poneglyphs, but the World Government has forbidden the reading of these massive stones pillars.
The scholars of Ohara tried to learn more about the Void Century and when the Government found out about this, they sent the Marines to suppress them. The result was a massacre in which every Ohara resident except Nico Robin, was slaughtered. It's a clear indication that the World Government does not want the truth behind the Void Century to come out. One of the major names associated with the Void Century is someone known as Joy Boy. He was an important figure during the Void Century and he was also linked to the Fish-Man Island, where he left a gift in the form of a huge ark and he was also mentioned on the poneglyph on the Fish-Man Island.
Joy Boy's influence doesn't stop there, as he is also responsible for leaving behind valuable treasure on Laugh Tale. When the Roger Pirates reached it, all Roger could do was laugh, which led to him giving the island its name. It is important to remember that Roger believed that his crew had arrived early and he trusted his son to find the One Piece. Roger's adventure made him the arch-nemesis of the World Government, and they slapped an enormous bounty of 5,564,800,000 beris, which is the highest known bounty to date.
The Straw Hat Pirates were very close to finding out the truth behind the One Piece. When they encountered Rayleigh on Sabaody Archipelago, Usopp asked the former right-hand man of the Pirate King about the invaluable treasure, and they might have learned something valuable had Luffy not intervened and put a stop to Usopp's advances.
What Is The One Piece?
Many readers used to believe that the One Piece would have to do something with the friendship and journey of the Straw Hats, however, that is the farthest thing from the truth. According to an interview that Oda did with Momoko Sakura, the One Piece is actually something physical and not just something abstract. There's no denying that it would be very anti-climactic if Oda finished the story by revealing that One Piece is a concept rather than an object or weapon. Before dying, Whitebeard reiterated the fact that once the One Piece was found, it would turn the world upside-down and the entire world would be engulfed in an all-out war. He also stated that the World Government fears the day that the One Piece would be found.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that Donquixote Doflamingo said the same thing about the national treasure of Mary Geoise, which leads many theorists to believe that the One Piece and the national treasure could be linked. There are countless theories that point towards the One Piece being somehow connected to the Gomu Gomu no Mi and the Straw Hat, both of which are currently in possession of Monkey D. Luffy. The Straw Hat also holds a lot of significance as there was a giant Straw Hat in Mary Geoise. There are likely many of these connections that Oda has yet to reveal, even as the series nears its end.
Who Is Closest To One Piece?
Gol D. Roger's final words attracted a huge number of people and started a new era of pirates. His words inspired many pirates to set sail and to get their hands on the legendary treasure left behind the Pirate King. The information of the path to Laugh Tale has been inscribed on the four Road Poneglyphs. These poneglyphs are different from the regular ones as they have a deep red color. Two of these have been claimed by Big Mom and Kaido. The other is within the Whale Tree, and the fourth one's location is currently unknown.
The Straw Hats are closest to finding the One Piece as they have two of the four Road Poneglyphs. They have taken the copies of the Poneglyphn in the Whale Tree and the one that was on Whole Cake Island. There's no doubt that the Straw Hats will take the third poneglyph which is somewhere in Wano, which would leave them with just one more to find and decipher. It's fair to assume that the location of the final poneglyph will be revealed in the next arc, and it'll be worth seeing what new information will be dished out in the near future.