In the recent chapters of One Piece The manga chapters have significantly raised the stakes on Egghead Island, where both the manga and anime are set. Not only is Monkey D. Luffy battling the Five Elders, the living weapons of the World Government, but Luffy must also face some seriously troubling news about the world itself. Dr. Vegapunk's long-awaited message is being broadcast live worldwide, and one of the first things Vegapunk told everyone was that the entire world is sinking into the sea.

For now, details about this apocalypse are scarce until the future One Piece Chapters are released, but fans already have plenty to ponder and theorize about this revelation. There's already some evidence of this catastrophe, with water levels rising in places like Water 7, and if this continues, there will be nothing left of the world in any of the four great seas. Now, One Piece Fans want to know more about what might happen, how/why it's happening, and what it means for the Final Saga.

What's happening to the aquatic world of One Piece?

Rising sea levels are slowly sinking the world of One Piece.

Dr. Vegapunk's message is only partially complete, and he only vaguely touched on topics like the Void Century mystery, admitting that even he didn't have all the details. First, though, Dr. Vegapunk told everyone about the impending environmental disaster, stating that soon the entire world will be "swallowed" by the ocean itself, never to be seen again. It's still unclear whether this ecological disaster is connected to the Void Century, the Ancient Kingdom, and Joy Boy, but there are some known details about it, and there's also plenty of room for fan theories to connect all the dots.

On the one hand, the islands of One Piece have no means of defending themselves from the looming global threat that sinks in—or at least, no defense that fans can see. In fact, many islands are highly sensitive to changes in sea levelA one-meter rise is enough to threaten many coastal settlements, and the large island of Water 7 is already struggling with rising water levels. Even villains like Magellan and Donquixote Doflamingo are taking this seriously upon hearing the news, with Doflamingo stating that if the sea level rises five meters, many islands will face destruction and countless cities and coastal areas will be completely submerged. This could be highly resonant for One Piece fans, who may be aware of and concerned about real-world sea level rise, which threatens major coastal cities on every continent.

Furthermore, Dr. Vegapunk stated that this environmental disaster is probably not natural, which means someone is causing it, and no one knows who this party might be. There aren't many obvious suspects yet, as very few One Piece Characters or groups benefit from submerging the entire world like this. Fans might point to fish-man villains like Hody Jones, who would do something like this if they could, to destroy the human world that abuses their kind. However, Hody Jones seems too minor a villain to be the mastermind behind all this, and he's currently frail and weak in prison. Potentially, there could be another successor to Arlong's anti-human ideals responsible for the sinking, but that would be quite underwhelming in the context of the Final Saga and the impending final war with the World Government.

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One Piece has a tradition of natural disasters threatening the heroes.

The imminent sinking of the world is an entirely new threat that no one One Piece character or fan would expect to hear about it, but an environmental disaster like this is actually not that uncommon for a shonen anime like One Piece. Although Luffy and his Straw Hat crew have faced powerful villains like Big Mom and various Admirals before—and most recently the terrifying Admiral Kizaru—, nature itself can also be a formidable threat. Exploring the big, wide world is the main goal One PieceThe journey is breathtaking, and of course, Luffy and his friends will sometimes face the dangerous side of the world. For every beautiful place like Dressrosa or the Flower Capital of Wano, there's also a dangerous environment like the deep sea abyss, Reverse Mountain, and more. It's well known that "man versus nature" is an important storytelling archetype, and One Piece uses it more often and better than most shonen series.

It is true that none of the other “man versus nature” confrontations in previous One Piece the arcs were almost as drastic or global as the imminent threat of the world sinking into the sea. However, these natural obstacles set the tone for One Pieceis a dangerous world, so that the sinking global catastrophe doesn't seem so strange or out of place. Best of all, Luffy and his companions sailed and survived many natural obstacles Rather, with their courage and ingenuity, if they can find the party responsible for the sinking world and use their ingenious minds, they can certainly avert this disaster. Plot-wise, this is likely to happen, as the final war likely cannot unfold and be resolved if the entire world is drowning. This is likely just another obstacle for Luffy and his armada of friends to overcome before they can end the final war against the World Government, find the legendary One Piece treasure, and finally bring this shonen saga to a close.

There are many examples of nature itself being a great antagonist or obstacle to One Pieceheroes, and with some ingenious thinking, courage, and the help of many allies, Luffy's crew prevailed time and time again. Nature cannot be tamed or overcome, but it can be survived.If someone is somehow causing the world to sink, then Luffy's armada will likely find a way to stave off the disaster long enough to capture or subdue whoever is causing it. The power of friendship will likely be the solution, as Luffy needed friends like Kokoro and her spare sea train to navigate a terrible sea storm and reach Enies Lobby to rescue Nico Robin. The Straw Hat Pirates have shown great courage in the face of serious adversity, such as navigating the bizarre weather of the Grand Line, using Knock Up Creek to reach Sky Island, and facing the crushing pressure and darkness of the deep sea on their way to Fish-Man Island.

How will the major parties in One Piece respond to the problem of the sinking world?

So far, in-universe reactions to the news have been quite generic and limited, so it is still unclear how the major parties in One Piecethe world will react. Of course, ordinary citizens who heard the news from Vegapunk panicked, and Magellan and Doflamingo also offered their own opinions and comments. The real question is how the major factions, such as the former Sea Warlords, the Emperors, the World Government, and the Revolutionary Dragon Army will react.They are likely to show deep concern about this mutual threat and seek ways to prevent it or avoid the worst of the damage, although this is easy to predict. Given One PieceFrom the numerous plot twists in the past, it is possible that some parties will react in unexpected ways.For example, Fleet Admiral Akainu/Sakazuki just watched Dr. Vegapunk's message in eerie silence., pondering what he had just heard with a typically stoic expression on his face. It's possible the World Government was already aware of the problem of the world sinking or had correctly predicted it, and the World Government may not even care much about it. The final war is imminent, and there's simply no way the World Government leaders will allow their side to lose and then hand the world over to the likes of Monkey D. Dragon. It's even conceivable that the World Government leaders are responsible for the sinking of the world and the earthquake that will cause it, with the attitude that if they can't have the world, then no one can. Given the lengths the World Government already goes to to defend its power, such as using a terrifying Buster Call to destroy Ohara's research into the Void Century, it doesn't seem so far-fetched.

Alternatively, the major parties could put aside their differences for now to face this environmental disaster together and avoid mutually assured destruction. Bitter enemies have united as allies in other shonen anime to deal with mutual threats, after all, from Sasuke Uchiha in naruto helping his former teammates fight against Kaguya Otsutsuki or even Sosuke Aizen in Bleach lending their unconditional aid to the Soul Reapers to face the worldwide threat of King Yhwach's true goal. If something similar happens in One Piece.By the end of the game, even the most bitter of enemies can band together to prevent a watery apocalypse, assuming neither party is directly responsible for it.

On a final note, there is the question of the ship Noah on Fishman Island – a gigantic and mysterious ark that may have been prepared for the sinking global disaster or something similar. In this case, the party responsible for the sinking may be preparing to board the Noah ship with their allies or chosen people and wait out the disaster, then remake the world as they see fit. As the Final Saga continues, One Piece Fans may finally see the return of the Noah ship and finally become a major plot point. It could be a race to see which side can board that ship first, and such a plot twist could reveal a lot about what exactly is happening and why.