Every now and then, One Piece's creator, Eiichiro Oda, teases that he'll end the series soon. Of course, he's been saying that for years, and meanwhile, One Piece has been going for 20 years now and its story is nearing its 1,000th chapter with no definitive end in sight.
With that being said, the series really does seem like it'll be ending within the near future, with grand fights being teased and the endgame plots being sewn. And while it's fun to speculate how the adventure will end, not enough love is given to the aftermath. What will the Straw Hats do once their adventure ends? Keeping positive that most characters will live to see the One Piece and more, there are a few interesting retirement gigs that fans would like to see.
10 Usopp Tells Grander Stories In Syrup Village
Usopp has a chance to cleanly close a really interesting character thread. When he left Syrup Village for the high seas, he left as a child that could only make up stories of grand adventure and peril. Now that he's actually become a grand adventurer of the sea, he can return to his village with not only credibility but even more harrowing stories of bravery and intrigue.
It would be heartwarming to not only see him reconnect with his old "crew" but also inspire a new generation of troublemakers and liars with stories that really do seem too good to be true. And if the shipping community has their way, he'll hopefully be telling those stories alongside Kaya.
9 Franky Helps Iceburg Make Water 7 A Ship
The One Piece community doesn't talk about it enough, but there was a point in the story where someone teased that they were going to turn an entire island into a ship, i.e. Thriller Bark on a larger scale. Parroting his lost master, Iceburg currently aspires to transform Water 7's community with another fantastical and ambitious mission.
And while he could certainly do this task on his own, it would be fun to see him complete it alongside his adopted brother, Franky. Much like how Tom started working on the Sea Train after helping the Roger Pirates, Franky could also use a more altruistic career after a couple years of debauchery and piracy. Expect to see the "Battle Franky" brand plastered across the city in the future.
8 Sanji Takes Over The Baratie
Sanji doesn't have this lofty goal to change the world or rule a kingdom. He's a chef that simply wanted to experience things that no other chef had before. And while he may have accomplished that with his exploits on Fishman Island, his personal arc wouldn't be complete without reaching the All Blue.
While any chef can study all the fish of the world, Sanji will get a huge opportunity to actually handle them with his own two hands. This would not only make him more experienced as a chef but give him access to a stockpile of fish that no other chef has. What better way to accomplish this than by taking over and expanding on his Zeff's dream?
7 Nico Robin Rebuilds Ohara's Library
Assuming that Nico Robin isn't being hunted down after her time with the Straw Hats, she would likely want to share the historical knowledge that she's been stockpiling over the past couple of decades. For her, there are few ways to do this and honor the lives lost in Ohara than by rebuilding the library that taught her so well.
This would give her a consistent platform to talk about the the Void Century, act as a mecca for the curious members of the world, and (with hopefully more protection) preserve the fragments of history.
6 Nami Publishes Both Her Maps And Her Memoirs
Nami's big dream was always to draw a map of the entire world. Though apps like Google Earth may make things easy for people in the real world, Nami is a trendsetter in hers, trying to expand and unify geographical knowledge in a world that's barely been explored and, even worse, has entire cultures and other secrets being hidden.
Her map of the entire world would not only be revolutionary, but it would also likely go for a pretty mint for adventurers and tourists alike. To be honest, there's no way that Nami isn't selling her maps. Likewise, she could also turn her journal entries into an autobiography or a best-selling adventure series. Though she may no longer be a pirate, she'll always be a treasure hunter.
5 Jinbe Becomes The Ryugu Kingdom's Protector
Jinbe is somehow the only person in the Straw Hats with no external goals besides just following Monkey D. Luffy which is pretty admirable within its own right. However, once the adventure inevitably ends, he likely won't be traveling the world again.
Though he is getting his long-awaited taste of adventure, Jinbe has always been defined by duty. If the aftermath truly revolutionizes and liberates the world from the World Government, Jinbe will return to Fishman Island stronger and more seasoned to help protect and guide it through the new era.
4 Brook Starts A Music Tour With Laboon
Brook has one of the simpler dreams in the story: He just wants to meet Laboon again. Doing so is just a matter of turning the ship around and hopefully surviving the return trip. Once there, Brook will finally relieve Crocus of his decades-long mission, bringing peace of mind to both a lonely old man and the whale that missed him so.
From there, Brook could just live with Crocus and Laboon or, even better, team with Laboon to travel the world. Together, they'd continue the Rumbar Pirates mission to bring laughter and joy to children everywhere.
3 Chopper Becomes A Teacher On Sakura Island
Tony Tony Chopper dreams of becoming a doctor that can cure any disease. It's a pretty lofty ideal that even the real-world can hardly imagine, but there's no denying that the Cotton Candy Lover has put a lot of effort into it. At the very least, Chopper will have learned from different medical professionals across the world, earning acclaim as one of the most diversified professionals in any Blue.
This might make him a doctor that could cure any and every disease— but being one person, he likely wouldn't be able to help everyone on his own. Much like Nico Robin, Chopper would likely want to spread his knowledge, but as a teacher, helping shape a new generation of miracle doctors.
2 Zoro Continues Traveling As A Vagabond
While Roronoa Zoro is certainly perfecting his craft as a swordsman, he likely wouldn't follow in the footsteps of his more scholarly peers and try to share that knowledge in a dojo. Zoro isn't exactly the teaching type. The title of #1 Sworsdmen isn't befitting for a home setting, given its inherent draw of dangerous challengers— so despite Sanji's insults, he won't stay anywhere long enough to collect moss.
More likely, Zoro will continue doing what he did at the beginning of the series and just travel the world, hunting down stronger pirates, stronger swordfighters, and stronger booze.
1 Luffy And Sabo Reform The ASL
Keeping fingers crossed that both Luffy and Sabo don't pull an Ace towards the end, it would be cathartic to see the two of them following up on their childhood promise to adventure together. Luffy would have fulfilled his dream to become Pirate King at this point. As such, he would become the most free man in the world, paralleling Sabo who would have freed (or at least tried to free) the world.
Luffy can share the various paradises that he's been to, and Sabo can share the various islands that he's saved. Together, they'd also try to find new and stranger islands that neither of them have explored— Luffy's only traveling the the Grand Line. In classic Shonen fashion, the series will end just for another adventure to begin.