Wano has officially ended, and One Piece fans have somewhat mixed feelings. Even so, for the first time since the time skip, fans don't really know what's next for One Piece, and it feels like a bit of a reset. From Punk Hazard all the way to Wano, fans largely knew what to expect next and which auxiliary characters (such as Trafalgar D. Law) would be along for the ride.
Luffy is now a bona fide Emperor Of The Sea, and the Straw Hat Pirates are a big deal. It feels like the perfect opportunity for Oda to shake things up a bit and do something unexpected with the story. With this opportunity, there are some elements fans would love to see more or less of in the story that could remedy some of the shortcomings of Wano.
10 More Interactions Between The Straw Hats
As the Straw Hat pirate crew has grown, and the cast of auxiliary characters along with it, Oda has increasingly resorted to splitting the Straw Hats up into more manageable groups to juggle in a story arc. However, fans miss seeing the whole crew interact and miss having more light-hearted, funny adventures in between more serious arcs.
Smaller arcs, such as Zou, make for a nice break between heavier storylines and provide opportunities for banter between the Straw Hats. Fans hope to see a bit more of this going forward, as the next bigger arc has yet to be alluded to.
9 The Return Of Beloved Characters
One Piece has steadily introduced more and more characters, and over 1000 named characters have been established in the story. While Oda does an incredible job of continuously introducing interesting characters with unique designs, fans admit the series is starting to feel a bit bloated.
Fans long for the return of certain favorites and a slow in the pace of new character introductions. Characters such as Crocodile, Bon Clay, Vivi, Boa Hancock, Perona, and Mihawk have consistently placed highly in popularity polls since their last major roles in the story and still have much more to offer the story.
8 Development Of The Supernovas
Oda introduced the Supernovas on a bit of a whim, but since, he has given at least a couple of them sufficient development. However, the remaining Supernovas have still piqued fans' curiosity but have yet to take much spotlight.
Kidd has been set up as a sort of rival to Luffy, but little has actually been revealed about his or his co-captain Killer's backstories. Drake has been revealed as part of SWORD but has yet to play a meaningful role in the story. Likewise, Jewelry Bonney and Urouge both also remain largely a mystery.
7 Answers To Long-Time Mysteries
A big part of what makes One Piece such a great series is the fascinating world Oda created and its many compelling mysteries. Even after over 20 years, fans still have very little idea as to what a Devil Fruit really is, what happened in the Void Century, and most importantly, what the One Piece could possibly be.
Fans long to receive satisfying answers to some of the series' biggest ongoing mysteries. It seems as though fans may finally have a chance with the highly anticipated introduction of Vegapunk into the story.
6 More Of Gear 5
The Wano Arc ended with the reveal of Luffy's Gear 5 awakening, which was an incredibly exciting moment for fans. Oda subverted fan expectations of what Luffy's Devil Fruit was capable of, and it made for a riveting reveal. Fans are excited to see what else Gear 5 can do and what creative abilities Oda will dream up.
Thanks to Gear 5, Luffy is now one of the most powerful and revered pirates in the series. Fans are eager to learn more about what this means for the end game of One Piece, as well as more of the lore surrounding the fruit.
5 Kaido's Full Backstory
Kaido had been hyped up as a menacing yet fascinating villain for some time before Wano. His introduction jumping off of a Sky Island was unique and piqued fans' interest. His motivations for ruling Wano were also teased slowly and drove the creation of many fan theories.
Wano has now ended, and Kaido's backstory is still largely a mystery, which has made his defeat and possible death somewhat dissatisfying to fans. There are sure to be some fascinating lore drops in his full flashback, as well as potential information regarding Rocks D. Xebec that fans are still eager to learn.
4 The Next Straw Hat
Fans have hotly debated over how many Straw Hat Pirates will make up the final crew for years. In the first chapter of One Piece, Luffy mentions wanting a crew of about 10 pirates, and this translation has been up for debate ever since. The general consensus currently reads that there is likely to be one more Straw Hat left to join, but who that could be is still a mystery.
The Carrot vs. Yamato debate featured heavily for the duration of Wano, but for the moment, at least, the debate has ended with both sides dissatisfied and no new Straw Hat pirate. The next major arc of One Piece could see either a new Straw Hat introduced or possibly a fan favorite returning to join the crew.
3 Elbaf And The Giants
One Piece has been teasing the island of Elbaf for years, ever since the Little Garden arc in which Usopp met a couple of giants who told him of their homeland. Elbaf was also recently the setting of Big Mom's flashback, further hinting at its significance in the story.
Fans have speculated what the Straw Hats could encounter on the island, from the giant king Loki, to the road poneglyph, to even an encounter with Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates. Elbaf is a highly anticipated destination of the story, and it seems to be looming closer than ever.
2 Details Of The Reverie
Fans are dying to know what happened during the events of the Reverie, which involved Sabo, Vivi, and possibly even Jewelry Bonney. With the wrap-up of Wano, fans expected to finally learn the truth. However, Oda is still teasing it out slowly.
As of the most recent manga chapters, fans may learn exactly what went down sooner than later, with a certain character seemingly tagging along with the Straw Hats for the next little while. Surely the truth will be wilder than any fan could imagine.
1 A Loss For The Straw Hats
Sabaody Archipelago, while short, is considered one of the greatest arcs in One Piece. The reason for this is that it was the first arc that showed the Straw Hats really take a loss. They were revealed to be completely unprepared for the New World, and it made it all the more satisfying when they returned after the time skip.
Since the time skip, the Straw Hats have conquered every obstacle in their path without facing too much trouble. Even Kaido and Big Mom went down in one arc. It has been a while since fans have seen the Straw Hats struggle with a situation they couldn't brute-force their way through. As One Piece heads towards its endgame, fans need to see the Straw Hats face another big hurdle before reaching the One Piece in order to feel satisfied by the series' conclusion.