One Piece: Jump Festa 2023 teases an incoming battle royale

The record-breaking manga One Piece is always under the spotlight. Unsurprisingly, the franchise received a major highlight at the recent Jump Festa 2023, beginning with a focus on the film One Piece: RED and the videogame One Piece Odyssey.

But it was the message from One Piece mangaka Eiichiro Oda that fans were most looking forward to. According to the author, the series will depict a dramatic encounter between two strong individuals. This combat, according to Oda, will be analogous to a battle royale.

This cryptic declaration, understandably, delighted One Piece fans while also making them nervous. Follow this thread to find out what Oda was possibly referring to.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1070 and purely reflects the opinions of the writer

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One Piece author Eiichiro Oda revealed that the series is going to feature a dramatic confrontation

Oda's declaration during the Jump Festa 2023

Will Red Hair Pirates and Strawhat Pirates be involved in the incident? (Image via Toei Animation, One Piece)

In his message, Eiichiro Oda initially reassured fans that, despite recently released declarations about One Piece having entered its final saga, the series isn't going to end soon. His message read:

"That person and that person will fight?! That's the type of story you can expect! If I were to give it a title, I'd call it a 'free-for-all battle royale'! I hope no one dies!"

Subsequently, Oda said that manga readers will enjoy a forthcoming fight between two unspecified individuals. He added that the confrontation may involve some sort of battle royale.

Fans were excited by Oda's closing comments, in which he expressed concern over the possible death of one of the combatants. Many fans interpreted this last statement as a hint regarding the future death of a prominent character.

With Eiichiro Oda's extraordinary ability to make fans become attached to the characters he created, any death of a prominent character in the series, whether a villain or a positive hero, would surely hit hard. Admittedly, One Piece rarely features characters dying, other than in flashbacks.

Understandably, fans have started speculating who the characters involved in this thrilling battle royale may be.

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Who will be involved in the upcoming big fight?

Fans have started questioning who among the current big players will be involved in the conflict (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, One Piece)

Several characters have all the right credentials to be contenders in the dramatic showdown that Eiichiro Oda teased. The current Egghead Arc already features an interesting confrontation between several parties, with the Strawhat Pirates, the CP0, and Admiral Kizaru currently operating on the island.

As such, Oda's message was most likely not referring to Egghead. The island of Dr. Vegapunk is already hosting some sort of battle royale. But Oda's words weren't about something that is already happening but about something that will happen in the future.

According to some fans, Shanks, Benn Beckman, and the other Red Hair Pirates will certainly be among the contenders for the battle that Oda teased. With Shanks' recent claim to One Piece, it's possible that the Red Hair Pirates will collide with the Strawhat Pirates.

Shanks has always maintained a neutral position, seeking to balance and resolve conflicts through diplomacy. He has also shown sincere appreciation for Luffy's increasing successes.

Regardless, if Shanks has now decided to contend the One Piece, then he and his crew will inevitably have to compete with the Strawhats, as both are two of the main contenders for the same ambition. This would also allow Shanks and Luffy to finally meet again, within the battle royale between their respective crews.

However, Oda's ominous foreshadowing of someone risking death doesn't seem suitable for a fight between Red Hair Pirates and Strawhat Pirates. Given the connection between Shanks and Luffy, there's no hatred between the two crews.

Hence, some fans speculated that the battle would include the Blackbeard Pirates. Teach appears to be Shanks' sworn enemy, and a confrontation between them and their respective crews seems bound to happen sooner or later.

The Blackbeard Pirates could ambush both the Red Hair Pirates and the Strawhats, exploiting their tiredness after the previous battle. Marshall D. Teach is certainly no stranger to similar subterfuges.

With former Marine Admiral Aokiji having been disclosed as a full-fledged member of Blackbeard's crew, things have become even more interesting. Despite the appearances, it's likely that Aokiji is not truly part of the Blackbeard Pirates.

For an honorable man such as Aokiji, who shares the same ideals as Garp and Sengoku, it appears rather odd to join a group of ruthless criminals who aim to make Teach, one of the most wicked individuals in the One Piece world, become the Pirate King.

It's highly feasible that Aokiji is trying to infiltrate the Blackbeard Pirates on behalf of the Marine, possibly operating for SWORD, the secret unit within the Marine. Furthermore, Marine officer and SWORD group member Koby was recently kidnapped by Blackbeard.

Interestingly, Koby is an old acquaintance of Luffy and Zoro. As such, the Strawhat Pirates would have an additional reason to clash with Blackbeard and his crew. With Koby being a Marine, Aokiji will also likely be involved.

The former Marine Admiral is most likely not truly on Blackbeard's side, and will not be able to just stay and watch when a fellow companion is risking his life. Hence, this occurrence may be the moment where Aokiji interrupts his farce.

Admittedly, the Blackbeard Pirates are tremendously powerful. Even an Admiral would have his life seriously threatened if he had to fight Teach, Shiryu, and the others by himself. But that's the moment when several allies could join Aokiji, making the confrontation a true battle royale.

Strawhat Pirates, the Red Hair Pirates, Garp, Sengoku, Fujitora, or an improved Smoker - all of these individuals and groups of characters could partake in the fight for different reasons.

Moreover, Fleet Admiral Akainu will not stand idly. He has been stuck behind his desk for hundreds of chapters, but it's clear that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has something big in store for him.

Akainu is eager to fight, and fans have waited a long time to see him in action. The Fleet Admiral's participation in the teased battle royale would be the perfect choice to satisfy both instances. Akainu's lethal attacks with the Mag-Mag Fruit also raise the chance of characters dying, making Oda's worry concrete.

Finally, there's also a big chance of Dracule Mihawk being involved in the big confrontation. Not only Mihawk is the World's Strongest Swordsman, making him one of the most powerful characters in the entire series, but he is also a prominent member of Cross Guild.

Co-founded by Mihawk and Crocodile, who decided to put Buggy as their figurehead leader as a facade for the World Government, Cross Guild is an incredibly prominent organization. It has strength and influence on the same level as a Yonko crew.

With Mihawk being on friendly terms with Shanks, any event that should involve the latter would likely see the former get implicated as well. In the past, they clashed in legendary duels that shook the entire Grand Line. This time, they may fight on the same side.

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Final thoughts

This battle royale may surpass even the fight that took place in Wano (Image via Toei Animation, One Piece)

The Jump Festa 2023 was really interesting for One Piece fans. Not only have they been reassured that the series won't end anytime soon, but they also witnessed a cryptic declaration from author Eiichiro Oda, who teased a forthcoming big fight.

With Oda having added that the confrontation could possibly result in the death of some character, One Piece fans are really excited to see what will happen. As usual, theories and conjectures have sparked in the fandom.

Nevertheless, fans hope that this issue will be handled satisfactorily, unlike the outcome of the Wano Arc, which was widely criticized. According to most fans, the author wasn't able to fully exploit Wano's immense narrative potential. All One Piece fans can't help but hope that this time it will be different.