Warning: contains spoilers for One Piece chapter #1053!
One of the biggest surprises in the long history of One Piece was actually foreshadowed by the manga's creator, Eiichiro Oda, 20 years in advance. The four pirates who became the new Yonko, the Emperors of the Sea in chapter #1053, published in June of 2022, were presented together on the cover of volume 25 of the manga, which was released way back in 2002.
The Yonko are one of the Three Great Powers (along with the Marine Headquarters and the Seven Warlords) the four most powerful and dangerous pirates in the world, who are given this designation by the World Government in recognition of their influence and military strength. For decades, this title was held by three veterans and former members of the Rocks Pirates: Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido, who were joined by Red-Haired Shanks more recently. After Whitebeard's death, his murderer Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard) took his spot as a Yonko, and then the latest developments in the manga shook things up even further. After Big Mom and Kaido's defeat, fans were shocked by the announcement of the new Yonko (especially one of them, Buggy the Clown), but the truth is that Eiichiro Oda actually foreshadowed this 20 years ago.
The cover of volume 25 of One Piece features Luffy and Blackbeard alongside each other, while Shanks and Buggy are in the background, side by side. Putting these characters on the cover made sense at the time. Teach had just been introduced in the series and a special connection with Luffy was hinted at, even if it was long before Blackbeard would become a major antagonist. Buggy and Shanks both appear in the volume, the first looking for a treasure while the second organizes a meeting with Whitebeard - an encounter between two of the most powerful men in the world. The volume itself was very important, as it features the first appearance of the Five Elders, two members of the Seven Warlords, and finally of Whitebeard, who is also declared the strongest man in the world.
However, for how good and full of exciting developments volume 25 was, no one could have ever expected that, 20 years later, the same four men featured on the cover would become the new Yonko. There are strong connections among the characters. Buggy and Shanks are rivals who were both apprentices on Gol D. Roger's ship. Blackbeard has been teased as Luffy's most significant opponent in the series, and their personal journeys mirror each other. Despite this, no-one would have guessed these four characters would have such a specific connection years later. Such unbelievable long-term planning is proof that Eiichiro Oda is one of the most gifted creators in the manga industry. He is capable of laying down plots that take years, even decades, to fully unravel, while keeping fans constantly curious and hungry for the series' mysteries to be revealed.
The revelation that Buggy - who is mostly a comic character - ascended to the position of Yonko did not make much sense in the beginning, but the new context for this art implies Oda always perceived this group as connected. The author's mastery of storytelling and incredible narrative instincts, which allowed him to foreshadow major developments in the series 20 years in advance, is the real strength of One Piece, and what makes it the most successful manga in history.
One Piece chapter #1053 is available now on the Viz Media website.