How did the One Piece world get the way it is? What happened in this world, that looks very
artificial, that has dinosaurs, lost ancient civilasations with the technology to travel
into space and a whole century of history completely missing from the histroy books,
during which the world changed forever and fell under the tyranny of the celestial dragons.
For over 1,000 chapters, we’ve followed the adventures of Straw Hat Luffy - but what happened
backstories to glimpses of ancient history, but with so much lore in the story it can be hard
to remember all of those details. So today, we’re going to go over the official timeline
of everything that happened in One Piece before Luffy finally set sail. We’ll cover everything up
to Roger’s execution, but we’ll have to save the Great Pirate Era for the next installment in this
series. I don’t know if you knew this, but One Piece has a whole lot of story…before its story…
A long, long time ago - long before we have any official record keeping in the One Piece world,
we know a few things. We know that there were once dinosaurs that ruled the lands that have mostly
gone extinct. Now they survive in pockets of the Grand Line such as Little Garden, and of course,
they live on in Ancient Zoan fruits like those possessed by the Beast Pirates.
We also know that long before we have any official dates,
there was an advanced civilization on the moon that appears to be the ancient ancestors of the
sky islanders and perhaps the Lunarians. For now, though, we’re still waiting on
confirmation - maybe our favorite archaeologist, Nico Robin, will be able to help us out with that
one. But now let’s get to the events that we have accurate dates for straight from Oda.
Let’s start with the oldest known event in all of One Piece. For this one we have to go back a whole
5,000 years, with the planting of the Tree of Knowledge by the ancient residents of Ohara. Hey,
that’s me! Man, remembering that that tree was 5,000 years old, and that the library contained so
much of the knowledge from all of those millenia makes Robin’s flashback hit that much harder.
Moving up a whole millennium from the Tree of Knowledge, we move to Alabasta,
where the palace in Alubarna was built 4,000 years ago. It makes sense that Alabasta would
hold one of the oldest known events since we know Alabasta was one of the kingdoms that originally
formed the world government centuries ago. And in Alabasta, we also learned a few pieces of
its history from Robin. When Crocodile has her decipher the poneglyph, she doesn’t tell him
that it holds information about the ancient weapon Pluton. Instead, she recites some other pieces of
Alabasta’s history from her memory. However, we’re not sure exactly when these took place because
they’re dated according to a different calendar than the standard calendar used in One Piece.
Fun fact: Did you know that the worldbuilding of One Piece is so detailed that they have multiple
calendars? The standard calendar that the story follows is referred to as “The Age of the Sea
Circle” According to Robin’s information, on the alternate “Age of Heaven” calendar, in 239,
Someone named Kahira conquered Alabasta. In 260, the Bitein Dynasty of Taymar began its rule. In
306, the Great Taph Temple was constructed. And in 325, the great hero of Oltea, Mamudin…did
something. What, we don’t know, because Crocodile stopped her right there, realizing that he wasn’t
getting the information he wanted. Of course, it’s also possible that instead of reciting
actual historical information Robin was just…lying and making all of that up.
Skipping way farther ahead, to 1100 years ago, we have the building of the City of Gold, Shandora,
and its prosperous age on the Blue Sea. 100 years after that, we have the birth of Zunesha. Around
1000 years before the current story, the Minks found Zou atop Zunesha’s back.
And that’s when we get to the good stuff: 900 years ago, we have the void century. And I wish
I could tell you more about what happened in this 100 year span, but we’ll just have to wait for
Oda-Sensei to reveal the true history. What little we do know is this: The ancient kingdom ruled the
world with the power of the ancient weapons, but by the end of the void century they were
replaced by the alliance of 20 kingdoms that would become the World Government. The World Government
proceeded to erase all mention of the Ancient Kingdom from history, including its name - the
only thing that remains of the kingdom’s history are the (nearly) undecipherable poneglyphs.
We don’t know how the Ancient Kingdom fell or how the World Government took power, but surely once
the story reaches Laugh Tale, we’re in for some bombshell revelations. What we do know is that
during the Void Century there was a figure named Joyboy who played a central role. His comrade,
Zunesha, committed some terrible crime and was sentenced to walk the ocean endlessly
for centuries. In this time, Joyboy also broke a promise to the leader of Fishman Island to
work with Poseidon to raise the Noah. It was also during this century that Lady Toki used
the Time-Time fruit to fling herself into the far future where she would meet Kozuki Oden.
In the Void Century, the great city of Shandora also fell to the alliance of the Twenty Kingdoms,
however the Shandians remained on Jaya to defend what remained of the City of Gold.
After the Void Century, 800 years before the current story, all of the rulers of the twenty
kingdoms who form the World Government leave their home countries to reside in Mariejois where they
and their descendants become the Celestial Dragons, the rulers of the world. That is,
all but the ruler of Alabasta, who remains on Sandy Island. However,
it does include the Donquixote family, who leave the Kingdom of Dressrosa,
at which point the Riku family become its new monarchs. The Riku family delivers an
apology to the Tontatta, who had been enslaved by the Donquixotes.
One hundred years after the Void Century, which brings us to 700 years before the current story.
In this century, the World Government orders the construction of a bridge on Tequila Wolf,
which is for an unknown purpose, and is still being built to this day.
Jumping ahead to 500 years ago, we have the life and death of the Ancient Giant Oars,
whose body is preserved in the icy Northlands.
Maybe he would have survuved had he pressed the flaming red box
that is the subscribe button. WE’ll never know.
400 years ago, the adventures of Montblanc Noland begin. He travels to Green Bit where
he becomes a hero to the Tontatta. Later in his voyages, he arrives on Jaya, where he befriends
Kalgara. However, four years later, when he brings the King of Lvneel to the City of Gold,
Shandora had already been shot into Skypiea by the knock-up stream. Thinking Noland a liar,
the King has him executed, tarnishing the Montblanc name for centuries.
300 years before the current story, the Germa Kingdom was at the height
of its power. The Germa Empire spanned the entirety of the North Blue for 66 days. Ever
since they’ve longed to grow their power to something resembling this previous state.
200 years ago, the World Government forms an alliance with Fishman Island and the
Ryugu Kingdom attended its first Reverie. However,
they would not attend another for another 200 years until the most recent Reverie.
100 years ago we start to get some much more familiar characters and events. With life spans
the way they work in the series, we’ll start to see a lot of people who appear in the story or
who get more fleshed out flashbacks relevant to our main characters. And that starts with the
beginning of Dorry and Brogy’s’s duel on Little Garden. This also leads to the spreading of the
Giant Warrior Pirates. Without their captains, the remnants are captured by the Marines,
but Mother Carmel convinces the Marines to let them go. After returning to Elbaf with the Giants,
Mother Carmel founds the Sheep’s House orphanage, a front for her slavery ring.
81 years ago, we find ourselves in Wano, where we’ll be spending a considerable
amount of time for the rest of the timeline. This is when the head of the Kurozumi poisoned
the other daimyos of Wano to try and attain the position of Shogun. However,
with the birth of Kozuki Sukiyaki, the Kurozumi clan loses its power and
its members are hunted down, beginning the long feud between the two houses.
63 years ago, a young Charlotte LinLin is abandoned by her parents on Elbaf and taken
in by Mother Carmel. Carmel plans on selling the powerful LinLin to the Marines after witnessing
the toddler easily dispatch several fully grown giants. On LInLin’s sixth birthday,
she ate a delicious croquembouche with a side of Mother Carmel and
gained Carmel’s devil fruit power, the Soul-Soul fruit. Together with Streusen,
who found the lone LinLin, they founded Totto Land and Whole Cake Island.
59 years ago, both Kozuki Oden and Kaidou are born. Thus began Oden’s wild childhood
exploits and rise in his infamous reputation. During Oden’s childhood,
many other significant events happen around the world as well. Shimotsuki Village is founded in
East Blue. The Rumbar pirates also befriend Laboon and leave him with Crocus, before meeting their
demise in the Florian Triangle, the only survivor being Brook, thanks to his devil
fruit power. Meanwhile the giants Oimo and Kashi are tricked into working for the World Government.
While Oden’s notoriety increases, so does Kaidou’s, with the Vodka Kingdom declaring
him the ultimate soldier and attempting to sell him to the Marines for admittance into
the Reverie. Meanwhile, while Oden is creating a harem and Kaidou is escaping from the Marines,
a young Charlotte Katakuri tries donuts for the first time. Soon after,
he tears open his mouth eating too many of the tasty treats.
44 years ago, Kaidou joined the Rocks Pirates. Presumably,
other pirates such as Big Mom, join around a similar time. Two years after that,
Shakky gives up pirating and starts a bar on the Sabaody Archipelago.
39 years ago Oden is exiled from the Flower Capital,
but then he reforms Kuri and becomes its new Daimyo. In the same year,
the Roger Pirates become the first crew to make it to Lodestar island.
38 years ago, the God Valley incident occurred. When the Rocks Pirates attack God Valley, home to
the Celestial Dragons, Garp and Roger join forces to fight them. During the battle, Rocks dies and
God Valley completely disappears. Afterward, Garp is hailed as the Hero of the Marines.
5 years later, or 33 years ago, Donquixote Homing gives up his position as a Celestial
Dragon and takes his family with him from Mariejois. Meanwhile, the former members of the
Rocks Pirates, Kaidou, Big Mom, and Whitebeard begin recruiting members for their own crews.
Back on Wano, Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, and Kawamatsu become Oden’s retainers.
30 years ago, Oden meets Whitebeard and joins his crew along with Neko, Inu, and Izo. While sailing,
he also meets Toki. Meanwhile, much more important to the larger story,
Monkey D. Garp punches Don Chinjao so hard he rounds out his head.
28 years ago, Roger discovers he has a terminal illness and the Roger Pirates set out on their
final expedition through the Grand Line. The same year, Nico Olvia also leaves Ohara in
search of the poneglyphs. A year later, while on the Grand Line, the Roger Pirates face off
against Shiki, and the Golden Lion is left with the most unfortunate hat of all time.
26 years ago, Neptune became the king of the Ryugu Kingdom, Pound was kicked out of Big
Mom’s kingdom, and young Franky - at this time known as Cutty Flam - was abandoned
by his parents. But most importantly this is the year that the Whitebeard
Pirates and Roger Pirates had a battle for the ages that lasted 3 days and 3 nights.
Oden joined Roger on the last leg of their voyage, but meanwhile Orochi overtakes Wano
with the backing of Kaidou and the Beast Pirates. 25 years before the present story,
the Roger Pirates made it to Laugh Tale. Having conquered the Grand Line,
Gol D. Roger is given the mantle of the Pirate King and disbands his crew.
Finally, Gol D. Roger turns himself into the Marines. At his execution,
he reveals to the world the knowledge of the One Piece,
inspiring hundreds of new pirates to seek his hidden treasure. Thus began the Great Pirate Era.
All of this history really leaves us with more questions than answers,
plus there are tons of other unsolved mysteries out there still to be answered,
like who is luffy’s mother, where is laugh tale and what is the secret of the moon? If you crave
an overview of all these open questions, you shouldn’t miss out on this video right here.