Fans of One Piece are mobilizing to mount a real-world search for a seabed “treasure” after creator Eiichiro Oda revealed he had sealed the series’ ultimate secret and dropped it into the ocean. One fan-led group says it is prepared to spend more than $100,000 to reach the site and retrieve the container.
The group is exploring the rental of JAMSTEC’s Shinkai 6500 submersible at an estimated 15 million yen ($95,000) per day to operate the mission. It is also launching a crypto token to help finance the effort and has contacted the agency about availability and logistics, according to Beebom. Interest has spread across online communities, where organizers describe a rapidly evolving plan to pinpoint the location and secure a vessel capable of descending to the depth where the chest was released, as the group documents outreach and next steps on X under the handle One Piece Hunter, according to Beebom.
The quest to be the Pirate King
One Piece follows Monkey D. Luffy’s quest to become the Pirate King by finding the treasure hidden by former Pirate King Gol D. Roger. First serialized in 1997, One Piece has sold more than 600 million copies globally, with over 450 million in Japan and more than 150 million internationally. Total circulation has grown by roughly 90 million in the past three years. By Crunchyroll’s accounting, Oda ranks as the eighth best-selling author of all time and the only Japanese writer in the top 10. The timing aligns with major screen projects: Netflix’s live-action adaptation has a second season scheduled for March 10, and the series has already been renewed for a third.
In the video, Oda writes down the what the One Piece is, folds the paper, and tears the page in half. He then seals the bottom half in a chest inside a pressure-resistant glass sphere. The sphere was submerged 651 meters under the sea on February 12. The chest will remain underwater until the manga concludes, when it will be retrieved and opened, according to Gizmodo. The top half was presented in newspaper ads. In the video, the narrator declares, “Until the whole story is revealed, the truth will rest far beyond anyone’s reach.”
Possible drop sites
Within hours of the video’s release, online sleuths began triangulating possible drop sites based on visible clues, maritime details, and seabed characteristics, according to Kotaku. One Reddit user hypothesized Suruga Bay in Shizuoka after weighing depth, currents, the apparent presence of Japanese coast guards, and sight lines showing no land to the southwest of the drop point, first reported by GamesRadar, according to Kotaku.
Others have suggested Sagami Bay as a likely zone, according to Beebom. Discussion has focused on whether the Shinkai 6500 or a comparable research vessel could reach the depth and safely operate long enough to inspect the seabed. Organizers have floated an accelerated schedule, arguing that with adequate backing and confirmed equipment they could search the area within weeks, according to Beebom.
The push to find the container has triggered unease among longtime readers who fear the series’ ending could surface prematurely online if the document is recovered before the chapters reach their natural conclusion.
Oda has emphasized that the One Piece is a real, tangible treasure, not a metaphor or sentimental payoff. He says the complete message will only be clear when both halves are reunited. Many believe the reveal will land either in the final chapter or with the release of the last collected volume. Editors at Shueisha have hinted the manga is in its final stretch, with most estimates placing the end between late 2026 and sometime in 2027. For many, that sets the stage for a synchronized moment: the story’s end in print and the opening of the submerged chest.
This article was produced with the assistance of a news discovery technology.