World

The world is an as-of-yet-unnamed planet on which One Piece takes place. While similar—if not identical—to real-life in many aspects, it is drastically different in others.
The world primarily consists of the Blue Sea with the Red Line as its only continent. Most of the population, however, live in assorted islands located around the globe. The vast majority of the world is controlled by the World Government, which is publicly led by the Five Elders but actually ruled in secret by Imu. 
According to the late Dr. Vegapunk, the world used to have a different configuration a millennium ago, with far more landmasses and less ocean until the advent of the Void Century, which caused sea levels to rise and whole continents to disappear. Vegapunk now predicts that the whole world is set to be entirely sunk into the ocean.
==Etymology==
The planet's name, if it even has one, is not yet known, often only being referred to as the "world" (世界, Sekai) or by less common but equally generic identifiers such as the or the , with no formal name ever being used by the majority of the planet's population or even in narrations for the story concerning the planet.
However, the planet has been given one unique name by at least one civilization on the planet who inhabit the sky islands of Skypiea, referring to the planet as , and by extension they also refer to the planet's moon as . The ancestors of these sky island inhabitants, a race of alien beings from the moon, also had their own unique name for the planet before colonizing it, having called it .
==Geography and Climate==
Dominating the world's surface is the Blue Sea, a body of saltwater broadly divided into quadrants: the East Blue, the West Blue, the North Blue, and the South Blue. These divisions are formed by two natural barriers that bisect the world at roughly perpendicular angles:
*The Grand Line, a relatively narrow strip of ocean infamous for its unnatural, rapidly-shifting climates and monstrous wildlife—as well as being enclosed by the completely wind- and current-free Calm Belt regions.
*The Red Line, a huge (and mostly barren) landmass that functions as the world's only true continent.
The Grand Line and Red Line encircle the entire world at right angles to each other. The Red Line physically separates the East and South Blues from the North and West Blues. While there is no physical barrier separating the Grand Line from the four Blues, the Calm Belt surrounding it makes crossing through nearly impossible for most. Although some maps depict the Grand Line as running east to west, similar to the equator, and the Red Line as running north-to-south along a meridian, this is not accurate. According to Buggy's map of the Grand Line as well as an explanation by Trafalgar Law, the two lines run diagonally in relation to the world's true north and south. With the North Blue as the top of the planet, the first half of the Grand Line, known as Paradise, lies between the East and South Blues in the southern hemisphere, while the second half, known as the New World, runs between the North and West Blues in the northern hemisphere.
All parts of the Blue Sea—Grand Line and Calm Belts included—contain numerous islands supporting many different degrees of life. Travel between these islands is relatively simple in the four Blues, but significantly more complex in the Grand Line, where (in addition to the aforementioned hazards) many islands produce unique magnetic fields that render the magnets of ordinary useless, necessitating special "Log Pose" compasses.
North and South poles, both reputedly very cold, have also been stated to exist. It is unknown where they are located, or whether they contain the actual magnetic poles that control compasses outside the Grand Line.
The world is divided into different time zones based on solar time, which varies by location due to the spherical shape of the planet. For example, it is daytime in Egghead and Dressrosa in the New World when it is nighttime in Mary Geoise on the Red Line and Water 7 in Paradise.
Because of the abundance of water, the moon's ancient inhabitants referred to planet as the .
===Grand Line ===
Said to be a giant sea route which circumnavigates the world, it is the one sea where normal compasses fail. It is the destination of every pirate and the path that leads to unimaginable adventures. Most of the story is based in the Grand Line. The reason this sea is sought by a large number of pirates is that the greatest treasure "One Piece", left behind by the legendary pirate Gol D. Roger, is said to be on the final island of Grand Line ("Laugh Tale"). The Grand Line is divided into two halves by the red line. The first half, known as "Paradise" to the residents of the second half of the Grand Line, is wildly unpredictable and dangerous, but pales in comparison to the second half. The next half, which is said to be much more difficult and dangerous than the first half, is the "New World". The Four Emperors unofficially rule the New World.
===Calm Belt===
The Calm Belt is a sea area that surrounds each side of the Grand Line. No winds or sea currents can be found there, hence the name "Calm Belt". As a result, sailing through it is extremely difficult, especially because it is the nesting ground for the Sea Kings. However, Rayleigh swam from the Grand Line to Amazon Lily in the Calm Belt by himself after his ship was sunk in a storm.
===Red Line===
The Red Line is the one and only continent in the world. It traverses the entire world from north to south. The Red Line separates the two oceans into four smaller seas. One of the oceans forms the two seas, East Blue and South Blue, and the other one forms the North Blue and the West Blue. The Red Line is used by those traversing the Grand Line to separate the first half of the Grand Line and the "New World", as well as the initial starting place of one's journey through the Grand Line; it also exists as the only way to enter the Grand Line besides traveling over the Calm Belt, a highly dangerous prospect. The Holy Land of Mary Geoise is located on the Red Line, at the part where the Grand Line meets the "New World".
===Sea Floor===
Depth-wise, the Blue Sea ends at the Sea Floor, a constant landmass formed of the world's . Here, the Grand Line becomes somewhat less distinct from the other seas (though the Red Line remains largely impassable); aquatic life thrives in countless varieties, existing alongside volcanoes and trenches.
The Sea Floor begins at many different depths, with its nadir existing more than 10,000 meters below surface (a nadir that, ironically, contains the world-famous Fish-Man Island).
Due to the rapid rising of sea levels during the Void Century, many previously inhabited areas are now located on the Sea Floor where they lay as abandoned ruins.
=== Sky Ocean===
The Sky Ocean is a place that is unknown to most people in the Blue Sea. The reason for that is that the Sky Ocean is entirely made of clouds, which from the Blue Sea does not look like an ocean. The Sky Ocean clouds, however, are no normal clouds. There are two kinds of clouds, Sea Clouds and Island Clouds. Sea Clouds are just like water, which means that it can be sailed on if the ship is not heavy enough to sink through it, whereas Island Clouds are dense enough to carry all kinds of things.
There are different ways to get to the Sky Ocean from the Blue Sea. The only way that has been shown so far is the unorthodox and dangerous way in which the sailors have to take a Knock Up Stream, though it has been said that there is a second, slightly less dangerous way, called High West. In the Sky Ocean there are two known seas, the White Sea and the White White Sea.
==History==
===Pre-Void Century===
How long the world has existed is currently unknown. The largest figures of time given thus far have been references to the ancient age of dinosaurs, with Queen stating that dinosaurs ruled the world for "hundreds of millions" of years, though this single statement has not been fleshed out or corroborated.
According to Clover, Ohara's Tree of Knowledge was created over 5,000 years ago. This is the oldest known recorded history that has been referenced in the series thus far. The Alubarna Palace in the Arabasta Kingdom was built over 4,000 years ago. The city of Shandora on Jaya was established over 1,100 years ago. The Mink Tribe's history of living on Zou began over 1,000 years ago. The Tontatta Tribe left their homeland and settled in Dressrosa over 900 years ago.
===Void Century===
The period of time between around 800 and 900 years prior to the present day is known as the Void Century because nearly all records of it have been destroyed. Prior to the Void Century, there existed a Great Kingdom that was vast and powerful. During this time period, however, a coalition of twenty kingdoms came together to wage war against the Great Kingdom. Their forces were opposed by a man named Joy Boy who was the world's first pirate, and a great war ensued. Joy Boy proved to be too powerful for the alliance to defeat, so they resorted to using three devastatingly powerful weapons known as the Ancient Weapons. This resulted in Joy Boy's defeat, but not without a great cost: the usage of the Ancient Weapons caused the world's sea levels to rise 200 meters, which submerged the majority of civilizations and forced the population to flee to mountaintops, which now constituted rather small islands in a world covered almost entirely by ocean.
Following the alliance's victory, they formed a governing body known as the World Government, and their capital of Mary Geoise was founded on the Red Line which remained far above sea level. Nineteen of the twenty rulers who founded the World Government remained on Mary Geoise, with only the Nefertari Family remaining behind in their home kingdom of Arabasta. The descendants of these rulers still live there to this day and serve as the highest authority of the World Government, being known as World Nobles. Following the Void Century's conclusion, the World Government outlawed all research into this time period and destroyed almost all records of it; the only known remaining records are those written on indestructible stones known as Poneglyphs, which were created by the Kouzuki Family of Wano Country. Nefertari D. Lili, the queen of Arabasta, played a large role in spreading them across the world. The Poneglyphs are written in a language which few know, and research of them is punishable by death.
===Post-Void Century and the Great Pirate Era===
700 years ago, a bridge was constructed on the East Blue island of Tequila Wolf and construction still continues to this day. 500 years ago, Oars appeared and caused chaos in the world; he would later be killed by frostbite.
Over 44 years ago, a group of powerful pirates gathered on the island of Hachinosu and banded together under the leadership of Rocks D. Xebec for the purpose of making Rocks the king of the world. The Rocks Pirates became a powerful force, but 38 years ago, they invaded the island of God Valley while a World Noble gathering was occurring. The powerful Marine Monkey D. Garp was sent to protect the World Nobles from the pirates, and in an unprecedented move, teamed up with the pirate Gol D. Roger to battle Rocks. This battle, known as the God Valley Incident, led to Rocks' defeat and eventual death, the disbandment of the Rocks Pirates, and the erasure of God Valley from all maps.
In the decade following this incident, Roger and his crew quickly rose to prominence and did battle with Garp and the Marines as well as other pirate crews formed from former Rocks crew members. 28 years ago, the Roger Pirates embarked on one last voyage aiming to reach the legendary final island of the Grand Line. They reached the island after three years and found a treasure belonging to Joy Boy; Roger and his crew came to discover the truth about Joy Boy and the Void Century, and Roger named the island Laugh Tale as he laughed upon learning this story. Following this, Roger became known as the Pirate King and his treasure came to be called the One Piece.
Unbeknownst to the world, Roger was dying of an incurable illness and so turned himself in to the Marines to be executed. Before he did this, he sired a son who would be named Ace. 24 years ago, Roger was executed before the entire world in his birthplace of Loguetown to serve as a deterrent against piracy; however, the execution would have the opposite effect. Right before being killed, Roger proclaimed to the crowd that he had left his treasure at "that place" and invited them to go and take it. This sent the world into a frenzy, and many people from all over set sail to find the One Piece. The sudden increase of piracy led this time period to be dubbed the "Great Pirate Era", which continues to this day. As pirates roamed all over the world, the World Government established a balance of powers to maintain a tenuous peace. These three powers were Marine Headquarters, the Seven Warlords of the Sea which served the World Government, and four powerful pirates ruling over the New World known as the Four Emperors.
22 years ago, the World Government learned that the scholars of Ohara had been studying the Poneglyphs and the Void Century to the point of knowing about the Great Kingdom, causing the Five Elders to order a Marine Buster Call to annihilate all of Ohara and its scholars. The only scholar to escape was an 8-year-old girl named Nico Robin. Following this, the freedom fighter Monkey D. Dragon decided to form a military organization known as the Revolutionary Army to overthrow the World Nobles from power. Eight years ago, it was noted during the Levely that the Revolutionary Army was rapidly growing in power.
===Two Years Ago: The Rise of Straw Hat Luffy and the Worst Generation===
Monkey D. Luffy set out to begin living a life of piracy. His crew became notorious across the world as they took down two Warlords of the Sea and the secret government organization CP9, as well as destroying the judicial island Enies Lobby. However, they appeared to be exterminated by Bartholomew Kuma on Sabaody Archipelago, but were really split up and sent to different islands.
During this time, the pirate Marshall D. Teach, better known as Blackbeard, captured Portgas D. Ace in order to become a Warlord of the Sea. The World Government decided to execute Ace in order to incite a war against Whitebeard, and this was talked about the world over. Before the execution, however, the World Government suffered a major blow when Luffy broke into Impel Down to save Ace and led 241 prisoners in a mass breakout, and had managed to do so with the help of the Warlord of the Sea Boa Hancock. Blackbeard would then go and break out several more of the most dangerous prisoners.
This did not impede the planned execution of Ace, however, and the world became further shocked when they learned that Ace was the son of Gol D. Roger and Luffy was the son of Monkey D. Dragon. The Whitebeard Pirates arrived at Marineford and took on the Marines, but Ace and Whitebeard were eventually killed. However, Whitebeard announced to the entire world that the One Piece was real, and things only got worse for the World Government as Blackbeard arrived and took Whitebeard's power, announcing that this was now his age. Shanks then arrived and ended the war, as Luffy managed to escape with the help of the Heart Pirates. The strain from the Summit War of Marineford was such that it convinced two renowned veterans of the Marines Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, to retire from their duties, and convinced Smoker to transfer to G-5 to keep a closer eye on the New World.
=== Present Day: The New Era of Piracy and Shakeup of Powers===
Over the next two years, great changes began taking place. Whitebeard's revelation began a new age of piracy, and Blackbeard usurped his position as one of the Four Emperors. Sakazuki became the new Fleet Admiral of the Marines, and the Marines relocated their base to the New World. The Marines drafted in new recruits worldwide to fight the ongoing threat of piracy, notably two new admirals, Fujitora and Ryokugyu, while Kuzan had left the Marines and appeared to have sided with Blackbeard. The Straw Hat Pirates returned after training for two years, and they entered the New World.
In the New World, the Straw Hat Pirates formed an alliance with the Heart Pirates to take down the Emperor Kaidou, and their notoriety only grew when they took down Donquixote Doflamingo of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and captured his subordinate, Caesar Clown; Doflamingo considered his defeat to be the tipping point that would set off a chain of battles for supremacy over the seas. Several other Worst Generation crews formed alliances with each other to take down other Emperors, while others aligned themselves with the current Emperors. Figures in the Underworld were emerging and beginning to stockpile deadly weapons, and the Revolutionary Army investigated these ominous happenings.
In the midst of their campaign against Kaidou, the Straw Hats also attracted the wrath of Big Mom by invading her territory and participating in a failed plot to assassinate her. This led Big Mom to pursue them to Wano Country, where she and Kaidou clashed over who would kill the crew. However, their battle quickly turned into them forming an alliance to claim the One Piece and take over the world using the Ancient Weapons. The Marines were on high alert upon learning of this alliance, but this situation did not last as an alliance of the Straw Hats, Heart Pirates, and Kid Pirates along with Wano's samurai mounted a surprise invasion that ended with both Kaidou and Big Mom defeated.
As this was going on, the Levely was taking place. During the Levely, Admiral Fujitora successfully campaigned to abolish the Seven Warlords, with new living weapons developed by the SSG tapped to replace them; however, the Five Elders noted that it may be time to tip the world's balance. Additionally, the Revolutionary Army led by Sabo infiltrated Mary Geoise and declared war on the World Government, leading to an increase in local insurgencies. Following the defeats of Kaidou and Big Mom, Luffy as well as Buggy of the Cross Guild were named their replacements among the Four Emperors.
The Five Elders and Imu obtained a power source from the SSG leader Vegapunk known as the Mother Flame, which they used to power an Ancient Weapon and annihilate the Lulusia Kingdom for a test. This attack caused the sea level to rise by one meter much the way it did during the Void Century, threatening many low-terrain islands. At the same time, the World Government learned that Vegapunk had been studying the Poneglyphs and made plans to have the scientist eliminated. Though their plans were hindered by the unexpected appearance of the Straw Hats, Admiral Kizaru ultimately succeeded in killing Vegapunk. However, Vegapunk had set a broadcast to air across the world once he died, where he revealed the global flooding event of the Void Century.
==Society and Culture==
In the Grand Line, there are islands which have their own climates and natural occurrences, such that people on these islands will dress to match it. Some islands in the Grand Line have unique cultures, such as Water 7, Dressrosa, Arabasta, Sabaody, Long Ring Long Land, Jaya, Skypiea, and Wano.
Compared to the Grand Line, there is less cultural diversity seen out in the North, West, South and East Blues. However, these oceans still have secluded islands and other locations with their own separate cultures and lifestyles, such as Kano Country in the West; Torino Kingdom in the South; Shimotsuki Village and Tequila Wolf in the East.
===Language===
The world of One Piece appears to have a universal spoken and written language which seems to be a combination of Japanese and English. There are even instances of words or pronunciations from both languages being used together in either forms of written text, such as with the names used for the ships of the Yonta Maria Grand Fleet. English seems to be the most predominant written text in most parts of the world, especially outside the Grand Line, however signs of both of the written forms of these languages co-existing can be seen in many parts of the world on either signs, clothing, documents etc..
Even high above in the Sky Islands and deep below in the Sea Floor the universal language exists. In Skypiea, the English text seen on the surface seems to be common among the residents of Angel Island, but the Birkans seen residing in Upper Yard are known to use Japanese characters instead, such as in their trials and main temple. In Fish-Man Island, the universal language is also used, with both English and Japanese words and text being used throughout the island. The island of Dressrosa notably uses a lot of real life Spanish terminology alongside the world's universal language. Sanji and a few other characters have been known to use non-English/Japanese words on rare occasions or in the names of their attacks, with Sanji commonly using French, though its origin is unknown as no one in the Baratie or Germa Kingdom uses words from said language. There also exists an ancient language written on the Poneglyphs by the ancient stonemasons of Wano Country that only the scholars of Ohara could translate.
The enforcement of a universal language is largely due to the World Government and its influence. When countries get involved with them, whether intentionally or not, they are forced to switch to the universal language and abandon any other languages they may have. In a small country in the North Blue, they went as far as to kill or exile anybody that refused to either abandon the language or become a slave to the World Nobles. 
===Government===
With the fall of the Great Kingdom 800 years ago, 20 Kingdoms united to form the World Government. Most nations across the world are member nations of the World Government, although some nations are completely independent such as Wano. Mostly, it is up to each island to govern their daily affairs, although the Marines are stationed across the world to police the seas, and their authority extends to any member nation of the World Government should they be stationed on one. Usually, the World Government only gets involved when dealing with a person or event affecting multiple locations.
=== Religion===
Various people and civilizations in the world follow a vast array of religions, and various allusions to gods, devils, and religion have been made through architecture and speech. Despite the lack of any explicit mention of real-life religions, there are several references to Christianity and occasionally Buddhism, with many churches, crosses, cathedrals, s and people dressing up in a religious fashion appearing throughout the series, along with instances of mentioning God, the Devil and Buddha from time to time.
Many people have their own personal beliefs and philosophy about what is right and what is wrong, as well as their own gods to worship. There are regions with pagan religions such as ancient Jaya, where people worshiped snake deities and later ancestral spirits. In Skypiea, the people worship Vearth. In Elbaf, they have different gods. In Thriller Bark, when the Straw Hat Pirates found a floating barrel, Usopp believed it was an offering to a sea god that they must pray to before opening it. The World Nobles' names always begin with "Saint". These are but a few of the many examples seen in the series.
==See also==
*Moon
*Mirro-World
==Early Concepts==
A world map was sketched by Eiichiro Oda when the series had reached the Loguetown Arc. Incomplete versions of this map were initially published in 2010 as part of "One Piece Grand Countdown" in Shonen Jump as well as the databook One Piece Green: Secret Pieces. The full map was finally published in One Piece Magazine Vol.9 in 2020.
This map includes a location called , a cliff with a height of 10 kilometers near Reverse Mountain, as well as a World Government building known as . It is unknown whether these locations exist in the canon story, as they have yet to appear in the series.
The novelization of the Loguetown Arc contains a map illustration by Takahashi Tsunemasa.. It seems to have been based on Oda's concept art, as it includes the "Corkwood" location.
==Trivia==
*Ohara's Tree of Knowledge, before its destruction, contained a geocentric model of the world with six s (which presumably includes the world's moon), one of which had a second body orbiting it. The world as shown in the model sits at a rough angle of about 24 to 25 degrees.
* It has been suggested that that there are over 20,000,000 islands in the world.
*As a manga about pirates a few islands and landmarks are in the shape of skulls such as Jaya in the past, Skull Dome, Hachinosu, and Master's island.
==References==
==Site Navigation==
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