The war at Marineford was so devastating that it allowed Oda to give fans a glimpse as to the influence Shanks had over both the pirate and marine worlds.
It was a sobering revelation for fans, as for the first time in the entire series, Luffy found himself hopelessly overmatched with his shortcomings on full display. Their strength in numbers as well as the assets they had in Admirals Kizaru, Akainu, and Aokiji, illustrated the massive gap between Luffy as he was and the challenges awaiting him in the new world.
Though the World Government had long since been established as One Piece’s authoritative force in past arcs, Marineford showed the full might of the Marines in a way that had never been seen up to that point. In a way, it was the closing chapter for the pre-time-skip story, establishing many of the narrative threads currently playing out. Marineford served as a launching pad for many of the key events of the post-time-skip One Piece world. The mangaka is renowned for his attention to detail, setting up different narrative threads throughout the story which may not be relevant for years at a time. Oda has methodically crafted One Piece’s narrative over the years. RELATED: One Piece: Things You Didn't Know About Luffy's Straw Hat\ The shocking fallout that came just before the series’ two-year time skip would set the tone for major changes to come. Prior to Marineford, One Piece seemed to be too comfortably rooted within the formula it had established in its first 12 years.
The arc featured a number of revelations, key events, and twists that ultimately played out as a major changing point in the series, shaping and affecting the narrative in ways that are still relevant to One Piece today.
But its impact on the series cannot be understated given the scope of the events encompassing it. Spanning four whole volumes, 31 chapters, and 33 episodes in the anime, Marineford doesn’t compare to contemporary arcs like Wano or Dressrosa in terms of length.