Where Does 'One Piece Dream Of Immortality' Fit In The Timeline?

I've been following 'One Piece Dream of Immortality' closely, and it's a fascinating spin-off that slots neatly between the Wano Country arc and the Final Saga in the main 'One Piece' timeline. The story kicks off after the Straw Hats leave Wano but before they embark on their ultimate journey to Laugh Tale. It explores an alternate reality where immortality becomes a tangible goal for several factions, including remnants of the Beast Pirates and some rogue Marines. The events don't contradict canon but add depth to characters like Marco the Phoenix, whose healing flames take center stage. What's brilliant is how it weaves in existing lore about the Op-Op Fruit's eternal youth operation while introducing new conflicts that feel organic to the world. The manga's pacing mirrors early 'One Piece' arcs, with plenty of island-hopping adventures that reveal hidden connections to the Void Century.

As someone who analyzes timeline structures in shonen manga, 'One Piece Dream of Immortality' presents a clever interquel narrative. It occupies a 6-month gap post-Wano where the World Government secretly accelerates their immortality research, terrified of Joy Boy's impending return. The story begins two weeks after the Straw Hats depart from Wano, showing how their victory destabilizes the balance of power. We see Blackbeard making covert moves to steal the research, while Revolutionaries intercept classified documents about the God Valley incident.

What makes this timeline placement genius is how it retroactively justifies certain canon events. The spin-off reveals why Vegapunk suddenly focuses on lineage factors in Egghead Island arc—he's trying to replicate the failed immortality experiments from this period. The manga also introduces a precursor to Seraphim called 'Revenants,' which explains why CP0 later possesses such advanced cloning tech. For timeline purists, key indicators include Yamato still guarding Wano and Sabo being absent due to his post-Reverie missions.

The final chapters subtly set up the Final Saga by showing Shanks destroying an immortality lab in Elbaf, hinting at his deeper motives for seeking the One Piece. This makes his later actions in the main series more impactful when viewed through this new context.

For casual fans wondering where to place 'One Piece Dream of Immortality,' think of it as an extended flashback that happens concurrently with cover stories. It runs parallel to events like Buggy forming Cross Guild and Koby's training with SWORD. The manga's first half overlaps with the Straw Hats' journey from Wano to Egghead, while its climax occurs just before the crew reaches the new island.

What grabbed me was how it fleshes out underutilized characters during this timeframe. We get entire chapters about Smoker investigating the illegal immortality trade, which explains his later distrust of Vegapunk. Bonney appears in a heartbreaking subplot where she tries to reverse her father's aging using stolen research data. Even Crocodile gets involved, seeking eternal life to compensate for losing his chance at Pluton.

The timeline avoids contradictions by focusing on locations Oda hasn't explored deeply—like a floating laboratory above Skypeia's ruins. It ends with a brilliant teaser: a silhouette of Imu examining a failed immortal clone, linking directly to the main series' mysteries. If you enjoyed the political intrigue of Reverie, this spin-off delivers that same tension but through the lens of a sci-fi horror storyline.