On the July 17th episode of the late-night show Gold Rush, the eighth One Piece editor, Suguru Sugita, was interviewed by the show’s host Ken Watanabe. We have translated a transcription of that eight-question interview, including some discussion on the progress of One Piece and what we can expect to see next:

Q1: Is it true that author Eiichiro Oda only reveals the ending of One Piece to his editor?

A: Yes, it’s true. [He told me] about seven hours after I became his editor on the phone. He asked me whether there was anyone around. I told him no, and he said, “alright, I don’t have anyone around me either, so let’s talk,” and then he told me.

Q2: How far along is the story right now, percentage-wise?

A: He told me that the first part of the story, the part prior to the time-skip, was around halfway through. That was about 60 volumes, so maybe we’re at 70%? I don’t think it’s at 80% yet. Something like that.

Q3: Is it true that he’s decided not to write another long story after One Piece is finished?

A: He hasn’t decided, but he said he probably wouldn’t be able to write one. He’s already been going on for eighteen years, so just how old will he be by the time it’s all over? I think it’s more of a question as to whether he’d be able to write another long serialization after that, realistically speaking.

Q4: What are some of the rules you have to abide by as the editor for One Piece?

A: He asked me not to pitch him too many ideas. The reason behind that is that if it’s another person’s idea, then he won’t be as inclined to draw it. Because it’s his own story, he wants to draw his own ideas. Also, he wants to work on the manga on the same playing-field as his editor, so he asked me not to call him Oda-sensei, but instead Oda-san. And Oda-san also calls me, a 26-year-old newbie editor, “Sugita-san”. [He] also asks me to honestly tell him what I think.

Q5: What aspects of Eiichiro Oda do you think are “great”?

A: Of course there’s his talent, but what surprised me was just how much effort he puts into the series. There might come a day when I’ll have a new manga artist I’m working with who has more talent than Oda-san, but I’m not so sure anyone will put in more effort. He is someone who only sleeps for maybe two or three hours a night and he always thinks about his manga. He does not compromise. When he thinks that something isn’t funny or will not surprise the readers, then he just looks for something else, which I think is really amazing. He’s the quintessence of manga author-ness.

Q6: There’s also a rumor that his annual earnings exceed ¥3,000,000,000 (around US$24,000,000), but what does he spend his money on?

A: Hmm, well apparently he’s really gotten into grilling meat lately. He bought a barbecue and invited friends and his [past and present] manga editors over to his home. While barbecuing the meat he’ll say things like “I’m letting it rest on the grill” or “I’m gonna grill it one more time!” Oda-san also likes physical objects, so he collects figures of American celebrities and all sorts of stuff.

Q7: So his house is amazing too?

A: Yes. Oda-san often says: “I want to be what new manga authors dream to be.” That’s why he often jokes that he lives in a nicely built house and buys cool things so his assistants would think, “aaah, I should work hard and get drawing, too!”

Q8: Lastly, what kind of fun can we expect in the future for One Piece?

A: Well, now that we’re in the second half of the story, I think there will be more and more chapters that revolve around the main plot. The Four Emperors will also appear more in the story, so I think you’ll really enjoy what happens next!

You can read more information about the current editor of One Piece in our article about his appearance on Tanken Bakumon (as pictured above), and in the second One Piece: 500 Quiz Book. The One Piece Podcast also conducted an exclusive interview with the seventh One Piece editor Takeru Isada for The One Piece Podcast Goes to Japan, available for free online.

Source: GetNews.JP; J-Wave News (original transcription).