Hey everyone! Happy new year! Like every year, I’d like to share an update about my health and the future of the Library of Ohara:

This past year of my life has been an incredible rollercoaster. 2024 marked the year that I finally reached a considerable improvement in my health issues. As I’ve disclosed before, I’ve been battling a decade-long struggle against CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), which has left me bedridden for most of my life, and over the past couple years, I finally reached a point of improvement where I could begin to have some far resemblance of a “normal” life.
A lot of the chronic unbearable pain finally stopped, I became more actively capable of leaving my home whenever I wanted to, and most importantly, I finally got to socialize irl with others for the first time since my early childhood.

However, as my physical condition improved, over this past year I’ve had to reckon with the emotional and mental leftovers of such an experience. I realize especially now how I’ve spent entire years of my life in constant fear, fearing and worrying over every single small thing, to the point that felt normal to me. All that accumulated trauma doesn’t go away easily, and even though my life may be more normal now, the lack of a normal adolescence makes it hard to be thrust into the world all of a sudden. I have to deal with having to learn how to socialize and create a social circle from zero, which is incredibly difficult to approach, and I have to struggle with letting go of the persisting feelings of self-loathing, loneliness, and pain that I’ve had to carry for so long.

Essentially, I feel I’ve spent so many years living in the future because of how painful the present was back then that it’s hard for me to have reached said future and stop chasing after what’s ahead. I’m sure I have a lot of regrets, but if I let go of them, I’ll finally be able to stop chasing after the future and instead live in the present.

In spite of all the pain and struggles, when I look back, I feel very proud of how far I’ve come. This past year I was finally able to move out of my parents’ place, not just a great accomplishment with my health limitations but also marking a big step towards moving away from my difficult past. And now this year I want to pursue one of my longtime dreams of moving to Japan more permanently and enrolling as a student at a school there, something I’ve wanted to do for pretty much a decade.

Of course, I’ll keep making content as usual though, don’t worry! In just a little bit longer, I’ll finally be able to release my World Map megaproject I’ve been working on for the past 5 years. The only reason it’s taken this long is because I just kept adding more and more detail to it, to the point I really think it will surpass all your expectations! I hope it can become an essential informational tool for all One Piece fans. Beyond it though, I’d also like to continue with other big projects I’ve been wanting to do for a while, but all while not worrying too much
about the pressure and just having fun. As long as I can remain financially sustainable, I want to focus more on creating things I’m passionate about and having fun!

This year marks one decade since I started the Library of Ohara. And never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that not only would I be enjoying One Piece more than I ever have, but that this journey would be filled with so many highlights, friendships, and memories. As someone who cannot handle a normal job due to health issues, being able to have a job that is not only sustainable, but also incredibly fun and passionate to work on, feels like a dream, a dream that I want to learn to appreciate even more that I’m able to live it. So long have I lived in constant fear and worry, that I feel I may have forgotten to be grateful for what I still have. It feels like after so long I’ve finally began to reconcile with myself and now, together, we can finally move towards the future.

I hope that for all of us this can be a year of learning to appreciate and enjoy the present more, to be willing to embrace our fears and worries and understand that things aren’t as bad as they seem, to learn to enjoy life more than ever before! Through Elbaph, to the end, and beyond, I really believe we’re only getting started!! Thank you and have a legendary 2025!!!

TL;DR: My persisting health issues that have left me bedridden over the past decade have finally begun to improve in recent years, but with it I’ve had to cope with all the trauma and survivor’s guilt of learning to build a life after so much suffering. Through all these struggles though, I’m learning to be at peace with myself more for a happier future, one where we can continue this great adventure and with all the projects I have planned for it! Happy new year!!