Eiichiro Oda's One Piece recently marked the end of the biggest fight in the story post-time skip as Monkey D. Luffy finished off Kaido with a mighty punch and liberated Wano Country in the process. With that, it was inevitable that the arc would be drawing to a close soon and the Straw Hat Pirates would then go on to leave Wano to continue their journey towards reaching the Final Island, Laugh Tale.Surprisingly, One Piece's author, Eiichiro Oda put out a massive announcement yesterday that gave the fans an idea of where the story is headed and what to expect next. The biggest takeaway from the announcement was that the story would soon be taking a 1-month break due to a number of things that Oda has to deal with.
One Piece's Hiatus: Why Is It Going On Break?
Starting from Shonen Jump Issue #30 all the way to Shonen Jump Issue #33, Eiichiro Oda's One Piece will be on a break. This, according to Oda, is so that he organizes the structure for the final stretch of the story that is to follow after the end of the Wano Country arc. At the same time, Oda also mentioned that he wanted to travel to South Africa for the live-action One Piece series that Netflix is producing, however, because of COVID-19, it seems as if he won't get the chance to do so.
Furthermore, One Piece Film: Red's upcoming premiere means Oda has yet another thing to look forward to and prepare for, with characters such as Uta and Shanks being thrown into the mix. With so many things to juggle, it would only make sense for him to take a month-long break from the manga and breathe a sigh of relief. According to Oda's announcement, this idea came from his editors, who mentioned that he should take a break having so many things to juggle at the same time.
Oda certainly deserves this month-long hiatus. Having put his blood and sweat into One Piece for decades and working meticulously at the expense of his own health, it is rather obvious that he deserves a break more than anyone. The Wano Country arc, in particular, has been quite an incredible read for the majority of the fans, and rightly so. Oda did, after all, write the most ambitious arc with it and delivered some of the absolute best moments in the entire story.
The arc lasted a total of four years, which is more than any arc ever has in One Piece. With Wano now having wrapped up, it only makes sense for Oda to take some time off and ease off for a bit. As Oda mentioned, this is the time for him to catch a breath and, at the same time, plan the final segment of the One Piece manga. Previously, Oda mentioned that once the Wano Country arc ends, the end of One Piece itself will be within sight. He seems to have stuck by that as the story is set to enter its final stretch, as confirmed by Oda himself. According to him, he needs time to plan the final stretch properly and to finish it the best way he can.
When Will One Piece Return?
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For starters, One Piece isn't taking a break immediately following the announcement. As mentioned by Oda himself, the story will be taking a break starting from Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #30 to Issue #33. The 27th Issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump was published on the previous Sunday, meaning there are two more chapters for the fans to look forward to in Issue #28 and #29 before the hiatus begins. One Piece chapter 1053 will likely mark the end of the Wano Country arc officially, by the looks of it, as it would be fitting for Oda to take a break after the arc fully concludes.
In fact, taking a break before that happens would disrupt the flow of the finale of the arc. As seen in chapter 1051, the war of Wano seems to have stopped for now, however, there is still quite a lot of stuff to resolve before the Straw Hat Pirates leave the island. A few big mysteries could well be revealed before the crew moves to the next island and all that will likely be handled in One Piece 1052 and 1053. That said, fans should now brace themselves for the upcoming arc already, as that is exactly what Oda will dive into when he returns from his hiatus.
One Piece is set to return with Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #34, on July 25, 2022. This date also happens to be shortly after the One Piece day in Japan, and will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the best-selling manga in history. As mentioned previously, Oda plans to use the month that he has for figuring out the structure for the final stretch of the story. What this means essentially is that One Piece will officially conclude its Four Emperors Saga and mark the beginning of a new one, which is certainly going to be it's very last. While some translations claim that Oda's message seemed to indicate that the story would actually be entering its final arc from chapter 1054 onwards, that is unlikely to be the case.
One Piece has more than just a few years and arcs left. Oda most certainly meant that he'll start preparing for the final saga which, by the looks of it, begins from chapter 1054. The final saga will include the biggest secrets of the story and events such as Luffy becoming the Pirate King, along with then the massive war against the World Government that is bound to unfold at some point. Undoubtedly, One Piece fans are in for a rollercoaster ride as Eiichiro Oda gets ever closer to bringing the curtains down on his magnum opus.