Over the last few months, One Piece fans have endured quite a difficult time due to a severe lack of consistency in manga chapter releases by author Eiichiro Oda. While some of the breaks stemmed from Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump, the vast majority of them came from the author himself, who has been going on frequent hiatuses for one reason or another.
On October 18, 2026, immediately after the release of Chapter 1196, the series creator announced yet another short hiatus, and now the manga is on break, leaving fans with nothing to look forward to in this week’s Jump issue. Thankfully, it has already been confirmed that One Piece is set to return very soon. To that end, November 1 is shaping up to be a massive day for fans of the series, as Eiichiro Oda is officially looking to make a comeback in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 49 with a new chapter of the beloved One Piece series to continue the Elbaf arc.
One Piece Manga Returns From Hiatus On November 1, 2026
One Piece chapter 1196 was released on October 18, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 47. The vast majority of the chapter was focused on the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates, Sanji, as he continued his battle against Saint Killingham. At the end of the chapter, the fight was edging towards its climax, which is why the vast majority of the fans would have loved it to continue this week.
Unfortunately, Sanji Vs Killingham was interrupted by yet another hiatus from the author, Eiichiro Oda. The reason for the hiatus was never made clear, but it appears that the creator of the series has now changed his manga publication schedule, which could very well be bad news for fans. In either case, One Piece went on a two-week break, which means that the series is now officially set to return on November 1, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 49.
As is usually the case, One Piece chapter 1197 will be free for fans all over the world to read on platforms like Manga Plus or the Shonen Jump app. It will be released across the U.S. at 10 am Eastern Time. After a very rough period filled with breaks, fans hope for the manga to gain some consistency and deliver steady content throughout the month of November. However, it is entirely possible that Eiichiro Oda is going to go on yet another break shortly after the publication of chapter 1197, which, although sad, could very well become the new reality of the series.
Oda’s New Break Schedule After Manga Comeback
Usually, One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has a fixed manga release schedule, which he follows under normal circumstances. Around the time of the Whole Cake Island arc, Eiichiro Oda often released five chapters in a row, which were then followed by a break. In the Wano Country arc, this schedule switched to four chapters followed by a break week, and by the time of the Egghead arc, the release schedule had already shifted to three chapters followed by a break.
This release pattern of three chapters in a row followed by a break continued into the Elbaf arc as well, but it appears that Eiichiro Oda might have just switched to releasing two chapters and then taking two weeks off, meaning that fans would only get two chapters a month of One Piece from here onwards. This new release schedule was observed over the last two months. One Piece released chapters 1193 and 1194 in a row, which were then followed by a two-week break by creator Eiichiro Oda. Similarly, after returning from the break, One Piece released chapters 1195 and 1196, and then saw Oda go on yet another break.
Given that no reason for the break was mentioned, it can be said with certainty that these breaks were simply taken by Oda as part of his normal schedule. This could very well mean that Oda’s manga publication schedule has now changed to taking a break after every two chapter releases. Essentially, that makes One Piece a biweekly manga and slows down the progression of the story dramatically moving forward.
For what it’s worth, the creator of the series has still not made any comment on whether he has changed his publication schedule or not. Given that he has never done so in the past either, this could very well become a new reality that fans have to live with. If One Piece goes on yet another break after the release of chapter 1198, then it is all but certain that the series now has a new publication schedule and is shifting to a biweekly release in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump.
New One Piece Chapters Set To Focus On Sanji
With One Piece Chapter 1197 officially set to be released on November 1, 2026, at 10 AM Eastern Time, fans all over the world are curious as to what the chapter will cover. Given that the last chapter was focused entirely on Sanji’s battle against Killingham, we are certain that this is also what Eiichiro Oda will tackle in the next chapter. Sanji Vs Killingham is shaping up to be an extremely exciting battle, which pushes the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates to his psychological limits. For years, Sanji was devoid of any self-love, and finally, this battle pushed him to the point where he would either die or finally learn to accept himself and love himself for what he is.
“Hey, Iva-chan! It seems that the day of my limits is finally here. I need strength right here right now. If I build up my defense, will I get stronger? While I need power, you’re telling me to take care of myself?” — Sanji thinks to himself, One Piece Chapter #1196
At the end of One Piece Chapter 1196, Sanji finally came to the realization that self-love was important for him to become a Conqueror’s Haki user. Now, One Piece Chapter 1197 will most likely see Sanji awaken the Color of the Supreme King and coat his entire body in it. This will raise his defensive and offensive capabilities to a new level and, above all, allow him to deal deadly damage to Saint Killingham of the Holy Knights.
If Eiichiro Oda is feeling generous, he will give one more chapter to Sanji and show him awaken Conqueror’s Haki at the very end. This would then mean that Chapter 1198 will end the battle between the Holy Knight and the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates. However, if the author is in a rush, then the Conqueror’s Haki reveal could very well happen at the beginning of the next chapter, and by the end, the battle could potentially be wrapped up entirely.
“I won’t take a single hit from you any longer. I don’t care if you’re a Celestial Dragon or whatever. You’re standing there talking down to me in front of the people who took us in. You’re getting on my nerves. Your head is too high. I said, bow down, horse-man!” — Sanji’s nature shifts, One Piece Chapter #1196
From there onwards, the focus is likely to shift to Chopper, Nico Robin, and Biblo, who are set to reveal some massive lore about the Void Century. Finally, we are sure to head to the Underworld, where Loki’s hybrid transformation will be revealed to the fans as well. All things considered, we absolutely cannot wait to see how the Elbaf arc shapes up moving forward once the manga resumes from its short hiatus.
All the latest chapters of One Piece by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
