First Look: Luffy Arrives on Elbaph Island in the ‘One Piece’ Anime!

The One Piece anime has dropped a brand new key visual showing Luffy in a fresh outfit as fans get ready for the long-awaited Elbaph Island arc.

The visual gives a first look at what’s coming next in the story, which has already been unfolding for some time in Eiichiro Oda’s manga.

According to the official One Piece team, the anime will take a short break before diving into the next big chapter. The show is set to go on a three-month hiatus from January to March 2026, giving the production team time to prepare for the new arc. After the break, the series will return in April 2026 with the Elbaph Island storyline.

When it comes back, the anime will also make a major change in how it adapts the manga. The studio announced plans to follow a “one chapter per episode” format going forward. This means the pacing will be closer to the manga, something fans have wanted for years.

One Piece, written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, began publication back in July 1997. The manga became a global hit, surpassing 500 million copies in circulation by August 2022. That same year marked its 25th anniversary, a huge milestone for one of the most successful manga series in history. The anime adaptation, which started in October 1999, has been running continuously ever since and remains one of Japan’s longest-running and most popular shows.

The new Elbaph arc promises to take fans to unexplored places in the One Piece world and deepen the story even more. It’s an exciting time for both longtime fans and new viewers catching up with the adventures of Luffy and his crew.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!