January 11 Will Be A Sad Day For One Piece Fans

With 2025 having ended, one can say without a doubt that One Piece was one of the strongest series out there last year. One Piece is looking to start off the year with a bang, but after an incredible chapter last week, the One Piece manga is sadly going on a break very soon. January 11, 2026, will mark the beginning of the next break for the One Piece series.
As such, One Piece chapter 1171 will be delayed in that sense. Instead of January 11, the next chapter will be released on January 18. This is unfortunate, but to be expected at this point in the year. Following the break, fans will most likely get another One Piece break, but the rest of 2026 seems to be very promising, with many exciting events to unfold. One Piece fans can't wait for their favorite manga to return in full force.
2025 was definitely a great year for One Piece. The manga was extremely successful this year and it definitely showed. Finally, after a few years, One Piece became the number one best-selling manga in Japan again. This comes after its big downfall in 2019 with the huge success of Demon Slayer. One Piece would then go on to be beaten by multiple series in the following years, such as Jujutsu Kaisen and Blue Lock.
Now, One Piece is back on top, and clearly here to stay with no big series being able to rival it at the moment. This is especially the case as the likes of JJK concluded in 2024. In 2025, One Piece sold a whopping 4.2 million copies. This is definitely a high figure, and only Jujutsu Kaisen came close to it.
One Piece is an incredible series that Eiichiro Oda has been writing for the last 28 years. However, things have clearly slowed down with Oda. The author is getting older, and with that comes a lack of energy. Naturally, Oda requires more breaks now than ever before. While a break for One Piece was a rare occurrence at one point, now it's expected to see a couple in a month. Since 2024, Oda has been taking a break about one to two times a month, sometimes even more.
So, with that in mind, One Piece fans aren't too surprised to see that another break is coming up ahead. However, the upcoming break isn't due to Oda, but Jump instead. In other words, all Jump manga are on break next week.
Unfortunately, this comes after the extended breaks that fans experienced in December, with holidays and Oda's own health. January 11 will be a break week for Jump, and also the first break week of 2026. As such, it is safe to say that One Piece chapter 1171 has officially been delayed.
While it's unfortunate to see One Piece going on break, at the very least, fans know when the series is returning and the wait won't be too long. The break on January 11 isn't coming from Oda, so it is clear to the fans that One Piece will return in the week after, on January 18, 2026. Fans are excited to see what else Oda has in store for them with the Elbaf arc, especially as the flashback is now reaching its end soon.
After that, however, One Piece will likely go on another break since it'll have been 3 chapters for Oda without a break, and usually, he takes a break after that.
One Piece had many exciting events unfold in 2025, and since the beginning of Elbaf, Oda has shocked the fans with big reveals on multiple occasions.
Eiichiro Oda dropped some major lore reveals in 2025 such as revealing the First, Second, and Third World in the Harley. On top of that, he has revealed the Gods of the One Piece world, other than Nika. Oda has also showcased some of the powers of Saint Imu, as well as the Holy Knights.
Fans saw the reveal of Shanks' twin Shamrock Figarland, and they also saw a lot of other interesting events, such as the events of God Valley — something they'd been waiting years to see fully unfold in One Piece.
While 2025 was exciting, it would seem that 2026 is going to set a new standard for One Piece. At Jump Festa 2026, Oda revealed a massive message for the fans, and based on his words, it is going to be a packed year for the story.
Firstly, One Piece's creator Oda confirmed that Burn Scar, a character that has been mentioned a few times in the story, might make his move. As fans know Burn Scar has the last Road Poneglyph, and whoever gets it will be able to reach the Final Island and find the One Piece.
What's even more interesting is that Oda also said that the Straw Hat Pirates will reach an island that only Roger has set foot on. While some think this might be Laugh Tale, it will most likely be Lodester Island. Either way, it's going to be an exciting adventure for One Piece fans.
Clearly, One Piece fans have a lot of exciting things to look forward to. Starting January 18, 2026, One Piece could see the beginning of the most exciting part of the Elbaf arc, and hopefully, it all lives up to the high expectations that Oda has set for the fans.