For almost 3 decades, One Piece has been a leading force in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. Eiichiro Oda’s masterpiece started its journey in 1997, and since then, it’s become the magazine’s biggest hit. As such, this series is often the highlight of the magazine. While One Piece was subject to repeated breaks in the month of May, the series is now set to officially make a return in full force next week on May 24, 2026, with not just One Piece Chapter 1183 but also a lead cover for Jump and a special colorspread from the author. This color spread and lead cover could be significant as it could very well reveal the long-awaited color scheme of Saint Nerona Imu, the sovereign of the One Piece world, who has descended upon Elbaf in Chapter 1179.
One Piece Manga Is Set To Be Featured On Shonen Jump Cover And Receive New Color Spread On May 24, 2026
Weekly Shonen Jump’s most well-known manga franchise, One Piece, by Eiichiro Oda, is returning next week and in full force. After a break week, it has now been confirmed that the author is returning with One Piece Chapter 1183 on May 24, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #26. This return is highly anticipated due to the exciting events that unfolded in the chapters before it.
What’s even more surprising is that Eiichiro Oda isn’t just returning with a new chapter. There is more bonus content to look forward to for One Piece fans around the world, making May 24 a very special day for the fans of the manga. For one, next week’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #26 will feature One Piece on the cover. This means that Oda will be drawing a special cover for the magazine featuring characters that are deeply involved in the Elbaph arc. Based on Oda’s history with lead covers, this could mean a new Luffy illustration, alongside the likes of Loki, and possibly even Nerona Imu. If that’s the case, Nerona Imu’s color scheme could be seen in the story for the very first time.
On top of that, the One Piece manga is also getting a brand-new color spread by creator Oda. Color spreads are always highly anticipated as Oda gets full creative freedom to draw stunning art. This new colorspread will be featured alongside One Piece Chapter 1183 and released on May 24, 2026, as well.
Why One Piece’s Next Color Spread Could Reveal Imu’s Color Scheme
One Piece getting a color spread next week is extremely exciting and for more than one reason. To begin with, fans are always excited to see what new illustration Oda could come up with. New illustrations, be it of the Straw Hat Pirates, or other crews, such as the Rocks Pirates from Chapter 1169, are always amazing for us fans to witness. What’s even more exciting is the possibility of Nerona Imu being featured in this upcoming color spread on May 24.
At the moment, Imu does not have a confirmed color scheme. Fans are especially excited to see if his skin tone matches the likes of King and Seraphims, which would further add to the idea of him being a Lunarian. All of us fans are also excited to see Imu’s possible hair color as well as the color of his tattoos that cover his whole body. Imu is definitely the most anticipated character for the upcoming colorspread and cover since the reveal of Rocks D. Xebec in One Piece Chapter 1155.
One Piece fandom would also love to see Rain God Zaza featured, if Oda does a god-themed color spread. Zaza made her debut in One Piece 1182, a chapter that was released on May 10, 2026. She’s already a character that Oda is extremely excited to see in the anime, as confirmed by the Toei Animation music composer Kohei Tanaka. It wouldn’t be surprising for him to feature her as well in his upcoming color spread. Of course, it’s still extremely likely that the upcoming colorspread will not be anything too special, and just feature the Straw Hat Pirates. Oda tends to default to them in most cases.
One Piece Manga Will Not Face Any Breaks After Its Return With Chapter 1183
In May, One Piece went through quite a rough patch due to Golden Week. Golden Week is a massive Holiday in Japan at the beginning of May. Due to the holiday, One Piece went on break, on May 3rd, 2026. In fact, the entirety of Shonen Jump was on break, so this delay wasn’t due to Oda personally. However, Oda went on break on his own personal schedule on May 10, 2026, immediately after the official release of One Piece Chapter 1182.
One Piece fans, found this break difficult to get through, especially since it happened immediately after the reveal of Rain God Zaza. Thankfully, the wait is now over, which means our beloved author can now continue the story in exciting ways starting May 24. According to Shueisha and Oda’s personal schedule, One Piece should not experience any more breaks in the upcoming weeks. The next break should be three weeks after the release of One Piece 1183, unless something out of the ordinary is announced.
One Piece’s latest manga chapters can be read via Manga Plus.
Source: Weekly Shonen Jump
