One Piece Chapter 981 DELAYED: Manga on Yet Another Hiatus

Shueisha’s offices implemented a strict work-from-home policy last month. This was because an employee who was sent home sick raised concerns regarding the COVID-19 virus and this policy was followed to prevent any more incidents.

While it was the right move, it has caused delays in the production schedules of many manga. Big titles such as One Piece, Pokemon, Attack on Titan, etc. are no exception.

The unofficial account of WSJ manga recently tweeted that One Piece will be on yet another break in the 26th issue of the Weekly Shonen Jump.

This means that chapter 981 will NOT be released on 31st May, instead, it will be released in the 27th issue on 7th June.

According to early leaks, ONE PIECE will be on break on Issue #26 next week.

— Weekly Shonen Jump (@WSJ_manga) May 20, 2020

Eiichiro Oda, series creator, posted a message on Twitter about the recent breaks. He wanted to clarify that while breaks are usually because of his own health issues, they are currently happening because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The message explained how the current delays in the manga are because of production issues caused by COVID-19 and also stressed on health and safety first.

To help people acclimate to their quarantine, Shueisha released multiple volumes of several manga series for free. As Oda says, it is not a necessity of life, but it may help people relax their minds. The One Piece, Bleach, Haikyuu!! and Kimetsu no Yaiba manga are available for free on the Zebrack app.

About One Piece

One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since July 22, 1997, and has been collected into 95 tankōbon volumes.

The man who had acquired everything in this world, the Pirate King, is Gol D. Roger. The final words he said at the execution tower were “My treasures? If you want it, I’ll let you have it. Look for it; I left all of it at that place.” These words sent many to the seas, chasing their dreams, headed toward the Grand Line, in search of One Piece. Thus began a new age!

Seeking to be the greatest pirate in the world, young Monkey D. Luffy also heads toward the Grand Line in search of One Piece. With his diverse crew joining him along the way, consisting of a swordsman, marksman, navigator, cook, doctor, archaeologist, and cyborg-shipwright, this will be one memorable adventure.