For nearly 3 decades, One Piece has been a leading force in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. Eiichiro Oda's masterpiece began its journey in 1997, and since then it has become the magazine's biggest hit. As such, this series is often the highlight of the magazine. While One Piece was subject to repeated interruptions in the month of May, the series is now set to officially make a full force return next week on May 24, 2026, with not only One Piece Chapter 1183 but also a lead cover for Jump and a special color spread from the author. This color spread and lead coating 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 will appear on Shonen Jump Cover and get new color spread on May 24, 2026
Weekly Shonen Jump's most well-known manga franchise, One Pieceby Eiichiro Oda, will be back next week and in full force. After a week off, it has now been confirmed that the author will return 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 coming back 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 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 deeply involved in the Elbaph arc. Based on Oda's lead cover story, this could mean a new Luffy illustration, along with the likes of Loki, and possibly Nerona Imu as well. If so, Nerona Imu's color scale could be seen in the story for the very first time.
On top of that One Piece manga is also getting a brand new color spread by creator Oda. Color spreads are always anticipated as Oda gets full creative freedom to draw amazing art. This new color spread will appear alongside One Piece Chapter 1183 and will also be released on May 24, 2026.
Why One Piece's next color spread could reveal Imu's color scheme
One Piece getting a color spread next week is incredibly exciting and for more than one reason. For starters, fans are always excited to see what new illustration Oda can come up with. New illustrations, whether of the Straw Hat Pirates, or other crews, like the Rocks Pirates from Chapter 1169, are always great for us fans to witness. What's even more exciting is the possibility Nerona Imu is featured in this upcoming May 24 color spread.
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 Seraphim, 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 entire body. Imu is definitely the most anticipated character for the upcoming color spread and cover since the reveal of Rocks D. Xebec in One Piece Chapter 1155.
The 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 released on May 10, 2026. She is already a character that Oda is extremely excited to see in the anime, as confirmed by Toei Animation music composer Kohei Tanaka. It wouldn't be surprising for him to feature her as well in his upcoming colorway. Of course, it's still extremely likely that the upcoming color spread won't be anything special, and just feature the Straw Hat Pirates. Oda tends to standardize them in most cases.
One Piece Manga will not face any interruptions after returning with chapter 1183
In May One Piece went through a pretty rough patch due to Golden Week. Golden Week is a massive holiday in Japan at the beginning of May. Due to the holidays, One Piece went on hiatus on May 3, 2026. In fact, all of Shonen Jump was on hiatus, so this delay was not due to Oda personally. However, Oda went on hiatus according to his own personal schedule on May 10, 2026, immediately after the official release of One Piece Chapter 1182.
One Piece fans found this hiatus difficult to get through, especially since it happened right after the reveal of Rain God Zaza. Thankfully, the wait is now over, meaning our beloved author can now continue the story in exciting ways starting May 24th. According to Shueisha and Oda's personal schedule, One Piece will not experience any more breaks in the coming 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 chapter can be read via Manga Plus.
Source: Weekly Shonen Jump
