Don’t worry, fans, One Piece episode 1097 is coming, despite a slight delay! As the show nears its 1100th episode, the Egghead Arc of the Final Saga continues, which began in January of this year. So, what happened in episode 1096, and what do we think will happen in the next episode? Let’s get into it!
One Piece will not be airing an episode this week, not even a filler episode. But don’t worry, there’s nothing nefarious about it. The show’s official X account posted to let fans know about the schedule disruption with a “heads up.”
The episode delay has many wondering about the cause, though this has happened in the past for Japan’s national holidays or coverage of certain events. However, this gap is usually filled with a recap episode to tide us over. And yet, since the most recent episode concluded with a preview of episode 1097, this does not appear to be the case.
The above notification came only hours before the episode was expected to air, leaving many to wonder if the break has anything to do with the passing of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. Fans speculated on X that this might be the reason given the lasting legacy Toriyama left behind in the manga and anime industry. Regardless, the announcement surprised fans, but they only have to wait a week as One Piece episode 1097 will now air on March 17 in Japan, which would be late evening on March 16 in the U.S.
- Pacific Time – 6PM on March 16
- Eastern Time – 9PM on March 16
- Greenwich Mean Time – 2AM on March 17
What can we expect from One Piece episode 1097?
The episode, titled “The Will of Ohara! The Inherited Research,” will look into the existence of an ancient kingdom, one whose existence was erased from history by the World Government. This news was told to Robin by Shaka in the last episode, who told Robin that, whilst the island of Ohara was obliterated in what is now called the Ohara Incident, the research they did into the ancient kingdom still exists. The episode also confirmed the survival of one of the island’s inhabitants, Jaguar D. Saul, who took the scholar’s books and went into hiding.
In a junkyard, Luffy discovered an old man who appeared to have accidentally warped into a robot and needed to be pulled out to be freed. Bonney recognized that he was the original Dr. Vegapunk, marking the mysterious Doctor’s first appearance in the anime. Fans were thrilled to see him at last after years of waiting.
The next episode will focus on Dr. Vegapunk’s connection to Luffy’s father, Dragon, and their shared past, as well as the Straw Hats’ reaction to the news that the research from Ohara is still out there. The preview for the next episode states:
“A scientist with an inner passion, and a young man with a fighting spirit to start a revolution, Vegapunk and Dragon’s past is revealed by Shaka. A wish for the future is quietly passed down from Ohara’s scholars, moves the hearts of the Straw Hats from the next generation.”
Though fans will need to wait an extra week to get to know more about Dr. Vegapunk’s past and the future of the Straw Hats, the wait will be well worth it! You can keep up with One Piece on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
(featured image: Toei Animation/Eiichiro Oda)
