Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, skipped the deadline for several issues of his popular manga earlier this spring due to illness. It seems he is still recovering.
According to the latest issue of Shonen Jump, One Piece will once again be missing an issue.
Originally, Oda was hospitalized in May for a tonsil infection. One Piece returned to print last month. Now, with One Piece's latest week off, it won't be back in Shonen Jump until at least August 5 when the next issue goes on sale.
As J-Cast reports this week, there are certainly concerns online about Oda's health. It's worth noting that Oda seemed in good spirits when he gave an update about One Piece's status.
Oda is a workaholic. Last year, he said, "Well mornings... I get up at 5am, and I work until 2am. It's normal for me to sleep from 2am to 5am." He also added that he has "no days off."
In an earlier interview, Oda said that making One Piece's last chapter long would make it more engaging. "I'm not worried about it being interesting," Oda added. "The only thing I'm worried about is whether or not my physical strength can hold up."
Oda gave this interview before he was admitted to the hospital in the spring.
Look, there's no rush. One Piece has been running since 1997. People can wait for Oda to fully recover, however long that takes.
Eds Note: An earlier version of this story stated that after Oda's consecutive time off earlier this year, One Piece still had yet to return to print. That was incorrect as it was published prior to this latest break.
ワンピース完結に不安の声 尾田栄一郎「ラストまで体力持つのか」[J-Cast]
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