Chapter #1044 of One Piece might very well be the most awaited one in the manga's 25 years of history. Thanks to a huge reveal and a cliffhanger ending in the previous chapter, "#ONEPIECE1044" has been trending on Twitter eight days before it is even released.
One Piece is currently reaching the conclusion of the Wano Arc, the longest one to date. Luffy and the Straw Hats are leading an alliance of pirates, samurai, and Mink against Kaido, his Beasts Pirates, Big Mom, and the forces of the usurper Orochi. The raid on Onigashima has been running for a lengthy 65 chapters (and two years in publishing time), with one momentous battle after another. The Empress Big Mom defeated. Luffy beaten by Kaido. The return of Joy Boy. Needless to say, the next chapter can't arrive soon enough for the manga's devoted fans.
The end of chapter #1043 teased a shocking Luffy/Joy Boy twist, and considering that fans have been speculating for years on the true identity of Joy Boy, and how he could hold the keys to the biggest mysteries in the series, it's no surprise the one-week hiatus has turned up the excitement. Fans have taken their enthusiasm, discussions, and theories to Twitter in the meantime, leading a #ONEPIECE1044 trend before the chapter even arrives.
Fans have also been discussing the official teaser for the next chapter (shared by Twitter user @tdeelab) appearing in the latest Shonen Jump, anticipating "a strange phenomenon which will change the times is about to occur on Onigashima." With time to kill before the new chapter, some fans are also flexing their artistic skills. Take the former villain Doflamingo reading that very issue in his cell in Impel Down, courtesy of Twitter user @injustice169:
Even more exciting are those fans showcasing their artistic skills by sharing their drawings of what might happen in the next chapter. The idea of seeing Luffy awaken the power of his Devil Fruit is all that's needed to fuel an already impressive trend, with artist David Füleki among the most frequently shared for their sketches of the merging of Luffy and Joy Boy. A suddenly thriving genre of One Piece fan art likely to continue no matter what the chapter does or doesn't reveal.
With the One Piece manga ending soon, the time has come for some of the biggest mysteries in the series to be revealed, and chapter #1044 promises to do just that when it arrives on March 25. But the most devoted fans of One Piece are guaranteeing the manga makes waves long before the chapter even arrives.