The One Piece anime is preparing for a major shift in its broadcast strategy as it wraps up the Egghead Arc. All the fans around the world are excited about this, as Jump Festa 2026 announced important news regarding the next chapter of the series. This transition is huge because it is a major turning point for one of the longest-running series in all of anime history.The Elbath arc will begin airing on April 5, 2026, on Japanese TV after a three-month break. The new season will form part of the Spring 2026 anime schedule and consist of 26 episodes, spreading over the entire year. The format will change, introducing the series' seasonal structure.Zoro and Dorry (Image Source: Toei Animation)The One Piece anime is changing its format after 20+ years of being released every week. Beginning in 2026, it'll be a seasonal format (2-season/year) with around 26 episodes each season, giving it more time to create higher-quality animations and allow for better synchronization with Eiichiro Oda's manga.Toei Animation also promises that it'll adapt at a much better and faster rate than before. For example, each episode will feature at least 1 complete manga chapter instead of stretching them out like they did before (which has been a huge complaint from fans).One Piece anime final episodes before the breakThe giants of Elbaph (Image Source: Toei Animation)The Egghead Arc's end is happening with Episode 1155 airing on December 28 (the last episode before a pretty long hiatus). The episodes show the end of one of the Straw Hat Pirates' most technologically advanced islands.After episode 1155, the series will go on a planned hiatus for all of January, February, and March 2026 to allow the animation studio to prepare for the overly large task of animating the Elbaph arc without sacrificing animation quality throughout production.What the trailer of the One Piece anime revealsThe Straw Hat crew is shocked to see the Elbaph Island (Image Source: Toei Animation)The first teaser trailer of the One Piece anime was shown during Jump Festa 2026. The teaser showed the Straw Hat crew's new look as they journey to Elbaph. The teaser also showcased a VIKING theme to the island with Giant Architecture and Enormous Jungle islands throughout the Elbaph area within One Piece.The visuals in the teaser demonstrate how massive the Giant population is and their culture. The teaser was also filled with scenes of high-paced action and emotional scenes for each character, showing that the Elbaph Arc will have both emotion and action in it.Journey to the land of giantsThe Elbaph arc is going to bring the Straw Hat Pirates to the land of Giants, an ancient warrior race from the rest of the series. It's been hinted at since the beginning of the manga, so fans have been waiting for this to be animated.Fans are looking forward to seeing how Giant culture works, the conflicts between the various clans, and what this island has to do with the world at large. This arc will answer a lot of questions about the giant's past and allow for many developments in the Final Saga.Streaming and accessibilityCrunchyroll continues to stream the One Piece anime with both subtitled and dubbed versions available to subscribers. They also have a selection of One Piece movies to round out their vast library of One Piece content.Announcing the international streaming information for the Elbaph arc is on the way as the premiere date of April 5, 2026, draws near. For many countries outside of Japan, expect to see an almost immediate or simultaneous release pattern like that of Crunchyroll.