When One Piece‘s Egghead Arc debuted, it found itself in the difficult position of following in the footsteps of the Wano Country Arc — a 197-episode mega-arc that defined several years of the franchise’s development. As the series has done since its inception, the iconic shonen anime defied expectations by raising the bar to a brand-new level, and in 52 episodes, One Piece‘s latest arc has pitted Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates against their greatest opponent yet: Saint Jaygarcia Saturn.

One Piece Episode 1141 — titled “Reliable Reinforcements! Dorry and Brogy Arrive!” — continues the World Government’s siege on Future Island, and although it has its high points, the anime’s latest installment also exemplifies some notable issues. While there are still plenty of reasons to get excited about Luffy’s stand against St. Saturn, a storm may be brewing under the surface that could change One Piece‘s future in a major way.

One Piece Episode 1141 Stumbles After a Strong Introduction

The best part of One Piece Episode 1141 happens to be its opening sequence, which showcases the arrival of Dorry, Brogy and the rest of the Giant Pirates in appropriately epic fashion. For veteran One Piece fans who have watched and/or read the series long enough to remember when Dorry and Brogy were introduced during the Little Garden Arc, the arrival of the Giant Pirates is the perfect example of what has made the franchise so rewarding for its fans: long-term narrative payoff. The oversized duo of Dorry and Brogy has been largely absent from the series’ narrative for over 1000 episodes, making it all the more cathartic that they are the reinforcements arriving to save One Piece‘s protagonists.

Still, just as soon as “Reliable Reinforcements! Dorry and Brogy Arrive!” feels like it’s settling into a solid flow, the episode takes a step backward that resonates with other polarizing sequences from One Piece‘s last few episodes. First, Episode 1141 begins a minute-long flashback sequence that explains the Straw Hat Pirates’ relationship with Dorry, Brogy and the Giant Pirates, and although it’s not egregiously long, it’s more than long enough to disrupt the flow of an episode. Considering the episode also starts with another flashback of Bartholomew Kuma and his family, it’s safe to say the Dorry and Brogy exposition could have been cut in its entirety without disappointing any notable portion of fans.

Following Dorry and Brogy’s flashback, One Piece Episode 1141 then cuts to Roronoa Zoro’s clash with Rob Lucci. Though a smidge of the two’s bout is shown, it looks much less impressive than previous cuts to the fight, ultimately making it feel more like padding to the runtime rather than the lethal duel fans were expecting. There’s plenty of time for the fight between Zoro and Lucci to intensify, but as far as Episode 1141 is concerned, their time on-screen isn’t much to write home about.

All things considered, the opening salvo of Egghead Part 2’s latest episode feels far from the world-altering showdown that fans hoped it would be. Watching Lucci and Zoro fight glaringly lacks the emotional edge that fans associate with both characters, and since the arrival of the Giant Pirates technically happened last episode, it’s not nearly as thrilling as the high points of the Egghead Arc. Thankfully, there are still moments from the episode for fans of the series to rally around.

Sanji Saves Jewelry Bonney — But Not Episode 1141

If there is one moment from One Piece Episode 1141 that deserves credit, it’s the brief standoff between Sanji and Admiral Kizaru. While much of Episode 1141 feels run-of-the-mill from an animation perspective, the same can’t be said for this sequence, which is absolutely gorgeous to watch, even if its action is brief. Assuming this is the same level of animation that fans get when Sanji and Kizaru continue their clash, the duo’s dynamic fighting style could result in Sanji’s best fight of the entire series.

Sanji enjoyed notable character moments in the Whole Cake Island and Wano Country Arcs, but compared to Roronoa Zoro and Monkey D. Luffy, he hasn’t squared off with nearly as many high-profile combatants since journeying to the new World — at least, not until his current stand-off with Kizaru. The pre-timeskip trio of Admirals has consistently been treated as some of the strongest characters in One Piece, so the idea of Sanji going toe-to-toe with one (something Luffy didn’t do until Egghead Part 2 himself) should massively change the way that the World Government looks at him.

All things considered, One Piece Episode 1141 isn’t bad, due in no small part to sequences like Sanji’s stand-off with Kizaru; however, the episode certainly isn’t good either, especially when compared to earlier installments in the Egghead Arc. Minus the short appearance of Van Augur and Catarina Devon, very little happens in the episode from a narrative perspective, and in terms of visual action, it isn’t indicative of the groundbreaking changes to production that have defined much of the Egghead Arc.

This unfortunately comes just before the series releases another Dr. Chopper TV Special, meaning it will be another two weeks before the events of the Egghead Incident continue. However, even more frustratingly, One Piece Episode 1141’s pace and segue into the Dr. Chopper TV Special could be indicative of a larger issue plaguing the franchise.

One Piece’s New Production Schedule Will Take Some Time to Adjust To

Heading into Egghead Part 2, One Piece fans around the world were excited to see Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates take on the World Government’s largest display of force since the pivotal Summit War at Marineford. And, much to the enjoyment of fans, there have been plenty of memorable moments since the anime’s return from hiatus in April 2025, ranging from Luffy’s absurd fight with Kizaru to Bartholomew Kuma’s heartbreaking backstory. That said, One Piece‘s handling of Egghead Part 2 has also introduced a new rhythm to its production that may bode poorly for its growth.

One Piece‘s reliance on drawn-out pacing and anime-only sequences to pad runtime is arguably the series’ most consistently levied criticism, so it’s not as if the presence of these elements in Episode 1141 is new to the franchise. However, what is new to the franchise is the uptick in anime-only TV specials like the one awaiting fans next week — an idea that makes One Piece Episode 1141’s shortcomings even more glaring. It begs the question: are more frequent production breaks justified if episodes like “Reliable Reinforcements! Dorry and Brogy Arrive!” are still released on a semi-regular basis? Regardless of the answer, it seems like this is Toei Animation’s new approach to releasing their flagship anime, so for now, fans will have to wait two weeks to see what the future holds for Monkey D. Luffy’s anime adventures.