One Piece Preview Teases Zoro, Sanji Fight

Although fans have been major fans of One Piece‘s Wano Country arc in the anime, it is in the middle of a brief break from that intensity in order to properly set up the upcoming One Piece: Stampede, currently scheduled for a release in just a few days in Japan. This new film takes place outside of the original series’ canon, and features many returning fan favorites to the anime. Meaning, there are a few battles fans have been wanting to see.

It seems one will be coming early to the anime as the preview for the next episode of the series teases that fans will be seeing a new Sanji and Zoro battle as the Straw Hats have to defend the Thousand Sunny from Sidre’s forces.

Episode 896 of the series is titled “Side Story! Clash! Luffy vs. the King of Carbonation!” and while the majority of the episode will focus on Luffy and Boa Hancock’s fight with the Bounty Hunter Cidre, this will not be the only major fight of the upcoming episode. After the Coup de Burst left the Thousand Sunny stranded without cola, it seems Cidre’s forces will attack it head on.

But that will also give fans an opportunity to see Sanji and Zoro in action along with all of the other Straw Hats. Although they have all gathered in one place again during the Wano Country arc, the series has yet to reunited them all in one area. This is especially true for Sanji and Zoro, who have not worked together in any capacity in the anime for quite a long time.

So while this filler might be a tough pill to swallow for those wanting to follow the Wano Country arc as it unfolds, there is a silver lining to seeing these events in the anime. These filler episodes are meant to be a good prequel to the upcoming One Piece: Stampede, which is currently scheduled to hit theaters August 9th in Japan.

There is currently no word on its release to other territories as of this writing, but Fuji TV officially describes the film as such, “The world’s greatest exposition of the pirates, by the pirates, for the pirates – the Pirates Festival. Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Crew receive an invitation from its host Buena Festa who is known as the Master of Festivities. They arrive to find a venue packed with glamorous pavilions and many pirates including the ones from the Worst Generation. The place is electric.”

New characters and cast members for the film include Tsutomu Isobe as Douglas Bullet, Yusuke Santamaria as Buena Festa, Rino Sashihara as Ann, Ryota Yamasato as Donald Moderate, and Chinese fashion model and singer Ron Monroe, YouTuber group Fischer’s, and Naoto Takenaka in currently unconfirmed roles.