‘One Piece’ episode 956 release date, spoilers: Luffy, Zoro show off new powers as the alliance prepares for war

Luffy and Zoro have both recently attained power boosts, and anime fans are likely to get a sneak peek of these improvements. The teasers for “One Piece” episode 956 indicate that Straw Hats and their allies are making some of the final arrangements before they attack their enemies that invaded Wano decades ago.

‘One Piece’ episode 956 official preview, spoilers

It can be recalled that Luffy received some guidance from Hyogoro in developing his Haki abilities while they were locked up in Udon. Zoro, on the other hand, has spent some time with Oden’s daughter Hiyori that led to his new katana called Enma.

Following what happened in the manga, Zoro will officially receive the Enma sword that has been under the care of the blacksmith Hitetsu in “One Piece” episode 956. When the sword was originally introduced, Hitetsu described Enma as the weapon that “splits the Earth to the bottom of hell.” It is also worth recalling that it was the sword Oden used that gave Kaido his first and only flesh wound.

The official preview of “One Piece” episode 956 also confirms that Zoro will immediately take the Enma and practice wielding it for a bit. Since swords need to be “tamed” by their user, Zoro will need some time to familiarize himself with the sword. In the manga, Kine’mon tried to warn Zoro about the consequences of using Enma but before he finished his sentence Zoro had already swung the sword and slice off a large chunk of a cliff.

However, using Enma for this very brief moment will consume a significant amount of Busoshoku Haki from his arm. Zoro will then command the sword to give it back and his arm goes back to normal instantly. Seeing this, Hitetsu will be convinced that Zoro has swiftly tamed Enma and the Straw Hat decides to keep Oden’s former katana. Luffy is also shown in the “One Piece” episode 956 teaser continuing his training to strengthen his Haki.

‘One Piece’ episode 956 release date, where to watch

With the reunion of the alliance being the center of the story in “One Piece” episode 956, this is a good way to end 2020 for avid viewers of the anime series. The new episode will be released on Sunday, Dec. 27 on Crunchyroll and Funimation. After this, the show will be on a break until Jan. 10, 2021.