According to its author, Eiichiro Oda, the popular Japanese manga “One Piece” is beginning its final chapter after 25 years and 490 million copies sold worldwide.

The manga, which chronicles the travels of the swashbuckling pirate Monkey D. Luffy, has attracted millions of fans across the world as its heroes seek One Piece, the prize desired by all pirates.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Oda revealed that he will be taking a month’s break from his typical publication rate of one episode per week, citing several commitments, including work on the last part of the long-running episode.

“A break for me!” he wrote in a handwritten announcement posted on the series’ official Twitter account.

“I want to rearrange the structure (of the manga) so that I can wrap up the final chapter as soon as possible. Soooo… Forgive me, but I will take a short breather to prepare for it all!”

“One Piece” started in manga version in Japan around 1997, followed by an animated TV series two years ago. Ever since, the franchise has grown into a global cultural phenomenon, with Oda holding the Guinness World Record for “most copies accepted for publication of the same comic book series by a single author.”

Last year, the 1,000th episode of the TV series was released, with special screenings in the United States and France, the world’s second and third largest manga and anime marketplaces after Japan.