SoleGRIND
Nike has been going all in on anime collaborations lately, and the One Piece project is the one that actually feels like it was thought through. The One Piece x Nike Air Max Plus “Ope Ope” is one of three Air Max Plus colorways tied to the collection, and it is the one I keep coming back to. Maybe it is the character. Maybe it is the colors. Either way, this shoe has my attention.
The “Ope Ope” name comes from the Ope Ope no Mi Devil Fruit, which in the One Piece universe is eaten by Trafalgar Law. For those who do not follow the series, Law is a surgeon character with a laid-back but dangerous personality. The shoe takes that energy and puts it into a Very Berry, Green Quartz, Sport Red, and Jade Aura colorway. The result is a deep red and green Tuned Air that does not look like anything else in Nike’s lineup right now.
The Air Max Plus is a polarizing silhouette. Some people love the TPU fingers and aggressive lines. Others think it looks like a shoe from a sci-fi movie. I am in the first camp. The TN platform works for collaborations because it already has so much going on visually that a bold colorway feels natural. The Ope Ope does not hold back, and that is the right call.
Here is where things get complicated. The release is September 19, 2026, and SNKRS is not getting it. Let me say that again. No SNKRS release. The “Ope Ope” is being kept to select retail partners only. In the U.S., that means Politics in Dallas, Sole Play in Decatur and Lawrenceville, Arts and Rec in San Diego, and Somewhere in Washington, D.C. That is it. If you do not live near one of those stores, you are at the mercy of their online drops.
Overseas the list is a bit longer. Patta in Amsterdam, Afew in Düsseldorf, Offspring in London, Footdistrict in Madrid, One Block Down in Milan, and SNS in Stockholm. Still a small group for a global release. Nike has taken a regional approach with the whole One Piece project. The “Mera Mera” already dropped in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Mexico. “Gomu Gomu” is expected through a SNKRS Reserve pre-order. “Ope Ope” gets the boutique route.
The style code is IW1282-600, and retail is $210. That is premium territory for an Air Max Plus, but this is a limited collab with a massive anime franchise behind it. The “Gomu Gomu” and “Mera Mera” make up the rest of the trio, and Nike has also produced matching apparel and individual trading cards for the collection. I am here for the shoes, though.
If you are a One Piece fan, you already know whether you want this. If you are just a sneakerhead who sees a clean TN with a wild colorway, the Ope Ope is worth chasing. The limited retail distribution is going to make these hard to get, and I would expect resale to climb fast after September 19th. Pick your store, figure out their drop process, and be ready.
