By Randy Mancilla
Written by Eiichiro Oda, “One Piece” is a manga series first published in 1997 that has continued for over two decades, making it one of the longest running and best selling mangas of all time. That kind of staying power and popularity can be credited to several elements including the very detailed storylines, engaging characters, and imaginative settings.
“One Piece” is about how a pirate named Monkey D. Luffy wants to find the One Piece, which is a treasure left behind by Gol D. Roger. Along with the nine other members of the Strawhat crew, Luffy and the other characters in the manga are fun in their own way. Their interactions with each other are extremely entertaining to watch. The loyalty between each friend gets proven time and time again throughout the series.
As a tale of thrill, adventure, friendship, and dreams, “One Piece” should be read by all age groups of people. The beauty of “One Piece” is the fact that the impossible can become possible when one is surrounded by the right people. Against all odds, Luffy and the Strawhats win time and again because they have gone through thick and thin together.
“One Piece” is incredibly enjoyable because it shows that you can really do anything. Luffy’s pirate crew are just a group of random people who are charmed by his naivety. They are willing to follow through on every order he gives. This makes the characters that much more relatable. Luffy has fought plenty of people stronger than he is and compared to everybody else in the beginning he was simply a no name pirate. But as time goes on he becomes an infamous pirate with a huge reputation all because he values freedom.
Luffy is the embodiment of freedom and the phrase “the sky’s the limit.” Every fight he is in is for the freedom of someone. He has fought to free people from tyrants, their own god, and he even fought the World Government to free his own friend and brother who had both been captured. He wants freedom, and because of this he can flip the tide of any battle in order for him to prevail because he will always win by being The Champion of Freedom.
All the characters featured in “One Piece” are unique and have their own complicated stories to tell. For example, there’s an archaeologist trying to preserve her annihilated island’s history and dream, a doctor willing to die to start a revolution, a governor who shamed himself everyday to provide peace, and a failed science experiment proving its independence against its father.
My personal favorite is Nico Robin who is the aforementioned archaeologist. Nico Robin is from the island of Ohara in the “One Piece” world, the Island of Scholars. Nico Robin was an 8 year old girl who had also wanted to become a scholar of Ohara, which was the knowledge capital of the world, in order to learn more about the world’s history and to aid in finding out what happened during the void century.
She sees her whole world taken away, is taken captive by multiple pirates for her knowledge, and then finds the ire of the World Government. Nico Robin’s backstory is so complex that it only adds to her adventures when she joins the Strawhat Crew.
All the stories that are presented create emotions that captivate and affect the readers.
While Luffy shines as the hero who takes center stage when someone’s freedom is at stake, everyone’s role in the story is incredible.
The story has so much to offer and it still hasn’t ended. Will you be there when Luffy finally finds the One Piece and becomes the King of the Pirates?
The Plaid Press 