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Hey everyone and welcome back to another set of the One Piece reviews! I told myself I would read these slowly, but I’m just the type of reader to sort of breeze through things. I’ll try to slow down though
V1-4 Recap
We met Luffy, who has always wanted to become a pirate. After many years of waiting for the right time (and potentially training), he has set sail, looking to find the best of the best for his pirate crew. On his adventures, he meets Zoro, who is a bounty hunter and has promised to become the greatest swordsman. Then, after almost getting eaten by a bird, he meets Nami, a thief and master navigator. After much asking, Nami also joins Luff’s crew, if only temporarily
And last, he meets Usop who is a liar and a great marksman! In volume four, we left off with Luffy and the crew trying to stop Klahadore and his pirate crew from making it into the village and destroying it (and from killing Kaya)
I was actually really enjoying this battle. I don’t even know what to call it, an arc? I think the author could have really done something here but it actually ended up falling flat at the end, especially since the fight kind of dragged. I felt that especially when the hypnotist had to find Kaya who was being assisted by Usop’s three kid crew members. As for the part that I felt had potential, it was Klahadore. I really like the idea of trying to retire from being a pirate because it IS an exhausting lifestyle and being on the run from the navy all the time sucks. Do I think he deserved to just get his way? Not really. Especially not with the plan he had in the works, but yeah. It was an interesting thought. There were some emotional scenes, which I really liked
And it does end with us being introduced to Sanji, if only briefly. Also, CIGARETTE! As someone who grew up on 4Kids One Piece, this always makes me chuckle. I gave this a 3.5 on Goodreads
This was an interesting volume. We get to see more of Sanji, especially in action, but he’s still a pretty mysterious character. Luffy is Luffy and we learn that maybe it’s a good thing he left home to become a pirate because he’d clearly be a mess at normal jobs! But possibly more important is that we’re introduced to our new antagonist: Don Krieg. Apparently, he’s supposed to be a badass but not badass enough to survive The Grand Line. We get a lot of Grand Line talk, which makes me think maybe Luffy and his crew are Not Ready. TBH, I feel like there was a lot of talking in this volume. We do get some conflict with Nami and even meet a very interesting character named Hawkeye (he’s apparently the greatest swordsman in the world, and you know what that means!). That was probably my favorite part of the book (sorry Sanji!)
I ended up giving this a 4/5 because even though it’s a bit chaotic, I do feel we got a lot of interesting events happening
I know I said we got to see more of Sanji in the last volume but I lied. We got to see more of him HERE! Even though it’s another aside from the Don Krieg battle, I just really liked seeing more about Sanji’s past (and the reason why he doesn’t “want” to join Luffy’s crew). That story was actually really neat. Very unexpected and I like how it shaped who he is in the present. Still, because we’ve been hanging out with Don Krieg since the last volume and there hasn’t been any real progress, I’m starting to get tired of this setting. I think it also doesn’t help that I’m not really caring for any of the cooking pirate crew. Except for maybe the Boss, but I think that’s because of Sanji. Actually, I thought the two were related for a sec! I wonder how Sanji picked that technique up
But it wasn’t all bad. I think Gin had some good moments in here. He’s the commander of Don Krieg’s crew and the only antagonist I wouldn’t mind seeing again. I gave this book a 4/5
Finally! FINALLY, we close the Don Krieg battle, but it does take about half the volume. As much as I was waiting for it all to end, thinking back on it, I think it was a very interesting fight. We haven’t really encountered many characters that have technology as advanced as Don Krieg. I don’t have much else to say about this now because maybe there might be another character in the future that uses technology like him, but so far I’m thinking, “Wow, and he still didn’t survive The Grand Line” and also “I wonder how advanced technology is in One Piece”. It just feels like a very non-tech world. I mean, pirates and cannons, right? They go well together, but also cannons are old technology? After we steal Sanji, because of course we would, we go off on our next adventure, which leads us to Nami again
Before this all got messy with Don Krieg, Nami ran off with the Merry Go and now half the gang is out looking for her. We get some info on someone named Arlong, who is apparently a BADASS in caps. And considering that half the crew is in not a great state, I wonder how things will pan out
The volume does end with some conflicting POVs that I am living for
Welp! There go the next four volumes of One Piece! TBH, I’m having conflicting emotions. On the one hand, I’m glad I’ve finally gotten to the point where all the OP characters I grew up with are part of Luffy’s crew, but I didn’t remember it being this…not dull, but kind of? I think these volumes certainly had some great moments, especially when it comes to emotional ties, but they were also a bit boring. The fights felt like they dragged just a little too much. Nothing bad, but they make me want to just rush through certain moments
Also, I sort of already knew but the art is amazing even this early on. I’m not a big fan of the style of One Piece but the details that are put into each volume, each chapter even, are amazing. I read the author’s chat sections and some readers are clearly looking into Every Single Detail. Things that I didn’t even notice during my read! Things that the author leaves in tiny print. I didn’t go back only because it’s hard to go back and forth digitally but it does make me wish I had print copies of these books
But no, I’m definitely not buying this series. Noooooo (stop putting ideas into my head!!)
But knowing this, I’m starting to realize that maybe everything in these volumes has a purpose. Specifically, those single-page comics at the start where we follow the adventures of past antagonists…! I hope I remember them well enough…
What were some of your favorite moments in these volumes? Which was your favorite? I think mine was V7 because of Sanji. AHHH, I love his smiling face! I agree with Boss Man. He lights up when he’s talking about his dream. Also, Sanji. You love to cook, please come cook for me. PLEASE
A Nerdy Fujo Cries 