By Eiichiro Oda. Released in Japan by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz.

There’s a whole pile of stuff going on in this volume. As always, Oda makes things so fun that you don’t realize till later how much you learned bout the world of One Piece. And it’s the start of a new arc, albeit a much shorter one than usual. Why shorter? We shall see…

First, though, we have to deal with the gang attempting to kidnap Camie, along with their leader, the Masked Rider. His name is Duval, and for some reason he hates the Straw Hats. I remember with amusement the days when this chapter first came out in Japan. People on forums were speculating endlessly about who Duval could be. A lot of people suggested Don Krieg, from Sanji’s debut. But no, the truth is far, far… funnier. One of the best visual gags in the series, and it just goes to prove that nothing is throwaway when it comes to Oda.

With that resolved, we’re off to Sabaody, which is a new world filled with all the usual new world delights we’ve come to expect from Oda. Bubble cars! Amusement parks! And Hachi and Camie disguising themselves, for some reason. Yes, we discover one reason why the Fish-Men are so organized in the One Piece world – they’re persecuted in many parts of the world, and Mermaids in particular fetch a high price as slaves. Now, this doesn’t excuse Arlong, but it is a little extra added depth to this backstory. And it makes you root for the destruction of the World Government even more.

If there’s a weakness to this volume, it’s that perhaps too many characters all get introduced at once. And while you’d like to say that you can forget about some of them as they aren’t important, it’s just not true. All 11 Supernovas get big roles to play in this volume and the next, and Rayleigh and Shakky are necessary to remember as well. It can be a lot to take in, but just having everything tossed at you does help contribute to the breakneck chaos that defines this arc.

We also see some new Devil Fruit powers, although not all of them. Jewelry Bonney’s is possibly the most fun, as she can age or youthen anyone at will, including herself. She also stops Zoro from starting a huge fight, and I suspect the two of them will definitely meet again. On the other hand, given her appetite, maybe it’s Sanji she’ll be meeting again.

However, Camie is finally captured, and everyone goes off to the auction house to try to free her. This goes about as well as you’d expect. I must note again that while Oda does a good job of making former villains sympathetic (see Hachi for a good example), he’s equally good at painting scummy losers as such with just a few broad strokes. The Celestial Dragon teenager who waddles around here behaves like such a spoiled baby you long for the days of Helmeppo. His behavior if the last straw for Luffy, who ends the volume by delivering what may be the most satisfying punch in the entire series to date.

There’s more I could talk about, including my surprise at the next ‘redemption’ cover arc dealing with CP9, but I think you get the picture. Even for One Piece, this volume is a breathless roller coaster. Fans should love it. Non-fans… should start with Volume 1, really.