By Eiichiro Oda. Released in Japan by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz.
When I read this volume, I was rather surprised to see exactly how much was going on in it. Not only do we finish the setup for Skypeia, but there’s also lots of arc elements introduced that become far more important years later in this manga. I was surprised because I mostly remembered this volume for exactly two big events.
Let’s start with those, in fact. Bellamy was introduced last volume as an annoying braggart who clearly was crying out for a beating. We felt Nami’s frustration at Luffy and Zoro sitting there and taking their abuse, but Luffy was making a point. Now, however, Bellamy has gone too far, beating up Cricket and stealing their hard-won gold. Luffy is pissed. And it doesn’t help that Bellamy has a rather dull Devil Fruit power, the Boing Boing fruit (which makes his legs into springs, by the way. I think it’d be cooler if the Boing Boing fruit brought down your enemies’ server by too many visitor hits…)
And so Luffy gives him all the attention he deserves, by bringing him down with one simple punch. He doesn’t even use any Devil Fruit powers. It’s possibly one of the most beautiful two-page spreads in the series, and shows you that one does not need Devil Fruit to be utterly BADASS.
The other major thing I recall from this volume is the ending, where the Going Merry and its crew manage to evade Blackbeard and his crew and survive the Knock Up Stream. Sometimes you get a sequence that shows the main reason that Oda is drawing this manga. In fact, it’s the main reason shonen manga exists, in my opinion. The Spirit Of Adventure. The reason we love the Straw Hat Pirates so much is not their strength, or how funny they are, or even their hopes and dreams (though those are all important things). It’s because of the sheer joy of adventuring, the idea that they do things because they are amazing. Look at the faces of everyone as they realize that the ship is flying up the stream. I defy you not to break out in a big grin.
That said, there’s a lot more to this volume. We meet the World Government’s leaders, as well as the head of the Marines. We also meet two more of the Warlords Of The Sea, Donquixote Donflamingo and Bartholomew Kuma, and are reintroduced to Hawkeye. And we also get properly introduced to the bare-chested guy from last volume, who turns out to be Blackbeard D. Teech. (Always watch out for anyone with a D. in their names in this manga). There’s Shanks! There’s Buggy and Alvida! It’s like old home week. One gets the sense of things happening while the Straw Hats are off adventuring, as opposed to everyone simply waiting offstage for their cue.
And we get the story of Skypeia, and Noland the Liar. It’s presented as a silly children’s story, but is of course based in reality, as we will discover.
There’s also some great funny bits. Seeing Usopp, normally so terrified of everything, being happy around snakes and bugs while Nami and Sanji screech is wonderful. Robin’s casual capture of the South Bird is a wonderfully timed anticlimax. And the reaction shots of everyone throughout the volume, especially Luffy, Usopp, and Nami, are perpetual comedy gold.
A huge volume, for many reasons. Next up, Skypeia proper!
