Title: One Piece Vol.1

Story and Art by: Eiichiro Oda

Chapters 1 – 8

Volume 1 starts off with a young boy named Monkey D. Luffy attempting to join the infamous Red Haired Pirates, led by Red-Haired Shanks.  Despite his insistence, the crew refuse him due to his age.  After he eats the Gum Gum Devil Fruit and gaining rubber-like abilities he is nearly killed by a bandit, only to be saved by Shanks but at the cost of his arm.  The pirates leave but not before Luffy vows to become King of the Pirates.

Ten years later, Luffy sets off into the world only to be deterred by a giant whirlpool.  However, he is saved by a young cabin boy, Koby, who is slave aboard the pirate ship Mulmark, led by Iron Mace Alvida.  Luffy easily defeats Alvida with a well placed punch, and sets off with Koby.  The two end up on a island controlled by the navy, where they discover Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zolo who is captured by the navy.  Luffy and Koby attempt to rescue Zolo to get him to join his crew but come into conflict with Naval Captain “Axe-Hand” Morgan and his son, Helmeppo.

With the combined efforts of Luffy and Zolo, Morgan is defeated and the island is liberated of his reign.  Koby joins the navy while Luffy and Zolo set out to find a navigator.  While on the high seas, Luffy gets carried off by a giant bird (what are the chances of that) while Zolo attempts to find him but picks up some pirates along the way.  Even though he saved them, they try him, and he gives them a couple of lumps to act right. Luffy gets shot down by Captain Buggy the Clown and inadvertently saves a young woman named Nami from some pirates. Volume 1 ends with Nami who asks to work together after he defeats them.

The Verdict: In the end, One Piece Vol.1 is a pretty good that introduces some really cool characters.  Luffy is awesome; he’s completely reckless, impulsive, and stubborn but a great character.  Also, Zolo is an awesome character and it will be cool to see how these two’s relationship grows.  Even Koby, how will he be when the two meet again?  One Piece Vol.1 gets 3 out of 5.