One Piece Vol. 1

Okay so everyone says One Piece is really long. They’re not wrong — it’s like a billion volumes. But volume 1? Still absolutely worth it.

Luffy wants to be King of the Pirates. His power is that he’s made of rubber, which sounds dumb until you see him punch someone through a wall. He can’t swim because of the Devil Fruit thing, which is kind of hilarious for a pirate.

The art is messy in a good way. Oda draws faces that look weird and expressive and I like that. Zoro shows up and he’s already my favourite even though he barely does anything yet.

What I liked

• Luffy doesn’t overthink stuff. He just goes.
• The world feels big even in book one. Like there’s stuff happening off-page.
• It’s genuinely funny. Not “haha random” funny — actual jokes.

What I didn’t like

• Some of the background characters look a bit rushed.
• Dad says I have to wait for the next volume because “we’re not buying the whole series at once.” Rude.

Verdict

If you only read one manga, read this. Then read more of this. I’m already annoyed I can’t get volume 2 until my birthday.