I will be honest and say I skipped Coby and Alvida's introductions, cause I've read those chapters so many times and I'm not a big fan of them.

One piece has always been my favorite anime so when I decided it was time to start my collection of the manga, this could not have been a better deal.He strikes perfect balance with his characters that are so colourful and camp while not totally ridiculous; the stuff he comes up with is terribly imaginative and charming, be it the powers, animals like the bowing bear (my absolute favourite), the world or the characters.

By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. These early volumes also include a number of “cover stories”, most of which are fun, one of which is really important. One of the reasons I love this kind of story telling is because it makes it feel like every plot thread matters.

The ending is fine and I like Vivi staying in Alabasta not because she's completely useless but because having a character tag along for a while without needing to join the crew is a really good idea. Previous chapters has been good at rapidly expanding the crew but their battle vs the Fishmen pirates is where everyone gets a chance to shine and their comradery is truly put on blast.

One Piece is a series that has truly amazing foresight and world building, Similar to the world building of Game of Thrones, Lord of The Rings, and Hunter X Hunter. W. is pretty awesome and I like Luffy losing over and over again but Crocodile not bothering to properly finish him off because he underestimates him. Volumes 4,5, and 6 were the first-ever one-piece book I read and I was fascinated by every page and read it in one day, the day I borrowed the book. Volumes 10,11, and 12 have a lot of action including scenes where Luffy's crew fights the fish-men because they lied and betrayed Nami. Sets up Coby and Helmeppo casually, the Marines as a if not corrupt then definitely doubtful organization and Zoro as an absolute badass.

I realize exactly when Luffy is about to say some stupid shit and I can immediately imagine how each crewmate will react to it. You can tell that the author put his heart and soul into this fictional world, because longtime readers can see that not a single detail was missed or forgotten about.

I think I read most, if not all, of these volumes as a kid but it was great fun starting my catch up by a re-read. Buggy + Luffy is always great and Nami is pretty cool, but doesn't properly shine till Arlong's Palace. Usual criticism of Japanese Shonen Jump style applies (Rampant objectification of woman, models of romantic relationships replaced by ogling and crass flirtatious behaviour or stone cold indifference, Deus ex Machina is a Latin word but I'm certain the Japs invented the concept - the hero always has some extra strength against the villain despite prior evidence against that, moral codes replaced by simplistic/extremely idealistic models of being great at heart, and their world almost always divided into neat compartments of good and evil) but that's also why the comic succeeds (watch me, I am going to be the King of Pirates says the protagonist in the first chapter, and is on a steady monotonic path to greatness till chapter 216, where this compilation ends), and in doing so is probably comparable to the larger than life Disney movie superheroes of our times. I can see how this shaped all the other shounens after it but, based on what I've read, no other manga have been able to totally recapture the surprising magic that is cast here.This box set includes volumes 1-23, which comprise the first two story arcs, East Blue and Baroque Works.