When Monkey D. Luffy accidentally gains the power to stretch like rubber at the cost of never being able to swim again, he and his crew of pirate wannabes set off in search of the "One Piece," the greatest treasure in the world. - (Baker & Taylor)
Join Monkey D. Luffy and his swashbuckling crew in their search for the ultimate treasure, One Piece!
As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates. But his life changed when he accidentally gained the power to stretch like rubber…at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years, later, Luffy sets off in search of the “One Piece,” said to be the greatest treasure in the world...
As a child, Monkey D. Luffy was inspired to become a pirate by listening to the tales of the buccaneer "Red-Haired" Shanks. But his life changed when Luffy accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit and gained the power to stretch like rubber...at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years later, still vowing to become the king of the pirates, Luffy sets out on his adventure...one guy alone in a rowboat, in search of the legendary "One Piece," said to be the greatest treasure in the world... - (Simon and Schuster)
Eiichiro Oda began his manga career at the age of 17, when his one-shot cowboy manga Wanted! won second place in the coveted Tezuka manga awards. Oda went on to work as an assistant to some of the biggest manga artists in the industry, including Nobuhiro Watsuki, before winning the Hop Step Award for new artists. His pirate adventure One Piece, which debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1997, quickly became one of the most popular manga in Japan. - (Simon and Schuster)
Publishers Weekly Reviews
"Straw Hat" Luffy, this book's boy hero, really wants to be a pirate. His fellow villagers jeer at his goal, since he can't swim, due to having eaten a magic fruit that gives him the ability to stretch his body like rubber. However, Luffy isn't going to let a little problem like this stop him. He's further motivated when pirate captain "Red-Haired" Shanks (an eccentric seadog who might give Johnny Depp a run for his money) sacrifices his arm to a sea-monster to save Luffy's life. Ten years later, Luffy is still determined to make his dream come true, and he sets out to assemble to a crew and find a fabled treasure (the "One Piece" of the title). Luffy meets Koby, a cabin boy his age, who has been shanghaied by a lady pirate, and together they attempt to rescue Roronoa Zoro, a feared bounty hunter who is being held captive by the dread Captain Morgan. Everyone in this title has a seemingly impossible goal driving them on, whether it's Luffy's dream of being a pirate, Koby's of joining the navy, or Zoro's of become the world's greatest swordsman. It's this strong-and sometimes touching--motivation which carries the story along through episodes that mix comedy and violence in an inventive, energetic brew. Luffy uses his gum gum power at climactic moments, such as taking out Iron Mace Alvida, a lady pirate whose claim to be the fairest on all the seas is anything but accurate. One Piece is one of the world's most popular manga, having been spun off into a TV show, a video game and merchandising. With Pirates of the Caribbean spearheading a full-on pirate revival, One Piece should have no trouble finding an audience in America. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.