Like many people out there, my life has been affected by the novel coronavirus that has swept across the planet. While I can’t say I was ever a social butterfly, I certainly am spending a hell of a lot more time on my couch now than I have been before. I’ve caught up on like seven movies I missed in theaters over the past couple of days and I’ve barely scratched the surface of all the content I’d like to consume. However, with many people hard-up for content to take in in the long weeks or months to come, I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least point to perhaps one of the best comic series of all-time: One Piece.

If you’ve been following the site for a while, you know that before I came to LRM Online, I was involved in the anime industry as well as a site called The One Piece Podcast. As the name implies, it covers all things One Piece, a manga series that has been running since 1997.

Like a lot of manga in Japan, this series isn’t the result of a massive assortment of writers, but rather the unique vision of one man. That’s right. for over 20 years, the story has been run by one person (well, one person with the help of whatever editor he has at each given moment). The result has been one continuous story packed with thousands of memorable characters and a world unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

So, What’s It About?

The premise itself is simple. Twenty some-odd years ago, while being executed, the famed pirate Gold Roger said that he hid his treasure — the titular One Piece — in one place. He wouldn’t tell anyone where it was, but basically said that whoever found it would own the treasure. And thus launched a new age of piracy. 

Decades pass with no one seemingly any closer to finding the treasure, and our lead Monkey D. Luffy decides to leave his hometown to become a pirate and track down the legendary One Piece treasure. His eventual goal is to assemble a pirate crew of his own and become King of the Pirates.

RELATED – UPDATED: Live-Action One Piece Series Gets 10-Episode Order At Netflix

Starting out with nothing more than a rowboat and a strange ability to stretch his body — the result of eating something called a Devil Fruit — he sets out. Over the course of the now-974 chapters, he has attained a reliable crew, world notoriety, and is well on his way to achieving his goal. Like a great role-playing game, it’s rewarding to see his skill and renown grow.

It’s been a joy to see this series evolve over time to a pretty standard shonen manga — where a character fights a villain for a few chapters before moving onto the next — into something that has one of the best-realized world crafted in any medium. While our leads are indeed an increasingly-big deal in this world, they are still just one part of something much bigger. The world doesn’t revolve around them and doesn’t give a damn about them. If they’re going to rise above everyone else, they’re going to have to work for it. And that’s exactly what they’ve done for over 900 chapters.  

Its Structure

I can understand the reticence one may have to jump into a manga this size, but I will say that it’s actually fairly easy to get into thanks to its structure. As mentioned above, it starts off with a fairly standard structure — a structure that largely is retained throughout. Luffy travels on boat to an island. Inevitably, he gets caught up on the issues facing that town, city, country, or whatever, leading up to a grand confrontation against a big boss. Along the way, he makes friends and sometimes adds a crew member.

Yes, the format has evolved over time. Around 100 chapters in, it increases in scope, with a series of islands making up a much longer arc. Somewhere along the way, Luffy and his crew get caught up in worldwide conflicts, and as this world grows, there is an ever-shifting set of alliances between him and the various pirate crews throughout.

However, while it has changed substantially over its run, it’s very easy to get into, so I wouldn’t feel intimidated by the story on any level. It starts off very standard (but still excellent) before evolving into the series fans have truly grown to love.

But How Do I Read It?

As of this writing, there are over 90 volumes available to purchase. At $10 apiece, you’d think you’d have to spend $900 just to catch up. With that in mind, you may be tempted to turn to less savory means of reading. Don’t do it! Online scanlations have garbage translations and they don’t go toward the authors of their series. Luckily, there is an affordable alternative (and I must emphasize that this is not a sponsored service).

If you have a smart device, you can download the official Shonen Jump app. For those who don’t know, Weekly Shonen Jump is the magazine One Piece and countless other series like Dragon Ball and Naruto are published in. Using the official app, you can sign up for a $1.99 a month service that gives you instant access to the ENTIRE LIBRARIES of TONS of different series. That includes old finished series and new ones.

Additionally, through the app, you have instant access to the latest three chapters of any series for free. You don’t even need to be a paid subscriber. These chapters are published day-and-date with their Japanese counterparts, meaning that you are as up-to-date as anyone could possibly get around the world. From series like One-Punch Man and My Hero Academia, you’ll never be wanting for good shonen manga series to read.

And it is through this service that you can have access to all 974 chapters of One Piece so far. 

I know many of us are getting restless in this turbulent time in our lives, but what better way to indulge than in an incredibly-affordable long-running series like One Piece? None, I say. None.

LRM Online contributor and active Army soldier Kyle Malone needs your help. CLICK HERE to lend a hand to the cause!

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