Setting Sail with Monkey D. Luffy:

Fame, wealth, and power—these are the three main ingredients for an epic, legendary adventure. Here, I’m starting to talk about the one that we all love: the anime that has captivated us for all these years and continues its epic journey with no end in sight. I’m talking about the legendary One Piece.

How did it all start? Well, imagine yourself as a kid sitting in front of the television. Everybody knows every kid loves pirates. So, what’s the key ingredient of this adventure? Pirates! That’s already an adventure that’s clearly going to be a hit. What else do you have to add to this? A kid who’s dreaming of becoming the king of pirates, also known as Monkey D. Luffy.

He’s always smiling, always happy, cheerful, and an outgoing, charismatic character. Easy to fall in love with. Well, of course, as a kid, I saw this guy, and I saw his tenacity, his ambition, and his sense of justice. It was immediate love, and the way he taught us that we always have to fight for our dreams, even if others make fun of them. So, let’s talk about this epic, indescribable adventure of this character. How he became one of the main protagonists of the anime world today. We’ve seen multiple growth arcs in this anime, and clearly, it’s one of the top-ranking in the world for a reason.

An epic theme song enhances the emotional resonance of the series, exemplified by the iconic track “We Are” performed by the talented Hiroshi Kitadani.

The Power of Friendship and Belief:

In the first episode, we are introduced to major characters, and through the masterful storytelling of Eiichiro Oda, we are immersed in an amazing adventure brimming with emotions. Among the characters introduced are Nami, Alvida, Koby, Monkey D. Luffy, and Zoro. Four of these characters emerge as protagonists in this captivating story.

Creating an epic introduction for the main character is simple: place him in a barrel at sea as a stowaway. Then, at the perfect moment when the ship is invaded by pirates, he breaks his way out of the barrel, knocking them out cold.

Upon Luffy’s grand entrance, he astonishes Koby, a boy who ended up as a servant on Alvida’s Ship. We encounter these two contrasting characters who ultimately complement each other: Luffy, fearless and goofy simultaneously, making him a formidable pirate as he laughs in the face of danger, and Koby, a young aspiring Marine who is clearly an overthinker and a scaredy-cat.

Here, Coby recounts how he ended up on Alvida’s ship, only to be called a wimp by Luffy, who expresses disdain for people like him. We also glimpse Luffy’s dream of becoming the one true King of the Pirates.

An intriguing conversation arises between the two, revealing that despite their differences, they share the belief that people should be free and rule without injustice. This gives hope to Koby to become a Marine.

However, these differences forge a bond that transcends time, even if they ultimately become rivals.

Luffy takes action in Koby’s place, defeating Alvida and introducing us to the mythical and legendary Devil Fruits. This sheds light on why Luffy chose to stow away in a barrel.

The reason behind this? Devil fruit users gain immense natural powers, such as the ability of elasticity, known as the Gomu-Gomu No Mi fruit, which transforms Luffy into a rubber man. However, despite these superhuman abilities, the user loses the ability to swim, rendering them vulnerable to the sea and prone to drowning should they venture into such waters.

Encountering Nami and Ronoroa Zoro:

In the scenes, we catch a glimpse of Nami, who, at the time, was a burglar. Later, after defeating Pirate Alvida, Luffy steals a boat, and upon dropping into the ocean, they make eye contact.

The episode ends in a triumphant sequence introducing us to the legendary swordsman Ronoroa Zoro. This intrigues Luffy, as Alvida had mentioned his strength, and he starts asking further about him, learning he has been captured at a Marine base.

Clearly, in just one episode, and not just any episode, I had witnessed the most brilliant, captivating, and iconic piece of art that kept me glued to the screens since 2001, when I was only 14 years old. I was entrapped and in awe of such amazing artwork produced by Toei Animation.

Prior to encountering One Piece, I was already a fan of Dragon Ball, which had been airing on the Italian channel 1 from Mediaset much earlier. However, once introduced to One Piece, I was drawn to its adventurous spirit.

If you were to ask me which I would choose nowadays, well, clearly Dragon Ball holds a special place in my heart as my first “anime love.” However, One Piece is such a skillful piece of art that I would be lying if I didn’t also choose it.

So, I always say that both of them have a special place in my heart. Interestingly, I find myself relating a lot to one of the main characters in One Piece, Roronoa Zoro, the guy who always loses his sense of direction. But we will delve deeper into these characters in our special section dedicated to each character’s backstory and development.

To conclude, here I come to the end of another amazing adventure where I fell in love with an anime so big that at that time, I never imagined it would become such a big part of me.

I would love to hear from you: Was the first episode of One Piece as enticing for you as it was for me? Did it give you a hint that it was going to be such a great piece of art?

Feel free to let me know in the comments section.

Yours truly, SenpaiRyūJinpō: Where Anime Dreams Take Flight.

John Paul Bonanno