In the vast East Blue, rife with pirates, marines, and schemes, a strange boy in a straw hat named Luffy bursts out of a barrel! He may seem carefree and absurd, but he is almost obsessively devoted to survival. Beneath his seemingly sweet, harmless smile lies an astonishing ability to stay on high alert and put “staying alive” into practice. The slightest disturbance can set off his spring-loaded dodges, absurdly elaborate defensive barricades, and habit of pulling all sorts of ridiculous survival gadgets out of nowhere, leaving his companions constantly rubbing their temples.
In his first battle, Luffy astonishes Koby with the extraordinary power of the Gum-Gum Fruit and knocks away “Iron Mace” Alvida, the nightmare that had loomed over Koby’s life. His bold declaration, “How will you know unless you try?” instantly rekindles Koby’s long-buried dream of joining the Marines. The two set ashore together, only to be swept into an even greater maelstrom: a port town is witnessing a siege carried out in the name of “justice.” Under the command of the scar-faced officer Morgan, the Marines surround the legendary pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro, battered and suffering after binding himself as a punishment, at the center of a ring of blades, accusing him of “harboring pirates.”
Faced with a murderous firing line, a pile of corpses presented as “evidence,” and Zoro’s silent, agonized figure on the brink of collapse, Luffy’s curiosity overrules everything else. Ignoring the gun barrels pointed at him, he asks, “Hey, doesn’t it hurt to have all those ropes tied around your back?” His words strike like a spark thrown into boiling oil! As Zoro furiously roars, “Who asked you to butt in?” Luffy boldly makes his move! His bizarre “Rubber Pistol” instantly sends the marines charging at him flying, stunning everyone present and setting off a full-blown
This book is very well written.