From the back cover:
Luffy’s pirates thought they were just stopping in for a quick bite… but now Luffy’s been made a busboy on Baratie, the oceangoing restaurant, and it turns out some of the worst-mannered pirates on the Grand Line are just dying for a meal.
Always one to look on the bright side, Luffy sets his sights on Sanji, the smart-talking, skirt-chasing assistant chef of the Baratie, as the Merry Go’s new cook. But it’ll take more than a vicious pirate battle and a little sweet talking from Nami to convince him to leave the Baratie and join Luffy’s team. His oath to feed any and all pirates in need keeps getting in the way. The question is: what do you do when the very same pirates you just fed now want to serve you up for dinner?
Review:
Is this the part people meant when they assured me it would soon get really good? There’s so much good stuff here I need to make a list!
1. We get some fun, ominous hints about the Grand Line from someone who’s actually been there.
2. Don Krieg, the leader of a pirate armada of 50 crews, is introduced. He’s got some specialized weaponry, but aside from that, he’s not silly and cartoonish like the other villains we’ve seen so far.
3. Turns out the head chef of the oceangoing restaurant is a famed pirate who sailed the Grand Line and kept a log book.
4. Hawk-Eye is awesome! He’s a master swordsman who took down Don Krieg’s ship with just his sword. Zolo’s been looking for him so that he could challenge him for the title of greatest swordsman, so they have a great fight and Zolo loses spectacularly. Still, Hawk-Eye sees potential in him and tells him to live and keep improving and come see him again someday.
5. Nami steals the Merry Go! I’m sure she’ll come back, but I like this anyway. Plus, I think we may be starting to see an inkling of her past.
6. Sanji, the cook that Luffy wants to join the crew, is kind of annoying but with the powerful kick he displayed at the end of the volume, could it be that he’s the head chef’s son and that’s why he doesn’t want to leave the oceangoing restaurant?
So, there were awesome fights, some character revelations, some hints about the future, and even one nice bit of continuity when Luffy referenced a character we haven’t seen since volume one. If it stays this good, I’d be happy.
*snif* I love Sanj. A pervy, cook with an amazing kick-style of fighting? Also, he’s totally cool. He smokes! See! 😉
I can only speak for myself but, yes, this is where the good stuff kind of starts (even though the Straw Hats vs. the Black Cat pirates sold it for me, but…*wipes away tear* you didn’t like it). I think in a few books you’ll be head long into the Arlong/Nami storyline; THAT’S the good stuff.
@Danielle: Well, maybe he’ll grow on me. 🙂
@mark: I giggle at your weeping. 🙂
Yeah, I forgot how oddball some of the main villains like Buggy were early on. Don Krieg is pretty much the norm from here on out as far as main bad guys go, but they typically have goofy themed henchmen that the crewmembers other than Luffy fight. They get weirder and weirder as the series goes on, too.
And I liked it when they introduced the Seven Warlords of the Sea (hopefully they talk about them in this volume, if not, they’ll bring them up in the next). Those guys get more and more important, but they’re collectively my favorite part after the Straw Hat Pirates.
I’m glad you liked the continuity in this series too, because it gets ridiculous/awesome at times. If they mentioned the Seven Warlords, they may have mentioned Jimbei (if they don’t mention him here, he’ll be mentioned in the next story arc). Jimbei doesn’t actually make his entrance until volume 54. My hands-down favorite character first appears in the background of a single panel in volume 12, and then is properly introduced in volume 46.
@Connie Wow, that sounds awesome. I love it when you can go back in a story and see how carefully a creator was laying certain storylines well in advance. That’s part of why I love Buffy so much.
Oh man, the continuity is awesome. The thing with One Piece is that despite it being over fifty volumes and still going, it never feels drawn out to me. I think Oda is a much better plotter and storyteller than a lot of shounen authors.
That’s definitely good to know. I have a very low tolerance for filler.