A Key Detail in One Piece’s First Chapter No Longer Makes Sense

One Piece is one of the longest-running mangas on the market. However, some things don’t add up in the first chapter.

Many anime and manga fans will agree that the series’ storytelling and structure are flawless, even perfect. One Piece‘s creative brain Eiichiro Oda has a gift for inserting foreshadowing while simultaneously expanding the franchise’s world and lore. Fans have been able to predict many plot developments in the series. Many people may believe that Oda knows the whole series. While Oda is an extremely talented mangaka, that doesn’t necessarily mean that his creation is flawless. Some events in the manga’s first chapter are not logical.

One Piece, a manga series that is renowned for its incredible art, debuted in July 1997. It was joined by other classics such as Dragon Ball, Naruto, and Bleach. While some of these franchises are seeing some revival, One Piece has never been out of the spotlight. Eiichiro Oda continues to release new chapters over the past 20 years. The manga has now reached its 1000th chapter milestone. the anime also has just completed the same. The series has seen many improvements over its long run, from its art and story to the best. One Piecenow may not be the same as One Piece when it first appeared.

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A Long Saga begins with a Boy Who Wanted To Sail

One Pieceliterally begins by describing Luffy’s history. Luffy was exposed to pirates in his youth. Luffy was insistent on joining the pirates’ journey across the seas. Shanks refused to accept his application. To prove his toughness, Luffy had to cut the lower portion of his eye. His pain and effort were futile, it was obvious. The Red Hair Pirates did not seem to have any weight at the time. They looked like a group of scallywags that only cared about having fun and partying.

This was proved when Higuma (the leader of the mountain bandits) and his gang demanded Makino’s booze. Makino could not provide Makino with alcohol because the pirates had consumed all of the liquor at the bar. Shanks presented the last bottle of liquor to the bandit. Higuma then proceeded humiliating Shanks by breaking Shanks’ head with the bottle and bathing him in alcohol. The Red Hair Pirates laughed at the incident after the bandits left. Problem is, what happened next?

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Shanks Was Amazing But Not Great

Higuma returned to the bar after his next visit. Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates were already preparing to sail when Higuma arrived back. Higuma demanded that the bar be open for him once more. Makino agreed, but chaos ensued after Luffy decided that he wanted to fight the bandit. Higuma ridiculed Shanks’ cowardice, and Luffy decided to take it upon himself to defend his friends. The fight turned into a one-sided brawl. Higuma threatened to sell Luffy to a freak show because of his newfound abilities. That’s when The Red Hair Pirates returned.

The bandits thought Shanks was a nobody and warned him not to interfere. One bandit even tried to point a gun at Shanks. The Red Hair Pirates were born. Lucky Roux ended the bandit’s life immediately, and Benn Beckman handled the rest. Shanks gave a speech about what it meant to hurt his friends. Higuma, seeing what had happened to his gang, hid in front of the pirates. He wasn’t going to surrender. He instead used a smoke bomb to kidnap Luffy. Higuma kicked Luffy out of the boat into the ocean after Luffy continued to bother him. The local sea monster happened to be passing by. Shanks saved Higuma from the sea monster’s bite, but it cost him one arm.

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In Retrospect, the entire Red Hair Pirates look weak

Although Lucky Roux’s, Benn Beckman’s, and Shanks’ feats are undeniably impressive, they could have done much better in managing the situation. As it turns out, the Red Hair Pirates were already well-known for their swordsmanship skills. After Shanks lost his left arm, Mihawk begins to lose interest in Shanks. Therefore, it is safe to say that Shanks’ power during the incident with the mountain bandits was similar to Mihawk’s. It’s fair to assume that Shanks should be able to use Haki because Mihawk is the Strongest Swordsman. This changes the way the whole situation is perceived.

Shanks is considered one of the strongest Haki users and would have been saved from having his left arm severed by Color of Arms Haki. Shanks could have intimidated the sea monster with his Color of Supreme King, or Conqueror’s Haki. Even before that, Higuma’s smoke bomb could have been rendered useless by Shanks’ Color of Observation Haki. Shanks or any other member of the Red Hair Pirates should have been able to track the band and stop them from fleeing. Based on their bounties Higuma is only slightly more powerful than Alvida.

this oversight is not characteristic of Oda. It is widely believed that this development was made to have a greater impact on the fans. One Piece was just beginning at the time. It needed to be loved by as many people as possible. Only then would it have been able to survive the harsh world of weekly serialization? Although One Piece‘s first chapter may leave a strange taste in retrospect it still fulfills its role admirably — and the series’ success is proof of that.