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Episode 1 (WJ #34, 1997)
Romance Dawn ~ The Dawn of Adventure
A young boy named Monkey D. Luffy looks up to the pirates making base in his town. This band of
pirates, led by Shanks, seems to be a good-natured group. Luffy stabs himself in the left cheek to
prove he's manly enough to board the ship; Shanks laughs and says it's 10 years too early for him
to board their ship. Just then, a band of bandits led by a man named Higuma enters the bar, and
demands booze. Makino, the owner, tells Higuma that she ran out with the lot she gave Shanks' crew.
Shanks tries to offer Higuma a bottle, but Higuma just thrashes the bar and leaves. An upset Luffy
storms Shanks then tries to leave, but when grabbed by Shanks his arm elongates... Luffy has eaten
a treasure of the crew, the Gum-Gum Fruit (a devil fruit). Days pass, and as Luffy was waiting for Shanks
at the bar, Higuma returns with his group. Luffy picks a fight with them, but ends up getting lynched.
Right as Higuma poises to lop Luffy's head, Shanks and the crew enter the scene to clean them out.
Higuma throws a smokescreen and runs off with Luffy towards the sea, and tosses Luffy into the ocean.
However, the smiling Higuma gets eaten up by the monster known as the Master of the Near Seas.. and
right before it eats Luffy, Shanks comes to the rescue -- and sacrifices his left arm for the sake of
the young boy. Days later, as Shanks gets ready to sail his ship out of the town for good, Luffy
promises that he will find the greatest treasure in the world and become the king of pirates. Shanks
entrusts Luffy with his straw hat, telling the boy to come return it when he becomes a great pirate.
Ten years pass...
A grown Luffy (now 17) sets sail on his little ship from the town, and blows away the Master of the
Near Seas with one Gum-Gum Pistol.
Episode 2 (WJ #35, 1997)
The Man: "Luffy of the Straw Hat"
Luffy gets sucked into a whirlpool....
Meanwhile, Coby and the rest of the crew aboard Alvida's ship fear the fat old lady. Coby finds a
barrel and carries it in. A few crew members opens it, thinking it's booze -- and out comes Luffy.
Alvida tosses her club in to get them back to work -- and Luffy (feet still in barrel) rolls away.
Coby chases after him, and explains that he's been working little by little to escape, but that he is
too chicken. Luffy tells Coby that he will someday find the One Piece; Coby then decides to pursue
his dream to become a Marine, and faces Alvida. Luffy then downs the angered Alvida with a Pistol, and
the two of them set sail towards a Marine base -- Luffy heard rumors that a bounty-hunter was imprisoned
at the base, and had decided to tag along with Coby to see if the bounty-hunter would be interested in
joining him on the high seas.
Episode 3 (WJ #36, 1997)
"Zoro the Pirate-Hunter" Appears
At the town where the marine base is located, Luffy and Coby notice that people are scared of the word
"Zoro" -- and of "Captain Morgan". Climbing on the wall of the base, they see Zoro bound to a wooden
cross-shaped stake (not quite a crucifix but you get the idea). Zoro claims that he's been that way for
9 days, and asks them to untie him. Just then, a girl appears next to Luffy and Coby; climbing into the
base, she hands Zoro two balls of rice. Zoro tries to tell her off, but just then, Helmeppo (and his
henchmen) arrive at the scene. Helmeppo bites into a ball, and spits it out (as it's sprinkled with
sugar and not salt) -- and crushes it into the ground. He then orders one of his henchmen to throw the
girl over the wall; luckily, Luffy was there to catch her. After Helmeppo leaves, Luffy approaches Zoro;
but now the bounty-hunter refuses to budge, saying that Helmeppo promised that Zoro will be free
if he can stay alive at the stake for an entire month. He then asks Luffy to pick up the rice and feed
it to him -- Luffy obliges, and Zoro gives Luffy a message of thanks to tell the girl. Back in town,
the girl (happy with the message) explains that Zoro was apprehended for slaying Helmeppo's wolf that
was attacking her. Just then, Helmeppo strolls into town and announces that Zoro will be executed in three
days. Hearing that, the enraged Luffy decides to make Zoro part of his group, and punches Helmeppo
Episode 4 (WJ #37-38, 1997)
Marine Captain "Axe-Hand Morgan"
Helmeppo scampers back home, and cries on his daddy's shoulder -- while Luffy comes back to base to
convince Zoro to join. Upon hearing that Zoro's treasures (his sword) were inside the base, Luffy walks
away from him and into the base. Meanwhile, Morgan (while telling one of his men to go kill off the little
girl) is having a huge statue of himself erected at the top of the base -- telling his son that he is
the one with power. Luffy hears these voices, and propels himself up with a Gum-Gum Rocket -- only to go
too far; he grabs onto the ropes holding the statue up, and as a result breaks the statue. As Luffy drags
Helmeppo around base to find Zorro's sword, Coby arrives in front of Zoro to untie him. However, a bullet
hits Coby...
Episode 5 (WJ #39, 1997)
King of Pirates & Master of Swords
Luffy drags Helmeppo around the base, sometimes using him as a human shield. Zoro tells Coby to run, as
the men will be coming down -- but Coby refuses, and tells Zoro that Helmeppo lied and was going to execute
the swordsman in three days. The Marines arrive, and Luffy finds three swords in Helmeppo's room. As the
line of Marines aims to fire at Zoro and Coby, Zoro remembers his childhood promise to become the true
master of swords -- a dream that his first rival, Kuina, took to her deathbed. Luffy rushes to the scene
just in time with another Rocket, and takes all the bullets fired towards Zoro and Coby (and bounces them
right out). Luffy, handing Zoro all three swords, asks whether he wants to die, or become a pirate.
Zoro decides that he would rather be a pirate...
Episode 6 (WJ #40, 1997)
The First Person
Seeing Luffy's elasticity, the marines attack with swords. Luffy manages to untie one hand with them fast
approaching -- the marines strike down, but are all met by Zoro's swords. Zoro tells Luffy that he has no
more qualms about becoming a pirate; but if Luffy ever gives up on his dream, he will need an apology (via
suicide) from our rubberband man. Luffy smiles, saying that he would be troubled if someone short
of a master swordsman was part of his gang when he became the king of pirates -- and kicks all the marines
away with one Gum-Gum Whip. Luffy then attacks Morgan -- but Helmeppo takes Coby hostage. Luffy punches
Helmeppo out with a Pistol, while Zoro does away with Morgan.
Episode 7 (WJ #41, 1997)
Friend
With Morgan and his son down, the marines left at the base cheer. Back in town, Luffy (and Zoro) decide that
they will start heading for the Grand Line. Coby is worried as a friend... (^^;) The marines comes into
the house to tell Luffy to leave town immediately, as he is a pirate; Luffy obliges. Zoro follows Luffy out.
When the marines ask Coby if he's with them; Coby denies. The marine asks Luffy if that's true, and Luffy
starts to talk about Alvida when Coby attacks him (and they end up in a brawl). Coby expresses his deep
desire to become a marine; they are hesitant at first but accept him in the end. Luffy and Zoro set sail --
to salutes by Coby... and all the marines.
Episode 8 (WJ #42, 1997)
Nami Appears
Luffy and Zoro are wandering lost on the seas. Luffy spots a bird overhead, and in trying to catch it for
food with his Rocket gets caught by the bird instead. Zoro, rowing frantically after the flying bird, spot
three guys asking for help. In a slight fight with these three crewmen from the ship of a man named Buggy
the Clown, Zoro loses sight of Luffy -- so he asks the men what was up with them. They tell Zoro of a girl
they bumped into that took their boat and sunk their ship with a storm. Meanwhile, in the town where Buggy
is stopped over at, a girl is running through the streets with paper in hand -- a map of the Grand Line.
Another one of the men spots something suspicious in the air; upon shooting it, a human falls to the ground
right below the girl. Luffy manages to put all the men following the girl down on the ground; seeing this,
the girl introduces herself as Nami, a thief that steals only from pirates -- and she asks Luffy if he
wanted to pair up with her.
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