- Live to the fullest for all those that haven't, for those that you've lost.
- Don't use someone. Everyone's a person.
- Take on other's struggles and give them your compassion to find love, respect, and camaraderie anywhere.
- Accept death with a smile.
- Deus ex Machina: the creator will never kill Monkey D. Luffy (or any character for that matter). ( )

I estimate around 2010 I read the first 34 volumes of One Piece to compare differences to the anime and take a break from a summer semester of organic chemistry.

This volume is from Arlong's battle through to the storm on the last island before leaving for the Grand Line--definitely a lot of great moments in this arc transition that clearly I need to revisit because the details are falling apart. But it was so sappy and so exciting...and I'm currently listening to a song that would fit. Crap, I want to cry and fist pump the sky. Maybe I've been away from the series that I can experience the intensity afresh. One Piece is up through Ennies Lobby is definitely one of those stories that IF ONLY I could experience it like the first time again, I would. It's a powerful trip...the anime stole the second half of 12th grade from me, which is just as well because I needed a world full of friendship and adventure to bury myself in. ( )

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Title: The Meanest Man in the East
Series: One Piece #11
Arc: East Blue Part 11
Author: Eiichiro Oda
Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 188
Words: 8K

Synopsis:

From Wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_One_Piece_chapters_(1_186)

"Darts"

"Happiness"

"Going Down"

"The Other Villain"

"Spin, Pinwheel"

"The Meanest Man in the East"

"Kitetsu III"

"Dark Clouds"

"Luffy Died"

Arlong and Luffy exchange blows until Arlong impatiently picks up his large sword. Tearing through Arlong Park, he chases Luffy into the cartography room where Nami spent years drawing maps for the fish-men. When he sees blood stains on her pen, Luffy decides that he must destroy the room. He breaks the blade of Arlong's sword, and crushes the fish-man and his park into the ground. Overjoyed at their regained freedom, the island's inhabitants celebrate for three days and nights. Johnny and Yosaku take their leave and with Nami on board and the Straw Hat Pirates set sail for the next port – Lougetown, where Gold Roger (the king of the pirates) was born and executed. News of Luffy's victory over Arlong and the first bounty placed on his head by the World Government reaches the ears of Navy captain Smoker; Zoro meets sergeant-major Tashigi (Smoker's second-in-command) and Luffy visits the execution site, seeing his former opponents Buggy and Alvida.

My Thoughts:

This was an emotionally satisfying volume. Luffy beating the snot out of Arlong and destroying him and everything he had created was fantastic. And it wasn't all man-serious either. The manga-ka once again balanced humor with the grisly fighting in a perfect dance. The following just made me laugh out loud because it displays Luffy's happy go-lucky attitude even in the midst of a fight for his life:

Once Luffy and Co hit the town where Roger Gold (the King of the Pirates) was born and executed, things start to move along. Luffy has a 30million berry reward on his head now (for perspective, Arlong only had a 20million reward), Alvida and Buggy the Clown make their reappearance and attack him and Zorro finds out one of his swords is a legendary one worth millions of berries. We also see the next Marine Captain on tap and he appears to be a real tough guy. So Luffy is going to have it wicked tough from both the Pirate and the Marine side of things.

The volume ends with the crew running back to the ship while the marines and other pirates are chasing them. Next volume should be fun :-D

★★★★✬ ( )