One Piece might have just crossed a major threshold with its thousandth manga chapter being released, but that isn’t stopping the franchise from diving into other stories to expand on the world of the Grand Line as the spin-off story following Ace, put together by the creator of Dr. Stone, shows off designs for some heavy hitters in Eiichiro Oda‘s Shonen masterpiece. Including the likes of Shanks, Jinbei, and Rayleigh, it’s clear that Boichi, the man who brought to life the “Stone World” of Dr. Stone, has a love of Oda’s franchise that bleeds into his artwork for the Ace spin-off.
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As One Piece fans know, Ace, the brother of Monkey D. Luffy, was killed during the Marineford Arc, saving his sibling from a blow that would have eradicated the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates/ Regardless of his current deceased status, Ace has found ways to re-emerge in the series, with one of the latest being during the Wano Arc itself where we witnessed a flashback of the flame wielding swashbuckler travel to the isolated nation and promise to work toward opening the border of the country as the famed swordsman Kozuki Oden had once tried. Needless to say, Ace’s popularity has not slowed down despite his demise.
Reddit User GyroZepp95 shared this first look at Boichi’s unique takes on some of the biggest members of the world of the Grand Line, showing how these characters look under the pen of another major mangaka rather than the creator of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda:
If you aren’t familiar with the Ace spin-off series, Viz Media offered this official description for the story that is brought to life by the artist behind Dr. Stone:
“Washed up on the shores of a deserted island at the edge of the East Blue Sea, two men from different backgrounds unite in their shared thirst for adventure. One of them, Portgaz D. Ace, will follow in his infamous father’s footsteps as the fearless captain of a pirate crew. The other, Masked Deuce, becomes the reluctant first member of Ace’s Spade Pirates. Survival is not enough for these seafaring buccaneers, as together they seek treasure, excitement, and a route to the New World.”
Have you been reading the spin-off story of Ace’s exploits? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Grand Line!