One Piece: Rare Concept Art of Eiichiro Oda's Hit Series Debuts After 30 Years

Eiichiro Oda's new gift is even dated before the release of Romance Dawn.

By Megan Peters

One Piece has some of the best world building in manga, and creator Eiichiro Oda has spent decades crafting the prize. For more than 20 years, One Piece has ruled the industry, and its grip is only growing tighter. This means fans are always eager to learn more about the first days of One Piece, and now, a rare draft of the series just surfaced that dates back to 1994.

So yes, it is true. This new document marks the earliest document of One Piece the world has ever seen. Oda inked this work well before Romance Dawn was released, and we have the Blu-ray release of Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation to thank for its release.

Not long ago, Japan welcomed Monsters to shelves, and its Blu-ray box set included some promo material. A booklet called Katai Shinroku was included, and it features interviews with talent like Oda. Thanks to the creator and his assistant, the box set was able to publish some early drafts of One Piece, and it drops tons of new info.

Not only does the booklet reveal the very first iteration of some heroes, but we get some special peeks into the series' lore. For one, Luffy was originally meant to be called Pao, and he wore a bandana with the pattern of the Gum Gum Fruit. From Sanji to Zoro and even Nika, the prototypes for Oda's eventual heroes are all here. It proves the creator pieced together the pillars of One Piece long before the series officially began, and Oda has been weaving the tale ever since.

If you are not familiar with One Piece, you can always find the manga online. The hit series is published weekly in the Shonen Jump. So for more info on the series, you can read its official synopsis below:

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"As a child, Monkey D. Luffy was inspired to become a pirate by listening to the tales of the buccaneer "Red-Haired" Shanks. But Luffy's life changed when he accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit and gained the power to stretch like rubber...at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years later, still vowing to become the king of the pirates, Luffy sets out on his adventure...one guy alone in a rowboat, in search of the legendary "One Piece," said to be the greatest treasure in the world..."

What do you think about this One Piece throwback? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

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