One Piece Chapter 1: Romance Dawn

Romance Dawn. This chapter has 56 searchable pages. Opening and key page summaries: The title page for Volume 1, Romance Dawn. A black-and-white illustration shows Monkey D. Luffy standing proudly on a small wooden boat sailing across the sea. A banner above him reads 'ONE PIECE' with a small bird wearing a pirate hat perched on the end of the scroll. The story begins with the legendary execution of Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates. Standing on the gallows, he smiles defiantly at the massive crowd gathered below. Narration boxes declare: "Gold Roger, the 'King of the Pirates,' had achieved it all. Wealth, fame and power had all been his." Before his execution, Roger shouts to the crowd: "My treasure? Why, it's right where I left it... It's yours if you can find it... but you'll have to search the whole world!" The crowd erupts into a massive roar as the executioners strike. The narrator concludes: "Not surprisingly, the final words he spoke before they lopped off his head inspired adventurers throughout the world to sail the seas. The world......is about to witness a great era of piracy!"

Romance Dawn - The Dawn of Adventure'. A lively illustration shows Shanks and his pirate crew celebrating. Shanks is laughing heartily with his arm around a large, round pirate wearing a striped bandana and goggles, who is happily chewing on a giant piece of meat. Behind them, Yasopp raises a mug of grog, and Benn Beckman, a tall man with a ponytail and a cigarette in his mouth, looks on calmly. In the background, Nami is joyfully throwing gold coins and jewelry into the air. A full-page spread showing a young Monkey D. Luffy jumping high into the air with a massive grin on his face, his arms outstretched in pure excitement. In the background, seagulls fly over the open ocean, and a pirate chest overflowing with gold coins is visible on the right. The scene shifts to a peaceful harbor village with windmills and grazing cows. Narration boxes explain: "A small harbor village. One year ago......a pirate ship made the village its base. The wind blows from the east. And the village is at peace." On the deck of the pirate ship, Shanks looks up at the figurehead and calls out: "Hey, Luffy! What're you up to now?!" Standing on the figurehead, a young Luffy stubbornly replies: "Hmph!" Standing on the ship's bow, young Monkey D. Luffy holds up a small dagger and yells to the crew: "This is how tough I am!!! I've had it with you guys!! Now you'll have to take me seriously!!" On the deck, Yasopp, Lucky Roux, and other pirates laugh, shouting: "Ha ha ha! Get it over with! Whatever it is..." and "What's that pup up to now?" Suddenly, with a sharp "Chunk!", Luffy stabs himself in the cheek just below his left eye. The pirates' laughter instantly turns to absolute shock and horror. Shanks, Yasopp, and Lucky Roux scream in panic: "You idiot! What'd you do that for!?" while Luffy shrieks in pain: "Yeowww!!! Aaargh!!!" Later, inside Partys Bar, the pirates raise their mugs in a rowdy toast: "To Luffy's... courage... and to our great voyage! A toast!!" The tavern is filled with laughter and shouting: "Grog! Grog! Grog! More grog!" and "Har har har har! Drink up!" Luffy, now wearing a bandage under his eye, sits at the bar next to Shanks. Luffy boasts: "It didn't hurt a bit!" Shanks immediately calls him out: "Liar! That was a foolish thing to do!" Luffy turns to him with determination: "I'm not the least bit afraid of getting hurt!! Take me with you on your next voyage!! I wanna be a pirate too!!!"

Hahahahaha You?! A pirate?! Impossible!!" He teases the boy: "Luffy, do you know why we call you 'Anchor'? Because you can't swim—you just sink!! What good is a pirate who can't swim?" Luffy argues back: "But if I don't fall overboard, then it doesn't matter if I'm an anchor!! And I'm a strong fighter! I've been training! My punch is as powerful as a pistol!" He throws a punch into the air to demonstrate. Later page summaries: The sea monster is knocked out cold, crashing back into the water with a loud "SPLOOSH". Luffy pulls his arm back, smiling: "That what you get, you darn fish!" He sits back in his boat, planning his future: "First things first. I've got to get a crew! I think about 10 men should do. And I'll need a pirate flag!!" Luffy stands proudly on his small boat, raising his fist to the sky and shouting: "Look out world, here I come! I'm going to become......the King of the Pirates!!!!" Narration boxes conclude: "Luffy's great voyage of destiny has begun!!! Luffy's tiny boat floats on, his crew yet to be found..."

They Call Him "Straw Hat Luffy"'. Luffy is relaxing on his small rowboat, drifting peacefully under a sunny sky. He smiles: "The weather's so nice! Wow! What a great day!" A narration box reads: "This is no ordinary boy in a rowboat. This is a boy with a dream, challenging the vast, treacherous seas in a tiny dinghy, searching for extraordinary men for his pirate crew!" Luffy then sweatdrops: "Who'd have thought this voyage would end in disaster so soon? Luffy's tiny boat is caught in a massive, roaring whirlpool. Luffy looks down at the swirling water, sweating: "Hard to believe that I'm getting sucked into this giant whirlpool... Maybe I was a little careless... I could use some help, but there's nobody around. Oh well, can't be helped. Down I go... Too bad I can't swim, too." He then laughs to himself: "Ha! What was I thinking? In a giant whirlpool, it doesn't really make a difference if you can swim or not! I'd drown even if I could swim!" The boat is sucked down with a loud "SPLOOSH!" as Luffy yells: "Yikes!! Aaaa!"