ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘One Piece, Volume 96

One Piece Volume 96 is an action-adventure fantasy manga series created, written, and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The English release of the series is published by Viz Media.  The series follows a young boy named Monkey D. Luffy who dreams of becoming the king of the pirates.  Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates set out on adventures in search of the legendary “One Piece,” said to be the greatest treasure in the world.

One Piece Volume 96 is a total of 200 pages. The volume continues to tell the flashback narrated by Oden that tells of adventures at sea. During his journey with Whitebeard’s crew, he encounters the legendary future pirate king Gold Roger. It seems as though their meeting is a destined one that will change the world.  Meanwhile, Orochi has been up to something while Oden was away from Wano.

One Piece Volume 96 is part of the third act of the Wano Country Arc story arc. The main focus of the volume centers on Kozuki Oden time at sea and takes place over 20 years ago before the current events in the series. Initially, I was not that interested in this part of the story arc and Oden’s backstory. If I am being honest I feel like it was dragging on for longer than was needed. However, as the volume goes on I found myself getting into the story and character more.

The mangaka’s, Eiichiro Oda, writing is what helps to make Oden’s character and his story more interesting and feel integral to the series overall. From the beginning of Oden’s flashback, towards the end of this volume, Oda gives his character some great depth and growth. It becomes clear why he and his journeys are essential to the main plot of the series and the events that are taking place in the present.

Additionally, Volume 96 provides some insight and details that contribute to the overarching mysteries in the One Piece series. For example, this volume provides some details about how Gol D. Roger earned the title of Pirate King, his discovery of the ‘One Piece’ treasure, and the disbanding of his pirate crew. I loved seeing these moments in the volume because Roger is a very important character in the series. However, he died years before the start of the series, but he was the inspiration for many characters, especially Luffy. So I loved that this volume gives fans a peek at what Roger was like in his prime before his death.

One thing worth noting about this series is that the panels are sometimes packed to the brim with speech bubbles and characters. So at certain times, it can be hard to read or follow along with the dialogue on a small screen. This is why I strongly recommend reading this volume on a tablet or printed version for maximum enjoyment.

Lastly, As it comes to a close the manga transitions to the present day and wraps up in a way that sets up for the next volume to open with more action as the main characters head into the battle. Towards the end, there is a huge reveal that involves betrayal towards the end of the volume. I did not see it coming at all and totally caught me off guard. I don’t want to give any spoilers away. So I will just say that the reveal really makes this volume more than worth the read.

Overall, One Piece Volume 96 is well worth the read, and highly recommend picking it up. If you pick it up be sure to read the book or digital version on a device with a bigger screen. The mangaka writing does a great job of giving depth and growth to Oden’s character. It provides long-time fans a glimpse at Gol D. Roger in action, in a way we have not seen in the series before.  Lastly the volume ends on a thrilling note, leaving me eager to see what is to come in the next installment.

One Piece Volume 96 is available April 6 wherever books are sold.