The final volume of “One Piece: Season One” ends the Straw Hats’ early adventures in much the same way that they began: with a solid mix of action, comedy and great storytelling. This is why I fell in the love with the show in the first place, so it’s nice to see that despite some rather lackluster episodes in the middle, “One Piece” has returned to form. In Fourth Voyage, Luffy escapes his watery grave to defeat Arlong, but just as the Straw Hats are making their way to the Grand Line, they discover that they’ve become wanted men. Stopping off at Logue Town (Gold Roger’s final resting place) to pick up supplies for their journey, the crew encounters plenty of adversity along the way. Luffy’s bounty is challenged by a Marine captain named Smoker; Zoro faces off against a swordswoman named Tashigi; Usopp unknowingly talks himself into a duel with famous bounty hunter Daddy the Father; and Sanji competes in a cooking competition to win a rare fish. Additionally, Buggy the Clown has returned with a new partner in tow (Alvida, newly endowed with powers from the Smooth-Smooth Devil Fruit) to exact revenge. Some might complain that not enough happens in this volume, but I would disagree. While there’s only one major battle to speak of (Luffy vs. Arlong, which is by far the best part about the entire Fishman Saga), the rest of the episodes do a great job of setting up Season Two. It only looks to get better from here, so let’s hope Funimation doesn’t make us wait too long between releases.
