One Piece, Vol 18: Ace
Arrives
Author: Eiichiro Oda
Publisher: Viz Media
American release date: June 3, 2008
Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Action Adventure/232 pages
Overall Personal
Rating: ★★★★★
Luffy and his crew are making
their way to Alabasta, slowly but surely. Since Luffy ate all the bait they
need for fishing, they are using Karoo, to Vivi’s shock! When they pass through
a steam cloud caused by an underwater volcano, they are surprised to find they
have gained an unexpected passenger.
He’s a bit of an oddball and claims to have also eaten the devil fruit.
Only when a ship draws near and takes him off do they find out he is Mr. 2 Bon
Clay of Baroque Works!
They reach Alabasta at last, only
to find, to their alarm, a whole lot of Baroque Works ships behind them! They
anchor the ship and Luffy takes off immediately, having smelled a
restaurant. Vivi is dismayed to spot Mr
3’s ship in the harbor. Apparently he isn’t dead after all. Not only that, but
Captain Smoker is there as well. Luffy finds food, but then Smoker finds him.
Off Luffy goes, Smoker in hot pursuit! Another unexpected arrival turns out to
be Ace, Luffy’s older brother! Brother, what?
Meanwhile, Mr. 11 has been
captured by a group who calls themselves the “billions”. They see an
opportunity to make a name for themselves – at 11’s expense. As Luffy and the others reunite, Vivi sends
Karoo with an important message for her father. Of course, everyone wants to
know about Luffy’s brother, who apparently has also eaten the devil fruit. What
are the odds? Ace invites Luffy and his friends to join Whitebeard’s pirates,
but of course he declines.
They set course for Yuba. Vivi
intends to reason with the leader of the revels, intent on avoiding future
bloodshed. She is determined to rid her country of Baroque Works as well. In the meantime, those same people are
meeting at their headquarters, at the Spiders Café.
Luffy and the others arrive at
Erumalu the Green City – but it isn’t very green! Vivi explains that it was once upon a time
but that rain hasn’t fallen in three years!
She also tells them about the King’s Miracle, which provided water to
Alubarna – but at a high price. It’s gonna be a long, hot, and dry trip to Yuba
across the desert sands!
We’ve finally reached the crux of
the Alabasta arc, and things are falling into place. We have Luffy and the
others who are fighting for Princess Vivi, who is fighting both Baroque Works
and the rebel forces. We’re seeing the assembled Baroque Works now, in all
their “glory”. They have some real characters among them, that they do. There
is backstory for Vivi, which yields very interesting information, especially in
light of an unexpected reveal. And let’s not forget Captain Smoker, who is hot
on Luffy’s heels! Things are really happening, looking forward to the next
volume!