One Piece, Vol. 40

After an extended chase the Straw Hats and their allies have finally reached Enies Lobby. But before they can face CP9 and save Nico Robin from the Gates of Justice, they'll have to fight their way through government agents, troops, elite forces and the other defenses on the island. Cue mayhem. The objective may be relatively simple (get from point A to B), but Oda spices up the chapters in this volume with a wide variety of foes that our heroes have to overcome. The two giants and three-headed judge on the book's cover are a sampling of what's in store, and all become quite memorable despite their limited page counts. The giants in particular rise above their cannon fodder status in a callback to an older arc that fans will appreciate. However much you might want the Straw Hats to hurry up and confront CP9, the pacing never drags and the volume is never boring. The scope is appropriately epic for the invasion of a major government facility and continues to apply the same attention to detail that has made Water 7 the longest arc in the saga yet. Luffy vs. Blueno, which runs throughout the volume, ends in the unleashing of Luffy's newest game-changing move. It's a can't miss moment. Plus, pay special attention to the cover story as it explains how certain characters wind up in their current predicament (the contents of One Piece, Vol. 54 and beyond, currently being serialized in the American Shonen Jump). Translation notes: In most fan translations you'll find Fukuro measures his fellow agents' strengths with a unit of measurement known as a 'Douriki.' This always confused the heck out of me as I wasn't sure if douriki was a Japanese word or a One Piece-specific word. Viz chooses to go with the more direct translation of "Power Level" which makes it absolutely clear as to what is being measured. On the flip side, it's grammatical use is glaringly awkward and you lose the unit-of-measurement-feel of a single word. Win some, lose some. Keep on reading as One Piece finally explores Nico Robin's history next volume.