One Piece, Vol. 14

Eiichiro Oda, One Piece: Instinct (ViZ, 2000) What do you do when you're stuck on an island with two giants who are locked in a century-long battle for honor, and who think you sabotaged their fight? Hold on tight and hope to survive, I guess. Unfortunately, the crew's old nemeses show up for another match, adding another layer of danger to an already tenuous situation. This one's wonderfully creative, even above Oda's normal standard of way-out-there. One of the better volumes in the series. ****

I have been following this story since a couple of years ago, I have read the translations and thisis one of the best mangas I have ever encountered, so if you are new to this manga, READ it, I recommend it, the story is AWESOME, eventhough the art is not the best, but the story and plot is one of the best.

Volume 14 continues the Little Garden story arc. The giants are down, and Zoro, Vivi, and Nami have been captured by Mr. 3. It's up to Luffy to save them. But things are never so easy. I agree with the other review in that most of Luffy's crew don't do much in this volume. But for me, one of the highlights of Little Garden is that it creates a strong sense of danger and suspense that the series doesn't often generate. Usually, the bad guys are little more than annoying obstacles to whatever Luffy's main goal is. Here the threat feels real, and with half the crew about to be suffocated in wax, you know time is running out. Mr. 3 is one of the single most effective enemies in the series. We also get great character development. Usopp again shows a bit of cleverness that makes his battles so entertaining. And the volume's title "Instinct" refers to one of the best Luffy moments in the series. A great volume. So why did 4Kids skip it?

Another satisfying volume of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece. This volume includes the story of Luffy's crew facing off mostly against Mr. 3. This isn't the best volume of One Piece and doesn't involve the entire cast. Sanji is only included in the last two sections and most of Luffy's crew have minor roles at best. The majority of the action centers around Luffy and Usopp confronting Mr. 3 upon finding out he was behind the exploding drink in the last volume. Nevertheless, this storyline still has its strong points and the action is consistent with previous entries. If you enjoyed the previous volumes of this series you'll enjoy this one as well.