SBS Volume 29

Chapter 265, Page 26
'''D: Whoever it was that answered the question "Why is Zoro so darn cool?" with "BECAUSE HE LOOKS LIKE ME" at Jump Festa 2003 and caused Zoro's voice actor Nakai Kazuya-san such trouble, PLEASE LEAVE THESE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY....is Oda Eiichiro gone now...? Good, I can finally start the SBS with some peace of mind... therefore, START THE SBS!!'''

O: ...I totally forgot about that. Jump Festa is this big Jump Event that goes on at the end of every year. It's a huge thing that only happens once a year, so it's really fun. Over a hundred thousand people come in just two days. They even have a real OP musical. It's awesome. So anyways, let's get this SBS rolling.

'''D: Hello, Oda-sensei!! I've always been wondering, are all the Marine Captains [Taisa] and above at the Marine Headquarters different than the Captains at the Marine Bases? Are they just raised tougher, or what? by the guy from the mask store.'''

O: Yes. They're way different. The Marine Headquarters are like the super-elite of the Marines. These men who appeared at the assembly in Volume 11. Those are men in the Headquarters' "Junior Officers" ranks (Lieutenant [Taii], Junior Lt. [Chuui], Ensign [Shoui]) but if the former Base "Captain [Taisa] Axe-Arm Morgan" or "Captain [Taisa] Nezumi" from Nami's home were there, they would be among those men. The Headquarters and standard Base ranks are about three ranks apart, you could say. A higher [Taisa] Captain at a Base would be a lower [Taii] Lieutenant at Headquarters, and a Commander [Chuusa] would be a Junior Lieutenant [Chuui].

Chapter 266, Page 46
D: AAAA-AAAA-A-A-A-A-AAAA-AAAA! From the North: Sada Masashi

O:A-AAA-A-A-A-A-AAAA-A-A-AAAA-A-A-A-A AAAAA-AAAA-A-AA-A-A-AA-A-A-AA! LULULULULUUUU!!! OKAY, ENOUGH!!!...why'd you make me sing that? I love that northern stuff.

'''D: Greetings!! I always have fun reading OP. I always listen to the radio at work, and the other day they had a Kitano Makoto quiz corner on Nippon Broadcast, and they asked what kind of mysterious snow falls sometimes in France. The answer was pink-colored snow!! Did you purposefully make it part of the story, knowing that?''' Penname Oyumino Chopper

O: Pink-colored snow. Yes. I did know that. The reason is that particles of dust in the air contain iron and turn red, they then attach to the snow, making it pink or reddish in color. It happened in France. Yellow snow has also been recorded in Vienna. Sometimes pollution in the air can cause mysterious, fantastic effect like that.

'''D: Hello, Oda-sensei. I have a question about the Skypiean priests. Gedatsu = Deliverance/Salvation, Shura = Fighting, Satori = Enlightenment, and Yama = (some Buddhist Deity? I don't know this one). You took all their names from religious Japanese terms,didn't you? Therefore, could you tell me what the name "Ohm" comes from? Please, thank you very much!'''

O: That's right.I'm not really good with religion, so they were kind of cheap names. "Om" is a holy word in the Hindu religion that is written like this on the left. I apologize to all religious believers everywhere.

Chapter 269, Page 108
'''D: Hello and well met, Oda-sensei! I have been personally wondering about something for quite a long time. In Volume 22, Chapter 198, when Crocodile has Vivi-chan around the neck, she says something about her country, but doesn't finish the sentence. Then, in Volume 23, Chapter 216, in her speech she utters the line, "I want to go adventuring with you some more, but I can't! Because I love my country!", and I get the feeling those two lines are related. Was the unfinished part of her quote in Chapter 198 the "I love my country!" from Chapter 216?!''' by It'll all be OK.

O: Yes. Thanks for reading that far into it. That's right. That is where Vivi's feelings always lie. Even the angry roar of a rebellion disappeared before her regal love. I wonder how happy the citizens must have felt at her matter-of-fact statement in that last scene (T_T). That was a good story. Yeah... yeah.

'''D: You can't tell directions on the Grand Line, right? So then, why does Nami answer Robin's question "Is the Log Pose all right?" with "Straight to west-northwest!" in Vol. 24 (Ch. 218)? If you can't give me a decent answer for this, you must do some mid-winter swimming in the nearest swimming pool.'''

O: Uh, it's summer. Oh well, no problem. Even on the Grand Line, you can use land to tell directions. And since Nami is only confirming that the next island is currently west-northwest of their ship, they know that they are proceeding toward it correctly. No mid-winter swimming for me.

Chapter 271, Page 148
'''D: When Sanji says "Naaami-saaaan" in the One Piece anime, try saying "Nooomi-sooooon". It should sound exactly the same.'''


 * Try this on your friends!
 * You: "Nooomi-sooon! What did I just say?"
 * Friend: "Naaami-saaan"
 * You: "Bzzt. The answer was Nooomi-sooon."
 * Tell your friend either "Nami-san" or "Noumiso" (brains).
 * Make your friend tell you what you said.
 * Repeat forever (not).

P.N. Sasuke

O: Okay. Thank you very much Sasuke-chan. Do that forever.

'''D: In Chapter 251 (V. 27), page 51, Usopp is doing the Kamen Rider pose with the "shakiiin" and all, right? How much do you like Kamen Rider, exactly, Oda-sensei?'''.

O: Did you know this? I used to watch Kamen Rider a long time ago. It was originally a manga by Ishinomori Shotaro-san. He's dead, though.

'''D: If Zoro and Sanji had a big fight, who would emerge victorious? Zoro beat Mr. 1, so I guess...Zoro would be the winner, right...?'''

O: Whoa! You scared me... for a second it looked like "If Zoro and Sanji had a dick fight" (Note in Japanese, at least). Hey man, learn to punctuate better or something. You know what I mean....okay, see you next time!