One Piece novel HEROINES

One Piece novel Heroines is a novel consisting of eight chapters (and an Illustrations extra) released in the One Piece Magazines, from volume eighth to fifteen. It focuses on the female protagonists of One Piece.

Publication History
The novel is written by Jun Esaka (江坂 純) and illustrated by Sayaka Suwa (諏訪さやか). Nami stars in the first chapter, followed by Nico Robin in the second chapter, Nefertari Vivi in the third, Perona in the fourth, Boa Hancock in the fifth, Tashigi in the sixth, and Uta in the seventh. The first four chapters were compiled into a single book that was released on June 4, 2021.

Chapter 1
Chapter 1 is titled episode: NAMI - The shoe must go on! Nami goes to the shoestore Lebno Listchaque to buy new shoes, but after she buys them, they begin to hurt her feet. She returns them, and the designer the store is named after decides to recruit her for his fashion show. His employee, Miucha, does Nami's clothes and shoe fitting, altering Lebno's shoes to be comfortable. Nami suggests that she start making her own shoes after learning that most customers complain about Lebno's shoes, but Miucha declines, as she admires him. At the fashion show that evening, Lebno looks down on Miucha for wearing his brand of shoes, but Nami walks the catwalk in Miucha's shoes instead. After, she thanks Nami for the support and begins making comfortable shoes on her own.

Chapter 2
Chapter 2 is titled episode: ROBIN - Unscramble egg of the archeologists. On her way back to the Sabaody Archipelago, Robin helps Koala decipher a tablet from the ruins of the Yukari civilization, which turns out to be a recipe for ruberry mushroom soup. She eats it alongside the Revolutionary Army, and during a discussion with Sabo, is asked not to tell Luffy about his survival, promising to watch over him until him and Sabo can meet again.

Chapter 3
Chapter 3 is titled episode: VIVI - The blue rose and the "writingale". Koza helps a young boy, Fata, to write a love letter to Vivi. The letter accidentally drops off of a balcony, and it falls into the hands of some locals. A local gossip, Aunt Mari, reads it, and when she confronts the pair about who wrote it, Koza takes the blame to save Fata from embarrassment. She shares it with King Cobra, Pell, and Chaka. They realize it is not his but Fata's letter. Vivi hears about the incident and becomes sad for the boy's unrequited love. She speaks to Koza before leaving for Levely, resolved to be a leader who will not hurt others.

Chapter 4
Chapter 4 is titled episode: PERONA - Nightmare after NAGASHIDARU. Zoro and Perona find a barrel full of red wine bottles floating in the sea near Kuraigana Island. Perona complains that she prefers cocoa. Zoro decides to bring the bottles to Mihawk, since the warlord has prohibited him from drinking alcohol unless he learns Haki. Perona wants the wine to make sangria, but when Mihawk refuses, she decides to confront him. Zoro offers to fight Mihawk instead, and the two begin to clash. Perona quietly approaches to steal the wine, but Mihawk notices her. Zoro accidentally breaks the bottles after getting hit by a Negative Hollow that was supposed to be aimed at Mihawk, leaving only a small amount of wine left. The three then decide to share it, and the Humandrills talk about a cocoa tree secretly planted by Mihawk for Perona.

Chapter 4.5
Chapter 4.5 is titled extra episode: NAMI - Don't let me go, and was only included in the first volume. A bird, captured by pirates, meets Nami during a break-in, and begins thinking about her constantly. She is indirectly saved by Nami, raising her opinion of her even more, but is eventually sold to a new owner. Years later, she has been captured by pirates again, and she is rescued by Nami, who finally lets her fly freely.

Chapter 5
Chapter 5 is titled episode: HANCOCK - This is why Nyon-baa passed out. Dahlia, a traveling member of the Kuja, was out of Amazon Lily when she met a man she fell in love with. The Kuja had to continue their travels, but they hosted a mock wedding for Dahlia and her lover. They threw a party before their departure, and it wasn't until after they had set out on the seas that Dahlia realized she was pregnant. She returns to Amazon Lily with her child and meets her fellow warriors, Marguerite, Sweet Pea, and Aphelandra. Dahlia tells them about her travels and later reunites with Hancock and speaks to her about the man she fell in love with. After Dahlia left, Hancock called Elder Nyon and announced to her that she would like a baby from Luffy.

Chapter 6
Chapter 6 is titled episode: TASHIGI - There is something about her.

Chapter 7
Chapter 7 is titled episode: UTA - Where the wind goes.

Chapter 1
Nami goes to Lebno Listchaque, a famous shoestore, to buy new heels. After trying on the shoes with her crew and hurting her feet, she returns to the store to return the pair. One of the store's employees, Miucha, tells her she cannot return them because it is against the store's policy. The designer, Lebno Listchaque, arrives and makes an exception. He is so struck by Nami's beauty that he recruits her as a model for his runway show and has her fitted for clothes and shoes by Miucha. During the fitting, Miucha's demeanor and appearance remind Nami of her mother, Bell-mère. Nami has trouble finding shoes that do not hurt her feet, and Miucha tries to help adjust some for her. She succeeds at making a comfortable shoe for Nami and, impressed by Miucha's skills, the navigator asks why she is working under someone else, causing Miucha to accidentally snap off the shoe's heel. Nami disagrees with Lebno's policies and suggests that Miucha make her own shoes, arguing that the worst that can happen is that she gets fired. Miucha reveals that she admires Lebno but that she is one of many girls he leads on. Nami thinks she should go off on her own, but Miucha disagrees, fixing the shoes. Miucha has an internal dialogue about how people like Lebno who are raised in a pampered higher class do not recognize the plight of normal people and that there are many out there too, who do not have the luxuries afforded to Nami because of her beauty.

At the venue, a runway is set up to present Lebno's new collection, and the seats are filled with celebrities, editors, buyers, actresses, royalty and artists who are Lebno's regular customers. Miucha is happy to be in the audience—she often works backstage at his fashion shows—and a model, one of Lebbnos' other suitors, is sitting in the front row. She is wearing shoes designed by Lebno. However, Lebno says that his brand is only worth being worn by a handful of women, and Miucha thinks about his rise to fame. The more famous his shoes became, the more distant and judgemental Lebno became. He stopped caring about comfort altogether, forgoing quality for prestige. High buyers did not care about comfort, and Lebno became known around the world. Miucha thought he gave up on pride and chose commercialism, and she thought about her dream to make shoes that did not hurt no matter how much you wear them.

As the show begins, Nami is the first to walk out, but Miucha is shocked to see her wearing a completely different outfit that Lebno thought she would, including light makeup, everyday clothes, and the shoes Miucha designed. The crowd is impressed by Nami's natural beauty and behavior, which are elevated by her comfortable shoes and functional clothes. Miucha tries to get on stage and follow Nami but she stumbles. She realizes that Lebno's uncomfortable shoes had caused her loss of balance and she removes them, leaving the room barefoot to find Nami. Outside the room, Nami explains to Miucha that she will be happier making her own shoes rather than following a famous designer who does not care about her. Miucha appreciates Nami's kindness and falls to her knees, sobbing loudly. She thanks Nami by giving her the keys to Lebno's store. Miucha quit her job under Lebno and begins making her own shoes. An investigation is held after all the jewelry in Lebno's store disappears, but Miucha and Nami keep their mutual secret.

Chapter 2
Robin sits aboard the Wind Granma, having left on her journey back to the Sabaody Archipelago. After being given tea by Bunny Joe, she contemplates her life after the Ohara Incident, culminating in her experiences with the Straw Hat Pirates. Suddenly, Sabo and Hack arrive on deck and ask for her help with something below deck, which she accepts.

She's brought to a small study, with Koala studying something in the corner. Upon seeing them enter, Koala protests that she didn't want to ask Robin for help, revealing that she's attempting to decipher an ancient text. Sabo argues that Robin is working alongside the Revolutionary Army, but Koala insists that she's working on a personal project, not an official matter. Sabo shows Robin the tablet that Koala is studying, and Koala reluctantly explains her work.

Interested in the ruins, Robin asks where they found them, and Sabo informs her that they took them from a warzone, intent on safeguarding them. Sabo, Koala, and Hack were on their way to hand them over to a team of affiliated researchers to properly study the ruins. Koala explains that the tablet was found in the ruins of a palace in the former Yukari country.

Having explained the situation, Hack asks Robin if she knows anything about the Yukari civilization. She explains that unfortunately, most of the information about the country has been lost due to the constant fighting in the region, and she only knows of the country's existence. Observing the tablet, she also corrects a mistake the Revolutionary Army members had made: the tablet was made of pottery, not stone, and had simply hardened due to the palace where it was being stored having burned down.

Moving on to the text, Koala reveals that she's read through all the Army's books on ancient languages, but failed to find anything similar to use as a reference. However, Robin reveals that she already recognizes a family of languages it may be from, and asks Koala if she wants her to translate it "through feeling"; Koala declines, stating she wants to translate it herself. Robin offers instead to give a hint, which Koala accepts, and Robin explains the difference between ideogram and phonogram languages. She reveals that this is a phonogram language, and not a ideogram language like Koala assumed. She explains how to decipher lost phonogram languages, pointing out that you need to start by looking for similarities across the most-used symbols; however, since Yukari only existed for a short time, it's likely that its language is similar to an existing one, which can be used as a base. Before leaving to let Koala investigate, she also reveals that the tablet has been flipped 90°, explaining why Koala couldn't find any similar languages.

Having given Koala a few hints, Robin heads to the cafeteria to eat. She notices a man eat a sautéed mushroom, before spitting it out and rushing out of the room. Intrigued, she tries the same mushroom, and is paralyzed by its bitterness. To respect the chef, she forces herself to swallow, noting that it seems to be cooked perfectly other than the bitterness.

Hack and Sabo arrive at her table, shocked that Robin managed to keep a straight face while eating the mushroom. Sabo explains that they picked up the mushrooms, called ruberry mushrooms, at a recent island, and he prepared them today. However, he could not figure out how to remove the bitterness, despite the residents of the island seemingly being able to. Despite that, he didn't want to waste food, and served it anyway; the members of the Revolutionary Army, meanwhile, respected Sabo too much to not eat them, and were all forcing themselves to finish their plates.

That night, Robin ran into Sabo and Hack waiting outside Koala's study. She had skipped dinner to continue her research, and the two wanted to bring her food, but didn't want to interrupt her. Seeing Robin, they pushed the responsibility onto her, stating that it would be better if Robin brought it.

Before entering Koala's study, Robin heard her suddenly yell in joy. She entered and asked Koala if she had good news, to which Koala revealed that she had tracked down a similar language, an ancient language called Son Cruso (ソンクルーソ). Robin gives her the food she brought, and Koala begins eating, with the two discussing their reasons behind wanting to translate the tablet.

After eating, Koala begins translating the tablet using Son Cruso as a base, which is considered a formality according to Robin. Since Yukari has an oral language very similar to the World Government's language, simply being able to read the tablet is enough to understand the meaning, and Koala is able to easily translate the first part. She translates the words "sesame" and "rye", prompting confusion from Koala about the topic of the tablet. Robin realizes, however, that it must be a recipe, explaining that the tablet is covered in limestone dust, meaning there couldn't have been trees in the surrounding area; this means the palace would have been made of stone, and couldn't have burned down. As such, the tablet must have been somewhere with wood, implying it was located inside a kitchen.

The next day, the Revolutionary Army eats the ruberry mushrooms again, this time without the bitterness. Surprisingly, the mushrooms also grew in Yukari, and the tablet Koala translated was a recipe for ruberry mushroom soup. As she helped prepare the food, Robin considers the future of the Straw Hat Pirates, discussing Luffy with Sabo. She promises again not to tell Luffy about Sabo being alive, and promises to watch over him in the meantime.

Chapter 3
Vivi works in her office as a maid brings her tea. The maid notices a drawing on her wall, asking what it is. Vivi responds that it's a portrait of her made by a local boy, though the maid considers it to be a very "abstract" piece, thinking that Karoo could make a better drawing.

Meanwhile, Koza sits at the top of the Alubarna Clocktower, looking down at the city. He hears a noise behind him, seeing Fata climbing into the room. They argue about the area being closed to the public, but eventually decide to both stay. Fata begins drawing Alubarna, telling Koza that he intends to give it to the girl he loves.

Koza attempts to guess who Fata's in love with, guessing both Salma and Yasmine, two girls that Fata is friends with. However, Fata declines both of them, and Koza eventually realizes that Fata is actually in love with the princess. Koza tells him to give up his love, since Fata is a child, but Fata claims that Koza just doesn't understand love. As Fata continues to draw, Koza informs him that Vivi will soon be leaving to Mary Geoise for the Levely, which makes Fata panic. He states that he needs to admit his love quickly, so Koza recommends writing a letter for Vivi, assuring Fata that she will read it.

Fata writes a short letter, giving it to Koza to read over. After Koza reads it, he goes to pass it back to Fata and it slips out of his hand, falling into the City Square. Fata freaks out, scared that people will find out about his for Vivi, as him and Koza run down to collect it. However, by the time they get there, people have already picked up and began spreading the letter, remarking that it's sweet and attempting to find out who wrote it. Fata, embarrassed, asks Koza to get it back somehow, and after a discussion with Aunt Mari, ends up claiming the letter as his own. He asks the surrounding people not to tell anybody about it, claiming to be embarrassed.

Vivi sits in her room, tired from her work. As she looks out the window, she realizes that she's been cooped up inside for a long time, and decides to go for a walk in the city.

As Koza finally gets the letter back, King Cobra, Chaka, and Pell arrive for a meeting with him. Intrigued, they ask what everybody is talking about, and ask to read the letter. Koza gives it to them instinctively, and after reading it, Chaka and Pell begin quizzing him about his supposed love for Vivi. Koza panics, unable to answer the questions, and tries to think of ways to leave. As he thinks, Vivi herself arrives, confused at the commotion.

Koza, relieved, passes her the letter, asking her to read it right away. She does, and despite everybody believing that Koza wrote it, recognizes Fata's handwriting, subsequently rejecting his confession. Everybody nearby is shocked that it wasn't Koza's letter.

Fata sits in his father's bar, drinking grape juice with Koza, Chaka, and Pell. He laments his rejection, claiming that it will only serve to help him mature, and that he will one day look back on it and laugh. Later, Koza visits Vivi, seeing that the portrait drawn by Fata is gone. She admits that whenever she looked at it, she felt bad for rejecting Fata, so she store it somewhere else. She promises again to be a ruler that her people can be proud of, and to do what's best for the country, acknowledging that she has more to worry about than a child's love confession.

Chapter 4.5
Someone sleeps in a room, but is suddenly woken up by a thief entering. She sees a young Nami, who asks her to stay silent while she robs the pirates. Nami quickly grabs their treasure and silently escapes, as the person thinks back to their past.

When she was a small child, she was taken from their parents for her beauty and sold to a young, rich man. He treated her exceptionally well, but eventually used up his entire fortune and, in despair, killed himself. Her ownership then transferred to a distinguished old woman. The old woman pampered her, but due to her age eventually developed a heart condition and died. The woman's family then sold her to a corrupt politician, who worked with pirates to steal from the residents of the town he was in charge of. This is who Nami stole from, revealing his partnership with pirates in the process. Due to this, the narrator was passed along to the only daughter of a rich family.

Recognizing her beauty, the daughter signed the narrator up for a modelling career, which exploded in popularity. However, due to her fame, the daughter was attacked by pirates, kidnapping the narrator in the process. She was kept in the pirates' cargo hold, always thinking back to Nami. She considers Nami a kindred spirit, a young girl forced to live with only her own devices.

As she thinks of Nami, she suddenly hears a voice above her. Looking up, she sees a now older Nami, who's in the process of robbing the pirates. This time, she also takes the narrator, carrying her cage outside and exposing her to sunlight for the first time in six months. As the narrator begins imagining the two of them living together as companions, Nami spots someone she recognizes, running over to her.

Robin offers a pastry to Nami, who accepts. Torn, the narrator realizes that Nami is no longer alone, and is both happy and sad. She's glad that Nami managed to find friends, but is sad that the two of them aren't as similar as she originally thought. Robin asks Nami where she found her, and Nami explains that she was on a pirate ship. She theorizes that she originally comes from a Summer Island, but she's not sure.

The narrator begins fidgeting, and Nami takes it as a sign that she wants to leave. She opens her cage, and the narrator moves freely for the first time in years, flying into the sky. As Nami and Robin watch, she spreads her seven-colored wings, flying off into the horizon.

Trivia

 * The cover of the compilation feature some of the characters' models from the cover of Chapter 921.
 * A promotional slip for the first volume included a comment from Eiichiro Oda: "Please enjoy the little ONE PIECE that exists in the margins of the great adventure."
 * Chapters 3 and 4's titles were slightly changed in the volume release
 * Chapter 3 was changed from episode: VIVI - The blue rose and the writingale to episode: VIVI - The blue rose and the "writingale"
 * Chapter 4 was changed from episode: PERONA - Nightmare after Nagashidaru to episode: PERONA - Nightmare after NAGASHIDARU

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