SBS Volume 17

SBS
R (reader)

O (Oda)

O: Before I start the SBS, I present the CMC (Chotto Machigae Chatta, "A little mistake") Corner!! This is for anyone who bought the first printing of Volume 16. It said that Chopper's name was "Tony-Tony Chopper", but that was a mistake on my part. It's really supposed to be "Tony Tony Chopper", so please try to remember that as you read it. What?! You don't care?! Oh well, now that you mention it, it doesn't really change the name at all. And now, the SBS...

'''R: WHERE IS THE OKAMA WAY? Is it my house?'''

O: Hmmm. Where? That's a difficult question... since it IS the "path of those who have opened their eyes". I think it could exist ANYWHERE (heart).... aaah!!

'''R: To Oda-sensei. The giants Dorry and Brogy's helmets look an awful lot like the Celts' horned helmets and the Verden-era (I forgot when) Swedish crested-helmets. Am I right?'''

O: Yes you are. The giant "Warriors of Elbaf"s image came from my original love for those pirates of the north, the "Vikings". So you are correct. All hail their valor!

'''R: I have a question. Is Mohmoo a Sea King? One of my friends says he's a Sea King, but I don't know...'''

O: Mohmoo? To be precise, Mohmoo is classified as a "sea creature". It's the same thing in One Piece as what we call sea-dwelling mammals in our world, like seals or whales. Therefore, simply think of "Sea Kings" as giant, non-mammalian animals living in the sea.

R: Does One Piece have an official home page?

O: Hmmm. Maybe, maybe not. Not specifically for One Piece, but there is a Jump page, and in there is a One Piece corner. The name of the webpage is "Pop Web Jump", so if you run a search for that, you should be able to find it.

'''R: Please listen to me, Oda-sensei. When I was standing around reading in a bookstore earlier, I realized something. I thought, is there some kind of connection between Vivi-chan and ancient Egypt? Vivi-chan's full name is Nefertari Vivi, and her father's name is Nefertari Cobra. In ancient Egypt, the name "Nefertari" meant "the most beautiful" or "the most wonderful", and therefore was often affixed to the portraits of queens and princesses. Also, Alabasta is a sand kingdom, and her father's name is Cobra. I'll be really happy if I got it right. If I am, please acknowledge me as a rival to Knowledgeable Himeko.'''

O: I see... Is that what it means? Nefertari, I mean. Nice. I most certainly used ancient Egypt as a model for Alabasta, so I just flipped through a book about Egypt and picked out names that sounded nice. I see... I picked out a good name (for a person). Okay! I'll acknowledge it! You are a rival to Knowledgeable Himeko!! I see...

'''R: How is a volume of comics created? Like, where exactly does the "name" get decided, and everything? Please tell me.'''

O: The "name". Ah yes. I do the "Great Name Introduction" in these books sometimes. I'll give a full explanation of the order it goes in. The entire schedule we go through to get this book into your hands.


 * Step 1: Space Out

Space out dejectedly.


 * Step 2: Meeting

Talk to the people at Jump about what will be in the next chapter.


 * Step 3: Planning

Think about what will actually go in the chapter.


 * Step 4: Name

Write a "name" on a blank piece of paper.


 * Step 5: Show the Name

Fax the name to the boss. If he doesn't like it, we fight, or I rename it.


 * Step 6: Master Copy

Call the assistants over to my house, and we go nuts for 2 or 3 days. We draw the master copy.


 * Step 7: Jump goes on Sale

Jump goes on sale around the country.


 * Step 8: Meeting

Now I talk with the high-tech boss Y-san about the cover of the book and how to color it.


 * Step 9: Make the Extras

Draw the cover pages and make the SBS.


 * Step 10: Book goes on Sale

It's already complete a full month before it's available in stores. The end.

So this is basically how it works. Well, this is my schedule, but all artists have their own pace. Just consider trying to draw before coming up with a name for your master copy is like manga artists' block.

'''R: Um, it seems like whenever Dalton-san, the Captain of the Drum Civilian Defense Force, is asked a question, he says something extra after it that doesn't matter at all. Is it because he's a nice person?'''

O: He does certainly say some unnecessary things. But I bet it's because he's just a good guy. Oh, and he likes chestnuts, by the way.

Dalton: It's a lakeshore town further north of here. And also... skating is popular there.

Dalton: There's no denying that she has skill. But she is a rather... strange old woman... She's almost 140 years old.

Sanji: A... 140?!! And she's alive?!

Dalton: Well... yes... she does like those dried plums.