SBS Volume 31




 * D (Dokusha means Reader)
 * O (Oda)

Chapter 287, Page 44
O: START THE SBS!!! (DON!) I did it!! I said it!! I SAID it!! Sweet, sweet joy!! I bet you guys all thought I had just given up lately. Well you thought wrong. So, so wrong. I've just been waiting for my chance this entire time. Ahh... What a great feeling. You can't take over my section anymore!! I'd like to see you TRY!! Bring it on!!

'''D: Oda-sensei. There's something that has been nagging me since I started reading One Piece. Why don't Luffy or Zoro or the other guys have any armpit hair?! I mean, I'm younger than Luffy, but I've got HELLA ARMPIT HAIR. So why don't they?!'''

O: YOU MEAN I CAN DRAW IT? Seriously, if you all really want to see it, I can draw that on there. Like a forest.

D: What do Zoro's new special attacks "__ Pound Cannon" mean?

O: "12-pound cannons" and "24-pound cannons," for instance, are ways of naming or categorizing cannons. The number refers to the weight of the cannonballs. Even a 12-pound cannon will weigh over a ton by itself. 1 pound = ~0.45 kg Just don't get them mixed up with "Fond de veau." That has to do with French food.

(Note: Yes, Fond de veau is a Japanese pun pronunciation on "__ pondo hou," the spelling for "__ pound cannon." Even in Japanese, it's a stretch.)

Chapter 289, Page 86
'''D: Greetings, Oda-sensei!! One Piece is always a fun read. I just had to write you this letter to get one little thing off my chest. It refers to this panel. I thought, "Wow, Chopper has such a cute, round little head..." BUT NO! Actually... "HIS ANTLERS SHOULD BE CONNECTED TO HIS HEAD, NOT HIS HAT!" Can you please explain this or set it straight?'''

O: Well. I can honestly say that I got an incredible number of letters pointing this out to me. But here is my answer to all of you. "NOT EVERYTHING THE EYE PERCEIVES IS TRUTH." You see, Chopper was SO shocked it reached the degree that his antlers also pop off his head. This is what he was trying to tell us, with his whole body language. It was like his own kind of "rock," y'know what I'm saying? It was like!! His own... kind of... "rock"... y'know what I'm... Saying!! Next question.

'''D: On the cover art for Chapter 284, "Thanks", you drew a picture of a dog smoking a cigarette. Even for you, this is beyond tasteless. Are you trying to give this dog health problems?'''

O: Oh... there was clearly a lack of supervision in this incident... I'm terribly sorry. I will make sure Sanji is scolded for this. That rascal!

Chapter 290, Page 106
'''D: Hello, Oda Eiichiro-san. Thanks for everything. I recently re-read One Piece over from the very first volume, and I came back with a very strong impression. THE SBS USED TO BE GOOD. Since when did it turn so random and useless? Whose fault was this? It's getting to be such a problem that Gaimon-san cannot stop growing (his son is worried, too) Help me! P.S. Did you know that there is somebody inside Gachapin?'''

O: Hold up a second. This P.S. is far more disconcerting to me than the actual letter. GACHAPIN IS ACTUALLY WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE. (I SWEAR) There's nobody inside him. Stop your lying! Hmph. Anyways. Gachapin is apparently a baby dinosaur, and Mukku, his sidekick, is an Abominable Snowman. I can see "baby dinosaur"... but "abominable snowman"? He's freakin' red!! How can there be a brick-red abominable snowman on the white snowy peak of a mountain? HE'S TRYING TOO HARD TO DRAW ATTENTION TO HIMSELF. THAT'S WHY I LOVE MUKKU. Japanese children grow up and learn by watching stuff like Ponkikki (another costumed character). So, what was your question again? Oh yeah, why is the SBS like this. Well it's definitely not MY fault.

Chapter 293, Page 166
'''D: Oda-san greetings!! I would really like to see these earth-domination-plotting aliens like "Nnke-kun", (mmkay?) the partner of "Domo-kun" (Volume 2, p. 13). Please show me what he looks like.'''

O: Yes, a very very old hidden character. I figured that after mentioning in One Piece "Blue" that he had a friend, someone would be interested, so here they are! Domo-kun and Nnke-kun!! Clapclapclapclapclap...!! I thought him up in high school. In my collection of "masterpieces", "Wanted", they're hiding in the short story "God's Gift for the Future". Now that I've introduced them once more, I'll probably end up doodling them into some pictures (lol).

(Left: Domo-kun. Right: Nnke-kun.)

D: Is that thing on the Almighty God Enel-san's head a rubber swimming cap?

O: ...yes. That's it. (lazy explanation) Oh, no wait. There's no rubber on the Sky Islands. So... it's made of cloth. (mega-lazy explanation)

'''D: Hello, Oda-sensei. On the right side of the first panel on Volume 26 page 54, is that Zoro trying to jump into the sea of clouds real casual-like? He must have really wanted to dive in there!!'''

O: Yeah. What a retard.

Chapter 294, Page 186
'''D: Hello, my name is Akihiko. Now, Oda-sensei, I know you must have gotten tons of letters saying, "There's a mistake on Volume 28 page 155!!" right? Since you're so busy with working on the manga and all, I've thought up an answer for you. During the "Surprise Dial Illusion," Hotori and Kotori's necks were able to spin around and around, right?! It makes so much sense now...'''

O: Whoa!! Akihiko!! You're such a nice guy!! Yes. SO many people pointed that one out. You see, their dials got kind of mixed up with the left and right and all, so yeah (sorry). While I was amazed and touched that people were watching that carefully, I was also worried about how to explain it, so I was on the verge of ignoring the issue entirely (hey), until your wonderful letter came along. I'm so happy I could cry. Good job, Akihiko-kun!! So there's your explanation, everyone!! (hey)

'''D: Nice to meet you, Oda-sensei, hello! Now, as I've been watching the One Piece anime, I've begun to notice that Pandaman pops up in the anime in all the same scenes that he hides in within the manga!! Is that because you point him out to them and say, "This is where he shows up"?'''

O: Nope, not at all. I've never told them even once. He'd probably still show up even if I stopped drawing him in the manga. That's just the animators having some fun. I tell the voice actors to have fun by doing adlibs, and aside from the important and dramatic scenes, I'd like to see people having more fun with the anime itself. When you enjoy creating it, the people watching it feel the enjoyment as well. See you in the SBS next time around!!