One Piece, Vol. 8: I Won't Die

Monkey D. Luffy wants to be King of the Pirates. As a child he gained the power to stretch like rubber, and the price was that he can never swim again. Now he sails after the One Piece, a treasure rumoured to outshine every other on the seas.

In this volume Luffy is stuck at the oceangoing restaurant Baratie, where he owes a year of chore-boy work. The only way out of that debt is to clear the seas of the villain Don Krieg.

Krieg is heavily armed and has a fighter called the Demon Man, Commander Gin, at his side. As the fight goes on, Krieg shows that his military strength is deadlier than it first looked, and the battle takes a surprising turn.

Elsewhere, Nami has sailed away on the Merry Go with treasure on board. Her destination is Arlong Park, home of Captain Arlong and his Fish-Man Pirates. Why she is going there is a question the volume leaves hanging, and Luffy's crew may be in over their heads.

This manga adventure has a comic, swashbuckling tone. It moves between an all-out sea battle and a growing mystery about one crew member, so the pace stays brisk and the stakes keep rising.