One Piece: Heroines, Vol. 2

One Piece: Heroines #2

by Eiichiro Oda (Creator), Jun Esaka, Sayaka Suwa (illustrator)

「ONE PIECE magazine」で連載された『ONE PIECE novel HEROINES』シリーズ! ONE PIECEに登場する女性キャラクターを主人公に、彼女たちの色とりどりの日々を描く小説ストーリー集! 魅力的なヒロインたちの挿絵や書き下ろしエピソードにも注目!

episode:HANCOCK
海で失踪したはずの部下がアマゾン・リリーに戻ってきた。ハンコックは、外海で恋をしたという彼女を呼び出して、その恋バナを聞くことにするが…。ハリケーンが吹き荒れる!?

episode:TASHIGI
たしぎとスモーカーは海賊の被害に悩む島に立ち寄る。たしぎは「海賊に復讐するために強くなりたい」と願う少女に剣の指導をつけることにするが、そこで思わぬ事態が…!?

episode:REIJU
ヴィンスモーク家のレイジュと弟たちは、コック不在の船に乗ったせいで自ら料理をすることに…。果たして姉弟たちはどんな料理をしでかすのか!?

episode:UTA
ウタが歌う楽曲「風のゆくえ」。それは幼いウタと父シャンクスとの、騒がしくて楽しくて優しい記憶。赤髪海賊団での日々が蘇るーー。

extra episode:NAMI & ROBIN
ナミとロビンは航海中の悩みーー肌や髪など美容のことについて語り合う。チョッパーやブルックたちも交えながら、自分をケアすることの楽しさに気づいていく。

Genres: Light Novel, Manga

152 pages, Paperback

First published March 4, 2024

About the author

Eiichiro Oda (尾田栄一郎, Oda Eiichirō) is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of the manga and anime One Piece.

As a child, Oda was inspired by Akira Toriyama's works and aspired to become a manga artist. He recalls that his interest in pirates was probably sparked by the popular TV animation series titled Vicky the Viking. He submitted a character named Pandaman for Yudetamago's classic wrestling manga Kinnikuman. Pandaman was not only used in a chapter of the manga but would later return as a recurring cameo character in Oda's own works.

Please also see:
尾田荣一郎 (Chinese, simplified)
尾田榮一郎 (Chinese, traditional)

Reviews

[Maisie :D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boa's story unfortunately let this book down slightly. She is one of the most intriguing One Piece characters, with her being a stoic pirate empress and a snake princess. I would have loved to see a story regarding her travels or her as a war lord before the title was stripped away from her. And in all fairness, I enjoyed the start of the story with her meeting one of her warriors who left the island and then returned with a child, as I thought their dynamic could be rather interesting. I also liked the fact, we were getting this story from someone else's perspective, so we could see how her people thought about her.

However, instead Boa's story became about Luffy and we just had a repeat of the story from her point of view. When she's not around Luffy / before she realised she wanted to be with him, her character is so intriguing. Her history is dark and she has had to fight tooth and nail to become the woman she is. She is also the only woman who is a war lord, which is so cool! But the moment they gave her a romantic storyline with Luffy, they seem to forget what she is capable of. I wish this story focused on her more instead of making it a story essentially about Luffy.

However, the next few stories really are lovely to read. Tashigi is one of my favourite characters, so to read a tale about her being a badass and also inspiring a little girl to want to be like her was really lovely.  The last time we really saw her character was back in Punk Hazard, and since then we have seen the corruption of the navy get worse and worse with every episode. Tashigi, for me, is one of the small hopes in their system getting better. She has shown to stick to her guns and always do what's the best for people even if it breaks a few rules. She is the good in the world and this book helps consolidate that.

Reiju's story is bitter sweet for me. She believes herself to be a monster, just like her family, but she doesn't realise how much humanity she still has. Instead of writing a big story that shows she is different to those around her, they do a small tale that shows it just as well.

The book speaks of the men in her life, but implies how different she is to them. She isn't cruel, or aggressive, or even that stoic. Her story shows her as lonely in a way, as she is not completely human but not completely a machine either. She is stuck between these two worlds and not knowing how to fall into them. Having her curious about something Sanji loved and wishing that she could have had time with her own mother and brother shows us that she is different from them. I'm glad we got to see some of her humanity before the actions of cake island, as it shows us that her kindness was always in her and not just limited to Sanji.

Uta. My darling. I adore her with everything I am, I completely understand why Shanks got attached to her so fast and didn't want to drop her off on a random island, as she is just a delight. She's cheeky and curious and so filled with wonder and love about the world, it would be hard not to like her. Her relationship with the Red Haired Crew did help shift my perception of them as well, as they come across as less piratey and yonko like, but actual dudes who got the chance to raise a child as there own. They treat Uta in a different way to Luffy, as they are more lenient and gentle with her I feel. (Book couldn't make me like Yasopp though, that bitch still on my hit list.

I also loved the slice of life on the Sunny! To see Nami and Robin's bond was so lovely, as we just got to see how they are domestically around one another. I was screaming in delight at Brook showing up to discuss his hair routine alongside them, what could have made it better would have been Usopp joining in too. The chill moments of the Sunny are something I crave and would like to see more of in the future!

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the free E-Book in exchange for an honest review.

I was a little hesitant going into this book due to the harsh reviews I’ve been seeing, but I actually enjoyed it. Was I expecting more in depth stories that showed more about the lovely women in the one piece universe? Yes I was. Did I still enjoy the slice of life one shot chapters? Yes I did. I think the best way to approach this side story series is to not take it seriously. They’re just fun one shots that feature the one piece heroines. It’s not written by Oda himself so I wasn’t expecting anything crazy good. The writing was simple, the stories were short but enjoyable. It didn’t blow me away, but it didn’t disappoint me either.

#IndigoEmployee

[Myriam Hernandez]

so cute! can’t wait for the anime adaptation :) hancock being so clueless and jumping to conclusions will always be funny to me ou i know gloriosa is tired of her 😭! that little girl immediately losing interest in being trained by tashigi after finding out she’s rly not that strong 😭 i felt bad for her but also she really does need to pick it up…. reiju’s story always makes me so sad, it was sweet having her reminisce on sanji and their mother. i haven’t seen film red yet but i love uta, her and shanks were so adorable but i know what he ends up doing and it had me heartbroken the whole time. the short story at the end with nami and robin was so cute i love when the strawhats are just chilling around. brook and the girls sharing hair care tips LMFAOOO he’s one of the girls

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

shanks… heheheh…. .. hehe… he …he

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

These One Piece novels are so fun. Cute little side stories that we normally would not hear about. I’m glad I picked this one and the first one up to add to my collection.

[Noah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thanks to Viz Media and NetGalley for the ARC.

To start this review, I want to emphasize that I adore the “One Piece” franchise. The story is an epic of, well, epic proportions. Very few could keep a series constantly moving and feeling fresh, but every chapter Oda has published continues to add more layers to this expansive world.

Yet, every moment of the series has felt purposeful. Sure, there have been moments where the saga wasn’t the most engaging, but everything felt like it had a purpose. The world was fleshed out. The characters were explored. The plot was given a natural segue into the next act.

But throughout this book, I couldn’t identify a single reason for telling these stories.

I won’t go into too much depth, to avoid ruining the stories themselves, but I will try to give my general thoughts for each short story.

1. Boa Hancock- It is a shame that this story was the first in the collection, as I believe it is one of the worst. This story is incredibly tedious to read, as it centers around a conversation between two individuals, but instead of reading through this mundane meeting once, we are forced to read the exact same conversation again, in order to hear the internal thoughts of both characters. Not only is the concept tedious, but it is somewhat belittling to the reader. The intent in replaying the conversation seems to be to provide humor by knowing the other participant’s perspective, but as a reader, I could already understand what was happening below the surface. I did not need to be told outright.

2. Captain Tashigi- Slightly better than the previous, if only because we weren’t forced to endure it two separate times. Similarly to the last story, the highlighted character is not developed at all, but thankfully, it doesn’t betray the character either.

3. Vinsmoke Reiju- By my estimation, while this story may not insult the reader as much as Hancock’s, it is instead an insult to Oda’s well crafted characters. While the story is through Reiju’s eyes, much of the plot focuses on all of the Vinsmoke siblings (sans Sanji), and while Reiju seems to act in-character, the siblings seem to be entirely redefined to fit a plot line that would be more suited for a children’s book.

4. Uta- Despite having numerous grievances with the past stories, this one was alright. Uta’s thoughts and dialogue sound far too old for her age in the story, and Shanks is too “sweet” to be believable for his character, but I can suspend my disbelief enough to see this as a charming way to flesh out the relationship between these two characters. From the collection, this is the one story I can truly recommend.

5. Bonus Story- This story is fine. Nothing of note.

Sadly, on top of the pointlessness and mischaracterization, the writing present in this collection is so stiff and bland that it falls victim to breaking the number one rule that every high school teacher has said at least once- “Show, don’t tell.” Likely, some of this is due to the translation between Japanese and English, but I have read numerous works translated from other languages and found beautiful prose provided by meticulous translation. That is not the case with this work.

I wish I could be more positive about this work, as I was truly excited for the opportunity to read it, but outside of the Uta story, I failed to find anything of substance.

[Ja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 2 in the One Piece Heroines novels has its moments, but I found it decidedly less entertaining than the first.

Boa Hancocks is probably the worst story. It's basically one conversation told from two different points of view and based on a misunderstanding. The reader clearly knows the conceit of the misunderstanding, but then we're forced to reread it from a different point of view explaining how this misunderstanding happens. What even is this story?

I liked Tashigi's story, mainly because she's so underutilized in that main story. Tashigi is a great swordsperson in her own right, but always came upon more difficult opponents in the manga, making her appear weak and irrelevant. At least when the story focuses on her, we get to learn more about her spirit of justice and her strength against pirates.

Reiju's story was just okay. It doesn't feel like it adds much to her character than we don't already learn about in the Whole Cake Island arc of the manga.

Uta's story was only interesting because it gives us a little slice of life look at Shanks and the Red Haired pirates as they roam the seas.

The final bonus chapter with Nami and Robin gives us our obligatory Straw Hat characters. While the plot is not much of a plot at all, we get some fun interactions between the crew, and see how Nami views her relationship with the rest of them.

All in all, it was a decent collection of stories. I would have liked to see other characters, such as Lola and Chiffon, Carrot, Rebecca, or even Stussy. There's a lot that can be done to flesh out their characters and personalities beyond what we've read, but it needs to be done with care. Or, some simple activities on their own ship, such as the actual work of maintaining and sailing the Thousand Sunny, would have been cool to read from Nami or Robin's perspective.

[Heather Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arc Review

This volume contains little vignettes of Boa, Tashigi, Reiju, and Uta. It also has a small bonus chapter of Nami and Robin. As a One Piece fan, I found the glimpses of characters and their interactions to be intriguing. I especially enjoyed Reiju's story because it gave us more of a glimpse into her feelings and emotions surrounding her family and Sanji, something that was only hinted at in her appearance in the main One Piece manga.

I do think each story will be dependent upon how much the reader cares for the main character. For example, not a lot happens in either Boa or Reiju's stories, but because I was more invested in what Reiju thought, I enjoyed her story and not so much Boa's.

Stylistically, I liked that art of the characters was interspersed with the text, but I wish there had been more art to better showcase scenes.

Thank you Viz Media and Netgalley for the Arc!

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The One Piece ladies are back for more hijinks and reminiscing as Hancock seeks clues to the life of lovers, Tashigi aids an island plagued by pirates, Reiju ponders the art of cooking, and Uta loses herself in a memory from her childhood. Jun and Sayaka will delight fans with another charming set of stories, its adorable illustrations and relaxing slice-of-life leaving readers with a sweet afterglow. The lives of ladies at sea are as unpredictable as they are eye-opening.

[Heather Robinson (GFB) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent

This wasn't as good as vol. 1. The final chapter with Nami & Robin was a worthwhile read though. *Minor Spoilers* Shanks disappearing while Uta is having Cotton Candy Bliss and then her crying out wondering where he went, gave me WCI flashbacks. 😭😭💀

[Mityl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Edelweiss for a review copy. I had hopes from this novel given the anime. The first two stories were enjoyable, but I felt that I was laboring through the rest.

[Andie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't like 2 of the characters present in the stories, so it was really just a half-win of a light novel for me.

[Madison Lessard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man’s … Reiju redemption agenda … never dies!

[ChandyRan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I liked the first volume's stories a little better, but this continues the light and breezy feel of the first book.

[Niko Ilic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little sidestories, making you wish for more :)

[Dakota · Rating 4 out of 5]

brook is one of the gurls i love it

[SummerRae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Reiju and Uta's story, but the rest were pretty meh. It was a cute, fun afternoon read for me. Stories were better in the first one, but this is still worth it. Solid 3 stars.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar to the first book: fast to read, and while it's nothing that stands out too much, it's just more fun One Piece content. Plus some fun drawings along the way. Worth a read.

[Daniela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories are cute. I like the cast of characters they picked this time.

[kkchanisagirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 2 has five stories centering around Hancock, Tashigi, Reiju, Uta, and Nami/Robin.

The front/back cover spread is gorgeous, and the print release has a double sided poster!!

I love Sanji, so I loved the Reiju chapter!! And I liked the delulu Hancock chapter as well ^^