One Piece, Vol. 12 continues where the previous tankōbon left off and contains the next nine chapters (100–108) of the on-going manga series.
This tankōbon is a collection of three storylines. As the Straw Hats try to flee the island, Smoker gets in their way. Monkey D. Luffy fights him, but is quickly pinned to the ground. With the help of a man named Dragon, he escapes.
The Straw Hats finally enters the Grand Line by crossing Reverse Mountain, where they are swallowed by the giant whale Laboon. In its stomach they meet Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday, who are trying to kill the whale to feed their village, and Crocus, Laboon's caretaker. Crocus shows them the way out, telling the whale's story, and introduces the Straw Hats to navigating the Grand Line. Luffy impulsively gives Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 a ride to Whiskey Peak, their home village.
Their arrival is celebrated by the townspeople, who are bounty hunters for Baroque Works. With his comrades fast asleep after the party, Roronoa Zoro must fight the roughly 100 bounty hunters himself.
This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Eiichirō Oda. For the most part, it is written and illustrated rather well. It feels like a transitory tankōbon, because of the quick storylines – it concluded the Loguetown Arc, began and concluded the Reverse Mountain Arc, and began the Whiskey Peak Arc. After several multi-tankōbon story arcs, it is good to read short arcs to balance each epic adventure.
All in all, One Piece, Vol. 12 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems really intriguing and I can't wait to read more.