One Piece has been going on for so long that it's breaking its own world record.
The beloved manga series beat its previous record and was awarded a new certificate by Guinness World Records for being "the most published comic series by a single author." This announcement was shared by the official One Piece Twitter, @Eiichiro_Staff. The tweet also mentioned that One Piece has sold over 500 million copies worldwide. At the time of its previous record for 2014, the series had distributed 320,866,000 copies.
A Long, Long Journey
The ShÅnen Jump manga is authored by Eiichiro Oda and was first released on July 22, 1997. It follows the main protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, and his pirate crew as they search for the legendary treasure, the titular One Piece. This mysterious piece of booty was left behind by Gol D. Roger, the last King of the Pirates. His execution and a prior announcement that he hid his plunder inspired Luffy and an entire generation of pirates. The story follows the typical ShÅnen Jump themes of friendship, effort and victory that can be seen in other manga such as Dragon Ball, Naruto and Hunter x Hunter.
The anime and manga have currently released over 1,000 episodes and chapters of the nautical adventures, but it seems like One Piece's final arc is on the horizon. Having finished freeing the country of Wano from the tyrannical Yonko Kaidou, Luffy and the Straw Hats are headed to a new island in search of the last Road Poneglyph. These four red poneglyphs hold the information to reach Laugh Tale, the final island in the Grand Line and the resting place of the One Piece. However, he is not the only pirate out for the legendary treasure. Also on the trail are fellow pirates from "The Worst Generation," Eustass Kidd and Trafalgar D. Water Law, and the fearsome Yonkos, Blackbeard and Shanks.
The last arc will also feature more of the enigmatic "Red-Haired" Shanks, whose early impact on Luffy played a large part in him becoming a pirate. Though he's a powerful figure in the world of One Piece, he's been largely absent which has led to many theories about his true motives, abilities and past. Some of this mysterious past will be explored in the upcoming film One Piece: Red.
The One Piece manga can be read online via Viz Media.
Source: Twitter