Eiichiro Oda shared a beautiful cover for One Piece volume 109, and fans are happy with the major changes he made.
The manga is currently featuring it’s Egghead Arc of the Final Saga. While it’s still a few months before Elbaf Arc begins, the crew is closer to escaping the island than ever before. Gorosei are still strong but the crew will soon be reaching their new destination.
One Piece will release its volume 109 on July 4, 2024, in Japan. The new volume will cover Kuma’s backstory, one of the series’ most heartbreaking. It includes Chapters 1101 to 1110, and although they’re set to be heart-wrenching, the mangaka has opted for a happy cover.
My favourite part is the moment where Oda realised that Kuma should be smiling. https://t.co/tVkWlTw8KJ pic.twitter.com/egWVlVesGx
— Liam Does Things (@GrandLineReview) June 19, 2024
Popular One Piece accounts have shared an intriguing time-lapse video of Eiichiro Oda drawing the cover. The first design was supposed to have a giant Saturn image while Kuma runs away from him. Oda was also going to add Kuma’s sad face, but he changed the design.
Fans love seeing Kuma smile on the updated cover. One shared, “The frown was one of the first things he drew; the smile came out immediately after Bonnie was added.”
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“He deserves it. We’ve seen too much Kuma sorrow, let’s see him smile for a change,” shares another.
A third added, “I love how you can tell that the original cover was meant to show Kuma’s suffering and resilience, but Oda changed it to show Kuma’s happiness and positive influence instead.”
And a fourth chimed in, “I’m happy with this one. I think it makes more sense to do a full Gorosei cover for the next volume.”
For more Straw Hats shenanigans, check out how opposing ideals are the foundation of story. Also, look at why Roger Pirates didn’t act after learning the truth, and our ranking of the strongest Straw Hats.
