By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

This post should have gone out a while ago… but it’s been a busy summer so I hope you all can forgive me.

Long time fans of One Piece are probably well aware of Ace, Luffy and Sabo’s brother, who consumed the Mera Mera no Mi devil fruit that gave him the powers to create, control, and transform into fire at will. His story, which continues to be added to as the series continues, is a fantastic example of what a side character can become to the fanbase and to the central characters within the story.

It is no surprise to me, therefore, that Ace’s Story has received a two-volume manga side-story (and oh my goodness, do I love it!).

Now, I’ll try to avoid spoilers for the volumes, but I do want to discuss the first chapter which was made available during Free Comic Book Day back in May on the 5th this year (2024). The overall chapter is really short, and combined with another series called Status Royale, which sucks to be honest. Not the story of Status Royale, mind you (I actually haven’t read it yet), but the shortness given to Ace’s tale as someone who is a fan of the character.

The first chapter covers Ace getting his powers, meaning that we get to see Ace and Deuce, who are still at odds in the beginning (and later go on to form the Spade Pirates), come together to try and build a raft that can help them escape from where they have been trapped. They find a fruit and split it, but since Ace ate his half first, he received the powers while Deuce did not.

It’s a fantastic read, and one I recommend for fans of the main One Piece series! Both volumes are available now on Amazon in English. You can get them here:

Volume 1, https://www.amazon.com/One-Piece-Aces-Story_The-Manga/dp/1974743322

Volume 2, https://www.amazon.com/One-Piece-Aces-Story-Manga-ebook/dp/B0CL8K1LW6?ref_=ast_author_dp

I wanted to wait until both volumes were out to talk about the series, and I’m glad I did. It’s got the hallmarks of One Piece in all the right ways: funny, emotional, and engaging to read. So, 10/10 recommendation on my part!

However, before I leave you, I feel it is my bound duty to ask… Is it canon?

In my opinion, it is NOT canon though it does depict canonical events. Here’s the thing, since it seems to be an open debate for the series. Some say that the publishers and Oda, from what I understand, do consider it canon though since it was directly supervised by Oda during the creation process. I haven’t really been able to confirm this, but even if that is true, I would not consider it canon and not just because it has a different author. It’s because this is not part of the main series release. If you want to read more on that topic or why I feel that way, I hope you can consider checking out my post on the subject here: https://theanimeview.com/2024/04/27/are-specials-movies-ovas-canon-maybe-not/.

With that said, thank you for reading and I hope you all can get the chance to enjoy Ace’s Story! See you next time~

Edited by: Krow Smith | @coffeewithkrow