Maybe you’ve never heard of the manga/anime called One Piece, but without realizing it, you’ve probably seen some of the characters on t-shirts, car decals, or as toy figurines subtly displayed in your favorite ramen joint. I know I have. Ever since I became a fan of the series a couple of years ago, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve encountered Luffy, Zoro, and the other members of the Straw Hat Pirates while out and about. But recently, I’ve been noticing another phenomenon that I find far more interesting than seeing them on toys and apparel. Apparently, the Straw Hats’ famous Jolly Roger (the pirate flag in the center of image above) has become a symbol used to unite Gen Z protestors in rebellions around the world. It was seen in Indonesia back in August, then in Nepal in September, and this morning, I saw a video of protestors storming the presidential palace in Mexico City and the first thing that caught my eye was the One Piece flag waving above the crowd:

So I thought I’d write an article about what One Piece is, how and why I fell in love with the series, and what I think of it being used to unite Gen Z protestors around the world.

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I first heard about One Piece through my kids. They used to play this Roblox game called Blox Fruits, which is based on the devil fruits in One Piece. Around the same time they were playing the game, Netflix released season 1 of their live action version, so the three of us watched it together. I thought it was fine, nothing special, but my kids started reading the manga afterward and soon became obsessed.

We couldn’t buy the volumes fast enough. Both my boys would devour them as soon as the Amazon delivery arrived, often arguing about who got to read it first. Then I learned there was also an anime with over a thousand episodes, and that it had been going since 1999!

“Who the hell is going to watch a thousand episodes of anything?! Definitely not me!” I thought.

I’m not a big anime guy. The only anime series I’ve ever watched was Robotech when I was in elementary school, and other than the works of Hayao Miyazaki, I haven’t watched many anime movies, either.

But after learning out about how many episodes One Piece had, and how many years the series had been going, I couldn’t help but be a little curious. The creator, Eiichiro Oda, has been working on the story non-stop since he was 22, and he turns 51 on January 1, 2026. That is some real dedication.

Since the anime was also available on Netflix, I decided to watch the first few episodes with my boys just to check them out. Again, I thought it was fine, nothing special. The animation looked a bit dated, but it wasn’t bad considering those first episodes were produced in the 90’s. I suppose what helped keep me going was having my kids there in the beginning to explain things. It also helped that the episodes are only 15-20 minutes long if you skip the intro and the credits. But once you get past a certain point (for me it was around 60 episodes), you kind of fall in love with the characters and the world that Oda has created.

So what’s One Piece about? It’s about a fictional time and place where pirates rule the seas. But these pirates are nothing like the pirates in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. We follow the crew led by Captain Monkey D. Luffy, a teenage boy who always laughs in the face of death and is endowed with the power of the gum-gum fruit. We follow his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as they explore the waters of the Grand Line in search of the One Piece, a treasure hidden on an island at the end of the Grand Line by the former King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger. Hunting the pirates is the world government and its famous admirals who can also be endowed with supernatural powers. There are warlords, and elders, and celestial dragons, and poneglyphs that tell the history of this world with the exception of the hundred years known as the Void Century.

I remember when the crew finally arrived at the Grand Line, I was amazed by the creativity and imagination of Oda. That along with the characters, the story, the world building, all combined to suck me in, but I would say more than anything, it is the message of One Piece that I fell in love with most.

A message about being ungovernable, about justice, and freedom, and being part of a crew not because you have to, but because you want to, because you share the same ideals and the same vision. I imagine this is why these young people around the world have latched onto the flag of the Straw Hat pirates as their symbol.

I’ve still got almost 500 episodes left to watch, but it’s been a fun ride so far. Some parts are better than others, there are portions that can drag, and I know some of the comedy and the weird characters may not be for everyone, but for me, the highs far outweigh the lows, and now I am committed to discovering what’s going to happen to Luffy and the world he inhabits. Plus, any show that teaches my kids that the government is not to be trusted, that it’s important to be brave, and to stand up against evil, is a winner in my book.

As someone who is a bit older, I admit that One Piece makes me feel young again, which is ironic since the show itself is so old. I look forward to seeing how the journey of Luffy ends, and hopefully Mr. Oda is able to finish what he started unlike the author of the Game of Thrones.

The truth is that being a One Piece fan makes you feel like you’re part of a secret club full of people who share similar values and beliefs, and I can’t help but hope that’s exactly what it will feels like to be a fan of the eCash project as well.

Are you a One Piece fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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