In celebration of One Piece's 25th anniversary, a new anime special has been announced. One Piece Fan Letter is premiering later this month in Japan and will adapt One Piece Novel: Straw Hat Stories.
For those unfamiliar, One Piece Novel: Straw Hat Stories is a compilation of short stories about members of the Straw Hats. What sets it apart, however, is that these stories are from the point of view of side characters, just normal people witnessing these incredible events unfolding around them.
One Piece Fan Letter will adapt these stories, although only four of them are confirmed to appear in the special so far. The confirmed stories will focus on Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Franky.
Luffy's story is told from the perspective of a Marine who watches Luffy trying to rescue Ace during the Summit War. Witnessing the bond between the two brothers makes the marine question his relationship with his own brother, who is also fighting in the war.
Zoro's story is a funny one. Sitting at a bar in Dressrosa, Zoro overhears three marines debating who is the strongest swordsman in the world, comparing Mihawk, Shanks, Vista, Ryuma, or Zoro. A drunk Zoro decides to join them and a hilarious debate unfolds, without any of them realizing who he is.
Nami's story is told from the perspective of a young shut-in from Sabaody with an obsession for female pirates. In love with her idol, Nami, she hears of the Straw Hats returning at the Archipelago after 2 years, and hopes to catch a glimpse of the woman that changed her life.
The fourth confirmed story about Franky features a young girl who moves to Water 7 and takes a job managing a bookstore where she constantly hears different people talking about him. Although she doesn't know who Franky is, these stories quickly help her learn as she grows accustomed to her new life in the Water Capital.
One Piece Novel: Straw Hat Stories did feature other short stories about other Straw Hat crewmembers, although these are the only four that have been confirmed so far. It's possible that future adaptations could be made down the line.
The announcement of One Piece Letter was accompanied by both a trailer and a visual. The anime special will be broadcast in Japan on October 20th. There's been no announcement of an English release in North America, but given the global popularity of the franchise, it's likely to come at some point.
One Piece Fan Letter is directed by Megumi Ishitani, who is best known for directing episodes 957, 1015, openings 25 and 26, of the anime series. The script is written by Momoka Toyoda (My Happy Marriage) and character designs and animation direction from Keisuke Mori, who also worked on opening 26.