One Piece fans storm Twitter over Zoro's statue unveiling and Going Merry's birthday

This weekend shaped up to be near perfect for One Piece fans with many components coming together. With the Unveiling of Zoro’s statue, a day before Going Merry’s birthday, and Episode 1007 coming out today, fans could not have asked for more.

Unable to control their elation, One Piece fans have taken to Twitter with gusto, and One Piece has been trending with more than 28,000 tweets at the time of writing.

One Piece fans celebrate the perfect weekend on Going Merry’s birthday with the unveiling of Zoro’s statue

While viewers were looking forward to episode 1007, manga-readers had been a little miffed that there was no chapter this week. While they understood that Oda needed a break, and likely had something big planned for the next chapter, fans were at the edge of their seats. With all the hints about “that Devil Fruit” and Zunesha suddenly appearing in Wano, a break in their favorite manga made fans anxious.

Unveiling of Zoro's statue

However, fans were pleasantly surprised when the much-anticipated unveiling of Zoro’s statue happened on Saturday, January 22.

As part of the Kumamoto Revival Project, in order to thank mangaka Eiichiro Oda for his financial, moral, and professional support after the 2016 earthquakes, the authorities had decided to build statues of all Straw Hat pirates across Kumamoto Prefecture.

On Saturday, Roronoa Zoro’s statue was unveiled in Ozu, Kumamoto. The statue, made of bronze, depicts Zoro in his signature fighting pose with his three swords.

With nine statues now unveiled, only Jinbei is left to complete the 10 members of the Straw Hat Pirates. According to the authorities, his statue will be unveiled on July, 2022.

Going Merry’s Birthday

Speaking of members of the Mugiwara crew, January 22 is also the birthday of their first ship, the Going Merry.

Going Merry is an honorary member of the Straw Hats, having been the home and savior of the pirates throughout her life.

However, this celebration is also bittersweet for fans, since Merry is no longer with the Straw Hats.

While many celebrate her completion day, some don't hesitate to remind everyone of the Viking farewell she received after rescuing her crew from Eines Lobby.

Episode 1007

Along with these two events, One Piece episode 1007 also came out today, and it fully delivered on the hype that had been building up for a week. While the episode, “Zoro’s Pursuit! Ice Oni Tag!” was impressive on its own, fans seem to have loved Yamato the most.

Many people particularly loved her animation in this episode, while others liked her dynamic with Momonosuke.

In conclusion

With the manga returning next week and episode 1008 to look forward to, fans are in for a treat next week as well. According to the simultaneous release notice on Manga Plus, One Piece chapter 1038 will be out on Sunday, January 30, and can be read for free on Manga Plus and Viz.

About the author

Aratrika Baidya is an anime Content Specialist at Sportskeeda. She completed her Master's in English Literature from the University of Calcutta and it was her final year elective and dissertation on Pop Culture and Visual Arts that led her to pursue a career in the field.

With a rich 4 years of experience under her belt, Aratrika strives to produce accurate content by cross-checking information with reliable sources. She is aware of the social climate with respect to her field and believes in maintaining a respectful and neutral tone while reporting on any topic.

She admires Isaac Asimov, Hiromu Arakawa, Satoshi Kon, and Madeline Miller for their creativity. If she had the opportunity to go back in time, she would love to be part of 'Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith' as she is curious to know if she would be a Sith or a Jedi.

When she's not working, Aratrika enjoys photography, reading, traveling, and sketching.

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