2022 年 54 巻 p. 1-11
ONE PIECE is Oda Eiichiro's national popular comic series featuring in Weekly Shonen JUMP magazine (Syueisya) since July, 1997. This comic series depict the process of how the protagonist becomes the most powerful king in the story, “the King of Pirates” in an elaborate manner. It is an attempt to persuade not only characters but readers living in the modern society that the protagonist is the most appropriate one to be “the Pirate King”. In the society where values of democracy are somehow being shared universally, what kind of structure does a “king-creating” story have? In this study, the protagonist's qualities which fit to “become the Pirate King” will be discussed, and the power of “turning people whom he met into friends” will specifically be focused on. This power actually includes something which are not directly related to the protagonist's personalities or strength. By merely personalities or strength cannot make someone a “king”. That is, a “king” is an existence which is beyond competition. In this study, I would like to clarify how the“king” was created and what role he played in this story.