One Piecehas outgrown every other manga in terms of popularity. In its 29 years of continuous run, Eiichiro Oda’s series has built a strong franchise with a huge fanbase. However, its popularity is causing trouble for other manga in the Weekly Shonen Jump. What should have been a normal anniversary celebration quickly turned into a nationwide scramble, leaving fans of another hit series paying the price.
To celebrate the franchise’s 29th anniversary and the release of One Piece Heroines, Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33 included a limited-edition Monkey D. Luffy promo card. That single bonus was enough to send scalpers rushing into bookstores and convenience stores across Japan, buying stacks of magazines just to pull out the cards and resell them online. Once they pulled them out, many of the magazines were dumped in the trash, with photos of discarded copies quickly spreading across social media.
Unfortunately, that same issue also contained the final chapter of Kouji Miura’s Blue Box, bringing one of Jump’s biggest new-gen romance anime to an end after five years. Fans hoping to pick up a physical copy as a keepsake or just read it in physical format instead found empty shelves, forcing Miura herself to apologize after so many readers missed out.
One Piece Scalpers Force The Blue Box Creator To Apologize For Magazine Shortages
Following the Weekly Shonen Jump shortage, Blue Box creator Kouji Miura took to X (formerly Twitter) to apologize to readers who were unable to get a physical copy of the series finale. Miura also made it clear that her message was not directed at anyone. It was simply an apology to fans who had been looking forward to owning that final chapter and were left disappointed.
Looking at what happened, it is hard to place the blame on the people behind the magazine. This situation was not Miura’s fault, and it certainly was not One Piece‘s either. Weekly Shonen Jump prints a planned number of copies every week, balancing demand with the reality that unsold magazines eventually become waste. Nobody could have reasonably expected a single promotional card to trigger this kind of buying frenzy.
The real problem came from scalpers, who cleared shelves for the Luffy card before tossing aside the magazines themselves. It is the same issue that has affected everything from trading cards and game consoles to concert tickets, and this time, manga readers got caught in the middle.
The frustrating part is that this entire situation could have been avoided with a few simple rules. If bookstores and convenience stores had limited purchases to one or two copies per customer, far more readers would have had the chance to buy the issue. Instead, photos of Weekly Shonen Jump magazines sitting in trash bags and on sidewalks spread across social media after scalpers ripped out the exclusive P-159 Monkey D. Luffy promo card and discarded the rest. As trading card promotions become more common, retailers may need to start treating these releases differently.
The Ultimate · Straw Hat Challenge Set Sail for Trivia “I’m gonna be King of the Pirates!”
⚕CrewNakama!
🌊SeasEast Blue
🍋Devil FruitsGomu Gomu!
☠VillainsFear the sea
🏆DreamsOne Piece!
01
Monkey D. Luffy accidentally ate a Devil Fruit as a child, giving him rubber-like abilities. What is the name of that fruit?
✓ Correct! The Gum-Gum Fruit (Gomu Gomu no Mi) turned Luffy’s body into rubber. He ate it from Shanks’ treasure chest as a kid, gaining stretchy powers but losing the ability to swim forever.
✗ Overboard! The answer is the Gum-Gum Fruit. The Chop-Chop Fruit belongs to Buggy, the Flame-Flame Fruit to Ace, and the Smoke-Smoke Fruit to Captain Smoker — but Luffy’s rubber powers come from the Gomu Gomu no Mi.
02
Luffy’s iconic straw hat was given to him as a child by a famous pirate who inspired his dream. Who gave Luffy the hat?
✓ Correct! Red-Haired Shanks entrusted his straw hat to young Luffy in Foosha Village, telling him to return it when he becomes a great pirate. That promise drives Luffy’s entire journey.
✗ Overboard! The answer is Red-Haired Shanks. While Gold Roger originally wore the hat, it was Shanks who passed it down to Luffy after saving his life from a Sea King — a defining moment in the series.
03
Before joining the Straw Hats, Sanji works as a sous chef at a floating restaurant on the ocean. What is the name of this restaurant?
✓ Correct! The Baratie is the ocean-going restaurant run by Chef Zeff, Sanji’s mentor. In the live-action series, it’s one of the most stunning sets — a fully realized ship-restaurant on the open sea.
✗ Overboard! The answer is The Baratie. Run by the legendary pirate-turned-chef “Red Leg” Zeff, this floating restaurant is where Luffy recruits Sanji as the Straw Hats’ cook.
04
Roronoa Zoro is famous for his unique sword-fighting technique. How many swords does he wield in his signature style?
✓ Correct! Zoro uses Three-Sword Style (Santoryu), wielding one sword in each hand and a third in his mouth. His dream is to become the world’s greatest swordsman by defeating Dracule Mihawk.
✗ Overboard! The answer is three. Zoro’s iconic Three-Sword Style places one blade in each hand and a third clenched between his teeth — a fighting technique unique to him in the One Piece world.
05
Each Straw Hat crew member has a personal dream. What is Nami’s ultimate goal that drives her journey?
✓ Correct! Nami’s dream is to draw a map of the entire world. Her cartography skills and navigation talent make her indispensable to the crew, and her passion for mapmaking was nurtured by her adoptive mother Bell-mère.
✗ Overboard! The answer is to draw a complete map of the world. Nami is a gifted cartographer whose dream goes beyond just sailing — she wants to chart every sea and island so no one is ever lost again.
06
A powerful Marine Vice Admiral is revealed to have a surprising family connection to Luffy. Who is this high-ranking Marine?
✓ Correct! Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp is Luffy’s grandfather. Known as “Garp the Fist,” he’s a Marine hero who wanted Luffy to become a Marine — not a pirate. Their family dynamic is a major subplot in the live-action series.
✗ Overboard! The answer is Vice Admiral Garp. Monkey D. Garp is Luffy’s grandfather and one of the most legendary Marines alive. Despite being on opposite sides of the law, their bond runs deep.
07
Usopp is recruited into the Straw Hat crew after the pirates help defend his home village from Captain Kuro’s Black Cat Pirates. What is the name of Usopp’s village?
✓ Correct! Syrup Village is Usopp’s peaceful hometown where he was known for telling tall tales. It’s also where Kaya lives, and where the crew acquires the Going Merry from her estate.
✗ Overboard! The answer is Syrup Village. Foosha Village is Luffy’s hometown, Shells Town is where Zoro was held captive, and Coco Village (Cocoyasi) is Nami’s home — but Usopp hails from Syrup Village.
08
The Netflix live-action adaptation was praised for its casting. Which actor plays Monkey D. Luffy?
✓ Correct! Mexican actor Iñaki Godoy won fans over with his infectious energy and earnest portrayal of Luffy. Mackenyu plays Zoro, Taz Skylar is Sanji, and Jacob Romero Gibson plays Usopp.
✗ Overboard! The answer is Iñaki Godoy. The young Mexican actor perfectly captured Luffy’s boundless enthusiasm. The other actors all play Straw Hat crew members — but Luffy is all Iñaki.
Voyage Complete Your Pirate Record
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Are you King of the Pirates — or lost at sea?
The whole situation also says a lot about where One Piece is today. The franchise has grown so big that a single promotional card was enough to overshadow the finale of another hit Weekly Shonen Jump series. Blue Box spent five years building one of Jump’s strongest modern romance stories, and its final chapter should have been the only thing readers were talking about that week. Instead, the conversation shifted to empty shelves, discarded magazines, and scalpers. It is a strange ending to an otherwise celebratory milestone, and one that hopefully pushes retailers to better protect future releases from the same problem.
