I am Really a Superstar

Online, on the streets, on public transport, in the schools.

The discussions about One Piece could be heard everywhere.

“Today’s issue has two chapters in it!”

“It was so enjoyable to read it!”

“My Luffy! He’s so cute!”

“The fighting is so hot-blooded!”

“This is the best comic I’ve read in recent years!”

“I want to buy the standalone volume of it!”

“Me too, when will it get released?”

“I’ve already read it four times!”

Chapter 4.

Chapter 5.

Chapter 6.

The serialization of One Piece continued.

Furthermore, because of the double chapters released per week, the number of pages for One Piece very quickly reached the necessary requirements of a standalone volume. The regular thirty-twomo format ¹ was also known in Japan as a “new edition” and was around 180 pages in length. So Shōnen Publishing had no choice but to bring forward the plans for a standalone volume of One Piece.

Promotions.

Printing.

Cover design.

The quantity for the first print was also being discussed.

In one of the meetings at Shōnen Publishing, everyone had differing opinions.

“Let’s talk about it. What numbers should we go with for the initial print run?”

“I think we should try with 100,000 copies first?”

“Isn’t 100,000 copies too few? Based on the current popularity of One Piece, I think we should have at least 200,000 copies as a minimum requirement. It could go higher than that too.”

“200,000? Impossible.”

“It’s only the first volume. 200,00 copies would be too much. Besides, only the top cartoonists get such treatment.”

“But One Piece is the most popular comic series in the whole of Japan right now!”

“The standalone volume has not even been released yet, so we still don’t know how the sales will do. It’s too early to say for sure whether the comic is really the most popular or not.”

“Let’s go for a compromise. I suggest we run a print of 150,000 copies.”

Some people were optimistic.

But others, not so.

One Piece was ranked very high in the popularity polls and had been continuously getting first place for many weeks in a row. However, acclaim was just acclaim, while sales figures were sales figures. They had to be looked at separately. It wasn’t like there weren’t any comics that received critical acclaim but were immediately knocked off their perch the moment their standalone volumes were released. Acclaim was just one part of the equation, while sales figures accounted for the final results.

Zhang Ye’s Studio sent its personnel to Japan.

…

On this day.

In the morning.

Beijing time: 6 AM.

Tokyo time: 7 AM. The time difference was an hour.

Zhang Ye was in the kitchen making breakfast. With his other hand, he was taking a video call from Ha Qiqi on his cell phone. In the call, Little Sun was talking to his sister while Ha Qiqi was exuberant.

Zhang Ye smiled and said: “You’ve arrived?”

Ha Qiqi said: “Little Sun and I have reached Japan. Today is the release date of the first standalone volume of One Piece, and it’ll be going on sale very soon. You might not know this, but if we didn’t come here and see for ourselves, we really wouldn’t know how hot One Piece has become. I’ll put it this way: I can understand how One Piece is pronounced in Japanese. On the way here, Little Sun and I heard other people bring up the name at least four or five times!”

“Haha, that’s pretty good.”

Ha Qiqi smiled happily and said: “Little Sun and I will head to the bookstore first. We’ll update you again in a while.”

Zhang Ye said: “OK, thanks for the hard work.”

Ha Qiqi said: “It’s no big deal. This is what we should be doing. You can draw more and take good care of Chief Wu. Leave the rest to us.”

“Alright.”

After ending the video call, Ha Qiqi and Little Sun immediately set off.

But when they walked up to one of the larger bookstores nearby, the two of them were dumbfounded. They saw that the line extended outwards by more than a hundred meters.

One Piece!

One Piece!

They kept hearing the same words being repeated!

Little Sun was stunned. “They’re all here to buy One Piece?”

Ha Qiqi was also a little doubtful. “Surely not, right?”

They weren’t sure and dared not assume so. They turned around and went to another, smaller bookstore. They found the same thing happening here. Everyone was lining up!

What is this all about?

What are they here to buy?

At this moment, it was time!

When that bookstore opened its doors for business, the people in the line rushed inside. Although they were orderly and unlike the chaos that was often seen back in China, everyone was fast walking. They were all rushing in one direction—towards the comics section!

“One Piece!”

“I want a copy of it!”

“Give me one!”

“Has One Piece arrived yet?”

Little Sun was shocked!

Ha Qiqi was enraptured!

They weren’t full of themselves! Everyone was truly here to buy One Piece!

…

Osaka.

At a point of sale.

“Do you have One Piece?”

“Can I have a copy of One Piece’s standalone volume, thank you.”

“Is Volume 8 of Martial King out yet? No? Oh, then give me a copy of One Piece.”

…

Hokkaido.

At a bookstore.

“What?”

“You’re out of it?”

“Why don’t you have any left?”

“I’ve been lining up since early morning.”

…

Kyoto.

At a supermarket.

“Where’s One Piece?”

“Isn’t the standalone volume going on sale today?”

“It’s been sold out?”

“So quickly?”

“There isn’t even one copy left?”

“Ahhhhh! I came too late!”

…

Meanwhile.

In the editorial department of Shōnen Publishing.

Someone from the marketing department suddenly came running in. He was panting and shouted loudly, “One Piece is selling like crazy! Who is the editor in charge of One Piece?”

Seto Kyoko stood up dumbfoundedly. “That would be me.”

The person from the marketing department said, “Quick, get ready, we’re going for an additional print run!”

The other editors were stunned.

“Additional print run?”

“But it was just released!”

“Why is it getting an additional print run so quickly?”

“What kind of results did it achieve?”

They couldn’t understand what was going on.

Getting an additional print run was a big deal. Usually, the standalone volumes would have to sell out before they could use the figures to decide on how many more copies to print. So why did the additional print run get brought up just two hours after it went on sale?

Everyone had confused expressions on their faces.

The person from the marketing department said, “What do you all know! The 150,000 copies from the initial print run of One Piece sold out within two hours of release!”

Kyoko was stunned!

All of the others in the editorial department were stunned!

It was sold out?

All of it?

150,000 copies?

The deputy editor shouted, “Holy shit!”

A male editor was floored. “Does it have to be that ridiculous?”

Someone shouted, “Quick, quick, inform the editor-in-chief!”

Everyone understood that something big had happened!

This was no longer just a big deal for Shōnen Publishing. This was a big deal that affected the entire Japanese comic world!

How many years?

How many years had it been since Japan had had a comic that could achieve such results?

…

Two days later.

One Piece received an additional print run for 150,000 copies.

It sold out within three hours!

…

A few days later.

One Piece was given another print run for 200,000 copies.

The 200,000 copies were snapped up again!

…

Additional print run!

Sold out!

Additional print run!

Sold out!

In the end, the sales figures of the first volume of One Piece reached an astonishing 1.01 million copies to break the record of the sales for the first volume of a comic series.

Shōnen Publishing went crazy!

The other comic publishers also went crazy!

All of Japan went crazy!

Thinking back to around six years ago when the national comic The Awakening of the Races ended, there hadn’t been another comic series that caused such a craze in the Japanese comics industry. The explosive popularity of One Piece had come about so suddenly that no one was prepared for it. Many of the Japanese were caught off guard by its appearance!

Six years!

It had been six years!

And now, the new national cartoon they had been waiting for finally arrived!