One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda provided a new piece of artwork depicting the character of Nami looking uncannily similar to the Straw Hat's swordsman Roronoa Zoro.
The art shared on Twitter by user @Soul_StormOP was created by Oda for the latest issue of the One Piece Magazine, Volume 13. The magazine was released to celebrate the series's 20th anniversary, providing fans with unique looks at the series' characters and behind the scenes details of its production. The artwork of Nami presents her imitating the iconic three-sword style used by Zoro, wielding a sword in each hand with a third blade held by her teeth.
A new illustration of Nami drawn by Oda from One Piece Magazine 13 pic.twitter.com/QlArUTLpjE
— ⚡️ Soulstorm ⚡️ (@Soul_StormOP) November 29, 2021
Oda's artwork ties into the themes and events occurring in the anime and manga. The series is currently focused on the assault on Onigashima, as part of the larger samurai-themed Wano Arc. The Wano Arc has also seen the series hit two major milestones, as the manga released its 1000th chapter on Jan. 4, 2021. Similarly, the anime recently debuted its 1000th episode on Nov. 21.
Volume 13 of the magazine is scheduled for release in Japan on Dec. 2. In addition to Nami using the three-sword Santoryu style in the promotional "what if" image, the magazine will also contain Chapter Six of the One Piece novel HEROINES, a story focused on the series' female protagonists. The serialized novel released its first chapter, which focused on Nami, in the eighth volume of the magazine. The story is written by Jun Esaka and illustrated by Sayaka Suwa.
The "what if" artwork is a concept that Oda has previously: for the release of the sixth volume of the magazine, Oda created a piece of art depicting Zoro with Luffy's Devil Fruit power. The Gomu Gomu no Mi fruit turns the user's body into rubber, so Oda depicted Zoro slashing his swords with the wild unpredictability of Luffy's snake-like arms. With the addition of Nami using Zoro's signature style, Oda still has plenty of Straw Hat power swaps to explore with future art.
Zoro and his swords were the focus of the most recent chapter of the One Piece manga, which explored the swordsman's backstory. The cliffhanger at the end of the chapter has set up Zoro for a significant power-up. The story is set to continue with chapter 1034, scheduled for release Dec. 5. The series' 15th movie, entitled One Piece Film: Red, is scheduled for release in Japan on Aug. 6, 2022.
Source: Twitter
