Ask any One Piece fan about the story’s length, and they will tell you that over 1000 chapters are still not enough. Luckily for us, there is so much extra content out there in the form of manga spin-offs and light novels. I have read One Piece Novel A—otherwise known as the Ace novels—and loved it. I have also read One Piece Party and some of One Piece School, which are hilarious. Now I have read the latest translated light novels, One Piece Novel: Heroines, consisting of eight stories separated into two volumes: Nami, Robin, Vivi, Perona, Hancock, Tashigi, Reiju, and Uta. Volume 1 contains the stories of the former four during the two-year timeskip.
This review contains minor spoilers from One Piece: Heroines Vol. 1
Nami’s Story
Starting off with Nami, it seems at first that her story consists of a simple shopping trip turned modelling gig, but it ends up showcasing her empathy and unabashed support towards women. Essentially, Nami helps a talented shoemaker, Miucha, rekindle her passion for high-quality shoes and convinces her to dump her loser toxic designer boyfriend. In the end, she does steal a bunch of jewels and leaves without a trace. A perfect conclusion to a very character-fitting story, if you ask me.
Robin’s Story
The next story is about Robin and her time with the Revolutionary Army, which was probably my favorite one. A lot of the protagonism in it is on Koala, who is trying to decipher an ancient language carved into a clay tablet without Robin’s help. I didn’t particularly mind that, because we still get a good glimpse into Robin’s inner world and her dynamics with RA members. I was especially moved by the exploration of her memories of Ohara and how they are triggered by looking at fire, as well as her relationship with Sabo. We get to hear the two of them talk about Luffy, which I thought was a nice touch.
Vivi’s Story
Next is Vivi’s story, by far my least favorite out of the four. My main problem with this one was that it felt more like a Koza story than a Vivi one. The better part of it is told from his point of view. This wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if the focus was more on Vivi, but that wasn’t the case. We do get to once again experience how kind, selfless, attentive, and studious Vivi is through her relationships with Alabasta’s citizens and her preparation for the Reverie. But that should’ve been the main (or even only) focus here.
Perona’s Story
Lastly, we have Perona’s story, which of course must include Mihawk and Zoro. I loved this one almost as much as Robin’s. The tone was very silly, all three of their characterizations were faithful to canon, there was enough focus on Perona herself, and there is finally real content of the fan-dubbed “Goth Family”. As someone who thoroughly enjoys imagining what those two years must’ve been like for them, seeing them garden, train, cook dinner, and drink wine together was so much fun.
Final Thoughts
I have to admit, I was afraid I’d be met with out-of-character, boring accounts of the girls, but Jun Esaka mostly proved me wrong. Not only was their characterization fantastic, but their stories perfectly illustrated the attributes we know and love. However, I am still upset about Vivi’s story being essentially hijacked by Koza. Which I believe is the weakest point in all four of these. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised and had a good time reading. I do really recommend them and can’t wait to get my hands on Volume 2.
VIZ Media released Volume 1 of One Piece: Heroines on April 22st, 2025 and Volume 2 on July 22nd, 2025.
Poppy Seeds:
Nami: ●●●◐○ (3.5 out of 5)
Robin: ●●●●○ (4 out of 5)
Vivi: ●●○○○ (2 out of 5)
Perona: ●●●●○ (4 out of 5)
