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A subpar adaption carried hard by excellent source material. Gets especially bad once Toei starts making intentional terrible pacing of an insanely slow 1:1 episode chapter ratio. OnePace automatically bumps its back to an 8 however, and the manga was a 9 for reference. I have a much fuller guide for how to properly read and watch One Piece beyond just watching the official anime below.

For some background, I originally started watching One Piece all the way up to Fishman Island before I was even a general anime fan but lost interest until a year ago when I decided to just sit ... down and binge all of it again, finally finishing my year's journey with chapter 929 yesterday. I've noticed that there are 5 routes to read or watch One Piece with between the manga, anime, and derivative projects.

Manga Routes-generally reads faster (very important for a 900+chapter/800+episode behemoth) and has more bonus material spread throughout

Official Manga (black and white)-the final route if you want to stay up to date but not necessarily the beginning route especially when there's a Colored Manga route available

Colored Manga-my most used route personally and what I used to just power through the beginning, a strict improvement over Official (color>B&W) but only extends partially into Whole Cake Island

Anime Routes-generally has higher high moments and is more passively consumed

Official Sub-generally fine for PART I, since you can skip filler arcs

Official Dub-see above, for those that jsut prefer all english and no reading

OnePace-cuts filler AND padding, essential for re-correcting Part II of the anime when Toei goes full scum mode

Unfortunately all of these routes have different lengths with some ending before other parts so there are different paths mix-matching these routes. I've highlighted three paths in particular for those with a preference towards manga or anime as mediums or those that want the absolute best of both worlds.



MANGA ONLY PATH

Chapters 001-833: Colored Manga

Chapters 834+: Official Manga



MAXIMAL ANIME PATH

East Blue-Marineford: Official Sub/Dub (skip the fillers, OnePace isn't finished yet here)
Return to Sabody-Whole Cake Island (1st half): OnePace Whole Cake Island (second half)+: Official Manga, because OnePace hasn't covered this part yet.



OPTIMIZED HYBRID PATH (warning: wall of text)


PART I

East Blue Saga-Any route that gets the job done, just to get over the archive panic and start

Alabasta Saga-Any is fine

Skypiea Saga-Any is fine, use Official Sub/Dub route's conclusion if you want G8 tho

G8-Optional good filler arc?! Official Sub/Dub routes only as a result

Foxy-Colored Manga, its a gag manga arc that gets padded out way too much

Water 7-An anime route is slightly preferred for density of high moments

Ennies Lobby-An anime route is slightly preferred for density of high moments

Thriller Bark-An anime route is favored for musical impact

Sabody Archipelago-An anime route is favored as an actually good adaption

Amazon Lily-Colored Manga, really short and anime does nothing for adaption besides making it longer to finish

Impel Down-An anime route is slightly preferred for density of continuity moments

Marineford-Offical Sub/Dub slightly preferred for moment/continuity density, as OnePace is not finished recutting this arc


PART II: Toei becomes scumbags and start only adapting 1 chapter per episode, making Official Sub/Dub routes inviable, leaving OnePace as the only viable anime route. The Colored manga route is still perfectly viable however.

Return to Sabody-OnePace AND Official Sub route for brook's concert scene specifically

Fishman Island-Colored Manga; its a great arc for its themes w/ bad action scenes anyways

Punk Hazard-OnePace, Law's whole gag works so much better w/ voice acting

Dressrosa-OnePace OR Colored Manga, its a 50 episode/100 chapter behemoth, just do what you have to do to power through this arc whether it's speed or passiveness

Zou-OnePace is slightly favored, if only for Brook's song

Whole Cake Island (1st half) OnePace is strongly favored, between the color and musical numbers of the very colorful and very musical whole cake island


PART II.5: You've reached the end of the OnePace route and the Colored Manga Route is long over too and neither update particularly fast (Official Dub route is over too but was already irrelevant). There are only two routes remaining: Official Sub and the Original Manga route. Official Sub still suffers from Toei's greed and Original Manga is the final destination anyways, so I recommend just jumping onto the Official Manga sooner than later.

Whole Cake Island (2nd half)-Official Manga, color/music isn't worth the Official Sub route's pacing

Reverie and beyond-Official Manga, it is literally the only route left, welcome to the final destination and now you can be up to date every week too