In celebration of Monkey D. Luffy’s birthday, series creator Eiichiro Oda shares an update regarding the upcoming One Piece Netflix adaptation.

In this letter, Oda-Sensei reassured fans that he has been working very closely with both Tomorrow Studios and Netflix, and despite the difference in cultures that could lead to frustration from both sides, every entity involved is “working in sync.”

“We’re finally here!”

“Considering my expected life span, I believe this is the last chance to bring One Piece to the entire world.”

Oda-Sensei also says that Netflix has committed a vast amount of resources to produce this 8-episode series, and that Netflix has promised him that it will not launch until he is satisfied with the work.

“The entire cast and crew, spanning various countries, are brimming with love for One Piece,” exclaims Oda-Sensei. “They’re burning with passion, and I’ve reminded everyone involved that this should be fun.”

One Piece is the best-selling manga series of all time, and the Netflix series will be the franchise’s first live-action adaptation. An epic saga of adventure on the high seas, the original manga follows the adventures of Luffy, an enthusiastic young man with the singular aspiration of becoming “King of the Pirates.” 

The Netflix series, executive produced by Oda-Sensei, starts at the very beginning of Luffy’s tale, introducing existing fans and brand new audiences to the live-action iterations of the manga’s beloved characters, antagonists, and destinations.

Starring Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy, Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero Gibson as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji, ONE PIECE is a live-action pirate adventure created in partnership with Shueisha and produced by Tomorrow Studios and Netflix.

One Piece premieres on Netflix later this year.