Netflix is getting a surprise anime adaptation of one of the One Piece creator’s very first stories

Eiichiro Oda may be best known as the prolific creator of the One Piece series, but his body of work doesn’t stop there. Now, Netflix is getting an anime adaptation of one of his decades-old one-shot stories – and it dives into the past of one of One Piece’s best characters.

Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation is coming to Netflix in January 2024. It’s all set to tell the story of the legendary swordsman Ryuma, who was brought back to life during One Piece’s Thriller Bark arc and is a favorite among the manga's fanbase.

Alongside Ryuma is Freya, a young girl who survived a dragon attack, and fellow swordsman Cyrano. The one-shot manga was first published in October 1994 – three years before One Piece began – before being collected in a book of Oda’s short stories in 1998. On top of that, Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation is directed by Sunghoo Park, who brought Jujutsu Kaisen 0 to life on the big screen.

One Piece, of course, recently made the leap to live-action on Netflix. Iñaki Godoy stars as wannabe pirate Monkey D. Luffy as he and his fellow Straw Hats hunt for the mythical One Piece treasure. One Piece season 2 has also been confirmed, meaning that the show will set sail for the Grand Line once more in the near future.

For more from the world of anime, check out 17 of the best anime shows you should recommend to newcomers, plus the latest on Demon Slayer season 4, AKA the Hashira Training arc.