The best-selling manga in history is set in a fictional world, so it has no real locations; this route is entirely made of tributes. Its author Eiichirō Oda is from Kumamoto, and after the 2016 earthquakes the 'Kumamoto Revival Project' was born: ten bronze statues of the Straw Hat crew across the hardest-hit municipalities, each with a symbolic role in the recovery.
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Luffy Statue — Kumamoto Prefectural Officethe captain
The first statue (2018) presides over the prefectural office promenade: the captain orders his crew to spread across the 'Land of Hino' to help with the recovery. At its feet are Eiichirō Oda's handprints.
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Chopper Statue — Kumamoto City Zoothe doctor
The ship's doctor (2020) sits before the main gate of the municipal zoo and botanical garden, whose facilities were damaged in the quake, caring for the animals that had to be evacuated.
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Zoro Statue — Ōzu Central Parkthe swordsman
The swordsman (2022) stands guard in Ōzu's central park, a town with a strong kendo tradition, spurring on the children who lost their dōjō in the quake to keep training.
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Nami Statue — Moe no Sato (Nishihara)the navigator
The navigator (2021) sits on a treasure chest at the Moe no Sato exchange centre at the foot of Mt. Tawara, sending 'winds of encouragement' to Nishihara's damaged hamlets and windmills. (Approximate coordinate by address.)
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Usopp Statue — Aso Stationthe sniper
The sniper (2019) points skyward on the Aso Station roundabout, using his 'pop green' seeds to help regenerate the volcano's grasslands, the region's pride, damaged in the disaster.
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Sanji Statue — Mashiki Sports Parkthe cook
The cook (2019) serves a steaming dish at Mashiki's sports park — the municipality hit by two intensity-7 quakes that lost its school kitchen: Sanji feeds its children's smiles with local produce.
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Robin Statue — Former Tokai Univ. Aso Campus (KIOKU)the archaeologist
The archaeologist (2021) studies the fault that split the former university campus in Minamiaso, now the KIOKU earthquake memorial museum, preserving the disaster's memory and lessons. (Approximate coordinate by address.)
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Franky Statue — Takamori Stationthe shipwright
The shipwright (2020) poses before the terminus of the Minamiaso Railway, severed by the quake, hammer raised for the line's full reopening — achieved in 2023.
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Brook Statue — Mifune Fureai Squarethe musician
The musician (2020) plays his shark guitar in the 'dinosaur town', cheering on the emotional recovery of a municipality full of damaged homes with concerts and jokes. (Approximate coordinate by address.)
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Jinbe Statue — Sumiyoshi Seaside Park (Uto)the helmsman
The helmsman (2022), the most imposing of the ten statues, gazes over the Ariake Sea next to the famous Nagabeta tidal road, steering the course of Uto's reconstruction. (Approximate coordinate.)