- On sale
- 22 Jul 1997cover date 4 Aug 1997
- Chapter
- 1"Romance Dawn", 53 pages
- Top sale
- $76,861Goldin · May 2026 · reported
- Graded by
- BGS · CBCSmagazine-size manga
One Piece chapter 1, "Romance Dawn", ran in Weekly Shonen Jump 1997 No.34, on sale 22 July 1997 and cover-dated 4 August 1997, as a 53-page lead-colour story. It holds the first appearances of Luffy, Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates, and Gol D. Roger's first appearance and death. A copy sold for $76,861 at Goldin in May 2026.
Last updated . Prices include buyer's premium unless noted.
What's in the issue
One Piece chapter 1, "Romance Dawn", opened the issue as a 53-page lead-colour story: Jump's way of launching a new series.[1] Goldin's catalogue credits it with a run of firsts:[3]
- Monkey D. Luffy, in his first chapter.
- Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates, including Yasopp, Benn Beckman and Lucky Roux.
- Gol D. Roger: his first appearance and his execution, the moment that starts the whole story.
Zoro isn't in it. He first appears two issues later, in chapter 3, Weekly Shonen Jump 1997 No.36.[7]
Luffy's real first appearance
Chapter 1 wasn't Luffy's debut in print. Oda tested the idea twice in 1996 with one-shot stories, both called "Romance Dawn": one in a Jump summer special issue, and one in Weekly Shonen Jump 1996 No.41.[1] They're the prototypes of the series, and the earliest printed Luffy a collector can own.
What it sells for
| Date | Grade | Price | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 May 2026 | Not stated | $76,861 | Goldin | Spring TCG & Manga Elite auction. Reported. [4] |
| Oct 2023 | Raw | $2,160 | Heritage | [6] |
High grades are scarce and in demand. Logan Paul owns a copy graded 9.0 with a population of 3, the second-highest grade known.[5] Heritage once offered a near-complete run of 1997 issues with one notable gap: No.34.[11]
Graded copies
Beckett grades magazine-size manga, Weekly Shonen Jump included, and Goldin has offered this issue in BGS 6.5 and BGS 3.5.[10][3] We haven't found a CGC-graded copy.
How to avoid the reprint
Shueisha has published facsimile reprints (復刻版) of landmark Jump issues, and they're easy to mistake for an original in a quick listing photo.[9] A reprint is worth a small fraction of an original, so read every Japanese listing for 復刻版 before you bid.
What to search for in Japan
Gear 5 and the later key issues
Gear 5, Luffy's awakening in chapter 1044 "Warrior of Liberation", went on sale in March 2022.[8] It gets its own page once we've confirmed which issue it ran in. The same goes for Ace and Whitebeard's first appearances.
Finding an original
Original 1997 copies were weekly magazines that most readers threw away. The survivors are in Japan, in second-hand bookshops, collector lots and auctions. Tell us the condition you want, raw or graded.
