The Straw Hat Pirates’ convention heads overseas for the first time.

As we reported earlier, for the first time ever, the One Piece Day celebration of the iconic manga and anime series was held outside of Japan, in Dallas, Texas. But despite the change in locations, fans were treated to all the same exhibits, guests, and performances that can be found in the Japanese conventions.

Over 10,000 people attended, a large number of whom came to take part in the start of the 25-26 season of the One Piece Card Game with the first offline regional championship. During the two-day event, a vast field of some 3,000 competitors was narrowed down to a final six.

The competition was also honored with the surprise reveal of a new promotional video for the card game, set to Post Malone’s chart-topping hit “I Had Some Help” and featuring the same themes of friendship and challenging oneself that are present in the story.

Each day also had a special guest in the form of an English-speaking voice talent from the anime. The first day featured Briana Palencia, who voices Tony Tony Chopper and talked about how she’s enjoyed watching her character grow throughout the years.

On the second day, Jason Leibrecht took to the stage and shared his experiences providing the voice for Rob Lucci, saying that he appreciated the character’s depth and complexity.

Also, billed as a surprise “Japanese guest,” Hiroaki Hirata showed up on both days and was blown away by the crowd’s response while he gave a live read as the Japanese voice for Sanji. He told them afterward, “Having the opportunity to see and talk to you all in person made me truly realize how popular One Piece is around the world. I hope you’ll continue to support us!”

Both days also featured the theme-song stylings of Hiroshi Kitadani and Maki Otsuki, both solo and as a duet to close out the entire event with a rendition of “We Are!” At one point during the event, Kitadani remarked that the boisterous American crowd was so loud he sometimes couldn’t even hear the music and thanked them for their love of One Piece.

It looks as if everyone on stage and off stage were moved and impressed by each other, making this experiment in One Piece Day a huge success. With more Card Game regional championships on the horizon, who knows where this event might pop up next…

Images: ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation
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