With 91 manga volumes, almost 900 anime episodes and a bunch of movies and games based on the series, it's not surprising to hear that One Piece is the best selling manga series of all time. Of course, it wouldn't be so popular if it weren't for millions of fans all over the world getting so invested in the escapades of Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates. That being said, it can be ascertained that during the franchise's 22 year lifespan, a lot of its younger fans would have blossomed into adulthood. I can only imagine how many sexual awakenings were had by kids that regularly saw curvaceous girls like Nami, Boa Hancock and Nico Robin. 

You know what that means: fanmade One Piece hentai is in no short supply. Our humble website currently features 248 galleries of the stuff if you ever get the feeling to pull one out to pirate porn

So what does Eichiro Oda, the creator of the massively popular series, have to say about fans get such a feeling about his creations? A scan of a Q&A page from a Japanese edition of a manga volume has recently surfaced on Imgur. A fan asks:

“Nami in the New World part of the story is so completely my type. I just love her. I have so much fun buying the Blu-rays she appears in, plus figures and other merch of her, and hope for more featuring her in the future. As an author, though, I wonder if maybe you’re not very happy about this?”

To which Oda replies:

“So are you saying you feel guilty for looking at one of my characters in an erotic way (LOL)?

This goes for all of my characters, but I don’t have any problems at all with people doing that. My mentor taught me that ‘The World of Manga’ is a product, and if you start getting all preachy after people were kind enough to buy your stuff, it shows that you’re not a professional.

I feel the same way. Enjoy my work however you like, with whatever interpretations or fantasies you want. As long as you’re reading my manga, I’m happy.”

So there you have it. Fans of the series that felt a bit guilty over nutting to one of the Straw Hat Pirates: feel free to go off now that Oda-san has given you permission. 

What do you think about Oda's comment? Should other creators be more accepting of the pervier parts of their fanbase? Does this make you want to beat off to One Piece hentai even more? Let us know in the comments.