He’s the 10th best-selling fiction author in the history of the world, with over 500 million sales globally for his One Piece manga. Now over 25 years on since he started, Eiichiro Oda is penning the final part of the most popular comic by volume ever.

As the 48-year-old embarks on the final arcs of his epic pirate fantasy, the live-action adaptation of his work is about to debut on Netflix.

In celebration, new Luffy star Iñaki Godoy has been honoured with a rare interview with the famously private and hard-working writer.

This morning Netflix posted his meeting with Oda, who requires that his face be covered in the edit to protect his privacy.

The One Piece live-action star flew to Tokyo to meet the much-loved creator in his office, admitting he was feeling nervous to speak with the manga icon who has a net worth of over $200 million.

Oda and Godoy embraced before the two sat down for the rare interview. The One Piece creator explained how with the high standards of modern visual effects, now was the time for a live-action adaptation.

He shared how his biggest worry was finding the right actor to play his protagonist, Monkey D Luffy. However, any doubts were dispelled after he saw the audition tape by the Mexican actor, admitting he started to laugh at his performance. Oda confessed: “You’re just like the character I draw in the manga!”

After Godoy said he wanted to continue playing Luffy for a very long time, Oda made the 20-year-old tear up saying: “I really hope you do. I can’t imagine anyone else playing this role.”

The actor then gifted some fan art he drew himself of the much-loved manga character.

One Piece starts streaming on Netflix from August 31, 2023.