One Piece is a Shonen manga icon, lasting not only throughout the golden age of Jump, but still managing to maintain a worldwide audience today. And while One Piece feels like such an essential cornerstone of the animanga landscape, it has not been around forever. There was indeed a "before time". And in this "before-time" this landmark series found its own inspiration. Indeed, Oda remembers very clearly the influences that drove him to create One Piece.