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The Japan News announced this morning that the long running manga series One Piece is the Guinness World Record winner for having “the most copies published for the same comic book series by one author.” Yoshihisa Heishi, Editor-in-Chief of Shonen Jump (the monthly magazine where new chapters of the popular Manga series are first published) accepted the award on One Piece author/illustrator Eiichiro Oda’s behalf. Oda drew the above illustration to celebrate the announcement.

CBR brought the story to our attention and ran the following series of quotes from Oda himself via the Anime News Network“Thank you for this certification for the Guinness World Record. Manga is an amusing way to pass time, but when I receive reports that say ‘through One Piece I made friends,’ or ‘through One Piece I found my sweetheart,’ I am really happy.”

Shonen Jump announced that a future issue of the magazine will have a “super news flash” regarding the future of One Piece. Will the series be announced to conclude? One Piece’s debut installment was first published in July, 1997 — meaning that the 20th anniversary of the title will soon be here.