Despite their stark differences, American comics frequently reference popular manga, as clearly evidenced by the newest Aquaman series featuring a shoutout to One Piece. The world's most famous pirate manga has been the buzz of the manga industry since its 1997 debut in the Weekly Shonen Jump, and now, three of its characters just became DC Comics canon.
DC's newest mini-series Aquaman: The Awakening created by Brandon Thomas and Diego Olortegui follows a young Jackson Hyde's journey from becoming Aqualad to Aquaman. Part one of the 6-issue series will be released on September 21st and showcase Jackson's newfound responsibility as the protector of the seven seas and his hometown of Amnesty Bay. However, it seems many One Piece fans were also surprised to find One Piece's Straw Hat pirates hanging out on the beaches of Amnesty Bay.
In a preview for Aquaman: The Becoming #1 released by DC Comics, the pirates Nico Robin and Nami are seen soaking up the sun on the beach while a hungry Usopp was spotted outside the same seafood restaurant Jackson was entering. It also seems Usopp and Nico were communicating through smartphones which in the One Piece world would have equated to Transponder Snails. Although Luffy wasn't seen with fellow Strawhats Nico, Nami, and Usopp there were, however, references to other Straw Hat members such as the "Franky House" automobile shop sign and even the seafood restaurant's significance to the Baratie restaurant Sanji worked at.
Though this is obviously just a fun easter egg for fans of One Piece, the Straw Hats' appearance here actually fits their character. The Straw Hats are known for making frequent stops along the way of their long journey whether it be to grab supplies, train, or just cause trouble. In the most recent time skip, the Straw Hats were split up for 2 years after their defeat from Batholomew Kuma, resulting in the crew being sent each individually to different islands. So it's of no surprise that the crew could have traveled as far as to make land in the DC Universe.
The excitement of the Straw Hats canon within Aquaman is not something uncommon, given the many manga references shown throughout DC. From DC's Far Sector #10 which paid homage to Atsushi Okubo's Soul Eater with Jo's "Pot of Will" fist, to popular ongoing manga series My Hero Academia which has canonically shown DC heroes within its series. The Straw Hats' existence within DC might soon open up the world of One Piece to future Aquaman comics.