Although mainstream media can only think of "Black Sails" or "Pirates of the Caribbean" when asked about popular things about pirates, North American otakus can only think of "One Piece."

The popular manga series, which already has an anime adaptation and a video game, is now getting a spin off manga that will focus on Luffy and the other straw hat pirates. Saikyo Jump magazine will release the series as their first issue on December 5th. As per usual, the question that follows an announcement about a release of material in Japan is, can North American fans hope for the series to ship simultaneously through Viz Media?

In an interview with China Times (via OPForum) "One Piece" creator Eiichiro Oda talked about how he's been doing since his hospitalization from overworking: "As I'm getting older, I've slightly adjusted my sleep time. I go to bed at 8 (morning) and wake up at 12 (noon), making sure that I have 4 hours of sleep. Don't need to worry about my health, it's all fine now."

It would appear that attitude of never slowing down has continued as today Anime News Network reports that the "One Piece" spin off manga series is set to start in December. Saikyo Jump magazine, which will continue to ship bi-monthly, will print the spin off along with featured articles. In the announcement, Saikyo Jump stated that the new spin off will focus on Luffy and the other Straw Hat Pirates.

Even though fans in Japan will get to see the spin off in less than three months, what about U.S. fans who don't want to rely on fan scans and fansubs of the manga?

There's a good chance that Viz Media, who announced earlier this year that they intended to have more simultaneous releases of their licensed series, will want to continue to make money off of the wildly popular "One Piece" series. No official announcement has been made by Viz Media, but it'd certainly be easier for them above any other North American manga company to handle the spin off.

Until any official announcements are made, North American fans can definitely check out the 73rd volume of "One Piece" which will be released in January by Viz Media.