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A little bit of One Piece is coming to Pokémon Go next week. Starting July 22, players will be able to catch a Pikachu sporting a straw hat, the same hat that One Piece protagonist Monkey D. Luffy wears. It’s part of an event to support the reconstruction project of Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan, an area hit by a devastating earthquake in 2016.
The Pokémon Go event is part of the larger One Piece Kumamoto Reconstruction Project. One Piece manga creator Eiichiro Oda, who hails from Kumamoto, has contributed financial and fundraising support for the area over the years. The makers of Pokémon Go have previously supported the Kumamoto region by spawning Snorlax in the area in hopes of attracting players to visit.
Statues of Luffy will appear as Pokéstops in the area in July and Oda’s artwork will feature in Pokéstops in the future.
In addition to straw hat Pikachu, a Red Ribbon Straw Hat cosmetic item will be available in the Pokémon Go in-game shop from July 22-29, according to the Japanese Pokémon Go website.
