Anes Bouzouina said he was planning to set up a shop and had been trusted with the rare cards

IT is the Japanese Manga series that follows the adventures of Monkey D Luffy and his crew the Straw Hat Pirates as they search for mythical treasures.

But now one of the country’s top One Piece experts is on a quest of his own: the return of a lost suitcase jammed packed full collectables from the franchise’s spin-off playing card game.

Anes Bouzouina, a 22-year-old who is the top-ranked player in the United Kingdom, said luggage went missing on the way back to the annual Bandai Card Games Fest in the Netherlands.

Not only was his entire collection in the suitcase but also around £15,000 of “cards that belonged to other people who had already paid me or trusted me to hold items on their behalf”.

He said he had planned to use the cards to open up a shop in Covent Garden selling to other collectors and card game players.

In an online appeal Mr Bouzouina, who was Camden’s official Member of Youth Parliament in 2021, said: “While I am trying to recover my own personal losses, I have also been left with a significant debt that I am struggling to manage.

“I am under ongoing pressure to repay these funds……

“My main concern is not myself, it’s the people who trusted me.”

He added: “This inventory wasn’t just cards, it was my entire livelihood. I was preparing to open a small shop in January, and almost everything I had built toward that was in this suitcase.”

Mr Bouzouina said he felt responsible for refunding everyone even though “the loss itself was outside of my control”, and added: “I feel fully responsible for refunding everyone, even though the loss itself was outside of my control.”

Trading Cards Games (TCGs) are extremely popular among young people to collect and build decks and battle using cards featuring characters with spells and items.
Cards with rare characters or with super powers are collectables and can fetch thousands of pounds online.

Mr Bouzouina said that if he was reunited with his suitcase he would auction off his own prize possession – a sealed “Serial Monkey D Luffy (ST01)” card – with proceeds going to a charity.

He said he would want to buy back that card if he raised the £15,000 along with his “Top 64 Treasure Cup Tournament Luffy” and “Afro Luffy” and rare Sogeking card.

He said he would randomly give away prize cards “as a thank-you for helping me make things right”.

He said he had reported the stolen luggage to the police, the bus companies, and alerted the One Piece community in case the cards pop up for sale.

He added that he had been “obsessively searching routes, depots, and resale platforms” since the disappearance last month.

“Despite all efforts, the suitcase has not been recovered,” he added.

“Right now, I’m facing the loss of my entire inventory, personal financial strain, and outstanding refunds I cannot cover alone.”

A GoFundMe has been set up online with £2,000 raised so far of his £15,000 target.