Nasir Dean and Roy Nachum at the ONE PIECE x MERCER LABS preview night. Photo by Natalie Powers. “Do you want to do the interview in the ball pit?” That was the question I was asked by Nasir Dean, the Manager of Special Projects at Mercer Labs, when I visited the ONE PIECE x MERCER LABS experience during New York Comic Con 2025. Mercer Labs: Museum of Art & Technology offers visitors an immersive experience in various rooms throughout the building, and it has been turned into an absolute spectacle that celebrates ONE PIECE through and through (until November 30, 2025). After I finished laughing, I gave an enthusiastic YES to Nasir’s question, leading to a one-of-a-kind interview where I spoke with him and Mercer Labs Co-Founder and Creative Director Roy Nachum. Truly, only anime fans would decide to conduct business in a ball pit made to look like pearls at sea. We’re all children at heart with careers and bank accounts to back up our nerdy passions. I wouldn’t have it any other way. RELATED: ONE PIECE DAY’25 Goes Large with Elbaph Exhibition and More What I appreciate about ONE PIECE is how it truly does bring people together. Both Roy and Nasir expressed similar sentiments in our interview, and I realized, while walking through the exhibit, that it was built in a way for fans to experience their favorite series amongst other fans who could share the moment with them. Whether it was a room that made you feel like you were watching an epic fight scene, or one where you could make your own wanted poster, the team at Mercer Labs wants this to be more than a museum tour; they want it to bring people together and make them feel like they’re experiencing the anime in real life. But how did they go about creating this exhibit? How did they figure out which ONE PIECE arc to focus on? Check out our interview to find out! NOTE: I went to this exhibit with my wife, and we both ended up talking with Roy and Nasir together, hence the different colored font for the questions! Also, this interview has been edited for clarity. Photo by Peter Murdock. The ONE PIECE x MERCER LABS experience is an interactive one where visitors get to actually interact with the world of ONE PIECE . How did you figure out which parts to make interactive, and how did you go about bringing the anime to life in such a way? Roy Nachum: We have 15 installations here, and each one touches different kinds of technology. Each room is almost like a white canvas where we can draw and create whatever we want. The idea of Mercer Labs is to create really epic collaborations and bring different exhibitions to life in different ways. Doing that with ONE PIECE was a very interesting thing, because usually it’s 2D animation, and everything around it is 2D. Taking it into 3D, into an immersive moment, really creates something new. Basic things we grew up seeing? Now we see it in a different form, which creates something new automatically. To us, that was very interesting. When Nas [Nasir] brought the idea to collaborate with ONE PIECE , he educated me about the brand and what they do, because he’s a fanatic. He grew up with ONE PIECE as a kid. For him, it’s like a journey, like closing a circle, in a way, by bringing such an incredible brand and art into New York from Japan through this incredible thing. Nas was picking the best scenes and stories of what he thought was the best interpretation of ONE PIECE . Our job was to take that concept and mix it into technology, basically cooking it. This has been a dream. Working with ONE PIECE and Nas on this project was smooth and beautiful, and hard work, super hard work, but super worth it. Photo by Peter Murdock. RELATED: Japanese Band Chilli Beans. on Their Journey to Making a One Piece Ending Theme Song What is it about ONE PIECE that you feel makes it a good pick for an interactive museum experience? Nasir Dean: I feel like ONE PIECE has been solidified as one of the best animations of all time because of its dynamic colors, its long-form storytelling, its views on life, and its messaging through the actual show. Then Mercer Labs, which Roy has put so much intention behind, has been making sure that people are leaving with messages from each and every room, and really expanding on a common dialogue that helps open people’s eyes for the future in terms of their experiences, their totality, their gifts and their life. I feel like that’s reflective of what ONE PIECE does as well. ONE PIECE inspires people. ONE PIECE brings people together and sparks creativity. A lot of the ethos that ONE PIECE represents is also represented by what Roy has created. It’s so important that we match those two things. Swizz Beatz, Alicia Keys, and other fans color wanted posters at the ONE PIECE x MERCER LABS preview night. Photo by Natalie Powers. RELATED: Which ONE PIECE Character Are You Most Like? We were talking about this while we were walking. There’s so much space in each room that it feels like it’s meant to connect with people and talk with people while you’re walking. Nasir: Yeah, you’re supposed to take your time. Which is one of the best things about anime: talking and enjoying it with people. Nasir: And it’s not rushed. Anime is not rushed. You take your time with every arc. You grow the anticipation for it, you enjoy it with your friends and your community. All of these similar ideologies are what Mercer Labs, what Roy made, represents. I like how there’s no explanation of what each exhibit is at the beginning. You just walk in and realize what you’re surrounded by. Photo by Peter Murdock. Roy: You know, something that is interesting about what you said is if you look back in the days, right? We see celebrities and artists as something that is bigger than life. But today, I think everybody deserves a chance to feel special and unique. So to me, when people come in [to Mercer Labs], they are part of the installation. When you're physically here, you're adding to the piece. And then you have other people around you, and you meet people, you are a living sculpture. Every person has so many thoughts and ideas, and I think this is why people, when they leave here, feel very inspired. And to me, it's amazing to see that in New York, in such a diverse city. I feel like it's a great thing to see. Nasir: A lot of what has built the conceptual ideology that Roy has imbued in this space is… you're supposed to be a living sculpture. You're supposed to be a part of the art. But this collaboration is expanding to… you're a living animation. You're a living idea that brings people together, and you represent how you see yourself in that creative way. Building that with your people, being able to experience that is a gift. I think that Roy and I want everyone to walk away with that gift of experiencing themselves in their most creative way possible. Roy : Yeah, you're not next to the piece, you’re a part of it. RELATED: We Visited Every One Piece Statue in Eiichiro Oda’s Hometown Kumamoto According to the website, the experience will take visitors through the Land of Wano arc. Out of all of ONE PIECE ’s arcs, what makes the Land of Wano arc the perfect one to fall into? Nasir: Roy and I sit in the studio for hours, and we brainstorm on how to make the best of the collaborations that we're working on together. And we're such huge… Roy and I are just really… we're really just big, cool nerds. You know what I'm saying? We have that in common. We riff on so many things, and we wanted to create a memorable moment for the Japanese culture, as well as a representation of what they celebrate. Every year, there are seasons where you can experience the cherry blossoms for a certain amount of time, make memories, and then you have to wait for it to happen again. A lot of times, that is representative and reflective of this installation with Mercer Labs. So, when I went to Tokyo to help garner the deal [with Toei Animation], we brought, conceptually, cherry blossoms (note: Roy has an affinity for flowers). They automatically attached to it because it was a representation of their culture, and they felt that tether to that memory making and what it stands for for them. We wanted to emulate that and bring that to them. That's why the Cherry Blossom Luffy is the staple piece, because we're making memories. We're making universal memories, international memories, multidimensional memories. That's important. Roy Nachum and the Cherry Blossom Luffy art he painted. Photo by Natalie Powers. RELATED: J-POP Band BE:FIRST Sets Sail With Their Love of One Piece Nasir: We picked the Land of Wano arc because it was one of the highest reveals of the entire series. Gear Five was one of the biggest reveals in anime, period. Also, having dragons and having the samurai being reflective of the Edo arc in Japanese history, right? Knowing that impact in the culture, knowing how that connected with people, we wanted to represent a major moment in culture for both Mercer Labs and ONE PIECE . The Land of Wano arc is one of the later stories in ONE PIECE . What do you feel new fans should know before visiting, or do you think this is something new fans can dive right into? Nasir: I think coming here as a fan, it's almost like you're stepping into memories that you've made with the show. You have a relationship with the show, have the show in your practice, a have the show as part of your creative inspiration. You're able to connect with it on a multidimensional sensory level that's available here [at Mercer Labs]. It's available for experience — it's open, it's welcoming, and it's fun. You can bring all your friends, and you can do whatever you want. You can have a nice beverage and walk around, too. You can really experience yourself and your passion in a different way here. And I think that goes for everybody who's a fan, for sure. RELATED: Anime to Watch if You Like One Piece And newcomers as well. I feel like I get a good taste of what everyone is in love with when it comes to ONE PIECE in this exhibit. Honestly, it took me forever to get into ONE PIECE because my cousin really, really loves ONE PIECE . But I'm a brat, so I was like, “I refuse to watch it because I'm trying to make you mad on purpose.” Nasir: Did you watch Naruto first? That's my fault. I'm the one who got her into Naruto . I finally started watching ONE PIECE because my cousin's mom passed away, and I was like, “Okay, let's watch ONE PIECE together, I know it'll make you feel better.” Then I was like, "Oh no… this is good." Nasir: That's also another great point that you're speaking on: the entry point of ONE PIECE . It's so many episodes, it's such a commitment, so we also wanted to show Wano because it's such a colorful and welcoming entry point for people to enter the series. Rather than starting at episode one, you have to wait so many episodes to get to Wano. RELATED: Which One Piece Story Arc Are You? It's so intimidating when you're told, “Hey, this is this really cool series, but it's this long.” This ONE PIECE exhibit is a really good way to enter into it, get an idea, and be like, “Okay, fine, I want to go back and watch some.” Because every room is a different vibe and a different color. There's the action, and then you walk into the sauna-like room and you're like, “All right, here's the calm down.” There's always something happening, be it a calm moment for them to chill, or a dragon room where you're walking in on Zoro fighting and you're in the action. This is a good selling point for newcomers of ONE PIECE . Roy: That's the beauty about it. Different flavors, different tastes, different people. It's a wonder you're coming into. It's not literal; it's very open. You let your mind fly. You just give yourself that feeling, that sound. A visual 360. All the lights and energy. Photo by Peter Murdock. RELATED: 40 Inspirational One Piece Quotes to Share With Your Crew Are there any specific parts in the exhibit that you especially loved bringing to life? What’s it like seeing the whole thing come together in your museum? Roy: I think, respecting the original work. Celebrating it in different ways. Creating something new that even surprised us. We're so deep into it and the conversations, so it's surprising us, and we feel like, “Yo, it's good.” Whether, in the process, we made a mistake or it just happened, or we aimed for something and something else happened, and testing, and communicating with them [Toei Animation] directly, and going back and forth, back and forth. I feel like the process was such an incredible and interesting experience. And it shows in the end result. It really comes from true passion, and to do something that is really in your heart. When it's real, it's real. You feel it. And this is what we were aiming to do. We didn't try to fake it to make it. It's like, literally, let's do it. We can live in it. Let's go as hard as we can. Like I said, Nas knows the entire thing. So choosing those moments that are so colorful and inspiring, and almost like an entry point for people who don’t know anything about the brand. It still makes it super exciting. You want to discover more and learn more. I feel like that's a great moment to have and educate people, and bringing something like this to New York is a great thing. Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys at the ONE PIECE x MERCER LABS preview night. Photo by Natalie Powers. I feel like you both should know that you can obviously tell that the people who made this love ONE PIECE . It's so obvious to me that this was made by fans. It's literally ONE PIECE in every room. And every part is different. When you [Nasir] were talking to me, you'd be like, “This is the room where this happens.” Roy: Nas has been a fan since he was a little boy. This is real life for him, ever since he was a little boy. Nasir: Anime has inspired me for so long. I'm actually working on my own anime right now. We have Roy doing some creative insight as well. We're always floating ideas and working together on great things. This is just the beginning. We really wanted to open up. We wanted to go with the best, and in terms of cultural significance, ONE PIECE is for sure one of the best. And Mercer Labs is one of the best cultural experiences in totality in terms of immersive experience. We saw that collaboration so naturally. We saw it coming together so seamlessly. RELATED: One Piece Tattoo Ideas to Celebrate Your Inner Pirate As more events pop up like this in museums, what do you think museums can, or do, add to presenting various anime in their spaces like this? Nasir: I feel like this museum, it's a museum, but it's also a place where we're able to do such unique things. We push the boundaries in so many ways, and I find that is part of the uniqueness of the space. We're not trying to dress up and have a ball only , we're trying to dress up in Wano and have a ball, and want everyone to have a ball. And we have the ability to do that. Where people would just stop at the ballpark, we're in the ball pit. So I think in terms of creativity, Mercer Labs is leading the way. What Roy has created here is a beautiful thing. When you first walk through the space, it's reflective of so much love, time, care and energy. We're creating a space where dreams are actually able to come true and there's no limit. And the possibilities are limitless. The shows are limitless. Having so many avenues for someone to creatively express themselves inside and out is something that has to be the mission of the place. If there are brands, and if there are ideas, if you have them, bring them to Mercer Labs. We'll make them come to life. Roy will make them come to life. We will make them come to life with everything we've got. Photo by Peter Murdock. Are there any other anime series you’d like to see represented in your museum? Nasir: Toei Animation and Mercer are family. That's what the future looks like. We started this relationship with a strong bond over ONE PIECE . Toei has so many IPs and so many animations. We wanted to make sure that whoever we did this with, and whoever we first started with, was a relationship that we were able to build over time. Comic Con is every year. Every year . In San Diego and in New York. And in multiple places across the world. So you never know when you're going to see a Mercer Labs experiential edition. This last question is a little nerdy. Imagine the Straw Hats coming to your museum to check it out and spend the day there. What do you think they’d do? Which exhibits do you think they’d enjoy (except Zoro, he’d probably get lost)? Nasir: He'd be drunk. He’d be finished. But everyone else? I think they would be doing exactly what we're doing. Which character would, in the mirrored room with the ship, which character would just lie down and sway with the ship? Nasir: I think Brook would just chill. Roy: That room? It's clean. Nasir: I love that room. Roy: You really feel like it's next to you. It's like, physical, but it's digital. RELATED: We Discover How Manga is Made at the ONE PIECE ONLY Exhibition It was hard to walk out there at first, but it's really cool when you get in there. That was my favorite room. Also, the effect of the ship. And then we stayed in there long enough for it to turn into nighttime. Roy: Nighttime is the moment. It hits you. Nasir: And in terms of that room, and what's happened before, it's one of the more simplistic ones, but still so impactful. I love that. Roy: You don't treat it as a screen; you treat it as a space. Because of the reflection, right? The water takes you there. The insecurity when you come in, the fear. Like, you really feel things. I'm a painter. Since I was just five years old, that's what I do. Painting and doing sculptures and stuff like that. And I love museums in general, but the speed of what we do here at Mercer gives us the opportunity to create those dreams and bring them to life. Because it's designed that way. We put in enough effort to be able to transform each room and each area here in a completely different way. You know, what Nas said before, which I think was important, is that we’re really pushing the boundaries. If it's a painting with a red splash on it, for example, some people may not connect with it. But here you're in the red splash. You're here. You're a part of that. You're in the painting, you know? So it gives you different feelings. It's a story for me, too. WHERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MERCER LABS Website Facebook Instagram TikTok
