Every One Piece Arc Ranked (So Far)

One Piece is one of the greatest stories ever told. Simply put, watching the adventures of Luffy and his crew hunt for the coveted one piece is an adventure in and of itself.

However, due to its large volume of episodes (1,122 and counting), there are bound to be some storylines that are just not up to par with the rest. Like many anime, One Piece is broken up into arcs, with each arc containing its own storyline that contributes to the overall story of One Piece.

Here are my rankings of every single arc in One Piece so far ranked from worst to best, starting with-

32. Long Ring Long Island

Almost universally agreed upon as the worst arc in One Piece, Long Ring Long Island sees the Straw Hats facing Foxy and his crew in a series of Davy Back fights. Despite its name, there is really only one true fight in the entire arc between Luffy and Foxy, as the rest of the Davy Back fight is actually a series of challenges.

This arc was far too long and simply not interesting enough to make up for its length. The anime actually adds another set of Davy Back fights than in the manga, for whatever reason. Foxy is an annoying presence any time he appears in the story, so the fact that he was the main villain of this arc makes him even more unbearable.

On top of being an almost unbearable watch, this arc adds little to nothing to the overall story; making the arc feel like the Straw Hats got distracted on their way to Laughtale (other than the introduction of Aokiji/Kuzan, but that could have been done in any other way).

There are a few comedic moments that give Long Ring Long Island some bare-bone redeeming elements, but unfortunately this arc is still easily the weakest of the bunch. If you’re wondering if you can skip it…maybe you should. However, it is canon, so I personally recommend just powering through it. At least the rest of One Piece is insurmountably better.

31. Orange Town

Given that Long Ring Long Island was the only arc that wasn’t very good, the rest of the arcs at the bottom of this list are more so there because they’re not as strong as the later entries.

Orange Town was mostly just a forgettable arc due to how short it is and its odd introduction to Buggy, who eventually plays a much bigger role in future arcs (which we’ll get to soon). Watching Buggy join the story as somewhat of an annoying antagonist was very on-brand for early One Piece, but compared to the rest of the story it ends up coming off as very much lacking in substance.

It’s not the worst, as it actually introduces us slightly to Buggy’s time on Gol D. Roger’s crew, but it is certainly far from the best.

30. Whiskey Peak

There will be a lot of the “transition stories” near the bottom of the list; not necessarily because there was anything wrong with them, but because that’s really all they are: transition stories.

Whiskey Peak did have the scene with Zoro taking out most of Baroque Works single handedly and the first time Vivi joins the Straw Hats on their adventure, but that was really where the interest in this arc ends.

The rest of the crew aren’t really highlighted in this one, so overall it’s bound to be found at the bottom.

29. Syrup Village

Serving as Usopp’s introduction to the story, Syrup Village wasn’t entirely that bad. However, for some reason, it feels a little lengthy despite being under 10 episodes. The arc’s villain, Kuro, might have been imposing at the time, but his characterization has not held up as well as future antagonists.

Obviously, almost all of the arcs that come after Syrup Village are much longer, but they don’t feel as drawn out as this one.

Usopp's storyline of being the town liar and protecting Kaya were the biggest highlights of the arc. Someday, we will look back on this arc and see how Usopp’s actions were foreshadowing of how this small-island coward would someday become a brave warrior of the sea on the King of the Pirate’s ship. Also, this is when the Straw Hats obtained the Going Merry!

It’s a serviceable arc with a decent enough plotline, but it just can’t beat out the stories that we see later on.

28. Reverse Mountain

Reverse Mountain’s reasoning for being so low will be as short as the arc itself was. At only two episodes, it simply does not have the volume needed to overtake any other arc on this list.

That being said, it was still good for what it was. The introduction of Laboon and Crocus ended up being much more important than we thought it would at that time. However, Laboon’s story felt like it held more weight once we discover that Brook and his old crew were the ones that Laboon was waiting for.

It’s another transition arc that serves its purpose, and this one does serve it well.

27. Reverie

The one thing that drags this arc down is the sheer volume of flashbacks it contained. The arc would show a returning character from previous arcs and immediately remind us what happened the last time we saw them. It wasn’t exactly a nuisance, but viewers who binge the show don’t need to be reminded of something they just watched not too long ago.

Another issue that wasn’t really the fault of the Reverie arc itself was the fact that the most interesting parts of the Reverie aren’t told until AFTER this arc actually takes place. Eventually, we learn that Sabo, who had infiltrated the Reverie, was being framed for the murder of Cobra, Wapol accidentally witnessed the whole thing and is now hiding with Vivi, and that there’s this newly introduced villain named Imu who possibly plays the biggest role in the entire lore of One Piece.

If this was all told during the arc itself, then the Reverie would be much higher on the list. Unfortunately, the Reverie events and the Reverie arc end up separating themselves from one another, taking this arc down a bit in the rankings here.

Although, it was nice to see old allies of the Straw Hats interacting and sharing how the Straw Hat crew helped them. Perhaps this could foreshadow Luffy and his allies joining up for the final war…?

26. Post Enies Lobby

The Post Enies Lobby arc was yet another transitional story after the absolute epic stories of Water 7 and Enies Lobby. In true One Piece fashion, the Straw Hats indulge in a huge celebration following their win, but there were a few filler storylines that just sort of added to the amount of episodes for very little reason behind them.

There were some crucial moments in this arc: Garp being revealed as Luffy's grandfather, Garp telling Luffy who his dad is, Koby’s reunion with Luffy, Franky joining the Straw Hats, and Usopp apologizing and rejoining the crew.

25. Amazon Lilly

I actually like the aspect of Luffy having to try and survive without his crew for once. Amazon Lily introduced a fan favorite, Boa Hancock, and her love for the aforementioned hero of the story. Despite being somewhat of a transition arc, Amazon Lilly contains enough substance in its plotline to make it worthy of a slightly higher ranking than those below it.

In this arc, we got to see one of the first times Luffy uses conqueror’s haki; a key element to Luffy’s character going forward. We also finally see Luffy’s discovery that Ace was set to be executed, catapulting his motivation and actions for the rest of the pre-time skip era.

The next two arcs are clearly superior, but Amazon Lily holds its own among the One Piece arcs.

23. Jaya

Jaya was a funny case, because at this point in the story, the crew was so set on finding Sky Island that this arc felt like it was just going to be a setup for the Skypiea arc. What happened throughout this arc was instead one of the more important setups to the story of One Piece itself; not just Skypiea.

Luffy and Zoro start the arc by taking a brutal beating from Bellamy and his goons when they refuse to fight back. While this was definitely upsetting to watch, it all made for a satisfying payoff when Luffy returns to town after Bellamy’s crew attacks Cricket and takes him out with a single punch. It was a true display of Luffy’s character and emotional maturity; something he continues to display throughout the series.

Blackbeard is introduced for the first time, unbeknownst to viewers, as some big guy who argues with Luffy over a cherry pie and later tries to hunt him down in the middle of the ocean.

Bellamy and his connection to Doflamingo foreshadows the events of Dresrosa, while Blackbeard’s introduction and attempt to capture Luffy foreshadow the events of Marineford. It is sometimes easy to forget the importance of certain stories in One Piece due to the sheer volume of them, so Jaya always has to get my respect whenever it is mentioned.

22. Return to Sabaody

As the first arc to take place immediately after the time skip, Return to Sabaody had everyone wondering just how much stronger the crew had gotten. This was quickly proven by feats such as Nami and Usopp taking down Straw Hat imposters and Luffy taking down a pacifista by himself.

I also love how some of the people that the Straw Hats spent the past two years with came with them to Sabaody to see them off (Perona and Zoro, Heracles and Usopp, Nami and the weather guys, etc). And of course, Rayleigh was there to coat their ship and see his pupil off as they left for Fishman Island.

The fake Straw Hat crew was weird, but I guess it played a part in the real Straw Hats being able to escape from the marines while the fake ones were mistakenly arrested.

It was a cool little arc that gave us a little taste of what was to come in terms of the crews’ new abilities and strength.

21. Fishman Island

Fishman Island is another arc that a lot of fans did not care for, mostly due to its long flashbacks and throwaway characters (particularly the villains of the arc). However, I liked a lot of the other aspects of this arc, like the backstory of the Sun Pirates and Fisher Tiger and the theme of discrimination depicted in how the fishmen are treated by the rest of the world.

It felt like this arc was also meant to showcase the Straw Hats’ newfound strength post-timeskip since the fights were really one-sided. Maybe it felt like it was too long since the arc could have been decided by a punch or two, but I thought the rest of the arc’s plotline was interesting enough.

20. Baratie

One of the better arcs from earlier in the anime, the Baratie was a pretty good arc that just somewhat gets overlooked by the rest of the arcs in the series (especially considering that Arlong Park came right after).

The introduction of Sanji and his backstory with Zeff were major highlights, as was the fight between Zoro and Mihawk.

Don Krieg’s inclusion as the main antagonist of this arc was a pretty mild lowlight, mainly because he has become such a forgettable villain in the grand scheme of things. Despite the fact that we see a lot of characters return or at least get mentioned later on in the story, Don Krieg would be a name I can live without hearing again.

19. Romance Dawn

The very first arc in One Piece was the perfect way to introduce us to the grand adventure that we were boarding. From Luffy’s first appearance as he pops out of a barrel that was drifting in the middle of the ocean to Zoro’s recruitment, Romance Dawn certainly came in swinging.

Something crucial about Luffy’s character is also made abundantly clear from the get-go as we see him save Koby from Alvida: he’s a whimsical little weirdo who also happens to be confusingly strong. It’s an ongoing theme for his character that never really changes over the series, but it’s just some of the many reasons why we love our captain so dearly.

18. Thriller Bark

This was another arc that a lot of people didn’t seem to enjoy, but I thought it was a fun watch. Was it my favorite? No, but it gave us a lot of memorable moments.

For one thing, it introduced us to our favorite humming swordsman, Brook. Also, it had some of the funniest moments in the entire show, like the scene when Luffy pushes a zombie back into its grave.

Gecko Moria was definitely one of my least favorite villains, mainly because his devil fruit power didn’t really seem all that powerful in the grand scheme of things and because he was a much weaker villain than the ones we had just seen in Water 7 and Enies Lobby.

In fact, the biggest threat in the entire arc was someone who came along later: Bartholomew Kuma. Kuma’s scenes with Zoro were what made this arc as memorable as it was, especially the “Nothing happened” scene when Sanji finds Zoro all battered up.

The whole shift in vibe with Thriller Bark’s horror-theme was somewhat jarring at first and took a while to get used to. The arc as a whole did suffer from serious pacing issues and a lot of things that happened before Kuma’s confrontation with the Straw Hats wasn’t that interesting, but the comedic moments that were in this arc and of course Kuma’s presence made it not-good-but-not-bad.

17. Loguetown

Loguetown was one of those arcs that ended up becoming way more eventful than I thought it would. I expected it to be a classic tale of the main characters making a casual stop somewhere only to find more trouble than they bargain for, but this was waaaaay more than they bargained for.

Luffy was caught by Buggy who returned for revenge alongside Alvida and was almost executed at the town square until literally lightning struck and saved him, only for him to be captured again by Smoker until he’s saved by a mysterious hooded man who later turns out to be his father?! I’m out of breath just thinking about it all over again.

In addition, we see storylines like Zoro testing if a cursed sword is right for him by throwing it in the air to see if it cuts his arm off and also Usopp getting into a sniping competition by a man who once faced off against his father.

It wasn’t the longest arc in the show, but it was packed with event after event after situation after another. It’s a surprisingly wild ride that I almost wish was longer.

16. Drum Island

On Drum Island, Luffy and his crew search for a doctor who can help heal an ill Nami while the despicable Wapol returns in an attempt to reclaim Drum Island for himself. As much as I didn’t love Wapol, I can’t deny that Drum Island was a very memorable arc.

Luffy climbing that gigantic mountain with Nami on his back in order to save her from her sickness is yet another showcase of Luffy’s unrivaled loyalty and love for every member of his crew.

Of course, Drum Island is the first time we get to see our favorite reindeer doctor, Tony Tony Chopper, who has one of the most gut-wrenching backstories of the entire crew.

In the end, Luffy saves the day yet again and the Straw Hats get their much-needed doctor of the crew. It’s the kind of happy ending that One Piece fans live for.

15. Zou

Looking back, I didn’t really appreciate Zou for how it set up the rest of that saga with Whole Cake Island and Wano. The twist of the minks protecting Raizo from Jack the Drought was one of the craziest reveals in the entire show. It’s a feeling of pure shock that I wish I could experience all over again.

Zou does tend to feel like a transition arc at first, which may not have been such a bad thing after witnessing the grandness of Dressrosa. However, there is an underlying feeling the entire time knowing that Zou is not the ultimate destination in this saga. With this, I couldn’t help but wonder when they were going to move forward with their ultimate plan of taking down Kaido.

In this arc, the crew finds another poneglpyh, they learn about Sanji being taken away to Whole Cake Island, and they set into action the plan to defeat Kaido that would take up the entirety of Wano.

The entire storyline from Punk Hazard to Wano is must-see television, and Zou is a major part of that.

14. Skypiea

Skypiea really didn’t resonate with me the way it did with a lot of other people, but I have to respect what it means for One Piece as a whole.

The world building was insane and showed off just how crafty Oda is at this part of his game. The lore presented during this arc also continues to be crucial in the ongoing story overall, which is something you can’t really appreciate until after the arc is over.

My only real issue with Skypiea is that it felt more like a sidequest for a majority of the time until things start getting serious with Enel. Furthermore, once more of the lore is explained and they find a PONEGLPYH on the sky island, I finally understood the importance of this arc.

Some might say that they appreciated Skypiea much more quickly than I did, and for that I must say that I am jealous. Considering how much the lore of One Piece has expanded since this arc and how much of it was actually foreshadowed in Skyepiea, it is worth noting that there is a lot more to Skypiea that first time viewers should be privy to.

13. Post War

While still trying to process the devastation that was the Summit War, we were given a sudden backstory to Luffy and Ace’s childhood where they met and were friends with another boy, Sabo. This whole flashback was actually well-placed, as it gave us more characterization for beloved character, Ace, as viewers had to come to terms with his gut punch death (literally). In addition, it introduced us to some mysterious new kid who was the son of nobles but chose to hang out with two boys in the Grey Terminal and become brothers together.

We also see Luffy’s immediate reaction to the war and the loss of his brother, as well as the Straw Hats devastation over learning the news of Ace’s death. Their reactions over the fact that none of them could be with Luffy during the most difficult time of his life further showed us how much they care for each other, and especially for their captain.

Thankfully, the arc ends on a hopeful note, with Luffy agreeing to train with Rayleigh for two years and sending a message to his crew that they should do the same wherever they are.

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12. Whole Cake Island

Whole Cake Island almost gave me the same feeling that Skypiea did, in regards to how it felt like a major side quest in Luffy’s ultimate journey to conquering the Grand Line. This time, however, I liked the aspect of this being a rescue mission in order to get Sanji back.

The opportunity to finally learn about Sanji’s true backstory after what we were given from the Baratie was somehow only one main highlight of the arc. Sanji and and his estranged family being fit into this arc that also included the first proper introduction of Big Mom and her family should have probably been a weird mix, but it somehow worked. Bringing together Sanji and Pudding in an arranged marriage was a brilliant way to showcase the history of the Vinsmoke family while also bringing to light the history of Charlotte Linlin and the Big Mom pirates who play major roles in the following arc and add to the great lore of the One Piece verse.

Sometimes, it felt as though there were too many characters to keep up with considering that this arc not only concerned Sanji and the Vinsmokes and the Big Mom pirates, but also included the likes of Capone Bege and Luffy teaming up. Despite this, it was still a fun watch with some seriously heartbreaking moments for our beloved kicking cook, and still had time to show us once again just how far Luffy would go for his crew.

11. Punk Hazard

Punk Hazard was the beginning of a larger saga that lasted all the way up until Wano. This arc gave us the chance to get properly acquainted with fan-favorite, Trafalgar Law, as well as the samurai Kin’emon and Momonosuke; all who play even larger roles later on.

Law’s plan to form an alliance with Luffy and the Straw Hats would end up being one of the most entertaining storylines in the entire show, considering how much Law was not prepared for how much of a wild card Luffy is.

Caesar Clown and his cohorts made for memorable antagonists after they genuinely and truly pissed off the Straw Hats by experimenting on children. Because of this, the emotional elements that drove our crew into saving the day really hit home.

Smoker and Tashigi’s return was another added bonus, especially since we got to see them both fight against Law and Luffy AND fight alongside them.

Punk Hazard felt like One Piece’s version of an action movie with the mad scientist element thrown in. It kicked off a long run with the Luffy and Law alliance, and what a glorious start to their team it was.

10. Arlong Park

Arlong Park is considered by many, including myself, to be the arc that really got them hooked on One Piece. Every other arc in the East Blue saga was memorable in its own right, but Arlong Park really set the stage for just how great One Piece’s storytelling could be.

Until this point in the story, we did not see the stakes as high as they were once Luffy and friends arrived at Arlong Park. Nami’s tragic backstory of losing her adoptive mother and being forced to work for her freedom from Arlong and his band of pirates was unbelievably devastating, and watching Arlong try and cheat his way into taking the money Nami painstakingly raised for her freedom only fueled our hatred for him. I don’t remember the last time I was so happy to see the bad guy get what he deserved once Luffy defeated Arlong in their fight.

This arc also gave us the first glimpse into the Straw Hats truly fighting as a team, even though they were so few compared to their numbers now. Watching Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji march into Arlong Park to avenge their fellow Straw Hat will never fail to give me goosebumps. And don’t even get me started on Luffy’s “ Of course I will!” declaration after Nami begs for his help. Chills.

9. Alabasta

Despite the greatness of the East Blue saga, the Alabasta arc proved how masterful Oda is at world building. From the very moment that Vivi joins the Straw Hats to travel to her home of Alabasta and overthrow the corrupt ruler and warlord of the sea, Crocodile, you just know you’re in for a wild ride.

Alabasta was the first time I felt like I was witnessing an adventure inside of the grander adventure that is the One Piece story as a whole. Luffy and the Straw Hats working desperately to save Alabasta from Crocodile and the Baroque Works operatives was only one highlight of this incredible arc.

In addition, we got a little bit of time spent with Luffy’s older brother, Ace, as he traveled with them for some time while on the hunt for his missing crewmate who would eventually turn the entire One Piece world upside down. It was yet another display of Oda’s ability to weave every little detail together, even when we least expect it.

8. Impel Down

Impel Down surprised me mainly because I didn’t think I could genuinely have a good time watching One Piece after knowing that Ace was about to be executed.

Luffy barging into the famed prison and forming a band of misfits consisting of inmates he helped to break out was equally anxiety-inducing and delightful to watch. Everytime Luffy traveled further into Impel Down, many people would assume he would start slowing down at some point since each level was harder to break into than the last. But in classic Luffy fashion, he basically powers right through anything that is thrown at him, making a bevy of allies along the way.

It was one of those team-up moments in One Piece I did not expect at all, especially since he joined forces with the likes of Buggy, Galdino, and especially one of his most formidable adversaries at that point: Crocodile. Throw in the more-than-welcome introduction of Ivankov and the New Kama warriors who resided in Impel Down, and you’ve got yourself one of the greatest prison break stories of all time.

Also, I felt as though a separate paragraph must be dedicated to the true MVP of this arc: Bonclay. Without Bon-chan’s help, Luffy and the escapees could have never made it to Marineford and carried on with their mission. So if you haven’t taken the time today to salute Luffy’s greatest ally, please do so now.

7. Dressrosa

I just don’t think there will ever be another villain like Doflamingo. His insane backstory about living as a Celestial Dragon and then losing his life as a Celestial Dragon and the persecution he faced as a result was unexpected, but gave him insurmountable depth that we had rarely seen until this point. His rise to power and usurpation of Dressrosa made him a convincingly evil presence in the story.

Admittedly, it is another arc that feels longer than it needed to be at times due to the abundance of flashbacks (especially those concerning Rebecca’s past that was played over and over again) but Dressrosa was absolutely filled to the brim with great moments.

One could start by mentioning Law’s history with Doflamingo and how he came to despise him as much as he does. Or maybe you could mention the horrific incident that was Doflamingo’s seizing of Dressrosa by killing many of its citizens and making himself look like the hero in order to take the throne.

But of course, one of the biggest surprises came in the form of Sabo’s shocking return and his reunion with his little brother, Luffy. It is actually insane to think that amongst all of the storylines running rampant in Dressrosa, we still had time to see Sabo and where he’s been this whole time.

Mix in the introductions of Luffy’s number one fan, Bartolomeo, and the rest of the newly minted Straw Hat Grand Fleet, and you’ve got the recipe for one of the show’s greatest arcs.

6. Egghead

Could this be recency bias? Perhaps. But Egghead had some of the craziest reveals in the entire story, so I just couldn’t find any justification in putting it any lower on the list.

We finally get to see Dr. Vegapunk and learn more about the government’s famed scientist, whose presence alluded us up until this point. The theme of the Straw Hats maneuvering through this futuristic island was fun in and of itself, and I thought that was all this arc was going to be: the Straw Hats meeting Vegapunk and learning more about everything he’s been doing and what he knows.

I think it’s safe to say that I was wrong in my assumption.

Not only do we finally get to meet Vegapunk and Egghead Island, but CP0 makes their return and tries to take out Vegapunk due to his research into the void century. And if that wasn’t enough, MORE navy personnel and big names from the government drop in to join the fight; further raising the stakes and indicating just how serious the situations have gotten.

While this is all going on, we also see other crazy events that happen around the world: Blackbeard attacking the Heart Pirates, Shanks taking out Kid, and his sniper Yasopp decimating the Barto Club’s ship.

And just when you thought that wasn’t enough excitement for one arc, Kuma’s backstory is finally revealed. His daughter, Bonney, finally gets her answers as to why he left her and what happened to him.

But that’s still not all. After Vegapunk’s demise, his video announcement that was set to play all over the world after his death gave us an abundance of answers about things like the void century, the world government, and even Joyboy.

It’s almost as if Oda is saying, “Oh you thought Wano was crazy? Watch this.” And who am I to complain?

5. Wano

The longest arc in the entire story, Wano was an absolute firestorm of storytelling mastery.

Although they did not hinder the story that much, there were still two main factors that somewhat dragged the experience of watching Wano: the abundance of characters to keep up with and the bloated amount of flashbacks. One of the things that made Wano amazing was its inclusion of so many different characters, old and new, but it also came with the need to show where they have been and how they got to this point. Once we got past all that, however, it was really only up from there.

Wano saw Luffy and his group (The Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance) take on not one, but TWO emperors of the sea in Big Mom and Kaido. Along with these two towering figures came their own pirate crews: the Big Mom pirates (who we were introduced to in Whole Cake Island) and the Beat Pirates, who inhabited Wano.

There was so much happening in this arc that I’m sure to forget some things that happened, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t highlight Law and Kid teaming up to take down Big Mom, Kanjuro being revealed as a traitor, the appearance of Yamato, and of course Marco joining the fight.

However, the greatest highlight in this arc, and perhaps in all of One Piece so far, was Luffy coming back from the dead to awaken his devil fruit and activate Gear 5. Zuneisha declaring the return of Joyboy still sends chills down my spine anytime I watch it.

It was a crazy arc from start to finish, but Wano certainly does not disappoint.

4. Water 7

Obviously, I enjoyed everything about One Piece up until this point, but this was the first arc that truly made me want to stay up late and lose sleep so that I could watch more episodes than I told myself I would watch.

Despite all of the other heart-breaking arcs in One Piece, Water 7 still stacks up with the best of them. Robin suddenly leaves the crew, Usopp gets beaten to a pulp and robbed, and then Usopp angrily leaves the Straw Hats after a disagreement-turned-fight with his captain. The feeling of watching the Straw Hats fall apart right before my eyes was just too much to bear at times, but I felt like I had to watch more every single time.

Although there were many highlights in this arc, perhaps my favorite was watching Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper avenge Usopp by beating up the Franky Family and destroying their home. The four of them walking to the Franky House and mirroring their walk towards Arlong Park hundreds of episodes prior was enough to send chills down your spine and it showcased just how much Usopp means to the crew.

To see Usopp then storm off and challenge Luffy to a duel upon gaining consciousness was a devastating blow to both the Straw Hats and the viewers. Luffy coming to terms with Usopp’s departure, Zoro’s speech about letting Usopp leave as he wants, and even Chopper rushing to leave medical supplies by a beaten Usopp were all just not things I ever wanted to see happen to our favorite pirate crew.

On top of all that, we are introduced to Franky and CP9, who turned out to be Galley-La workers undercover for the government. As much as I hated these guys in the Enies Lobby arc (which I’ll get to), I already hated them so much in Water 7.

3. Sabaody Archipelago

When the Straw Hats arrived on Sabaody, I don’t think anyone was prepared for the events that would soon transpire. What was supposed to simply be another step towards the New World ended up being one of the most devastating ends to an arc in the entire show.

In this arc, we got the introductions to some of the greatest characters in the series. The Worst Generation was first introduced, which included the first team-up of Luffy, Law, and Kid. Kizaru also arrived on screen for the first time to show just how powerful the marines are and that the Straw Hat crew was just not good enough to take them on just yet. And of course, Silvers Rayleigh was introduced and immediately proved why he is such a legend in the One Piece universe by saving the Straw Hats and telling them about his adventures with the Roger Pirates.

What truly makes this arc memorable was the emotional impact it had on fans at its conclusion. As Kuma “took out” the Straw Hats one by one, we were left wondering, “...are they dead? And if not…where are they? What did Kuma do to them?”

Luffy being the last to be dealt with and exclaiming the now-infamous line, “I’m still too weak!” while repeatedly banging his head on the ground will forever be ingrained in our minds. Not only did it reinforce Kuma as a terrifying adversary at the time, but it was a brutal wake-up call to both Luffy and the viewers that the Straw Hats were far from ready to enter the New World.

2. Marineford

On any given day, Marineford and my number one pick can be interchanged, but this is where it stands after giving it a lot of thought (I could even consider them to be 1a and 1b).

Marineford was simply a masterclass in storytelling and character writing. It would have already been an insane plot to begin with if it had simply been what the marines were originally expecting: Whitebeard and his allies storm into Marineford to save Ace from execution. However, Luffy and his gang of Impel Down escapees found their way into Marineford as well and helped to aid in rescuing Ace.

What makes this arc such a great piece of storytelling might be the fact that it ended in the worst possible way: Ace AND Whitebeard were killed. On top of that, Blackbeard got exactly what he wanted and the marines claimed the victory at the Summit War.

Ace’s death and Luffy’s immediate reaction to holding his deceased brother in his arms remains one of the most devastating moments in all of One Piece; one that fans hope never gets topped.

1. Enies Lobby

Enies Lobby takes the top spot; albeit in a close race with Marineford.

The Enies Lobby arc sees the Straw Hats at their best, with each member proving their loyalty to the crew and to their friendship with Robin. It was one of the first real examples of just how much the crew cared for each other, especially considering that Robin was the last member to join them at this point.

Every member of the Straw Hats fought tooth and nail to bring Robin back. Even Usopp donned a disguise in order to rejoin his friends’ rescue attempt after leaving the crew in Water 7. It was a truly amazing display of friendship that would be proven time and time again even after this arc.

This arc also gave us one of the greatest scenes in One Piece history, with Robin declaring, “I want to Live!” to her newfound friends who had come all the way there to save her. This coupled with her even more tragic backstory of her home being destroyed by the World Government makes the ending of Enies Lobby so much more satisfying. Robin was saved, CP9 was defeated, and we eventually got to see Usopp rejoin and Franky come aboard for their future adventures.

I don’t doubt that Oda can top this arc in the future, but it hasn’t been done just yet.