The Giant Mechanical Soldier of Karakuri Castle is One Piece's seventh movie. Despite not being canon, it's probably set between the Davy Back Fight and the Water 7 arc.
The films open with the Straw Hat crew finding a mysterious treasure chest in a sinking ship in the middle of a storm. They bring it back to safety on their ship, only to find out a weird old woman inside it. Said lady asks the crew to bring her back home in exchange for a treasure which is apparently hid on her island. Enticed by the offer, the crew set sail for Karakuri Island.
Upon reaching the island, they learn of a special poem which contains a code leading to the famed Golden Crown, however they're also antagonized by Ratchet (Goro Inagaki of SMAP), the ruler of the island and son of the elderly lady, who send his henchmen to chase away the pirates. However, when Luffy accidentally solves part of the riddle, he decides to ally with them in order to find the treasure of the island.
Of all the movies, this one was notorious for the many instances of Fanservice, like Nami and Robin's "breast enhancement". Which, ironically, became their standard sizes following the Time Skip.
This movie contains examples of:
- Achievements in Ignorance: Luffy manages to defeat Ratchet by unknowningly activating the Gear Second.
- All for Nothing: The crew beat Ratchet and his cronies and free the turtle island from his grasp. What more even seeing her lay eggs which soon hatch. To which they find out the "crown" the legend spoke of is the egg shells which are made of gold. They hitch up a shell to the ship and sail on...only for the shell to sink into the ocean due to being too heavy.
- Big "SHUT UP!": Ratchet says this when the Straw Hats don't take his goal of conquering the known world seriously.
- Blade Brake: Subverted: Turns out it's pretty pointless when your sword is an Absurdly Sharp Blade, as Zoro finds out. It does slow the fall a little at least.
- Blow You Away: One of the defense systems installed by Ratchet against pirates is a colossal fan that can push ships away. However it ends up sucking the previous defense system (a row of mechanical archers) and shoot a volley of sharp fragments before exploding.
- Call-Back: The interior of Ratchet's castle looks similar to Chopper's home on Drum Island, which he comments on.
- Comedic Spanking: Ratchet's mother spanks him for trying to take over the world. Given the lighthearted nature of this film, it's played for laughs.
- Disappointed by the Motive: The Straw Hats stop taking Ratchet seriously once he reveals his plans for world domination.
- Death Glare:
- Nami gives one to Ratchet's mother in the beginning when she interrogates her about the treasure. Usopp and Zoro lampshade how scary she is when treasure is involved.
- Nami gives another one to Luffy after hearing from Maji that the whole "Golden Crown" treasure was just a folktale, meaning the Straw Hats were duped into traveling to Mecha Island.
- Delinquent Hair: Maji's hair is styled into a mohawk.
- Disappeared Dad: Ratchet's father died when he was a child, which turned him into an eccentric obsessed with machines as an adult.
- Enemy Mine: Halfway through the movie, Ratchet allies himself with the Straw Hats to find the treasure.
- Establishing Character Moment: The first minute does a good job establishing the seven Straw Hats.
- Nami is excited about finding such a huge treasure chest.
- Sanji gushes about how beautiful Nami is before arguing with Zoro.
- Zoro snarks at Sanji and points out how are they going move the treasure chest.
- Usopp is worried that if they don't stay focused, they'll die.
- Chopper panics at Usopp's words.
- Robin calms Chopper and assures him they'll make it.
- Luffy cheerfully agrees and says things will work out. Before knocking the tent covering them from the rain.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Although he treats his mother like crap, in the beginning he swooped down and rescued her from the Straw Hats (who he assumed to be evil pirates kidnapping his mother).
- Evil Laugh: Ratchet indulges in this after setting his plans of world conquest into motion.
- Face Palm: Nami does this in the beginning when Ratchet's mother explains how she ended up in the treasure chest, which included throwing the original treasure that was in the chest into the sea.
- Fanservice Pack: Ok, both Nami and Robin are fanservicey enough in the canon series, but this movie indulges in loving shots of their mammaries, which seem to jiggle around like they have minds of their own.
- Foreshadowing: While exploring the island Chopper, who can understand animals, hears a strange voice. Later is revealed that it was the Turtle Island they're on.
- Another one is the unique compass used to find the island as a regular Log Pose won't locate it otherwise since it doesn't have a magnetic field. It's a small turtle.
- In the beginning, Usopp can be seen working on a new model of Nami's Climatact, the same that would appear later during the Enies Lobby arc.
- Freak Out: Chopper has quite a scare when a maid's head falls off while serving him drinks. Thankfully, the maid was robotic.
- Funny Background Event:
- Right in the beginning of the movie, while Nami and Sanji are questioning Luffy's actions to get them back on Going Merry, Zoro is seen in the background trying to put out Chopper who caught on fire.
- While Nami and Robin are pondering the legend of the Golden Crown, in the foreground Usopp chases Luffy (and Chopper) for eating his food during dinner.
- Gadgeteer Genius: Ratchet. Most of Mecha Island's contraptions can be contributed to him. Too bad he decides to squander his talents on trying to take over the world.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Nami, to a greater extent than usual. Not even Chopper is spared from her fists.
- Hearing Voices: Chopper continuously hears strange voices out of nowhere. The voices come from the island's giant turtle.
- Huddle Shot: The Straw Hats get into a group huddle to discuss what to do with Ratchet's mother. There's a significant gap between Robin and Sanji that allows the viewer(s) to look at the rest of the crew.
- Humiliation Conga: Ratchet is defeated, has his mecha destroyed, his giant castle smashed, his dreams gone... and then he gets spanked by his mother for trying to take over the world.
- Humongous Mecha: Ratchet's battle mecha.
- Hurricane of Puns: The poem is rifled with japanese double entendres (not the sexual ones). For example, the first part mention the serpent's head (a weird-looking rock) and the "two moons" (futatsu no tsuki). Tsuki can also mean "punch, strike", and the poem meant that.
- Iresemble That Remark: At one point, Usopp declares that Ratchet's most most have seen Zoro's face, to which Zoro responds by making said face in question.
- I'm Standing Right Here: In the beginning, Ratchet's mother overhears the Straw Hats talking about her during their Huddle Shot, and laments how she escaped one group of pirates only to land in another.
- Impossibly-Low Neckline: Nami's evening dress.
- Jaw Drop: Nami does this after Luffy figures out the "two moons" riddle by accident.
- Jerkass: Ratchet, seeing how he treats his own mother. Also Maji, who's incredibly loud, rude and obnoxious.
- Lighter and Softer: Considerably after both the fifth and ESPECIALLY the sixth films provided very dark images to associate with One Piece; the latter having some of the most disturbing images so in the franchise. The villain was also very harmless and not nearly as threatening as the previous ones.
- Lost in Translation: The rhymes about the treasure makes sense only in Japanese. Rather than substituting the riddles for English equivalents or adding translation notes, the official UK release opts to translate them literally, rendering the riddle answers nonsense.
- Lame Pun Reaction: This is Nami's reaction every time a riddle is solved and it turns out to be a pun.
- Male Gaze: The camera often makes sure that Nami and Robin's melons are always in sight. Some scenes are just for the sake of this.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": While exploring the cave found for the "two moons" riddle, the Straw Hats (Ratchet, Honki, and Maji included) find their boat heading for a waterfall. This trope was their reaction.
- Meaningful Name: Meka Island. At first it seems like a Non-Indicative Name due to its relatively peaceful environment, but we learn it gets its name from its well-hidden defense system Ratchet built. Read backwards, it becomes Shimagame, "Island Turtle".
- A ratchet is a wrench-like device that helps turn cogs and wheels. Ratchet is a Gadgeteer Genius.
- Metaphorically True: Ratchet's mother mentions a legend about the Golden Crown, which was said to be worn by the King of the Sea. Nami thinks it's total BS. Turns out the legend was true, except the King of the Sea refers to a giant turtle, while the Golden Crown is actually the shells of the eggs the turtle lays, which are literally made of gold.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: The cleavage in Robin's evening dress plunges so low that it exposes her stomach, along with Sideboob.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Maji uses a giant electric fan to get the Straw Hats to leave the island (by blowing them away). Unfortunately the fan was put in front of the island's arrow defense system, causing its backside to suck up parts into it and shoot out debris that tear up the sails of the Straw Hats' ship, so now they can't leave.
- Non-Indicative Name:
- The movie title. There's a Karakuri Island, but no Giant Mechanical Soldier.
- Lampshaded by the Straw Hats after they are led to a place called "Mecha Island", commenting on how rural and peaceful it looks.
- Not So Stoic: Played for laughs near the end - after escaping from a cave in, Luffy and Nami freaks out over the now freed Giant Turtle. Suddenly Zoro, unfazed burst out from the nearby rubble, coolly berates them with a stern look on his face... then freaks out over the Giant Turtle.
- Of Corsets Sexy: Robin's outfit from the latter half of the movie.
- Oh, Crap!: Everyone upon seeing Shimagame. Also Maji, as he noticed that Zoro has stopped his car with his swords alone and is about to attack.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Ratchet is called "Skinny Glasses" by Luffy through the entire movie.
- Powered Armor: Honki has one with a suffocating, scary mask. Maji has one equipped with buzzsaws, though it's more like a vehicle.
- Rain of Arrows: Occurs in the beginning of the movie when Maji activates the island's defense system. A bunch of mechanical puppets pop out and shoot numerous arrows at the Going Merry. Zoro deflects them all in one blow.
- Scarf of Asskicking: Subverted. Ratchet wears a scarf, but never physically engages the Straw Hats once (considering how powerful they are, physical engagement wouldn't be a good idea), so he fights them using a Humongous Mecha.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: Ratchet at times, due to wearing glasses. Especially when he reveals his true goal of using the turtle to rule the world.
- Spanner Inthe Works: Ratchet's butler, who overhears his plans of world conquest and helps free the Straw Hats after they are imprisoned, allowing them to stop Ratchet.
- Take Over the World: Ratchet believes that his genius makes him fit to rule the world, so he plans to enslave the turtle island with giant black cables coming out of his castle and use it as a weapon to conquer the world. Hilariously (and much to his dismay), none of the Straw Hats take him seriously after hearing his plans.
- This Is a Drill: Ratchet's various mecha are equipped with one.
- Trap Door:
- Ratchet drops his mother into one when she tries confronting him about his plans. She comes back quickly, though.
- Later, the Straw Hats fall into one when it is activated by Maji, causing them to fall into a garbage chute.
- Turtle Island: Turns out that Meka Island is one, aptly named Shimagame (Island Turtle).
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Ratchet loved building machines even as a child, but his father's early death made him eccentric and turned his love for machines into an unhealthy obsession.
- Verbal Tic: Honki's "Ooos".
- Victoria's Secret Compartment: After revealing that she wrote down the poem on a piece of paper, Robin pulls said paper from her cleavage. Bounce included.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Ratchet wears no upper garments underneath his overalls.
- Wingding Eyes: Happens a few times, especially when it's done in awe of Ratchet's machines.
- When Maji reveals the Fan King (a giant electrical fan that will blow their ship away), Luffy sports these eyes.
- Wild Take: Maji does this in the beginning when he sees Ratchet's mother with the Straw Hats (whom he assumed to be evil pirates).
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Ratchet tries to kill the Straw Hats after they help him solve the riddle and awaken the turtle Shimagame by dropping bombs on them before escaping. They survive, unfortunately for him.
