Short Summary
Scars on the back are a swordsman's shame.
—Roronoa Zoro
With Usopp making member four and the crew now having a official pirate ship, the next adventure begins with the crew picking up two bounty hunters who help them realize they need a cook. Luckily the duo lead the crew to the Baratie, a floating restaurant, where they meet Sanji. Getting a cook is the least of their worries however as the Baratie comes under siege by a ruthless armada captain, Don Krieg, who wants the Baratie as his own.
Main Summary
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With the newly christened pirate ship, the Going Merry, in the their possession, the Straw Hats set about creating a Jolly Roger for their flag and sail thanks to Usopp's art skills. The crew then look around their new ship, with Luffy and Usopp finding a cannon. Deciding to test its capabilities, Usopp fires at a nearby rock and manages to hit it. The crew then meet in the main cabin to discuss what else they'll need for the journey ahead when the ship is suddenly attacked. Luffy confronts the assailant and manages to beat him after a scuffle. Zoro then identifies the man as Johnny, a fellow bounty hunting friend of his.
As it turns out, he and his partner, Yosaku, who is suffering from scurvy, were resting on the rock that Luffy and Usopp shot. After Nami cures Yosaku by feeding him some fruit, the crew discusses the need for a cook. The bounty hunting duo agrees to guide them to a famous ship-restaurant nearby, the Baratie, as payment for helping them out. The group soon reaches the Baratie, but as they get there, a Marine ship led by a lieutenant named Iron Fist Fullbody also arrives. After trading some words, Fullbody orders the Going Merry sunk. The Marines fire on the Straw Hats, but Luffy manages to bounce the cannonball back, only to accidentally redirect it into the Baratie, damaging part of the building. Luffy is later taken to the captain and head chef, Zeff, who demands compensation for the damage.
Meanwhile, in the dining area, Fullbody runs afoul of another person, Sanji the sous-chef of ship. After some arguing, Fullbody makes the mistake of wasting food in front of him, leading to Sanji beating him up in retaliation. The fight is stopped when Luffy and Zeff, who were also fighting, fall through the ceiling into the area. Zeff likewise beats up Sanji and throws out Fullbody. However, as Fullbody is leaving, one of his Marines comes in to tell him that their prisoner has escaped, only to then be shot by said prisoner himself, Gin. Gin walks in and demands some food, but is beaten up and thrown out by Patty, one of the chefs. As the commotion dies down, Sanji secretly serves Gin some food, saving him from death. The two men seem to strike up a friendship before Gin leaves on his own. Luffy sees this and asks Sanji to join his crew, but is rejected. However, unbeknownst to everyone, Gin is a member of the Krieg Pirates, an armada of pirates led by the fierce and ruthless Don Krieg, and has returned to Krieg to report to him about the Baratie.
A week passes, with Luffy working as a chore boy in the Baratie to pay off the damages he caused, forcing his crew to stay within the area. On one particular day, however, a huge ship sails up to the restaurant, damaged and barely able to stay afloat. Krieg enters the restaurant begging for food. The staff is hesitant to give him any even after he claims he won't hurt anyone. Sanji complies, but as soon as he's fed, Krieg attacks the cooks, claiming the Baratie now belongs to him. He demands food be prepared for his likewise starving crew. The chefs, of course, are against the idea, but Zeff, surprisingly, gives Krieg a bag of food, telling his chefs to prepare for battle. The chefs raise the battle fins around the restaurant and get ready for the onslaught of Krieg's crew.
Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp go to get the Going Merry out of the way, only to find that Nami betrayed them and stole the ship after throwing Johnny and Yosaku overboard. Furious and confused at her actions, Usopp, Zoro, Johnny, and Yosaku prepare to chase after her (while Luffy plans to stay for a while longer to help the restaurant and repay his debt) when Krieg's galleon is suddenly sliced in half. Through the wreckage sails a man in black on a coffin-shaped boat. Zoro instantly recognizes him as Dracule Mihawk, the strongest swordsman in the world and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. It was he who slashed up Kreig's Armada, and he followed them to the Baratie from the Grand Line simply because he was bored. Just as he prepares to finish off Kreig's men, Zoro challenges him to a duel. Mihawk isn't impressed at first and fights him with a small dagger, managing to outclass Zoro's strikes. However, when Mihawk sees that Zoro is determined to continue fighting despite being injured, he decides to use his giant blade to finish their fight. Despite Zoro's efforts, he is defeated, but left alive, as Mihawk wishes to fight him again someday. As he's being bandaged up by Usopp and the bounty hunting duo, Zoro makes a promise to Luffy that he won't lose again. With that, they sail off to go after Nami. With no other credible challenge, Mihawk leaves the area as well.
Kreig's crew attacks the Baratie, and the cooks fight back, but the latter are on the losing end of the fight due to the sheer number of pirates. Sanji finally decides to step in and manages to beat a majority of them off...until Krieg's second mate, Pearl, joins the fight. Sanji manages to stay on even ground with him, but when Gin reveals he has Zeff hostage at gunpoint, Sanji is forced to stop and take a beating from Pearl. As he does, he recalls his past when he was a child apprentice cook on a ship called the Orbit. Zeff, then a notorious pirate, attacked the ship for treasure, but Sanji stood up to Zeff despite being outclassed. A tidal wave struck both the Orbit and Zeff's ship, and knocked Sanji overboard. Zeff jumped in and saved him, but both were stranded on a rock structure. Zeff gave Sanji a small bag of food he managed to grab, while apparently keeping a big one for himself (under the pretense that as an adult, his stomach is bigger), and ordered Sanji to watch for ships on the other side of the formation.
Weeks passed and eventually Sanji ran out of food. Starving, he went back to Zeff, who seemingly hadn't eaten his share yet. Sanji confronted Zeff over it with a knife and slashed open the bag, which was revealed to only have treasure inside. What's more, Zeff had cut off and eaten one of his lower legs to keep himself alive. Guilt-ridden that he nearly killed him after he had saved his life, Sanji vowed to help Zeff achieve his dream of making a floating restaurant. Luckily for them, a ship happened to pass by and they were saved. Back in the present, Gin, seeing no honor in what he's doing, defeats Pearl and claims Sanji as his own opponent. The two fight, with Gin managing to gain the upper hand due to Sanji's numerous injuries from Pearl. However, he finds he can't kill Sanji due to the latter's earlier kindness to him. Krieg becomes angered at this and uses poison gas on the area. Luffy steals gas masks for Sanji and Gin, but when he is unable to grab one himself, Gin gives his mask to Luffy and is poisoned as a result.
Angered, Luffy fights against Krieg himself. Despite Krieg pulling many a weapon out of his arsenal and having tough armor to boot, Luffy manages to power though his attacks, ultimately winning by slamming Krieg into the battle fin of the Baratie, though Krieg's last attack traps Luffy in a steel net and leaves him sinking into the water. Sanji jumps in and rescues him, at the same time thinking of his dream to find the All Blue, a section of ocean where all fish from all over the world are said to be found. Krieg subconsciously gets to his feet, thinking he's still fighting, until a recovered Gin knocks him out, accepting their loss. Krieg's crew are forced to take a small boat and sail off, with Gin promising he'll meet Luffy and Sanji in the Grand Line.
Luffy awakens and is told of his victory, which clears him of the debt to Zeff. He talks with Sanji, who explains his dream of finding the All Blue, but feels he can't leave the Baratie until he's repaid Zeff. Zeff overhears this, and tries to have his cooks tell Sanji that the latter's cooking is terrible so he'll leave. Sanji doesn't buy it, but nonetheless appreciates the gesture and agrees to join Luffy's crew. Just as he does, Yosaku comes back, riding in the mouth of a panda shark, to tell Luffy that Nami is headed to a dangerous island. Sanji packs his belongings and takes one final walk around the Baratie before heading out, giving a tearful goodbye to his mentor and fellow chefs. With that, Luffy, Sanji, and Yosaku take a boat and head off to go catch up with the others.
As it turns out, he and his partner, Yosaku, who is suffering from scurvy, were resting on the rock that Luffy and Usopp shot. After Nami cures Yosaku by feeding him some fruit, the crew discusses the need for a cook. The bounty hunting duo agrees to guide them to a famous ship-restaurant nearby, the Baratie, as payment for helping them out. The group soon reaches the Baratie, but as they get there, a Marine ship led by a lieutenant named Iron Fist Fullbody also arrives. After trading some words, Fullbody orders the Going Merry sunk. The Marines fire on the Straw Hats, but Luffy manages to bounce the cannonball back, only to accidentally redirect it into the Baratie, damaging part of the building. Luffy is later taken to the captain and head chef, Zeff, who demands compensation for the damage.
Meanwhile, in the dining area, Fullbody runs afoul of another person, Sanji the sous-chef of ship. After some arguing, Fullbody makes the mistake of wasting food in front of him, leading to Sanji beating him up in retaliation. The fight is stopped when Luffy and Zeff, who were also fighting, fall through the ceiling into the area. Zeff likewise beats up Sanji and throws out Fullbody. However, as Fullbody is leaving, one of his Marines comes in to tell him that their prisoner has escaped, only to then be shot by said prisoner himself, Gin. Gin walks in and demands some food, but is beaten up and thrown out by Patty, one of the chefs. As the commotion dies down, Sanji secretly serves Gin some food, saving him from death. The two men seem to strike up a friendship before Gin leaves on his own. Luffy sees this and asks Sanji to join his crew, but is rejected. However, unbeknownst to everyone, Gin is a member of the Krieg Pirates, an armada of pirates led by the fierce and ruthless Don Krieg, and has returned to Krieg to report to him about the Baratie.
A week passes, with Luffy working as a chore boy in the Baratie to pay off the damages he caused, forcing his crew to stay within the area. On one particular day, however, a huge ship sails up to the restaurant, damaged and barely able to stay afloat. Krieg enters the restaurant begging for food. The staff is hesitant to give him any even after he claims he won't hurt anyone. Sanji complies, but as soon as he's fed, Krieg attacks the cooks, claiming the Baratie now belongs to him. He demands food be prepared for his likewise starving crew. The chefs, of course, are against the idea, but Zeff, surprisingly, gives Krieg a bag of food, telling his chefs to prepare for battle. The chefs raise the battle fins around the restaurant and get ready for the onslaught of Krieg's crew.
Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp go to get the Going Merry out of the way, only to find that Nami betrayed them and stole the ship after throwing Johnny and Yosaku overboard. Furious and confused at her actions, Usopp, Zoro, Johnny, and Yosaku prepare to chase after her (while Luffy plans to stay for a while longer to help the restaurant and repay his debt) when Krieg's galleon is suddenly sliced in half. Through the wreckage sails a man in black on a coffin-shaped boat. Zoro instantly recognizes him as Dracule Mihawk, the strongest swordsman in the world and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. It was he who slashed up Kreig's Armada, and he followed them to the Baratie from the Grand Line simply because he was bored. Just as he prepares to finish off Kreig's men, Zoro challenges him to a duel. Mihawk isn't impressed at first and fights him with a small dagger, managing to outclass Zoro's strikes. However, when Mihawk sees that Zoro is determined to continue fighting despite being injured, he decides to use his giant blade to finish their fight. Despite Zoro's efforts, he is defeated, but left alive, as Mihawk wishes to fight him again someday. As he's being bandaged up by Usopp and the bounty hunting duo, Zoro makes a promise to Luffy that he won't lose again. With that, they sail off to go after Nami. With no other credible challenge, Mihawk leaves the area as well.
Kreig's crew attacks the Baratie, and the cooks fight back, but the latter are on the losing end of the fight due to the sheer number of pirates. Sanji finally decides to step in and manages to beat a majority of them off...until Krieg's second mate, Pearl, joins the fight. Sanji manages to stay on even ground with him, but when Gin reveals he has Zeff hostage at gunpoint, Sanji is forced to stop and take a beating from Pearl. As he does, he recalls his past when he was a child apprentice cook on a ship called the Orbit. Zeff, then a notorious pirate, attacked the ship for treasure, but Sanji stood up to Zeff despite being outclassed. A tidal wave struck both the Orbit and Zeff's ship, and knocked Sanji overboard. Zeff jumped in and saved him, but both were stranded on a rock structure. Zeff gave Sanji a small bag of food he managed to grab, while apparently keeping a big one for himself (under the pretense that as an adult, his stomach is bigger), and ordered Sanji to watch for ships on the other side of the formation.
Weeks passed and eventually Sanji ran out of food. Starving, he went back to Zeff, who seemingly hadn't eaten his share yet. Sanji confronted Zeff over it with a knife and slashed open the bag, which was revealed to only have treasure inside. What's more, Zeff had cut off and eaten one of his lower legs to keep himself alive. Guilt-ridden that he nearly killed him after he had saved his life, Sanji vowed to help Zeff achieve his dream of making a floating restaurant. Luckily for them, a ship happened to pass by and they were saved. Back in the present, Gin, seeing no honor in what he's doing, defeats Pearl and claims Sanji as his own opponent. The two fight, with Gin managing to gain the upper hand due to Sanji's numerous injuries from Pearl. However, he finds he can't kill Sanji due to the latter's earlier kindness to him. Krieg becomes angered at this and uses poison gas on the area. Luffy steals gas masks for Sanji and Gin, but when he is unable to grab one himself, Gin gives his mask to Luffy and is poisoned as a result.
Angered, Luffy fights against Krieg himself. Despite Krieg pulling many a weapon out of his arsenal and having tough armor to boot, Luffy manages to power though his attacks, ultimately winning by slamming Krieg into the battle fin of the Baratie, though Krieg's last attack traps Luffy in a steel net and leaves him sinking into the water. Sanji jumps in and rescues him, at the same time thinking of his dream to find the All Blue, a section of ocean where all fish from all over the world are said to be found. Krieg subconsciously gets to his feet, thinking he's still fighting, until a recovered Gin knocks him out, accepting their loss. Krieg's crew are forced to take a small boat and sail off, with Gin promising he'll meet Luffy and Sanji in the Grand Line.
Luffy awakens and is told of his victory, which clears him of the debt to Zeff. He talks with Sanji, who explains his dream of finding the All Blue, but feels he can't leave the Baratie until he's repaid Zeff. Zeff overhears this, and tries to have his cooks tell Sanji that the latter's cooking is terrible so he'll leave. Sanji doesn't buy it, but nonetheless appreciates the gesture and agrees to join Luffy's crew. Just as he does, Yosaku comes back, riding in the mouth of a panda shark, to tell Luffy that Nami is headed to a dangerous island. Sanji packs his belongings and takes one final walk around the Baratie before heading out, giving a tearful goodbye to his mentor and fellow chefs. With that, Luffy, Sanji, and Yosaku take a boat and head off to go catch up with the others.
Baratie Arc has the following tropes
- Accidental Kiss: Johnny and Yosaku accidentally kiss after falling on top of one another, and retch in disgust immediately thereafter.
- Adaptation Distillation: Several small but notable pieces of the fight against Krieg and his men are cut out of the anime:
- Several of the more violent incidents from the original manga fight are cut; see also Bowdlerize.
- Gin, while still being sympathetic overall, has a couple more Kick the Dog moments in the manga that are not included in the anime:
- After Gin takes Zeff hostage, he breaks off his peg leg.
- Luffy also reprimands Gin for playing dirty by using a hostage to prevent Sanji from fighting back against Pearl. Gin just coldly responds by saying that it's their fault for resisting Krieg and his crew in the first place.
- The manga also has a rather darkly funny couple of scenes in which Don Krieg twice asks Luffy which one of them is better suited to be Pirate King, clearly expecting Luffy to say that it is Krieg. Instead, Luffy names himself, stating that Krieg doesn't have what it takes. Both times, Krieg flips his shit and starts attacking like crazy.
- Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole: Due to the anime changing the way Zeff loses his leg, one is left wondering how the hell he survived when he and Sanji were stranded.
- Anti-Villain: Gin is portrayed as a good man who is bound by his Undying Loyalty to his tyrannical captain.
- Arc Villain: Don Krieg.
- Armor-Piercing Response: Two, given to the Krieg Pirates' boasts;
- When Krieg himself starts bragging about his strength for the first time, Zeff just coolly responds, "You went to the Grand Line. But you ran scared, eh?" And with those two sentences, shows how worthless Krieg's weapons and manpower were when he went into "The Pirates' Graveyard".
- During the battle, as the members of Krieg's crew begin yelling about how strong they are, Luffy states, "You're not strong, there's just a lot of you!" setting them off again.
- Autocannibalism: It was the only way Zeff could survive after being stranded on a rock structure and giving all the food to Sanji.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Sanji and Zeff spend the entire arc bickering, but when Sanji is about to leave, he ends up breaking down into tears out of gratitude for everything Zeff did for him. Likewise the chefs at the Baratie also break down into tears and admit that they will miss Sanji.
- Badass Cape: Don Krieg has one. It has spikes inside it.
- Badass Crew: The Baratie chefs are not pirates (though many of them used to be), but they are the most badass salarymen in the East Blue. In fact, many people come to their restaurant to watch the cooks and pirates fight.
- Bad Boss: Krieg to his men, only feeding them to keep his army going. Otherwise, he won't hesitate to kill them if they don't obey his orders.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Why Gin can't go through with killing Sanji despite his loyalty to Krieg.
- Bling-Bling-BANG!: Krieg's armor is all gold-plated.
- Bowdlerize:
- In the anime, when showcasing Sanji's past, Zeff loses his leg when going after Sanji to save him from drowning, as it gets caught on the chains of an anchor and, knowing he'll die otherwise, Zeff cuts it off. When he first wakes up, Sanji speaks to Zeff from behind, so he doesn't know about his lost leg until he returns later and sees it for himself. In the manga Zeff instead smashes his leg with a rock when stranded on the island so he can consume it to survive after giving all of the food to Sanji.
- The 4Kids version replaces Kreig's darts with poison suction cups, and Sanji's cigarette (for the whole series) with a lollipop.
- In the manga, when Sanji starts smoking for the first time, Zeff reprimands him by saying that it'll destroy his taste buds, but Sanji just replies that doing so makes him a man. The anime cuts this out so as to not promote Smoking Is Cool.
- A more inexplicable case: in the manga, Sanji gets held at gunpoint by the Baratie's other cooks for saying he'll cook for all of Krieg's men. The anime, which has never been shy about gunplay up until now, turns the other cooks' flintlock pistols into oversized spatulas and forks.
- The fight against Krieg's men is shortened in the anime, and cuts out several more violent pieces from the manga:
- Gin doesn't break off Zeff's peg leg as he originally did.
- Sanji receives quite a bit more damage from Pearl in the manga while he's unable to fight back, taking four brutal hits; the anime cuts out two of them (including the one where Pearl seemingly breaks his back).
- Krieg pretends to launch a poison gas bomb at Luffy, but it's actually filled with shuriken, which cut him up quite a bit.
- As Luffy and Krieg are falling towards the water, with Luffy preparing his final attack, Krieg commands his men to shoot Luffy down with crossbows; Sanji stops them before they can do so and threatens to kill them.
- Bullying a Dragon: After everything that's happened, Krieg decides it would be a great idea to pick a fight with Mihawk...y'know, the guy who sank his entire fleet. Fortunately for him, Mihawk just ignores him and leaves, acting only to block Krieg's gunfire.
- Chef of Iron: The entire Baratie kitchen staff.
- Chekhov's Gun: Before parting ways, Zeff makes the intriguing statement to Luffy that some people consider the Grand Line "paradise." Over a decade of real time later, Luffy finds this out the hard way.
- Chekhov's Gunman: After Nami steals the Going Merry, she cries and mentions someone named Belle-mere, who's introduced in the following arc.
- Cherry Tapping: Even after he sees that Zoro uses three swords in his fights, Mihawk takes off his cross pendant and reveals a dagger, lamenting that it's the smallest one he has. He more or less curb-stomps Zoro with it.
- Combat Pragmatist: "Foul Play" Don Krieg who uses all many of trick weapons to win his fights, from poison gas bombs to an explosive spear.
- Continuity Nod: While working as an errand boy, Luffy recalls Koby's experiences as one.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Zoro with three swords and every muscle in his body vs Mihawk with a dagger in one hand. Mihawk wins without breaking a sweat, even catching Zoro's trademark "Oni Giri" technique in a Blade Lock with said dagger.
- Death Glare:
- Sanji and Luffy both shoot one at Krieg after seeing Gin suffering from the poison that Krieg shot at him for his disloyalty.
- Manga-only, as Luffy and Krieg are falling and the former is gearing up his final attack, the latter shouts for his men to shoot Luffy. Sanji kicks away their crossbows and furiously gives them all one of these, promising to kill them if they try to interfere any more in the fight.
- Determinator: Not even being unconscious will stop Krieg from proving he's the strongest! But a punch to the gut from his (former) First Mate will.
- Dramatic Irony: As Zeff lampshades to Sanji in the flashback, they have all of the treasure from his pirating days, but no way to spend it and no food to eat, which by this point is far more valuable then gold.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Sanji does not seem to know in this arc that Devil Fruit users can't swim until Zeff tells it to him, which causes him to react with a panicked "Why didn't you say so sooner?!" before jumping into the water to go save Luffy. However, later in the series, in Thriller Bark, Sanji tells another character that he read a book about Devil Fruits as a child, and always knew he never wants to eat one specifically because he doesn't want to lose the ability to swim. We see Child-Sanji with that book in a Flashback in the Whole Cake Island arc.
- Establishing Character Moment:
- Sanji is first seen serving Fullbody and his date, while flirting with the date. When Fullbody tries to get him in trouble and ends up spilling the soup Sanji made for him, Sanji beats him up because for him wasting food is unforgivable.
- Mihawk is introduced effortlessly slicing Don Krieg's flagship, having already destroyed the rest of his ships. When asked why he followed them, he states that it was to kill time.
- Even Evil Has Standards:
- While Zeff isn't seen doing anything particularly evil during his heyday as a pirate, he's certainly not above attacking and looting civilian ships. However, he refuses to steal food from his victims, chastising a crewman for even suggesting it.
- Gin spares Sanji because he offered him food as he came to the Baratie starving.
- Fingore: During their fight, Luffy boldly punches through Don Krieg's spiked cape.
- Foreshadowing:
- One sailor briefly mentions Fishman Island.
- Nami seeing Johnny's and Yosaku's wanted posters and reacting badly to one of them.
- Also, Zeff calls the Grand Line "Paradise", which we learn the meaning of later.
- Game-Breaking Injury:
- Sanji's injuries from Pearl (especially in the manga, when he takes even more of them) have dire consequences in his subsequent battle with Gin. He probably could've beaten Gin if he'd been at or near full strength when their fight starts, but by the time he has to fight him, Sanji's injuries are bad enough that he can't fight back effectively. This leads to him taking several more hits from Gin, after which his body can't even withstand the force of his own attacks.
- Zoro's injuries from Mihawk—the most serious of which involves being cut almost in half—prove to be this at a crucial time in the next arc.
- Gatling Good: Don Krieg sure is a fan of this.
- Graceful Loser: When Mihawk destroys two of Zoro's swords, Zoro calmly admits defeat and allows Mihawk to finish him off without complaint.
- Guest-Star Party Member: Johnny and Yosaku, who accompany the crew in this arc and its follow-up.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Don Krieg clearly has a short fuse. He even attacks Mihawk right after witnessing his battle with Zoro.
- Heroic Spirit: A running theme through the battles of this arc. It's why Zoro continues to fight against Mihawk when it becomes clear he still has a long way to go. It is this conviction that impresses Mihawk enough to spare him. And later in the battle against Krieg, Zeff comments on this as he and Sanji watch Luffy fight, as he's impressed by Luffy's willingness to fight, even if it's to the death, to achieve what he believes in.
- Hopeless Boss Fight:
- Zoro has no chance of defeating Dracule Mihawk—the World's Strongest Swordsman—while he's made a living of capturing no-name pirates in the East Blue. And to bring it home, Mihawk even lets him know that the East Blue is the weakest of the four Blue Seas, while fighting him with his dagger.note
- Sanji's fight with Gin as well. By the time their fight starts, Gin is fighting at full strength while Sanji has numerous broken bones from fighting Pearl. He's able to land a couple of hits on Gin, but doesn't have nearly enough strength left to put the necessary force behind them, and eventually he just starts hurting himself with his attempts.
- Honor Before Reason: Despite how dangerous Don Krieg and his men are, and despite point blank telling the Baratie staff that once his crew has eaten they'll be taking their ship, Sanji and Zeff still decide to cook for them since they know first hand how horrible starvation is and wouldn't wish it on anyone.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: Don Krieg is stated repeatedly to be one of the most powerful pirates in East Blue. After an attempted conquest of the Grand Line ended in Mihawk easily decimating his fleet, he's reduced to attempting to take over a restaurant in order to rebuild his power and try again, and is then reduced to a small boat by the end.
- Hyperspace Arsenal: Don Krieg. Sanji even lampshades it.
- I Die Free: Invoked by Gin after the battle is over who notes that, despite slowly dying from Don Krieg's poison, he feels truly free for the first time in his life and decides to spend what little time he has left returning to the Grand Line.
- It Amused Me: Why did Mihawk continue to hunt down the Krieg Pirates after sinking most of the fleet? "For fun."
- Just One Man: And Mihawk is that man, but Krieg assumes that Mihawk has some Devil Fruit power that he used to sink his fleet.
- Kick the Dog:
- Manga-only: when Gin takes Zeff hostage, he breaks off his pegged leg.
- After Gin gets poisoned by the MH5, Krieg mocks him about it, calling him an idiot despite Gin's loyalty to him.
- Life-or-Limb Decision: The manga and anime have different directions concerning this when it comes to Zeff. In both cases, he gave all the food he could recover from the ship to Sanji.
- Manga: Not knowing how long it'll take to be rescued, Zeff willingly cuts off his leg and eats it to fend off starvation for awhile longer.
- Anime: His leg gets caught on the chains of an anchor as he's trying to save Sanji. He has to cut it to save both of them from drowning. Though this arguably make the "waiting for a ship" section worse since he has nothing to eat.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Pearl's entire fighting style is centered around this, even more than his boss's. 'Course, those half-ton shields on his hands make pretty deadly weapons.
- Manly Tears: Twice.
- Zoro, after his defeat by Mihawk, raises his sword and swears never to lose to another swordsman. This marks the only time in the entire series outside of flashbacks where Zoro is seen crying.
- Sanji does this when Zeff wishes him well after he decides to join the Straw Hats. This leads to the Baratie staff, and Zeff crying, with Zeff stating that men shouldn't cry when they leave.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": When Krieg's ship sails up to the Baratie, pretty much everyone except Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Zeff flies into a panic.
- Mighty Glacier: Don Krieg, whenever he personally fights someone, doesn't attack them directly, and mostly relies on his Hyperspace Arsenal or waits for his foe to get in close so he can tank any attack on his Powered Armor and immediately retaliate.
- Minor Injury Overreaction: Pearl boasts he's never spilled a single drop of blood in battle before. So when he gets a small nosebleed (courtesy of a complete accident on Luffy's part), he immediately loses it and sets all his shields on fire.
- Money Is Not Power: Zeff notes the irony that he and Sanji could go so hungry when they have a massive bag of gold.
- My Greatest Failure: Sanji's honor-before-reason stubbornness to never leave Baratie is because he feels an insurmountable amount of guilt over something he wasn’t responsible for, namely Zeff having to chop off his own leg to survive thus ending his pirate carrier.
- No Macguffin No Winner: Luffy tries to invoke this by destroying the Baratie, so the Krieg Pirates will have nothing to fight Sanji and the rest of the cooks over. Both sides are absolutely horrified by this "logic", though it does arguably motivate Gin to stop holding Zeff hostage and fight Sanji man-to-man."Bullshit! You were really going to smash the ship!"
- "No Peeking!" Request: Nami Invokes this to steal the Going Merry. When only Johnny and Yosaku are onboard guarding the boat, she coyly asks them to turn away for a moment while she changes her top and pushes them off the boat when they have their backs turned.
- Oh, Crap!: When Mihawk effortlessly blocks Zoro's "Oni-Giri" attack with a mere dagger, the latter freaks out internally and completely loses his cool shortly afterwards.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: At the end of the arc, Zeff wastes food and uses his hands to hit someone, all to speed Sanji on his way. (It's downplayed in the anime, where he does willingly finish the soup before smashing the bowl.)
- Ordered to Die: As Krieg deploys the MH5, he coldly orders Gin throw away his gas mask, as penalty for showing mercy to Sanji. To everyone's shock, Gin obeys without hesitation.
- Playing with Fire: See above - whenever Pearl thinks he's in mortal danger, he slams his hand-shields together until the friction sets all his shields on fire.
- Pride Before a Fall: Krieg declares he is the World's Strongest Man (he is strong... by the standards of the East Blue, but otherwise a clear overestimation of himself. Especially after he got owned by Mihawk some time before this arc) just before Luffy breaks his spear, breaks through his Powered Armor, directly attacks him in mid-air, then slams him back onto the ruins of his own ship with his legs, in that order, knocking Krieg unconscious.
- Scars Are Forever: This is the arc in which Zoro receives the nasty gash across his chest. Whenever he's seen shirtless throughout the rest of the series, you can still see the scar from where he was cut.
- Stealing from Thieves: Nami describes herself as a thief who steals from pirates after stealing the Going Merry from Luffy and his crew.
- Take This Job and Shove It: Apparently, the Baratie used to have a regular wait staff. However, the constant fighting between the cooks and pirates got too much for them. When Patty told them, "If you're scared, then quit!" they did just that.
- Tastes Like Disdain: The arc ends with the entire restaurant staff spitting at Sanji's soup (some even dashing it on the floor) to motivate him into leaving the place and join Luffy's crew. Sanji sees through it quickly enough (they admit the truth the minute they think he's out of earshot, but he hears the whole thing from outside the door), but it's the thought that counts.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Wait, your right-hand man refuses to follow a direct order because he's feeling merciful? Fire a bomb filled with enough poison gas to wipe out a village at him! That'll teach him, and any disloyal crewmembers, a lesson!
- This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself: Luffy prevents Johnny and Yosaku from intervening in a fight between Mihawk and Zoro, despite Zoro handily losing. It's clear Luffy wants to jump in, but he holds back on fighting Mihawk until the fight with Zoro is over.
- Underestimating Badassery: Subverted in Mihawk's case when he initially pulls out a small dagger to fight Zoro with, lamenting that it is the smallest blade he has. Zoro initially thinks he's mocking him, but as it turns out, Mihawk is so skilled that the dagger really is the only weapon he needs, easily countering Zoro's strongest attacks and piercing him.
- Undying Loyalty:
- Gin, initially. Oddly for the series, this is treated as a negative trait in this arc. Though it's more because such loyalty is wasted on someone like Don Krieg.
- Sanji also feels such loyalty to the Baratie that he at first refuses to take up Luffy's offer to join his crew and chase his dream. Though the Baratie fixes that...
- Ungrateful Bastard: Pretty much everyone on the Krieg pirate crew except Gin who, after being saved from starvation by their mercy, immediately decide to steal the Baratie for their new flagship.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: The Baratie crew. They may argue, fight, and make threats to each other, but when the going gets tough, they come together to fight off any attacking pirate.
- Wakeup Call Boss: Mihawk. He's a New World-level character who shows up in an East Blue arc more or less for the sole purpose of showing the reader how very, very far the Straw Hats have to go.
- Wham Episode: Mihawk's introduction. Not only is it the first time a member of the Straw Hats outright loses in a fight and sees a significant shift in their arc, but it also marks the first major indication that the One Piece world is much, much larger and more complex than one might first think.
- What the Hell, Hero?: The Baratie chefs are outraged and shocked when Sanji and Zeff give the Krieg Pirates food, even though they'll just attack the restaurant. Patty in particular is vexed, especially when the Straw Hats start talking about their plans while Krieg is out there.Patty: You lame brains!! Do you realize what kind of trouble we're in!?
- Work Off the Debt: Luffy is forced to work at the Baratie as a chore boy for a year after damaging the restaurant when he deflects one of Fullbody's cannon balls. Ultimately, Zeff releases him from his debt after a week in exchange for defeating Don Krieg, largely because with his incompetence, the restaurant wouldn't last a year with him around.
- Worthy Opponent: Despite the huge gap in power, Zoro's sheer conviction is enough to inspire Mihawk to not just use his actual weapon on him, but also spare him. Before leaving, he tells Zoro to keep training and one day surpass him.
- World's Strongest Man: Don Krieg considers himself this, but while he is strong, he's nowhere near close. The actual strongest swordsman in the world makes his appearance here to show just how big the gap is.
- Wrecked Weapon: Zoro's two unnamed swords are destroyed during his fight with Mihawk which forces him to eventually find permanent replacements two arcs later.
- Zerg Rush:
- When Don Krieg boasts about how many men his armada has, Luffy points out they aren't very strong themselves:"You're not strong, there's just so many of you!"
- It's the main reason their campaign in the Grand Line failed so badly. Fifty ships and 5000 men is what East Blue calls an invasion force. The Grand Line? Target practice.
- When Don Krieg boasts about how many men his armada has, Luffy points out they aren't very strong themselves:
Story Impact
- Fullbody, Johnny and Yosaku are introduced.
- Usopp's cannon wielding earns him his role as sniper.
- Nami's betrayal shows her hidden nature, and hints toward her past and her relationship to the Fishman pirate Arlong and his crew. Her obsession with looking over Johnny and Yosaku's copy of Arlong's wanted poster would help the two suspect a connection between Nami and Arlong, which allows them to successfully predict Nami's destination.
- The crew gets their cook, Sanji, who is considered one of their strongest fighters along with Luffy and Zoro. As such, these three guys will eventually become known in- and out-of-universe as the "Monster Trio".
- Sanji's past with Zeff is shown. However, his earlier history with his family will not be revealed until the Whole Cake Island Arc. Furthermore, Sanji's devotion and love for his father figure would also be put to risk by his birth father Judge.
- Dracule Mihawk is introduced, as well as the Seven Warlords of the Sea as a group (mentioned, but no individual information). Zoro loses his duel to him and vows never to lose again, leaving him with his first permanent battle scar and his two unnamed swords destroyed, leading him to receive new ones two story arcs later in the Loguetown Arc.
