Short Summary
I want to get stronger! And stronger and stronger! And then even stronger still! Then I'll be able to protect anything! I won't have to lose anyone any more!
— Monkey D. Luffy (in a flashback 10 years ago), Chapter 589
The aftermath of the war's conclusion is felt all around the world. In the midst of it, Luffy reflects on the past to the days he met Ace as well as another boy, Sabo, who would be his "brother" and the events of which would have a profound impact on both boys' lives.
Main Summary
Post War Arc has the following tropes:
- Actually Pretty Funny: While initially disappointed that Zoro would bow his head to him and ask for training, Mihawk ends up bursting into laughter when Zoro admits he still wants to kill him and gain his title, impressed by the sheer audacity of Zoro wanting to train under Mihawk so he could eventually kill him. This leads him to accepting Zoro as his apprentice.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: After reading Luffy's secret message to meet up again in two years, Zoro bows his head to Mihawk and request training so he can be strong enough for the New World.
- And Now You Must Marry Me: Blackbeard would have just turned Bonney over to the Navy, saying she's too weak to be part of his crew but that she can still escape with her life if she accepts to become his wife. Expectedly, she answered with a kick to his face. Blackbeard is presumably unaware of Bonney's actual age at the time.
- Animal Motifs: In the flashback with Ace, Sabo, and Luffy, seagulls are repeatedly used to represent the trios yearning to be pirates and exploring the seas.
- And There Was Much Rejoicing: A Kick the Dog version as everyone around the world celebrates the Marines' victory in the war and Whitebeard's death. It becomes short-lived when piracy starts rising up.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: The Goa Kingdom nobles don't quite reach the level of puppy-kicking evil that the Celestial Dragons have, but after trying to clean up the city to make it more presentable for the arrival of a Celestial Dragon by having the Grey Terminal torched and attempting to execute everyone living there, it's certainly not for lack of trying.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other:
- Dadan always wished Luffy, Ace, and Sabo would get out of her hair despite the threat of Garp hanging over her head. But when Ace and later Luffy left to start their adventure and gave her thanks for raising them, she burst into tears.
- Not to mention that after Ace dies, Dadan beats up Garp for not protecting Ace. Makino defends Garp saying that he's the one hurting here. Dadan, in tears, says the one hurting the most is Luffy, and causes Makino herself to breakdown in tears as the memories flash before her eyes.
- Badly Battered Babysitter: Dadan was already having trouble with Ace and Luffy. Then Sabo came along and didn't help.
- Barefoot Suicide: Nami provides a humorous subversion: she takes her sandals off before pretending to jump off Weatheria, in order to trick the old men into letting her stay for two years. They fall for it hook, line and sinker.
- Big Damn Heroes: Dragon and the Revolutionaries had effectively saved the Gray Terminal from being completely incinerated.
- Bittersweet Ending: For the first half of the series. Ace and Whitebeard are dead and the balance of the world is in shambles, but Luffy's crewmates are doing okay and they plan to get stronger in two years before they reunite for the New World.
- Sworn Brothers: After Sabo reveals his origin as a noble Ace grabs some sake and performs the cup sharing ceremony seen in flashes during the previous arc leading to the three boys declaring themselves brothers.
- Breather Episode: The world-shaking conflict at Marineford has concluded, and the world is going to cool down while Luffy and the Straw Hats train unimpeded for the next two years.
- Broken Ace: When Garp visits Foosha village, he's hailed as a hero by the citizens and puts on a smile for them all. Then Dadan confronts him and he just takes the verbal/physical abuse. Considering how powerful he is, the fact that he lets Dadan beat him bloody speaks volumes about how depressed he currently is.
- Call-Back: In the East Blue, Zeff told Luffy that to some people, the Grand Line is considered a paradise. In this arc, we learn that "Paradise" is what pirates call the first half...compared to the absolute Hell that is the New World.
- Chekhov's Gunman:
- Curiously enough, Brownbeard. He doesn't actually die in this arc, despite practically screaming Small Name, Big Ego, and the Straw Hat Pirates encounter him on their first island in the New World: Punk Hazard.
- Sabo is first introduced here, though at the end of the arc it seems he died.
- Dead Man Writing: Sabo's final letter to Ace, which he sent thinking it would be after he ran away to be a pirate.
- Declaration of Protection: When Garp arrives at Foosha village he sinks some pirate ships that were attacking the village then places a sign up that says the island is protected by Vice Admiral Garp. Ironically not to dissimilar to what Whitebeard used to do with islands under his protection.
- Despair Event Horizon: Luffy crosses it once he wakes up and remembers that Ace is dead, first furiously destroying everything in sight, then breaking down into tears before saying that he is too weak to become Pirate King. Jimbei also notes that Luffy has now lost all confidence in his abilities after hitting the wall at Marineford. Fortunately, after a little persuasion, Jimbei convinces Luffy that he still has something to live for, his loyal crew, saving Luffy from his despair.
- Defector from Decadence: Sabo was actually a noble, but he hated that life and ran away to be a scavenger. It fails horribly.
- Dramatic Irony: As this is after the Marineford Arc, one thing tragically stands out. After Sabo's death by being blown up by a World Noble, Luffy becomes a tearful wreck, as he's unable to save him. Ace smacks him and assures him to drop it, as Ace's still alive and he won't let his little brother be left alone.
And considering that Luffy has now lost both of his brothers, and Ace died to save him... Thank God, Sabo was alive. - Due to the Dead: After their deaths in Marineford Whitebeard and Ace are laid to rest on an unknown island in the New World side by side with their crew and the Red Haired Pirates paying their respects.
- End of an Era: Acknowledged all over the place by the world at large. With the death of Whitebeard a new era of piracy has begun with young, ambitious pirates hoping to topple the great powers of the New World and make their claim for the One Piece. Meanwhile with the semi retirement of Garp and Sengoku, some of the last officers from the days of the Pirate King, the Marines are also in a state of transition with their futures uncertain.
- Even Justice Has Standards: Sengoku, who 20 years prior was complicit in the Ohara bombardment and possibly even the massacres of pregnant women on several islands to find the child of Roger, draws the line when an untold number of Level Six criminals escape back into the world, and the World Government decides to cover it up to save face. It's mentioned that just one of those criminals is a country-level threat. Is it any wonder he decided to resign?
- Everyone Has Standards: The Nobles of Goa Kingdom might view the lower classes as worth the same as the trash they throw out, but many of them were shocked when a Celestial Dragon casually shoots an innocent ship for doing nothing more than occupying the same waters as them. Some of them, however, just see it as the Dragon executing his right to depose of anyone they see fit.
- Five Stages of Grief: Luffy has a really awful bout of these after Ace's death.
- Flashback: After Luffy falls into despair because of Ace's death the arc transitions into a flashback showing Luffy's past from when he was a child after eating the Gum Gum fruit to when he began the series at the end of Chapter 1, including how he meet Ace and Sabo and became brothers with them.
- Flat-Earth Atheist: In a world of magical fruits giving people superpowers called "Devil Fruits", unnatural weather, and strange creatures that some of which border the supernatural, Longarm tribesmen (who to the reader, and the rest of the outside world In-Universe, come off as pretty weird) don't believe in demons, so Brook's attempt to threaten them only gets him kidnapped.
- Foreshadowing:
- Dragon's appearance with Sabo. It's also mentioned that he rescued someone who was heavily burnt...
- Jimbei leaves Amazon Lily promising to meet Luffy again on Fish-man Island.
- Trafalgar Law knows that Rayleigh has plans for Luffy, and realizes that for the Pirate King's Right Hand to appear, it's gotta be something big. Interested, he sails off, but not to the New World, declaring "D. will cause another storm". We find out the significance of this statement in the Dressrosa Arc.
- The Five Elders comment on the speed that Blackbeard is claiming the former territories of Whitebeard, and one of them mentions that Marco "The Phoenix" is one of the few capable of stopping him. Come the Fish-man Island Arc, that's exactly what Marco attempted to do, but events go very differently than their prediction...
- After watching the Summit War with the other supernovas, Bonney comments that everything is "his" fault, and orders her crew to set cap for the New World to find "him". We will only know who she is talking about and why nearly five hundred chapters later.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Jimbei does this to Luffy when he comes to terms with Ace's death.
- Gonk: Stelly. No wonder Sabo's parents thought he'd make a better heir; he looks like his family tree has been through even more inbreeding than the other noble families.
- He Knows Too Much: As a child, Ace and Sabo tried to pull this on Luffy, but drop the idea when they realize neither of them had killed before.
- Heroic BSoD: Luffy after Ace's death.
- Here We Go Again!: After Grey Terminal was burnt down in order to appease the Celestial Dragon the nobles began dumping their trash there again, with new scavengers showing up to loot through the remains, starting the whole process all over again and making the destruction of the original Grey Terminal even more pointless.
- How Do I Shot Web?: This arc shows us just how far Luffy has come with controlling his powers from when he first got them as a kid who couldn't even throw a punch without it ricocheting and smacking him in the face, to where he is at the start of the series when he is finally able to down the Lord of the Coast in one punch.
- Kill the Poor: The Goa Kingdom's nobles decide to burn the Gray Terminal with the people living there, just to make sure the island looks clean in preparation for the arrival of a Celestial Dragon.
- Lack of Empathy: The nobles of the Goa Kingdom are well aware of, and completely approve, of their King lighting Grey Terminal on fire and killing all of the people living there. One of the nobles even tells their child that the scavengers deserve their fate for being born poor.
- Late to the Tragedy: Since the Straw Hat's have been separated in isolated areas all over the world they had no idea that the Paramount War was even happening or its horrific aftermath until they receive newspapers after the fact. Suffice it to say they are all shocked when they realize the trauma their captain has undergone while they were separated and desperately try to find a way to reunite with him before Luffy's message arrives.
- Manly Tears:
- Luffy cried when coming to terms with Ace's death.
- Likewise, Ace after reading Sabo's letter after his death.
- Meaningful Funeral: Ace and Whitebeard's graves.
- Never Found the Body: Sabo's, whose boat is blown up by a World Noble. The only thing left behind is his hat flooding in the water.
- Opt Out: Garp and Sengoku resign from the Marines in the aftermath of the Battle in Marineford.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Oh boy, in hindsight, Sengoku massively screwed up by deciding to execute Ace in an attempt to scare pirates into submission. Yes, technically, the Marines did win the war by virtue of accomplishing what they'd set out to do in the previous arc by killing him. However, they didn't count on Whitebeard staying alive actually being a linchpin keeping the world from falling into absolute anarchy given that he kept the other Emperors (mainly Kaido and Big Mom) from going too crazy, and now he's dead. Oh, and before he died, Whitebeard revealed to the world that the One Piece does indeed exist, which had the opposite effect they were hoping for by killing Ace. All of a sudden, the Marines are now dealing with a massively destabilized power balance, with the citizens they're supposed to protect now being victimized by the pirates that are now fired up by Whitebeard's final words. The Marines are having some serious trouble fixing it, and it's entirely their own fault.
- Predecessor Villain: Bluejam is the main villain of the flashback. Alongside the King of Goa.
- Public Secret Message: Luffy returned to Marineford to honor the dead and rang the Ox Bell sixteen times. The Marines took this as a declaration of war, and at least one pirate reading the newspaper article interpreted it as Luffy declaring the end of the previous era and the beginning of a new one, but his crew saw the newspaper and knew that this wasn't like Luffy to do something like that, and recognized the real message Luffy was sending to them, a tattoo on his arm which said 3D2Y with the 3D crossed out. They then realized that Luffy was telling them that, instead of meeting up again in Sabaody in 3 days like they originally planned, they should meet in 2 years after some Training from Hell to be strong enough for the New World.
- Remember the New Guy?: Aside from one mention of him at the tail end of the previous arc this is the first time the series has introduced Sabo who is Luffy and Ace's secret third brother that was never mentioned before now. This is arguably justified though since Luffy doesn't tend to talk about his past much, and since Sabo seemingly died when he was still young, that he probably wouldn't want to talk about what happened.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Subverted in this case, as Ace nearly starts to go looking for the one who killed Sabo. Dadan, showing surprising concern at this point, stops him and has her gang tie him up so he doesn't get himself killed.
- Rube Goldberg Machine: In the anime version of the flashback, Ace, Luffy and Sabo built an elaborate trap on their fort to fend off intruders, which hits Dadan when she covertly comes to check on the children and ends up tripping on it.
- Shout-Out: The leader of the gang that wanted to steal the Thousand Sunny looks like Sun Wukong.
- Spare to the Throne: Sabo's parents, after he ran away the first time, decided they needed a more stable heir and adopted a kid more suited for the royal lifestyle.
- Taking You with Me: After the Bluejam Pirates are backstabbed by the Goa nobles and left to burn in the Grey Terminal, they attempt to keep Ace and Luffy from escaping, and make them give them their stolen treasure while they're at it.
- Tempting Fate: Duval assigning himself with protecting the Thousand Sunny until the Straw Hats return boasts that no matter who their enemy is, he'll fight them... and then Kuma shows up. Despite being fully converted, he's actually on his side.
- Time Skip: In-Universe, by the end of this arc the Straw Hats put their reunion on hold so they can train for two years to get stronger. Out of universe this also happened to the series itself with Oda putting One Piece on break for a little over a month, just so the audience could stew in anticipation.
- Totem Pole Trench: Luffy, Ace, and Sabo form one in order to go out on the town.
- Town with a Dark Secret: The citizens of the Goa Kingdom capital city send all the trash generated within to a trash heap located just outside the city walls. However, when inspectors from the World Government, or the Celestial Dragons are scheduled to visit, they decide to burn it all to the ground, including the poor citizens and thugs that live there without warning them, as they consider them trash as well.
- Training from Hell: Implied and Played With for each of the Straw Hats on the islands Kuma sent them to.
- Luffy was sent to an island of Haki adepts, but Raleigh arrives and takes him to a different island where the seasons change weekly all the way from the most scorching summer to the most freezing winter. Oh, and the local wildlife are all the size of King Kong.
- Zoro was sent to the island that Mihawk basically uses as a summer retreat.
- Nami lands on a Sky Island whose entire industry is the study and manipulation of weather. Can we say 'jackpot'?
- Usopp gets trapped in the Boin Archipelago, a Venus flytrap the size of a jungle. Aside from all the various plants a trickster like Usopp can make good use of, the island itself is practically Action Survivor Boot Camp.
- Sanji, for all that the Kamabakka Kingdom is an Ironic Hell for him, discovers that the island has 99 secret recipes for food that strengthens the body. And they won't just give him the recipes, either. He has to steal them while avoiding their attempts to make him go native.
- Chopper looks like he's landed in the middle of a backwards tribal society, but they actually have a treasure trove of pharmaceutical knowledge. Jackpot again.
- Robin landed on Tequila Wolf, a society built on slave labor to build something with no known purpose... right before the place was raided by the Revolutionary Army and everyone set free. Looks like Robin's getting to meet Luffy's dad before Luffy himself does.
- Franky lands on Vegapunk's home island. Yes, that Vegapunk. Through a series of wacky hijinks, he uncovers Vegapunk's secret lab where he did his weapons research. For the Gadgeteer Genius that is Franky, this is yet another jackpot.
- Brook looks like the big loser of this set-up when he gets captured by members of the Longarm tribe who are only interested in making money off of him as a sideshow attraction. Until Brook reminds us that he's a musician who has just been handed an audience on a silver platter.
- We Will Meet Again:
- A heroic version occurs when Jimbei tells Luffy he will meet him again on Fish-man Island.
- Likewise, Luffy sends a subtle one out to his crew; telling them instead of meeting up in three days as they originally planned, they would do so again in two years to focus on training so they may be strong enough to take on the New World. All of them pick up on it, including Vivi, although in her case, she doesn't know what to make of it exactly because she doesn't know the context.
- Wham Episode: Luffy decides that the crew needs to get stronger and tells them to meet up again in two years.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- Sengoku in response to hearing the Government won't allow the Marines to issue bounties, or warn the world's citizens in any way that a bunch of crazy, superpowerful villains are running amok in plain sight so that... those citizens can keep their faith in them, (rightfully) shouts: "Are you kidding me?!"
- When Garp makes his way back to Foosha village after the end of the war a furious Dadan hits him in the face with her club, then starts beating him with her fists, while demanding to know why he didn't protect Ace and Luffy during the war, and accusing him of caring more about his job then his family.
- Whole Episode Flashback: Downplayed, but the meat of the arc is an extended flashback depicting how Luffy met Ace and Sabo and became brothers with them before suffering tragedy.
- Worth Living For:
- When he was at his absolute lowest, his crew was the only reason Luffy kept on living.
- Also the conclusion of Ace's existentialist crisis about being Roger's kid was partially resolved by Luffy's revelation that he (Luffy) was lonely and he sought Ace's companionship because "being alone is worse than being in pain" and Luffy would be sad if Ace was dead.
- Won the War, Lost the Peace: Not long after the Marines win against the Whitebeard Pirates, the world starts going out of control. As Jimbei said, Whitebeard's death created a power vacuum that more bloodthirsty pirates are eager to fill, and islands once under his protection are now open game. Whitebeard's last words about One Piece existing has reignited a second Age of Pirates, creating havoc outside of the Grand Line. And the Marines can't respond to either crisis due to the losses from the War.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: An imprisoned Nami after being caught stealing in Weatheria convinces the people to set her free because she was only trying to find a way to return to the Blue Sea and meet Luffy at the rendezvous point in Sabaody, starts crying Crocodile Tears, and mentions that he'd just lost his brother in the Battle of Marineford. As soon as they release her, she takes Haredas hostage to get him to tell her how to leave, and everyone else to back off. Later partially subverted as she was genuinely sad for Luffy, and the tears were indeed real.
- Wretched Hive: Gray Terminal, a massive junkyard located outside the gate of the capital city of Goa, where many of the Kingdom's poor and undesirable populations live.
- You Are Not Alone: Jimbei reminds Luffy that while he has lost a lot during the war, he hasn't lost everything. Luffy then realizes he still has his True Companions, and breaks out of his Heroic BSoD.
- Zany Scheme: Silvers Rayleigh essentially plans this for Luffy: He has him with Jimbei break into Marineford again, sail around it once, then have Luffy ring the Ox Bell 16 times before taking a moment of silence for those who lost their lives in Marineford and having his snapshot taken by the press before scooting off again. It certainly got everyone talking, but there was a specific message that only his True Companions would get.
Story impact
- With the war against Whitebeard over, and the New Age beginning, the whole world begins to change.
- The balance of the Three Great Powers decline after Emperor Whitebeard's death and the resignations of both Jinbe and Blackbeard from their positions as a Warlord of the Sea.
- Gecko Moria is stripped of his Warlord status and attacked by Doflamingo and the Pacifistas as an order by the World Government. He is later confirmed to be alive during the Wano Country Arc.
- Garp and Sengoku abdicate their positions, and Aokiji becomes a candidate for Sengoku's rank as Fleet Admiral.
- Smoker is transferred to G-5 in the New World.
- Crocodile, Daz Bonez, the Blackbeard Pirates, and the Eleven Supernovas (except Luffy, Zoro, and Trafalgar Law) travel to the New World as well.
- Luffy's backstory about how he met and began his brotherhood with Ace is shown.
- Luffy and Ace's foster mother is revealed to be Curly Dadan.
- In the flashback, his second brother Sabo who is presumed deceased is shown.
- In the flashback, Sabo's parents adopt another boy in the case Sabo would fail named Sterry who, as revealed in the Whole Cake Island Arc is now the King of the Goa Kingdom.
- The S crossed out on Ace's arm is not an error but a homage to Sabo.
- During this flashback, Bartholomew Kuma is seen with Dragon and Ivankov as a revolutionary.
- Sabo's talk with Dragon would foreshadow his return in the Dressrosa Arc and his involvement with the Revolutionary Army.
- After having a talk with Jinbe, Luffy decides to reunite with his crew but regroups with Rayleigh who develops a plan to regroup with the other Straw Hat Pirates by sending a message via Luffy's tattoo, 3D2Y meaning not to meet back at Sabaody Archipelago in 3 days as they planned, but in 2 years so they can train.
- Chopper studies advanced medicine in Torino Kingdom.
- Sanji begins to learn the ninety-nine Attack Cuisine recipes in Kamabakka Kingdom as well as fighting 99 Newkama Kenpo masters.
- Nami begins to learn about the New World's meteorology on Weatheria.
- Brook composes a new song for the Longarm Tribe on Kenzan Island.
- Robin goes to Baltigo to join Dragon and the Revolutionary Army.
- Franky begins to study Dr. Vegapunk's explorations into weaponry on Karakuri Island.
- Usopp begins survival training from Heracles in order to eventually escape from the Boin Archipelago.
- Zoro begins to train under Mihawk on Kuraigana Island.
- Luffy begins to train with Rayleigh who begins teaching Luffy how to use Haki on Rusukaina.
- Brownbeard's defeat at the hand of Basil Hawkins' would cause him to lose the usage of his legs and find his way to Punk Hazard and become an alligator centaur and a subordinate of Caesar Clown.
- In Luffy's training, it is finally revealed that there are three different forms of Haki.
- Kenbunshoku Haki (known as Mantra on Skypiea) which allows the user to predict their enemy's movements.
- Busoshoku Haki, the ability which allows people to create a force which allows their attacks to become stronger, and even attack other Devil Fruit users without problems, especially Logia's.
- Haoshoku Haki, the ability which one in a million people have and grants the ability to intimidate their enemies.
- The foreshadowing of Smoker's role in the Punk Hazard Arc, Trafalgar Law becoming a Warlord of the Sea, and Aokiji battling Akainu for the title of Fleet Admiral are all shown in some form.
- The letter sent to Buggy would foreshadow him becoming a Warlord of the Sea after the timeskip.
