Short Summary
The beginning of the series that details Luffy's origins and his adventures once he leaves his hometown in pursuit of starting a pirate crew. After a flashback to a defining moment in his youth—when he ate the Gum Gum Fruit, turning him into a man of rubber—we begin the journey with Luffy stumbling upon a cruel female pirate, Alvida, and her slave boy, Koby; as well as a corrupt Marine captain, Morgan, and his prisoner, swordsman Roronoa Zoro.
Main Summary
The story begins with the execution of Gold Roger, a notorious yet world famous pirate. Just as he's about to have his head cut off, he states his final words: his treasure, the fabled "One Piece", is up for the taking, but anyone looking for it will have to go "there" to find it. This instigates a new age of piracy as many a pirate crew sets out to the Grand Line in search of Gold Roger's treasure.
Twelve years after his death, we meet a spunky seven-year-old boy named Monkey D. Luffy. He's hanging at a bar with his idol, a pirate named Red-Haired Shanks, whose crew is using Luffy's hometown, Windmill Village, as their base of operations, though they are friendly with the townspeople. Luffy wishes to go along with Shanks on one of his voyages, but Shanks refuses, saying Luffy's too young, though he's not above teasing Luffy about it. On one particular day, some mountain bandits, led by a brute named Higuma, come into the bar while Shanks's men are lounging there. They try to order some drinks, but are told that the pirates drank it all. Shanks offers the last bottle of rum as an apology, but Higuma spurns his friendly offer and insults him before he and his band depart. Shanks just brushes off the slight, but Luffy isn't amused to see his idol being pushed around. As Luffy makes to leave, Shanks grabs his arm and, to the shock of the whole bar, it stretches. It's here we're introduced to the mystical Devil Fruits; Luffy ate the one Shanks and his men found, which was sitting on the bar in front of him, because he mistook it for a regular fruit. Shanks states the reason for alarm: it's a fruit that bestows power to the eater (in this case, a stretchy rubber body, since it was the Gum-Gum Fruit), but takes away the ability to swim in return. Oops. Nevertheless, Luffy finds the uses of the fruit worth the trade off (possibly since he already couldn't swim very well anyway).
The next day, while Shanks and his crew are away, Luffy is talking with Makino in the bar when Higuma comes back and starts insulting Shanks in front of Luffy. Luffy yells at him to take it back, and Higuma attacks him. Makino gets the mayor, Woop Slap, to try to call Higuma off, but the bandits refuse and prepare to kill Luffy. Shanks and his crew show up in the nick of time to stop them. The bandits try to attack the pirates, but are taken down by Shanks' crewmates Benn Beckman and Lucky Roux. Realizing he's outmatched, Higuma flees to the ocean with Luffy and throws him in the water to drown (which, thanks to the Devil Fruit, is a certainty). However, the resident Sea King of the area, a giant eel known as the Lord of the Coast, sneaks up on Higuma and devours him in one bite before going after Luffy. Shanks pulls him away just in time and stares menacingly at the Sea King, scaring it off. Shanks them calms the crying Luffy, but it turns out there's a good reason for Luffy to cry; Shanks's left arm was bitten off in the rescue.
Soon after, the Red-Hair Pirates are set to cast off for good. The townspeople go to see them off, with Luffy talking to Shanks one last time. After one more tease from his idol, Luffy states he'll do better than Shanks's crew, and become the Pirate King. After hearing such a declaration, Shanks gives Luffy his prized straw hat, and states that when they meet again and Luffy has become a great pirate, he can give it back to him. With that, the Red-Hair Pirates sail off.
Ten years pass and Luffy, now seventeen, prepares to set off on his own. He wishes his friends on the island goodbye and sails off, confronting the Lord of the Coast again. This time, Luffy knocks it out with one stretched punch and proclaims once more that he'll be King of the Pirates.
Koby and Captain Morgan
Some time after his departure, Luffy gets himself caught in a whirlpool, and it seems his adventure will meet a premature end. He manages to jump into the barrel on his rowboat at the last minute, saving himself. He's picked up by a passing pirate ship and bursts out when some of the pirates, thinking it's rum inside the barrell, try to open it. After a fight, he meets the cabin boy, Koby, and the two get acquainted. Koby reveals his backstory: he was just a simple fisherman who, one day, got on a pirate's rowboat by mistake. To keep from being killed, he offered to be their cabin boy. He wishes to become a Marine, but is too cowardly to escape Alvida, the captain of said pirates. However, as Koby gets to know Luffy, he starts to become inspired. The two are then confronted by Alvida, a very fat and ugly female pirate, who tries to kowtow Koby into praising her. He gains the courage to insult her instead, prompting her to attack. Luffy defends him and easily knocks out Alvida before forcing her crew to give him a boat so Koby and he can leave.
The two sail to an island called Shell Town, which has a Marine base at which Koby hopes to enlist. As they head there, they notice the townspeople get jumpy when mention is made of either a prisoner named Roronoa Zoro (who also happens to be an infamous pirate bounty hunter) or the Marine Captain in charge of the base, "Axe-Hand" Morgan. They reach the base and peer over the wall, where they see Zoro tied to a post. A girl named Rika goes over the wall to feed Zoro some rice balls, but he refuses them. Helmeppo, Morgan's son, appears and takes the balls for himself. He spits them out, insults Rika's poor cooking (since she made them with sugar instead of salt), and has a Marine throw her out of the compound (though Luffy catches her before she hits the ground). Helmeppo then gloats to Zoro about how the latter still has several days left before his release, and swaggers off. Luffy speaks with Zoro and tries to convince him to join his crew, but Zoro refuses; however, he asks Luffy to feed him the now-dirtied rice balls, and to tell Rika they were delicious.
Luffy rejoins Rika and Koby in town and does just that. Rika explains why Zoro was locked up in the first place: Helmeppo's pet wolf was scaring everyone in town and tried to attack Rika, but Zoro killed the wolf to defend her. He allowed himself to be locked up for it under the condition that if he survives without food for a month, he'll be released. Just then, however, Helmeppo happens to stroll by, and brags about how his father will put Zoro to death in three days. Luffy confronts him, then punches him out, upon discovering the lie, and Helmeppo promises that the Marines will target Luffy once he tells his father what happened. Luffy isn't fazed, and heads back to the Marine compound to talk with Zoro again. He manages to bargain with the swordsman that, if he gets Zoro's swords back from the base for him, then Zoro will have to join his crew to get them back (to Zoro's chagrin). Luffy slingshots himself high over the base, but overshoots; he grabs and accidentally breaks a statue to slow himself down, which happens to be a newly finished statue of Morgan that the Marines were setting up under Morgan's supervision. He orders his men to kill Luffy, but Luffy just grabs Helmeppo and heads into the base to locate the swords. Down below, Koby sneaks in and tries to untie Zoro while telling him of Helmeppo's lie, but is shot in the shoulder by one of the Marines. Koby and Zoro are soon cornered by Morgan and a firing squad.
Luffy manages to locate the swords, but sees through the window that Zoro and Koby are about to be killed. As the firing squad takes aim, Zoro flashes back to his younger days as a kid learning swordsmanship in a dojo, where he was constantly defeated by a girl named Kuina, the daughter of the dojo master. After a private match ends no differently for him, Kuina confides in Zoro that she's certain she'll lose her ability to best him over time because she's female. Zoro, however, insists he doesn't want to win or lose against her over a trivial detail like gender. He makes her promise that they'll both become great swordsmen together, and she agrees. However, the next day, Kuina dies after she hits her head from slipping and falling down some stairs. Zoro, grieving that his greatest rival won't be able to fulfill her dream, asks her father for her sword so he can achieve their shared dream in her stead.
Back in the present, Morgan orders the Marines to fire, but Luffy jumps in the way and shields his friends by bouncing the bullets back with his rubber body, as they have no effect on him. He frees Zoro and returns his swords to him as the Marines bear down on them with their own swords, which are single-handedly blocked by Zoro himself. Zoro then vows his services to Luffy on the condition that he can still continue to pursue his dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman. Luffy gladly agrees, and the two proceed to fight the Marines together.
Morgan eventually joins the fray and takes on Luffy, but is easily outmatched and trounced. Helmeppo sneaks up on Koby and threatens him with death unless Luffy stops fighting, but Koby is willing to die to help Luffy out. Luffy saves Koby with a stretched punch while Zoro prevents Morgan from killing Luffy. The remaining Marines, surprisingly, immediately stop fighting and celebrate Morgan's defeat, since Morgan governed them by fear. The three boys celebrate at a bar owned by Rika's mother. However, a Marine official states that they can't stay in town because they're pirates (though the Marines promise not to arrest them as a favor for their heroics). Luffy and Zoro start to leave, while Koby gets tongue-tied when he's asked if he's part of Luffy's crew as well. Luffy helps him by picking a fight with him until the official breaks them up and tells Luffy to leave, convinced that he and Koby are not crewmates. Koby realizes he needs to stand up for himself and gets the courage to ask for enlistment. He's granted his wish.
Luffy and Zoro head off to continue their adventure, with the Marines of the island saluting them as they do. Luffy wishes Koby well and states they'll meet again someday.
Romance Dawn Arc has the following tropes:
- Adaptational Badass:
- A mild case with Zoro - in the manga, he's starved for "only" nine days before Luffy and Koby show up, and upon first seeing them he weirdly tries to bribe them into freeing him. In the anime, he's lasted three weeks, and immediately tells off any would-be rescuers.
- One for child Luffy in his flashback. In the manga, he was already described as being a poor swimmer even before he ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, so him becoming an anchor didn't really bother him too much. In the anime, he's described as being a very good swimmer, so the loss of his ability to swim is a bit of a bigger deal.
- And There Was Much Rejoicing: After Luffy and Zoro beat Captain Morgan and Helmeppo, the Navy sailors celebrate; Morgan was such an egocentric, Ax-Crazy Bad Boss that the sailors had no real loyalty to him, only obeying his edicts out of fear.
- Arc Villain: Morgan in the second half of the arc.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: The Lord of the Coast, which is the introduction of Sea Kings in general.
- Ax-Crazy: "Axe-Hand" Morgan. Literally.
- Badass Crew: The Red-Haired Pirates. After Benn Beckman clobbers the bandits with the back of his rifle, he says "if you wanted to take us on, you should've brought a warship". Doubles as Badass Boast.
- Bad Boss:
- Alvida. Any of her crew members who displease her and/or don't flatter her enough get a taste of her iron mace.
- Morgan, who, among other things, kills one of his men just for refusing to execute a little girl.
- Bowdlerize:
- In the manga, Luffy's Establishing Character Moment (as a seven-year-old) is when he stabs himself in the face right below the eye to prove how tough he is and impress Shanks, which is where he got the scar below his eye that he has for the entire series. The anime (which shows Luffy's relationship with Shanks in a Whole Episode Flashback in Episode 4) removes this, never explaining where Luffy's scar came from.
- A lot of the more graphic violence from Luffy's flashback is toned down in the anime, from Lucky Roux blowing a bandits brains out (which is obscured in the anime although its clear that's still what happened), to Ben Beckman putting his cigarette out in another bandits eye. Finally the Wham Shot of Shanks missing arm was shown to still be bleeding in the manga whereas it isn't in the anime.
- The manga (through Rika) explicitly states that Zoro outright killed Helmeppo's pet wolf to protect her; in the anime, he simply knocks it out by offhandedly throwing a chair at it.
- The scene from the manga where Koby is shot in the shoulder by the Marines while trying to untie Zoro is also removed, jumping straight to the two of them being cornered by Morgan and the rest of the Marines.
- Helmeppo holding Koby at gunpoint is edited in the 4kids dub into threatening him with some kind of bizarre spring-loaded hammer device.
- Brick Joke: In the first chapter Luffy claims to Shanks that his punch is as strong as a pistol which Shanks scoffs at. At the end of the chapter, when an older Luffy confronts the Lord of the Coast, he demonstrates his new Gum-Gum Pistol technique and knocks it out with one punch showing that he can now live up to his boast.
- Carry a Big Stick: Why do you think Alvida's epithet is "Iron Mace"?
- Character Development: Koby starts out a small, timid boy who after an accident was taken into Alvida's crew, and bullied into doing chores for her. Meeting Luffy encourages him to stand up for himself, even at the risk of his life, and follow his dream of becoming a Marine.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The Morgan fight is the first major one of the series and Luffy easily owns Morgan like it was nothing. The guy doesn't even land a hit on him!
- Dirty Coward: Once he finds out Shanks and his crew were dangerous, Higuma would rather have his men fight them than himself, and escapes with a smoke bomb onto a small boat with young Luffy as a hostage.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Alvida smashes a poor guy with her large mace for leaving some dust behind after cleaning.
- Early-Bird Cameo: In the anime, Nami is seen sneaking around Alvida's ship and Morgan's base before she interacts with Luffy.
- Egopolis: Morgan so convinced of his superiority that has a statue made of himself just to let Shell Town know it.
- Establishing Character Moment:
- In the manga, the first thing Luffy does is to stab himself with a knife to prove his courage and determination. In the anime, we see how Luffy pops out of a wine barrel yelling about how great a nap he just had (though he certainly does that in the manga too).
- Zoro's first appearance is him tied up a pole, starving for nine days and smiling. He later eats a rice ball a little girl made for him, despite it being seasoned with sugar instead of salt and being stepped on, and asks Luffy to tell the girl it was delicious.
- The very first words we hear Morgan say are: “I’m great!” It’s not much of an introduction, but it immediately makes clear what kind of person we’re dealing with.
- Everyone Has Standards: Helmeppo lets his pet wolf run around terrorizing the populace, and decides to have Zoro (a grown man) executed for the lulz (after promising to free Zoro after a month), but even he's utterly horrified when his father orders a little girl killed and then cuts down a marine who objected to the order.
- Foreshadowing: Shanks staring at the Sea King and telling it to "get lost"? That's his Haki, showcased in the very first chapter, years before it got a proper introduction.
- Zoro remarks after meeting Luffy for the first time, that he must be "the spawn of the devil". Then we find out something... very interesting about Luffy's parentage in the Enies Lobby Arc.
- Morgan's tyrannical leadership is the first example we see of just how bad the World Government really is, as Morgan's demands and behavior are very reminiscent of the World Nobles themselves.
- Friendly Enemy: Luffy's very first one. He befriends Koby, and they both tell each other their dreams of becoming the Pirate King and a great Marine respectively. They then help each other get closer to their dreams as Koby enlists in the Marines and Luffy finds a crewmate, noting they'll be enemies when meet again. Neither of them mind that much.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Luffy hits Koby who was having a nervous breakdown that he wouldn't be accepted in the Marines due to his background of working as a pirate cabin boy.Koby: Why did you hit me?Luffy: Because I felt like it.
- Gonk: Alvida. Worse, she doesn't believe she is and fancies herself the World's Most Beautiful Woman.
- Grew a Spine: Koby is introduced as Alvida's groveling, kowtowing doormat. When he meets Luffy and is exposed to the wannabe pirate's determination to find One Piece and become Pirate King, Koby gains the gumption to tell Alvida exactly what he thinks of her. Later, when Helmeppo tries holding him hostage, he refuses to balk and beg for his life.
- Iconic Item: We learn the story of how Luffy got his straw hat, which becomes iconic enough to be his Red Baron, in the very first chapter.
- I Lied: Helmeppo on his promise to free Zoro after a month tied to a stake.
- Look What I Can Do Now!: Luffy first demonstrates his strength after years of training with his first Gum-Gum Pistol, which knocks out the Lord of the Coast.
- Megaton Punch: Luffy does this to Alvida in both the anime and manga though its more impressive in the anime since he sends her flying out to sea with a Gum-Gum Pistol causing her to land in an explosive splash whereas in the manga its more downplayed as Luffy just decks her in the face and sends her flying a few feet.
- My Life Flashed Before My Eyes: How Zoro's backstory is delivered - in the split-second before Luffy shields him from Morgan's firing squad, he flashes back to his past with Kuina. Note that manga delivers his entire backstory this way, while the anime does a few context-free flashes and saves the full story for the Baratie Arc.
- Not So Stoic: Shanks, one of the most laid-back guys you'll ever meet, panics when he finds out that a lowlife bandit had kidnapped a young Luffy under his watch.
- Pet the Dog: The first indication we get that Zoro isn't just the bloodthirsty demon he's made out to be is after Helmeppo steps on the rice balls a little girl made for him. Despite them being covered in dirt, he still tells Luffy to feed them to him and to tell Rika he said they were delicious.
- Post-Victory Collapse: Zoro after he and Luffy defeat Morgan, Helmeppo, and the Marines, due to starvation from having not eaten for nine days.
- Red Right Hand: "Axe-Hand" Captain Morgan. Who has an axe for a right hand. And a metal jaw.
- Scars Are Forever: Luffy gives himself one in the introductory chapter over his left eye. With a knife. On purpose. At age 7.
- Sincerity Mode: In the manga version of the first time Luffy and Koby meet Zoronote , he asks them to untie him with the promise to repay them by hunting down a wanted criminal and giving them all the bounty money, reassuring them, "You can trust me. I'm a man of my word." Koby (understandably) assumes he's lying, but given what we know about Zoro from the rest of the series, this offer was probably completely genuine.
- Spoiled Brat: Helmeppo, who uses his status as a Marine Captain's son to lord it over the townspeople, though his father isn't much better; the men under his command actually celebrate when he's beaten by Luffy.
- Starter Villain: Alvida, she is the first pirate Luffy fights after leaving Syrup Village.
- Stealth Pun: Monkey D. Luffy is introduced to Koby (and the audience in the anime) by bursting out of a barrel. It really gives you an idea to what the series is going to be like.
- The '90s: The manga started running in 1997, and the anime followed two years later.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: After Morgan is defeated, Koby is taken on board by an ironically-named Commander Ripper, who allows Luffy and Zoro to head off, while saluting them, albeit putting himself and the crew on food restrictions for two weeks.
- TimeSkip/Flashback: Chapter 1 ends with a ten year long timeskip, whereas in the anime Luffy’s past is shown as a Whole Episode Flashback.
- Town with a Dark Secret: Shell Town when Luffy and Koby arrive.
- Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Just as Morgan's giant statue is being erected, one sailor scuffs a hand. Then Luffy slingshots up the Navy Base tower and accidentally knocks it off the balcony, causing it to break in half.
Story Impact
- Many important characters are introduced in this arc, such as Monkey D. Luffy, Shanks, and Roronoa Zoro.
- Zoro joins Luffy's crew.
- Both Luffy and Zoro's dreams are revealed.
- Koby and Helmeppo make their first appearance, and their importance to the overarching story will be shown in the Post-Enies Lobby Arc and the Marineford Arc. The manga mini-arc Diary of Koby-Meppo (which was later animated into episodes 68-69 between the Whisky Peak Arc and the Little Garden Arc) also shows how they became friends and also how they met Vice Admiral Garp.
- It is the first time that Luffy becomes recognized by the authorities. After toppling Morgan's reign, the Marines take Luffy's actions into account before issuing a bounty. The Marines in this arc do not contact Marine Headquarters to issue a bounty towards Luffy as a favor for defeating Morgan. It would not be until after the battle in the Arlong Park Arc that Luffy would receive his first bounty.
