Eiichiro Oda’s beloved Weekly Shonen Jump manga, One Piece, debuted in 1997, and was adapted into an anime by Toei Animation in 1999. Since then, the series has only continued to rise in popularity, eventually becoming the best-selling manga of all time. One Piece is currently in its Final Saga, and the story keeps getting more intense as the truth about the world slowly comes to light. Compared to the intriguing Final Saga, which focuses on deep lore, world-building, and battles with high stakes, the East Blue Saga is more light-hearted.
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As the first Saga of the series, it plays a perfect role in setting up the premise of the story and introducing the main characters as well as explaining their dreams and goals. The East Blue Saga often evokes nostalgic moments in fans who have been a part of the Straw Hats’ journey for several years and continue to see this through the end. While there are countless incredible moments in the entire Saga, these seven stand out the most among them.
7) Zoro Solidifies His Goal By Making a Vow With Luffy
The entire reason Zoro set out to sea was to challenge Dracule Mihawk, the strongest swordsman in the world, and claim the title for himself. However, reality hit him hard when he crossed paths with the Warlord in Baratie and was defeated way too easily. That was the last time he cried as he swore to Luffy that he would never lose a fight again. He believed that the future Pirate King deserved nothing less than having the world’s strongest swordsman in his crew, and it’s up to him to work harder toward that goal now.
This moment changed Zoro forever as he solidified his determination to fulfill the dream he shared with his childhood friend Kuina. Of course, that doesn’t mean Zoro hasn’t lost any fights since then, but he has also grown significantly more powerful and is taking one step toward his goal after each battle.
6) The Famous Barrel Scene Highlights the Importance of Each Straw Hat’s Dream
By the time the East Blue Saga reached its conclusion, four pirates had already joined Luffy’s crew, and they had yet to meet more of them in the future arcs. To be a pirate and sail across the Grand Line isn’t the kind of conviction everyone can have, as it takes courage to put your life at risk to achieve your goal. However, the Straw Hat Pirates were more than ready to do whatever it takes to make their dreams a reality while sailing all across the world.
As they ready themselves for the challenge ahead, the five of them make a promise by placing their foot on the barrel, conveying to fans that while their dreams may differ, they are all in this together. Since then, the crew has been a solid backbone to Luffy, and the opposite is true as well. They all work together while occasionally having differences, doing their best to support one another through this difficult path.
5) The Walk to Arlong Park Will Always Be Iconic
For the most part, the crew is often goofing around, bickering with one another, and causing chaos wherever they go. However, when they do get serious, especially if it’s for the sake of a friend, you’ll know that the villains soon have nowhere left to escape. The walk to Arlong Park remains one of the most iconic moments in the series as Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp head toward the villain’s base to make him pay for all the hell he put Nami through.
The moment not only highlighted Nami’s importance in the crew, but it also showed how united the Straw Hats can be when faced with a real challenge. After Arlong’s defeat, Nami becomes a full-fledged member of the crew, welcomed warmly by a group that wants no one other than her to be their navigator.
4) Luffy’s Smile in the Face of Death Still Resonates Today
Every pirate dreams about acquiring the legendary treasure and claiming the title of the Pirate King, but not everyone has the same conviction as Luffy. Luffy knows better than anyone that the dream he is chasing could easily result in his death, but he’s fine with the risks involved so long as he lives life on his own terms. He couldn’t care less about the treasure or fame; what he desires is absolute freedom, which he can only obtain after becoming the Pirate King. When faced with certain death at the same execution chamber where Roger died, Luffy shocked everyone.
He simply smiled, believing his short journey had come to an end, which left him with only good memories and no regrets. Luffy is still the same, as evidenced by his fight against Kaido in the Wano Country Saga when he openly declared that he doesn’t care about dying. For him, the risk of dying isn’t enough reason to back down from a fight or abandon his dreams. Luffy’s smile holds even more significance in the story after his Devil Fruit awakening and its connection to the Sun God Nika, who liberated everyone with a smile on his face.
3) Sanji’s Heartbreaking Backstory Explains the Depth of His Character
Sanji is one of the few characters who suffered unimaginable pain before finally finding a home where he belongs. He met Zeff during his childhood while working as an apprentice chef for another pirate crew. However, due to a tragic accident and Zeff’s sacrifice to save him, the two ended up stranded on an island with nowhere left to return to. The backstory was so gruesome that Toei had to censor it a lot, even to the point of changing how Zeff lost his leg. Sanji spent several weeks barely eating anything, and Zeff had to cut off his own leg in order to avoid dying from starvation.
This experience made Sanji realize the true importance of food and shaped his character while forming an unbreakable bond with Zeff as his mentor and father figure. Just this backstory alone was enough to solidify Sanji’s character, but Eiichiro Oda went further with the beloved cook in Whole Cake Island when we realized everything we went through long before meeting Zeff. His past experiences, his mother’s love, and his fateful encounter with Zeff shaped him into the kindest character in the series, and that hasn’t changed even after so many years.
2) Nami Asking For Luffy’s Help Still Makes Fans Emotional
Nami was only ten years old when Arlong killed her mother in front of her and her sister, Nojiko. She barely survived because the pirate noticed her extraordinary talents as a navigator and blackmailed her into working for him while making empty promises to free her village once she gave him 100 million berries. She spent eight years working tirelessly for the man who not only killed her mother but also took over her village and continued to terrorize the people she cared about.
Hoping to save her village, she got his tattoo on her arm and put on the act of abandoning everything for money. Alone and scared, she spent all her time either working for Arlong or looting pirate ships, barely saving up enough money. This is why, when Arlong revealed he had no intentions of freeing her village, she broke down and stabbed her tattoo several times. Since she spent most of her life having no one else to rely on, it took her a lot of courage to ask Luffy for help. Of course, the future Pirate King wouldn’t leave his friend crying and held true to the promise he made to her.
1) The Importance of Shanks Giving Luffy His Straw Hat Was Revealed Much Later
As a child, Luffy was inspired by Shanks and hoped to one day become a pirate like him. He mistakenly ate a Devil Fruit that Shanks brought to Foosha Village with him and gained special powers. Shanks not only sacrificed his left arm to teach Luffy about the dangers of becoming a pirate but also passed down his Straw Hat while promising to meet him again one day and take it back once the kid had become a great pirate. The scene shaped Luffy’s dream, after which he stopped being reckless and trained relentlessly to grow stronger.
He only set out to sea at the age of 17 once he felt he was ready to take on the challenge ahead of him. The true importance of the scene was revealed much later on when the series hinted that Shanks knows about the true importance of the Devil Fruit and bet everything on the child. He even went as far as giving him the Straw Hat, which he got from Gol D. Roger, who was a father figure to him.
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